--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Survival is as much a matter of grace as…" description: "\"Survival is as much a matter of grace as fight. The expression, 'grace under pressure' implies the attainment of equanimity and equilibrium. The fundam..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/gretel-ehrlich-9636_attainment_survival-is-as-much-a-matter-of-grace-as_3044280.jpg" --- # Survival is as much a matter of grace as fight. The… ![“Survival is as much a matter of grace as fight. The expression, 'grace under pressure' implies the attainment of equanimity and equilibrium. The fundamental durability of the human body surprises us because the pain can be so intense - yet pain is often transient and hides the tremendous effforts…” quote by Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/gretel-ehrlich-9636_attainment_survival-is-as-much-a-matter-of-grace-as_3044280.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/gretel-ehrlich-9636_attainment_survival-is-as-much-a-matter-of-grace-as_3044280.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6ec/gretel-ehrlich-9636_attainment_survival-is-as-much-a-matter-of-grace-as_3044280.jpg) > “Survival is as much a matter of grace as fight. The expression, 'grace under pressure' implies the attainment of equanimity and equilibrium. The fundamental durability of the human body surprises us because the pain can be so intense - yet pain is often transient and hides the tremendous effforts the body is engaged in to heal itself.” [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Survival depends on both fighting and maintaining grace; equanimity under pressure reveals inner strength. **In simple terms:** Grace under pressure shows true resilience. Key Takeaway Cultivate calm amid adversity. Themes resilience grace pain equanimity healing Mood reflective steady Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - combat training - medical recovery - high‑stress jobs - athletic competition Key Concepts stress response psychological endurance Questions to Reflect On - How do you maintain calm in crisis? - What practices build equanimity? A Different Perspective Pain can overwhelm if grace is absent. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attainment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attainment/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Durability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/durability/) [Engaged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/engaged/) [Equanimity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equanimity/) [Equilibrium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equilibrium/) [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Expression Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression-grace-5032906/) [Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fighting/) [Fundamentals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fundamentals/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Grace Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace-pressure-826502/) [Grace under pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace-under-pressure/) [Heal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heal/) [Heal itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heal-itself/) [Human body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-body/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Intense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intense/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure/) [Pressure Implies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pressure-implies-5032905/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) [Transient](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transient/) [Under pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/under-pressure/) ## Related quotes > [“Grace under pressure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/grace-under-pressure/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Live with kindness, integrity and spirituality. Comport yourself with grace under pressure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/live-with-kindness-integrity-and-spirituality-comport-yourself-with/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [What is the definition of guts? Grace under pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/what-is-the-definition-of-guts-grace-under-pressure/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Grace under pressure isn't just about bullfighters and men at war. It's about getting up every day to face a job or a white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-gaines/grace-under-pressure-isn-t-just-about-bullfighters-and-men-at-war-it/) [Ernest Gaines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-gaines/) > [We can always stick together when we are losing, but tend to find means of breaking up when we're winning. In Grace under Pressure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thurgood-marshall/we-can-always-stick-together-when-we-are-losing-but-tend-to-find/) [Thurgood Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thurgood-marshall/) > [By "guts" I mean, grace under pressure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/by-guts-i-mean-grace-under-pressure/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Courage is grace under pressure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/courage-is-grace-under-pressure/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [In every sport there comes a moment when a spell of bitter weeping seems like a fair recess from whatever tough work is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-casey/in-every-sport-there-comes-a-moment-when-a-spell-of-bitter-weeping/) [Susan Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-casey/) > [“Comport yourself with grace under pressure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/comport-yourself-with-grace-under-pressure/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Big mistakes are an outstanding opportunity to showcase your ability to recover and have grace under pressure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/big-mistakes-are-an-outstanding-opportunity-to-showcase-your-ability/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Effort and courage are not enough without purpose and direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/effort-and-courage-are-not-enough-without-purpose-and-direction/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [It's a level of strength and character that few of us can imagine; a grace under pressure that few of us will ever attain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-fleming/it-s-a-level-of-strength-and-character-that-few-of-us-can-imagine-a/) [Peggy Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-fleming/) > [Sports is a moral undertaking because it requires of participants, and it schools spectators in the appreciation of, noble things - courage, grace under…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-will/sports-is-a-moral-undertaking-because-it-requires-of-participants-and/) [George Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-will/) > [“Recall that epic heroes were judged by their actions, not by the results. No matter how sophisticated our choices, how good we are at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/recall-that-epic-heroes-were-judged-by-their-actions-not-by-the/) [Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/) > [Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavour, courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/fearlessness-may-be-a-gift-but-perhaps-more-precious-is-the-courage/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) ## More by Gretel Ehrlich > [“To yield is to be preserved whole. To be bent is to become straight. To be hollow is to be filled. To be tattered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/to-yield-is-to-be-preserved-whole-to-be-bent-is-to-become-straight-to/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [Turbulence, like many forms of trouble, cannot always be seen. We bounce so hard my arms sail helplessly above my head. In evolution, wing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/turbulence-like-many-forms-of-trouble-cannot-always-be-seen-we-bounce/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [From the clayey soil of northern Wyoming is mined bentonite, which is used as filler in candy, gum, and lipstick. We Americans are great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/from-the-clayey-soil-of-northern-wyoming-is-mined-bentonite-which-is/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [Finally, the lessons of impermanence taught me this: loss constitutes an odd kind of fullness; despair empties out into an unquenchable appetite for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/finally-the-lessons-of-impermanence-taught-me-this-loss-constitutes/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [If anything is endemic to Wyoming it is wind. This big room of space is swept out daily, leaving a bone yard of fossils,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/if-anything-is-endemic-to-wyoming-it-is-wind-this-big-room-of-space/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [Everything in nature invites us constantly to be what we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/everything-in-nature-invites-us-constantly-to-be-what-we-are/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [Between highway sounds I heard waves and thought how the curve of the coastline here had sheltered and nurtured live-born sharks, humans, and migrating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/between-highway-sounds-i-heard-waves-and-thought-how-the-curve-of-the/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [Walking is also an ambulation of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/walking-is-also-an-ambulation-of-mind/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [As fog moved to the mainland I heard a flock of birds fly over. They sounded like a dress rustling, a dress being unfastened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/as-fog-moved-to-the-mainland-i-heard-a-flock-of-birds-fly-over-they/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [History is not truth versus falsehoods, but a mixture of both, a mélange of tendencies, reactions, dreams, errors, and power plays. What's important is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/history-is-not-truth-versus-falsehoods-but-a-mixture-of-both-a-m/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [“What shocks me so is the detachment with which we dispense destruction -- not just bombs, but blows to the head of the earth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/what-shocks-me-so-is-the-detachment-with-which-we-dispense/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [“Like water, I have no skin...only surface tension. (Gretel Ehrlich)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/like-water-i-have-no-skin-only-surface-tension-gretel-ehrlich/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [What Flaubert refers to as the “mélancholies du voyage” is like the sadness I feel as one season departs and another arrives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/what-flaubert-refers-to-as-the-m-lancholies-du-voyage-is-like-the/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [“Space is an arena where the rowdy particles that are the building blocks of life perform their antics. All spring, things fall; the general…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/space-is-an-arena-where-the-rowdy-particles-that-are-the-building/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [There is nothing in nature that can't be taken as a sign of both mortality and invigoration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/there-is-nothing-in-nature-that-can-t-be-taken-as-a-sign-of-both/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) [Explore all 71 Gretel Ehrlich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) ## More Attainment quotes > [Life, whether in this world or any other, is the sum of our attainment, our experience, our character. The conditions are secondary. In what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-hubbel-chapin/life-whether-in-this-world-or-any-other-is-the-sum-of-our-attainment/) [Edwin Hubbel Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-hubbel-chapin/) > [The Attainment of freedom, whether for a person, a nation or a world, must be in exact proportion to the attainment of nonviolence for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/the-attainment-of-freedom-whether-for-a-person-a-nation-or-a-world/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“All achievements, whether in the business, intellectual, or spiritual world, are the result of definitely directed thought, are governed by the same law and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-allen/all-achievements-whether-in-the-business-intellectual-or-spiritual/) [James Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-allen/) > [In transmitting the dharma, there is neither explanation nor teaching; there is neighter hearing nor attainment. Since explanations never really explains, nor are they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-daido-loori/in-transmitting-the-dharma-there-is-neither-explanation-nor-teaching/) [John Daido Loori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-daido-loori/) > [At length weariness succeeds to labor, and the mind lies at ease in the contemplation of her own attainments without any desire of new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/at-length-weariness-succeeds-to-labor-and-the-mind-lies-at-ease-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The mind of one meditating on a single object becomes one-pointed. And one-pointedness of mind leads to abidance in the self. Real attainment is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/the-mind-of-one-meditating-on-a-single-object-becomes-one-pointed-and/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [Wisdom can boast no higher attainment than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/wisdom-can-boast-no-higher-attainment-than-happiness/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [Not merely by rules of conduct and religious observances, nor by much learning either, nor even by attainment of concentration, nor by sleeping alone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-merely-by-rules-of-conduct-and-religious-observances-nor-by-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The most important rules that I ever adopted to help me in achieving my goals were those I learned from a very successful man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/the-most-important-rules-that-i-ever-adopted-to-help-me-in-achieving/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Like myself, all Americans have a deep concern for the well-being of Iran. With them I have watched closely your courageous efforts, your steadfastness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/like-myself-all-americans-have-a-deep-concern-for-the-well-being-of/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The ability to discriminate between that which is true and that which is false is one of the last attainments of the human mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-f-cooper/the-ability-to-discriminate-between-that-which-is-true-and-that-which/) [James F. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-f-cooper/) > [The more clearly defined and keenly desired your goals, the more of your natural creativity will be released for goal attainment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-more-clearly-defined-and-keenly-desired-your-goals-the-more-of/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [Every attainment, every step forward in knowledge, follows from courage, from hardness against oneself, from cleanliness in relation to oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-attainment-every-step-forward-in-knowledge-follows-from-courage/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And only the very courageous will be able to keep alive the spirit of individualism and dissent which gave birth to this nation, nourished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/and-only-the-very-courageous-will-be-able-to-keep-alive-the-spirit-of/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Some read for style, and some for argument: one has little care about the sentiment, he observes only how it is expressed; another regards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/some-read-for-style-and-some-for-argument-one-has-little-care-about/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Browse all 363 Attainment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attainment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Survival is as much a matter of grace as fight. The expression, 'grace under pressure' implies the attainment of equanimity and equilibrium. 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