--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A great many people never really discover…" description: "\"A great many people never really discover themselves until ruin stares them in the face. They do not seem to know how to bring out their reserves until..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/orison-swett-marden-711_being-there_a-great-many-people-never-really-discove_1463039.jpg" --- # A great many people never really discover themselves until… ![“A great many people never really discover themselves until ruin stares them in the face. They do not seem to know how to bring out their reserves until they are overtaken by an overwhelming disaster, or until the sight of their blighted prospects and of the wreck of their homes and happiness stirs…” quote by Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/orison-swett-marden-711_being-there_a-great-many-people-never-really-discove_1463039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/orison-swett-marden-711_being-there_a-great-many-people-never-really-discove_1463039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23a/orison-swett-marden-711_being-there_a-great-many-people-never-really-discove_1463039.jpg) > “A great many people never really discover themselves until ruin stares them in the face. They do not seem to know how to bring out their reserves until they are overtaken by an overwhelming disaster, or until the sight of their blighted prospects and of the wreck of their homes and happiness stirs them to the very center of their beings… There is something in defeat which puts new determination into a man of mettle.” [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often only recognize their inner strength when faced with severe hardship, which can ignite renewed resolve. **In simple terms:** Crisis reveals hidden strength. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges to discover resilience. Themes self‑discovery adversity determination Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - career setbacks - natural disasters - health emergencies Key Concepts psychology resilience motivation Questions to Reflect On - What crisis could become a catalyst for you? - How can you prepare to act when adversity strikes? A Different Perspective Strength may be temporary; not all crises lead to growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Determination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determination/) [Disaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/disaster/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Great man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-man/) [Great men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-men/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mettle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mettle/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reserves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reserves/) [Ruin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruin/) [Ruins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ruins/) [Staring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/staring/) ## Related quotes > [“Howl backed into the door to shut it and leaned there in a tragic attitude. 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What do you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/my-agent-called-me-and-said-they-watched-you-do-chopped-champions-and/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [We are not built for the mountains and the dawns and aesthetic affinities, those are for moments of inspiration, that is all. We are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-are-not-built-for-the-mountains-and-the-dawns-and-aesthetic/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [I suspect it was...the old story of the implacable necessity of a man having honour within his own natural spirit. A man cannot live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurens-van-der-post/i-suspect-it-was-the-old-story-of-the-implacable-necessity-of-a-man/) [Laurens van der Post](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurens-van-der-post/) > [There's nothing worse than being shackled by some miniscule sort of technology you have onstage, and I think your mettle is going to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-p/there-s-nothing-worse-than-being-shackled-by-some-miniscule-sort-of/) [El-P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-p/) > [I find life itself provides ample and sufficient tests of my valor and mettle: illness; betrayal; fruitless searches for love; working for the abusive,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rakoff/i-find-life-itself-provides-ample-and-sufficient-tests-of-my-valor/) [David Rakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-rakoff/) > [Achievement is not last, disappointment is not deadly: It is the mettle to proceed with that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/achievement-is-not-last-disappointment-is-not-deadly-it-is-the-mettle/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I find the Englishman to be him of all men who stands firmest in his shoes. They have in themselves what they value in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-find-the-englishman-to-be-him-of-all-men-who-stands-firmest-in-his/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Stay, my lord, And let your reason with your choler question What 'tis you go about: to climb steep hills Requires slow pace at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/stay-my-lord-and-let-your-reason-with-your-choler-question-what-tis/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [We are built for the valley, for the ordinary stuff we are in, and that is where we have to prove our mettle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-are-built-for-the-valley-for-the-ordinary-stuff-we-are-in-and-that/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [What though care killed a cat, thou hast mettle enough in thee to kill care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/what-though-care-killed-a-cat-thou-hast-mettle-enough-in-thee-to-kill/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [I think the biggest survival instinct that Midwesterners possess is self deprecation, it's almost a Buddha-like sense of humor in anything that is difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-pietz/i-think-the-biggest-survival-instinct-that-midwesterners-possess-is/) Amy Pietz > [“Some people’s self-esteem was secretly improved when they discovered that their then-lovers had killed themselves over them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/some-people-s-self-esteem-was-secretly-improved-when-they-discovered/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I'll listen to you, but you need to treat me with a little respect. Because it doesn't sound like I'm a pawn. Sounds like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larissa-ione/i-ll-listen-to-you-but-you-need-to-treat-me-with-a-little-respect/) [Larissa Ione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larissa-ione/) ## More by Orison Swett Marden > [“We can so educate the will power that it will focus the thoughts upon the bright side of things, and upon objects which elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/we-can-so-educate-the-will-power-that-it-will-focus-the-thoughts-upon/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“Gulliver was a giant whom the dwarfs captured while he was napping by binding him with tiny threads. Each thread was a trifle which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/gulliver-was-a-giant-whom-the-dwarfs-captured-while-he-was-napping-by/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“The hatred thought cannot live an instant in the presence of the love thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-hatred-thought-cannot-live-an-instant-in-the-presence-of-the-love/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“About as poor business as one can engage in is that of going through life with one's eyes so fixed upon what others have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/about-as-poor-business-as-one-can-engage-in-is-that-of-going-through/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“We tend to get what we expect, and if we expect nothing we get nothing. The stream cannot rise higher than its fountainhead;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/we-tend-to-get-what-we-expect-and-if-we-expect-nothing-we-get-nothing/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [There never will be a trust in excellence or a combination in superiority. As long as you can do a thing a little better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/there-never-will-be-a-trust-in-excellence-or-a-combination-in/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [There are powers inside of you which, if you could discover and use, would make of you everything you ever dreamed or imagined you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/there-are-powers-inside-of-you-which-if-you-could-discover-and-use/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [Most men fail, not through lack of education or agreeable personal qualities, but from lack of dogged determination, from lack of dauntless will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/most-men-fail-not-through-lack-of-education-or-agreeable-personal/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [Something greater than wealth, grander even than fame — that manhood, character, stand for success, and that nothing else really does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/something-greater-than-wealth-grander-even-than-fame-that-manhood/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“The universe is one great kindergarten. Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson. The mountain teaches stability and grandeur; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-universe-is-one-great-kindergarten-everything-that-exists-has/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/if-you-want-to-enlarge-your-life-you-must-first-enlarge-your-thought/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [The moment man cuts himself off from living connection with the human race and its needs, he begins to die from poor circulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-moment-man-cuts-himself-off-from-living-connection-with-the-human/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“There is something inside of a man which protests against doing that which tends to injure another, that which does not square with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/there-is-something-inside-of-a-man-which-protests-against-doing-that/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [A good system shortens the road to the goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/a-good-system-shortens-the-road-to-the-goal/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [Keep fear out of your child's mind, as you would keep poison out of his body; for fear is the deadliest of mental poisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/keep-fear-out-of-your-child-s-mind-as-you-would-keep-poison-out-of/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) [Explore all 396 Orison Swett Marden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) ## More Being there quotes > [A friend gives hope when your life is low, a friend is place wen you have no place to go, a friend is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-friend-gives-hope-when-your-life-is-low-a-friend-is-place-wen-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dear God, thanks for being there when no one else was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myah/dear-god-thanks-for-being-there-when-no-one-else-was/) [Myah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myah/) > [Hillary Clinton was in rural America during the Iowa caucuses, but I think the nature of a campaign makes it more difficult once you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/hillary-clinton-was-in-rural-america-during-the-iowa-caucuses-but-i/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [So long as the priest, that professional negator, slanderer and poisoner of life, is regarded as a superior type of human being, there cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/so-long-as-the-priest-that-professional-negator-slanderer-and/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Love your mom no matter what you go through and no matter how much you argue because in the end,she'll always be there for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/my-favorite-qoutes/love-your-mom-no-matter-what-you-go-through-and-no-matter-how-much/) My Favorite Qoutes > [I don't mind being there for you. I just mind being the one you run to just because everyone else is busy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-mind-being-there-for-you-i-just-mind-being-the-one-you-run-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being there for people but no one being there for you when you need them seems to be the story of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-there-for-people-but-no-one-being-there-for-you-when-you-need/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being there is what matters, not all the stress and issues that arise along the way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-there-is-what-matters-not-all-the-stress-and-issues-that-arise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Once you're imagining being the main character, and you're having the conversations and actually being there, the magic in fiction writing takes over.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hobbs/once-you-re-imagining-being-the-main-character-and-you-re-having-the/) [Will Hobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hobbs/) > [There's a fine line between being there for someone & kissing their ass looking stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-a-fine-line-between-being-there-for-someone-kissing-their-ass/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No matter the distance,i'll always be there for you and you will for me!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-the-distance-i-ll-always-be-there-for-you-and-you-will-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pushing me away so I can give her space. Dealing with a heart I didn't break. I'll be there for you, I will care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pushing-me-away-so-i-can-give-her-space-dealing-with-a-heart-i-didn-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In general, I always make it my mission to focus on the one person in the audience who seems to be absolutely miserable about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/davy-rothbart/in-general-i-always-make-it-my-mission-to-focus-on-the-one-person-in/) [Davy Rothbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/davy-rothbart/) > [The problem that we have is the President himself- a President who prides himself on his own weakness and incompetence and whose love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/femi-fani-kayode/the-problem-that-we-have-is-the-president-himself-a-president-who/) Femi Fani-Kayode > [There is no greater feeling than being with someone who wants you as much as you want them, to love and to be loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/there-is-no-greater-feeling-than-being-with-someone-who-wants-you-as/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) Browse all 633 Being there quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A great many people never really discover themselves until ruin stares them in the face. 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