--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: New York is not a city to return to in…" description: "\"New York is not a city to return to in defeat.\" — Moss Hart" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/moss-hart-17902_cities_new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-d_2863097.png" --- # New York is not a city to return to in defeat. ![“New York is not a city to return to in defeat.” quote by Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/moss-hart-17902_cities_new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-d_2863097.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/moss-hart-17902_cities_new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-d_2863097.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/moss-hart-17902_cities_new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-d_2863097.png) > “New York is not a city to return to in defeat.” [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. New York’s resilient spirit refuses to surrender; the city rises again after setbacks. **In simple terms:** NYC never gives up after defeat. Key Takeaway Embrace perseverance like New York. Themes resilience city determination culture Mood determined hopeful Type inspirational motivational When to use this quote - business recovery - personal setbacks - community rebuilding - motivational speeches Key Concepts urban renewal collective spirit Questions to Reflect On - How do you bounce back from failure? - What can you learn from New York’s persistence? A Different Perspective Not all defeats are recoverable quickly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [New york](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-york/) ## Related quotes > [Why did I become a writer? 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That won't change, just… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/new-york-is-a-city-largely-based-on-great-skyscrapers-and-they-will/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [ \[On living in New York City:\] I'm oblivious to everything. I just don't notice anything. I sat in a coffee shop, drank half a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-kightlinger/on-living-in-new-york-city-i-m-oblivious-to-everything-i-just-don-t/) [Laura Kightlinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-kightlinger/) > [I had a map on my wall that had a circle around Lubbock and then giant arrows pointing toward New York City and Los…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-corbin/i-had-a-map-on-my-wall-that-had-a-circle-around-lubbock-and-then/) [Barry Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-corbin/) > [New York City is a notoriously hard market to perform country music in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trace-adkins/new-york-city-is-a-notoriously-hard-market-to-perform-country-music-in/) [Trace Adkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trace-adkins/) > [ One of the great crimes of the Bloomberg/Klein administration \[in New York City\] is that they've removed themselves from communities, as if communities have… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-ayers/one-of-the-great-crimes-of-the-bloomberg-klein-administration-in-new/) [Bill Ayers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-ayers/) > [Sooner or later they are going to live in a New York City where gay marriage is not only legal, but it's common and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-weiner/sooner-or-later-they-are-going-to-live-in-a-new-york-city-where-gay/) [Anthony Weiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-weiner/) > [There are a lot of New York City Thanksgiving traditions. 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That's what happened to my parents; that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-manuel-miranda/ed-koch-once-said-that-new-york-city-is-where-immigrants-come-to/) [Lin-Manuel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-manuel-miranda/) > [Those who know New York City primarily through tourism or mass culture may think of us natives as possessing certain shared characteristics, not all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-dee/those-who-know-new-york-city-primarily-through-tourism-or-mass/) [Jonathan Dee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-dee/) > [I grew up in the '50s, in New York City, where television was born. There were 90 live shows every week, and they used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-walken/i-grew-up-in-the-50s-in-new-york-city-where-television-was-born-there/) [Christopher Walken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-walken/) ## More by Moss Hart > [How many of us would be willing to settle when we're young for what we eventually get? All those plans we make...what happens to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/how-many-of-us-would-be-willing-to-settle-when-we-re-young-for-what/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [Boredom is the keynote of poverty - of all its indignities, it is perhaps the hardest of all to live with - for where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/boredom-is-the-keynote-of-poverty-of-all-its-indignities-it-is/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [“Can success change the human mechanism so completely between one dawn and another? 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My successes have always been for different reasons, but my failures have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/i-have-had-many-successes-and-many-failures-in-my-life-my-successes/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [Boredom is the keynote of poverty — of all its indignities, it is perhaps the hardest of all to live with — for where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/boredom-is-the-keynote-of-poverty-of-all-its-indignities-it-is-2/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [Julie Andrews has a wonderful British strength that makes you wonder why they lost India.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/julie-andrews-has-a-wonderful-british-strength-that-makes-you-wonder/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [Without vanity a writer's work is tepid, and he must accept his vanity as part of his stock in trade and live with it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/without-vanity-a-writer-s-work-is-tepid-and-he-must-accept-his-vanity/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [One begins with two people on a stage, and one of them had better say something pretty quick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/one-begins-with-two-people-on-a-stage-and-one-of-them-had-better-say/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [A play for me never really takes on an aspect of reality until it has left the dryair of the study and begins to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/a-play-for-me-never-really-takes-on-an-aspect-of-reality-until-it-has/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [You'd be surprised how many kings are only a queen with a moustache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/you-d-be-surprised-how-many-kings-are-only-a-queen-with-a-moustache/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [One of the grave dangers inherent in the various stages of any theatrical career-whether it be budding, quiescent or diminishing-is the advice of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/one-of-the-grave-dangers-inherent-in-the-various-stages-of-any/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [There is nothing that one can say about acting, writing, producing or directing that cannot be revoked in the next breath. Nothing is immutable.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/there-is-nothing-that-one-can-say-about-acting-writing-producing-or/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [Far more quickly than reason and logic, irony can penetrate rage and puncture self-pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/far-more-quickly-than-reason-and-logic-irony-can-penetrate-rage-and/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [“It was possible in this wonderful city for that nameless little boy -for any of its millions- to have a decent chance to scale…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/it-was-possible-in-this-wonderful-city-for-that-nameless-little-boy/) [Moss Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/) > [A sharp sense of the ironic can be the equivalent of the faith that moves mountains. 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Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) James Cross Giblin > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "New York is not a city to return to in defeat.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Moss Hart" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-defeat/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cities" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-defeat/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/moss-hart-17902_cities_new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-d_2863097.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/moss-hart-17902_cities_new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-d_2863097.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ca/moss-hart-17902_cities_new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-d_2863097.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“New York is not a city to return to in defeat.” — Moss Hart", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Moss Hart", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moss-hart/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "New York is not a city...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-defeat/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moss-hart/new-york-is-not-a-city-to-return-to-in-defeat/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```