--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Young people can understand, and must…" description: "\"Young people can understand, and must understand, that we had success, we had failures, but we never gave up. We never gave in. We never became bitter...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/john-lewis-1310_ability_young-people-can-understand-and-must-und_2895637.jpg" --- # Young people can understand, and must understand, that we… ![“Young people can understand, and must understand, that we had success, we had failures, but we never gave up. We never gave in. We never became bitter. We didn't hate. We continued to press on. And that's what we're saying: There are some ups, there are some downs, and when you're not down, you…” quote by John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/john-lewis-1310_ability_young-people-can-understand-and-must-und_2895637.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/john-lewis-1310_ability_young-people-can-understand-and-must-und_2895637.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/37b/john-lewis-1310_ability_young-people-can-understand-and-must-und_2895637.jpg) > “Young people can understand, and must understand, that we had success, we had failures, but we never gave up. We never gave in. We never became bitter. We didn't hate. We continued to press on. And that's what we're saying: There are some ups, there are some downs, and when you're not down, you must have the capacity and the ability to get up and keep going.” [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Resilience involves acknowledging both successes and failures while maintaining perseverance and humility. **In simple terms:** Success, failure, and perseverance together build resilience. Key Takeaway Keep moving forward despite setbacks. Themes perseverance humility growth Mood determined inspired Type historical motivational When to use this quote - activism - personal development - community building Key Concepts resilience history social change Questions to Reflect On - How do you recharge after setbacks? - What role does community play? A Different Perspective Resilience can be exhausted without support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Bitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bitter/) [Capacity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capacity/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Gave up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gave-up/) [Get up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/get-up/) [Hate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hate/) [Keep going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keep-going/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Understand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-understand/) [Presses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presses/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Success Failures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success-failures-501621/) [Understand Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/understand-success-2255419/) [Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young/) [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) [Youth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/youth/) ## Related quotes > [I think plans failing is a really interesting question. 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I'm not confused.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-ries/i-can-t-say-i-m-not-grateful-to-have-journalists-writing-about-me-as/) [Eric Ries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-ries/) > [“If you have to introduce yourself then understand that success is still far away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/invajy/if-you-have-to-introduce-yourself-then-understand-that-success-is/) [Invajy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/invajy/) > [Once you understand that your success doesn't depend upon the failure of others you'll probably become less of a jerk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/once-you-understand-that-your-success-doesn-t-depend-upon-the-failure/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Understand that success is not an accident, but a planned event.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-ratna/understand-that-success-is-not-an-accident-but-a-planned-event/) [Abhishek Ratna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-ratna/) > [“doesn’t teach. Winning rewards. You can only really learn from failure. And in the end, after you have taken a prolonged physical and psychological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-tyler/doesn-t-teach-winning-rewards-you-can-only-really-learn-from-failure/) [Aisha Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-tyler/) > [The fear of rejection really kind of stunts your growth as a person. I mean, it's like a friend of mine says, who cares…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rzeznik/the-fear-of-rejection-really-kind-of-stunts-your-growth-as-a-person-i/) [John Rzeznik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rzeznik/) > [We never gave up. We didn't get lost in a sea of despair. We kept the faith. We kept pushing and pulling. We kept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/we-never-gave-up-we-didn-t-get-lost-in-a-sea-of-despair-we-kept-the/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [Any experience can be transformed into something of value. Everything depends on the way you look at things. You cannot have the success without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vash-young/any-experience-can-be-transformed-into-something-of-value-everything/) [Vash Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vash-young/) > [Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success. --Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/develop-success-from-failures-discouragement-and-failure-are-two-of-3/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [To appreciate success, failures are necessary! so when you fail don't quit, keep going! You will be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-appreciate-success-failures-are-necessary-so-when-you-fail-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest steppingstones to success. No other element can do so much for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/develop-success-from-failures-discouragement-and-failure-are-two-of-2/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Develop success from failures. Discouragement and failure are two of the surest stepping stones to success.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/develop-success-from-failures-discouragement-and-failure-are-two-of/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) ## More by John Lewis > [ I happen to believe that this election year \[2016\] is...one of the most important elections that we're going to face in a very long… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/i-happen-to-believe-that-this-election-year-2016-is-one-of-the-most/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [If you're not hopeful and optimistic, then you just give up. 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Now we have to create a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/now-we-have-black-and-white-elected-officials-working-together-today/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [“For me, the nomination of Barack Obama as a candidate for president and his inauguration in Washington represents a brief glimpse at the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/for-me-the-nomination-of-barack-obama-as-a-candidate-for-president/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [Too many people struggled, suffered, and died to make it possible for every American to exercise their right to vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/too-many-people-struggled-suffered-and-died-to-make-it-possible-for/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [The vote is precious. 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Right now, what my - my job is right now going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/right-now-what-my-job-is-pardon-me-those-are-just-words-right-now/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [ Donald Trump has made it clear that certainly over the last few years that President \[Barack\] Obama was born in Hawaii. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/donald-trump-has-made-it-clear-that-certainly-over-the-last-few-years/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) [Explore all 258 John Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) ## More Ability quotes > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) > [“the importance of ability. 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Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/) > [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/) [Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/) > [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/) [Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/) > [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/) [Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/) > [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. 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