--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ordinary people shy away from negative…" description: "\"“Ordinary people shy away from negative situations, just as they do with failure. They do their best to avoid trouble. What great people do is the oppo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ef/ryan-holiday-514_courage_ordinary-people-shy-away-from-negative-s_1259352.jpg" --- # Ordinary people shy away from negative situations, just as… ![“Ordinary people shy away from negative situations, just as they do with failure. They do their best to avoid trouble. What great people do is the opposite. They are their best in these situations. They turn personal tragedy or misfortune—really anything, everything—to their advantage. But this…” quote by Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ef/ryan-holiday-514_courage_ordinary-people-shy-away-from-negative-s_1259352.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ef/ryan-holiday-514_courage_ordinary-people-shy-away-from-negative-s_1259352.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5ef/ryan-holiday-514_courage_ordinary-people-shy-away-from-negative-s_1259352.jpg) > ““Ordinary people shy away from negative situations, just as they do with failure. They do their best to avoid trouble. What great people do is the opposite. They are their best in these situations. They turn personal tragedy or misfortune—really anything, everything—to their advantage. But this crisis in front of you? You’re wasting it feeling sorry for yourself, feeling tired or disappointed. You forget: Life speeds on the bold and favors the brave. We”” [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Great people thrive in adversity, turning hardship into advantage, while most avoid discomfort. **In simple terms:** Boldness turns trouble into opportunity. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges, act boldly. Themes resilience adversity growth bravery Mood determined inspired Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career setbacks - personal loss - health crises - financial strain - relationship conflict Key Concepts Stoicism psychology self‑efficacy Questions to Reflect On - How can you reframe a current difficulty as a growth chance? - What bold step can you take today? A Different Perspective Not all crises are solvable; some require acceptance rather than action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Avoid Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/avoid-trouble/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crisis/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Feeling sorry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-sorry/) [Feeling sorry for yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-sorry-for-yourself/) [Feeling Tired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feeling-tired/) [Great people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-people/) [Negative Situations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-situations-610331/) [Situations Turn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situations-turn-3633851/) ## Related quotes > [“Ordinary people shy away from negative situations, just as they do with failure. They do their best to avoid trouble. What great people do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/ordinary-people-shy-away-from-negative-situations-just-as-they-do/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“Situations will always turn out the best for all those who do their best with the way things have already turned out. Everything in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/situations-will-always-turn-out-the-best-for-all-those-who-do-their/) [Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/) > [“never ask why me but rather to ask why not me. It’s easy to get caught up in feeling sorry for yourself when bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-rae-jordan/never-ask-why-me-but-rather-to-ask-why-not-me-it-s-easy-to-get-caught/) [Kimberly Rae Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-rae-jordan/) > [“Because - admit it - there's something perversely appealing about sitting all alone, feeling sorry for yourself, especially when the scenery's stunning and there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-hubbard/because-admit-it-there-s-something-perversely-appealing-about-sitting/) [Kirsten Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-hubbard/) > [You dont know what love is. Youve gotten everything you have always wanted and now youre feeling sorry for yourself because theres something you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mhine29/you-dont-know-what-love-is-youve-gotten-everything-you-have-always/) [Mhine29](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mhine29/) > [“All depression has its roots in self-pity, and all self-pity is rooted in people taking themselves too seriously.” At the time Switters had disputed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/all-depression-has-its-roots-in-self-pity-and-all-self-pity-is-rooted/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Feeling sorry for yourself is a universal solvent of salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-hoffman/feeling-sorry-for-yourself-is-a-universal-solvent-of-salvation/) [Paul Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-hoffman/) > [Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/feeling-sorry-for-yourself-and-your-present-condition-is-not-only-a/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [My pulse whooshed in my ears so fast I could barely hear myself speak. “I only have—” “Two days.” He squeezed my hand. “So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-vincent/my-pulse-whooshed-in-my-ears-so-fast-i-could-barely-hear-myself-speak/) [Rachel Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-vincent/) > [“It is not wrong to feel sorry for yourself. 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Find friends who care,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blue-eyes/you-are-what-you-believe-so-stop-feeling-sorry-for-yourself-and-get/) [Blue Eyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blue-eyes/) > [“grief’s drink recipe is two parts tribute to the person you loved and four parts feeling sorry for yourself because you lost them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/grief-s-drink-recipe-is-two-parts-tribute-to-the-person-you-loved-and/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [I have always believed that when you're feeling sorry for yourself, the best thing to do is help someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/i-have-always-believed-that-when-you-re-feeling-sorry-for-yourself/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) ## More by Ryan Holiday > [“If we can focus on making clear what parts of our day are within our control and what parts are not, we will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/if-we-can-focus-on-making-clear-what-parts-of-our-day-are-within-our/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“The areas of great interest to the Stoics all make an appearance here: virtue, mortality, emotions, self-awareness, fortitude, right action, problem solving, acceptance, mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-areas-of-great-interest-to-the-stoics-all-make-an-appearance-here/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“With a business, we take most failures less personally and understand they’re part of the process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/with-a-business-we-take-most-failures-less-personally-and-understand/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“Many creatives want to be just the creator, or only “the idea guy.” They like that because it’s sexy and because that’s what comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/many-creatives-want-to-be-just-the-creator-or-only-the-idea-guy-they/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Pretty much everyone's career starts the same way: with grunt work. 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We don't always get what is rightfully ours, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/we-often-learn-the-hard-way-that-our-world-is-ruled-by-external/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“From Rusticus … I learned to read carefully and not be satisfied with a rough understanding of the whole, and not to agree too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/from-rusticus-i-learned-to-read-carefully-and-not-be-satisfied-with-a/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [I wholeheartedly agree that many media 'standards' can feel disingenuous or, in fact, be a cover for less-than-honest behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/i-wholeheartedly-agree-that-many-media-standards-can-feel/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“Remember: even what we get for free has a cost, if only in what we pay to store it—in our garages and in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/remember-even-what-we-get-for-free-has-a-cost-if-only-in-what-we-pay/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [It's your job to find a release and an outlet for the stress and the feelings. Never forget: the crazy stays at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/it-s-your-job-to-find-a-release-and-an-outlet-for-the-stress-and-the/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Where the head goes, the body follows. Perception precedes action. Right action follows the right perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/where-the-head-goes-the-body-follows-perception-precedes-action-right/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [The risks of speaking extemporaneously are apparent the first time you wing it and promptly put your foot in your mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-risks-of-speaking-extemporaneously-are-apparent-the-first-time/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“The tools of the Internet and social media have made it possible to track, test, iterate, and improve marketing to the point where these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-tools-of-the-internet-and-social-media-have-made-it-possible-to/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) [Explore all 504 Ryan Holiday quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) ## More Courage quotes > [The greatest act of courage is to be and to ownall of who you are—without apology, without excuses, without masks to cover the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/the-greatest-act-of-courage-is-to-be-and-to-ownall-of-who-you-are/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [“It takes tremendous courage, persistence, and perseverance to pursue your ultimate purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/it-takes-tremendous-courage-persistence-and-perseverance-to-pursue/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [“Yes, the issue was courage. 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