--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you face life without confidence in…" description: "\"If you face life without confidence in your own powers, you succumb too easily to setbacks and adversity; you lack the will to persevere.\" — Nathaniel ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/nathaniel-branden-2125_adversity_if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-y_790714.png" --- # If you face life without confidence in your own powers… ![“If you face life without confidence in your own powers, you succumb too easily to setbacks and adversity; you lack the will to persevere.” quote by Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/nathaniel-branden-2125_adversity_if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-y_790714.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/nathaniel-branden-2125_adversity_if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-y_790714.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/nathaniel-branden-2125_adversity_if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-y_790714.png) > “If you face life without confidence in your own powers, you succumb too easily to setbacks and adversity; you lack the will to persevere.” [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lack of self‑confidence makes setbacks feel overwhelming and erodes persistence. **In simple terms:** No confidence leads to giving up easily. Key Takeaway Build confidence to face challenges. Themes self‑esteem resilience mindset Mood determined reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - public speaking - career setbacks - personal goals - relationship conflicts Key Concepts psychology willpower self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - What small win can boost your confidence? - How do you handle setbacks when confidence wanes? A Different Perspective Confidence alone doesn't guarantee success; external factors matter. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/confidence/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Setback](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/setback/) ## Related quotes > [This is a setback. You get back up, you dust yourself off, and you get back in the game. We had a great singer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-king/this-is-a-setback-you-get-back-up-you-dust-yourself-off-and-you-get/) [Don King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-king/) > [To achieve in sports you first have to have a dream, and then you must act on that dream. The best athletes are those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-holum/to-achieve-in-sports-you-first-have-to-have-a-dream-and-then-you-must/) Dianne Holum > [Genius involves figuring out who you are, and owning yourself. It's about amplifying your best traits and compensating for the rest. Geniuses grab life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-barry-kaufman/genius-involves-figuring-out-who-you-are-and-owning-yourself-it-s/) [Scott Barry Kaufman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-barry-kaufman/) > [Let me conclude by saying in my experience the glittering prizes in life come more to those who persevere despite setback and disappointment than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-courtenay/let-me-conclude-by-saying-in-my-experience-the-glittering-prizes-in/) [Bryce Courtenay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-courtenay/) > [Every time I get an injury or suffer from a personal setback, that's exactly what I do: I persevere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edge/every-time-i-get-an-injury-or-suffer-from-a-personal-setback-that-s/) [Edge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edge/) > [The world belongs to those who persevere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/the-world-belongs-to-those-who-persevere/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [New things have to experience difficulties and setbacks as they grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/new-things-have-to-experience-difficulties-and-setbacks-as-they-grow/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [You may be in a tough time but that setback is simply a setup for a greater comeback.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/you-may-be-in-a-tough-time-but-that-setback-is-simply-a-setup-for-a/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [The greatest thing about tomorrow is, I will be better than I am today...There is no such thing as a setback. 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The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Optimism boosts your energy and focuses your sights on reaching your goals, rather than wallowing in your setbacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/optimism-boosts-your-energy-and-focuses-your-sights-on-reaching-your/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [In our culture, we grow up thinking that failure is a terrible thing, that it's a setback, or worse, the end. Often it turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-schwarzenegger/in-our-culture-we-grow-up-thinking-that-failure-is-a-terrible-thing/) Katherine Schwarzenegger > [If you abide in the love of Christ, rooted in the faith, you will encounter, even amid setbacks and suffering, the source of true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/if-you-abide-in-the-love-of-christ-rooted-in-the-faith-you-will/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Every crucial experience can be regarded either as a setback, or the start of a wonderful new adventure, it depends on your perspective!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roberts-rinehart/every-crucial-experience-can-be-regarded-either-as-a-setback-or-the/) [Mary Roberts Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roberts-rinehart/) ## More by Nathaniel Branden > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [What a great teacher, a great parent, a great psychotherapist and a great coach have in common is a deep belief in the potential…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/what-a-great-teacher-a-great-parent-a-great-psychotherapist-and-a/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [If we are happy within ourselves, we don't accept or demand that our partner should fulfill every need. We need to be comfortable with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/if-we-are-happy-within-ourselves-we-don-t-accept-or-demand-that-our/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [The world belongs to those who persevere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/the-world-belongs-to-those-who-persevere/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Productive achievement is a consequence and an expression of health, self-esteem, not its cause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/productive-achievement-is-a-consequence-and-an-expression-of-health/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Faith is the commitment of one's consciousness to beliefs for which one has no sensory evidence or rational proof. When man rejects reason as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/faith-is-the-commitment-of-one-s-consciousness-to-beliefs-for-which/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [In the nature of our existence, we must act to achieve values. And in order to act appropriately, we need to value the beneficiary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/in-the-nature-of-our-existence-we-must-act-to-achieve-values-and-in/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [I cannot remember a time when the question of why people behave as they do was not intensely interesting to me. The desire to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/i-cannot-remember-a-time-when-the-question-of-why-people-behave-as/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Suppose you feel you cannot accept some fact about yourself. Then own your refusal to accept. Own the block. Embrace it fully. And watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/suppose-you-feel-you-cannot-accept-some-fact-about-yourself-then-own/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Doing more of what doesn't work doesn't work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/doing-more-of-what-doesn-t-work-doesn-t-work/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [“Out of fear, out of the desire for approval, out of misguided notions of duty, people surrender themselves--their convictions and their aspirations--every day. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/out-of-fear-out-of-the-desire-for-approval-out-of-misguided-notions/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [If you overcome your fear to ask someone for a date, a raise, or help with a project, that is an act of self-assertiveness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/if-you-overcome-your-fear-to-ask-someone-for-a-date-a-raise-or-help/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [It would be hard to name a more certain sign of poor self-esteem than the need to perceive some other group as inferior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/it-would-be-hard-to-name-a-more-certain-sign-of-poor-self-esteem-than/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [When we bury our feelings, we also bury ourselves. It means we exist in a state of alienation. We rarely know it, but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/when-we-bury-our-feelings-we-also-bury-ourselves-it-means-we-exist-in/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Explore all 183 Nathaniel Branden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) ## More Adversity quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-threats-that-resurfaced-in-the-past-10-years-were-not-an/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Friction is necessary. Ease of life leads to complacency and the atrophy of the human will and spirit. Within our struggles lives our strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/friction-is-necessary-ease-of-life-leads-to-complacency-and-the/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) James Buckham Kennedy > [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Life is not about less mistakes but about more trials”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/life-is-not-about-less-mistakes-but-about-more-trials/) S.E. SEVER > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 5,001 Adversity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you face life without confidence in your own powers, you succumb too easily to setbacks and adversity; you lack the will to persevere.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Nathaniel Branden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-your-own-powers-you-succumb/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adversity" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-your-own-powers-you-succumb/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/nathaniel-branden-2125_adversity_if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-y_790714.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/nathaniel-branden-2125_adversity_if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-y_790714.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47e/nathaniel-branden-2125_adversity_if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-y_790714.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you face life without confidence in your own powers, you succumb too easily to setbacks and adversity…” — Nathaniel Branden", "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": "Nathaniel Branden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you face life without confidence...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-your-own-powers-you-succumb/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/if-you-face-life-without-confidence-in-your-own-powers-you-succumb/#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 } } ] } ```