---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We all hit bumps. But we're not defined…"
description: "\"We all hit bumps. But we're not defined by the bumps, we're defined by how we respond to those bumps.\" — Vince Poscente"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/vince-poscente-51605_bumps_we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-b_1970480.jpg"
---

#  We all hit bumps. But we're not defined by the bumps…

![“We all hit bumps. But we're not defined by the bumps, we're defined by how we respond to those bumps.” quote by Vince Poscente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/vince-poscente-51605_bumps_we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-b_1970480.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/vince-poscente-51605_bumps_we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-b_1970480.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/vince-poscente-51605_bumps_we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-b_1970480.jpg)

> “We all hit bumps. But we're not defined by the bumps, we're defined by how we respond to those bumps.”

[Vince Poscente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-poscente/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People face obstacles, but character is shown by reactions, not the obstacles themselves.

**In simple terms:** Character is shown by reactions to challenges.

Key Takeaway

Focus on response, not circumstance.

Themes

resilience mindset growth

Mood

determined reflective

Type

motivational inspirational

When to use this quote

- career setbacks
- personal loss
- health crises
- relationship conflicts

Key Concepts

psychology self‑determination

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you choose your response?
- What habits help you stay resilient?

A Different Perspective

Responses can be limited by external constraints or lack of resources.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [His fingertips slid down from my face, lightly stroking the line of my neck, down toward my shoulder. Everywhere he touched, a trail of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/his-fingertips-slid-down-from-my-face-lightly-stroking-the-line-of-my/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [I love life, and I have a lot of gratitude. There have been a lot of bumps in the road, but my sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-morrison/i-love-life-and-i-have-a-lot-of-gratitude-there-have-been-a-lot-of/)

[Shelley Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-morrison/)

> [I have no doubt that there will continue to be bumps, some serious crises indeed in our relationship with China… Neither membership in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/i-have-no-doubt-that-there-will-continue-to-be-bumps-some-serious/)

[Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/)

> [Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/here-is-edward-bear-coming-downstairs-now-bump-bump-bump-on-the-back/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [...but I preferred reading the American landscape as we went along. Every bump, rise, and stretch in it mystified my longing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-i-preferred-reading-the-american-landscape-as-we-went-along-every/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [I've always been more afraid of being left alone or left out than of things that go bump in the night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-gidding/i-ve-always-been-more-afraid-of-being-left-alone-or-left-out-than-of/)

Nelson Gidding

> [Women's golf definitely hit a bump in the road. We lost some tournaments due to a combination of things led by the downturn in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hollis-stacy/women-s-golf-definitely-hit-a-bump-in-the-road-we-lost-some/)

[Hollis Stacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hollis-stacy/)

> [I've taken my bumps and bruises, but you've got to be willing to get knocked down and pick yourself up. You can't get discouraged.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermaine-o-neal/i-ve-taken-my-bumps-and-bruises-but-you-ve-got-to-be-willing-to-get/)

[Jermaine O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermaine-o-neal/)

> [We've never managed, either one of us, to get all the way into life. We're hanging on to the outside for all we're worth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/we-ve-never-managed-either-one-of-us-to-get-all-the-way-into-life-we/)

[Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/)

> [A rollicking good read-THE HUNTER is steampunk with a Wild West feel. Theresa Meyers is an entertaining and witty writer with a fresh, new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmine-galenorn/a-rollicking-good-read-the-hunter-is-steampunk-with-a-wild-west-feel/)

[Yasmine Galenorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmine-galenorn/)

> [I got into acting in high school mainly because I wasn't doing anything else and started to hit a few bumps in the road.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-letscher/i-got-into-acting-in-high-school-mainly-because-i-wasn-t-doing/)

[Matt Letscher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-letscher/)

> [Mr. Bumpy from Bump in the Night was this funky little guy who lived under the bed and thought eating dust bunnies was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/mr-bumpy-from-bump-in-the-night-was-this-funky-little-guy-who-lived/)

[Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/)

> [The bumps are what you climb on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-w-wiersbe/the-bumps-are-what-you-climb-on/)

[Warren W. Wiersbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-w-wiersbe/)

> [No matter what. Wherever your mind wanders, it seems to turn up at the same Field of Dreams. It's the vision you wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/no-matter-what-wherever-your-mind-wanders-it-seems-to-turn-up-at-the/)

[James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/)

> [Be fearless. Have the courage to take risks. Go where there are no guarantees. Get out of your comfort zone even if it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-couric/be-fearless-have-the-courage-to-take-risks-go-where-there-are-no/)

[Katie Couric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-couric/)

## More by Vince Poscente

> [In a pond koi can reach lengths of eighteen inches. Amazingly, when placed in a lake, koi can grow to three feet long. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-poscente/in-a-pond-koi-can-reach-lengths-of-eighteen-inches-amazingly-when/)

[Vince Poscente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-poscente/)

> [Judgmentalism assumes that you have the right to change someone else. Well, you don't. You only have the right to choose how you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-poscente/judgmentalism-assumes-that-you-have-the-right-to-change-someone-else/)

[Vince Poscente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-poscente/)

> [Interestingly, koi, when put in a fish bowl, will only grow up to three inches. When this same fish is placed in a large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-poscente/interestingly-koi-when-put-in-a-fish-bowl-will-only-grow-up-to-three/)

[Vince Poscente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-poscente/)

> [The best lesson we can teach our children is to have fun. It's infectious, it's contagious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-poscente/the-best-lesson-we-can-teach-our-children-is-to-have-fun-it-s/)

[Vince Poscente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-poscente/)

> [Walking your talk is a great way to motivate yourself. No one likes to live a lie. Be honest with yourself, and you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-poscente/walking-your-talk-is-a-great-way-to-motivate-yourself-no-one-likes-to/)

[Vince Poscente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-poscente/)

> [Be honest with yourself, and you will find the motivation to do what you advise others to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-poscente/be-honest-with-yourself-and-you-will-find-the-motivation-to-do-what/)

[Vince Poscente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-poscente/)

[Explore all 7 Vince Poscente quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-poscente/)

## More Bumps quotes

> [His fingertips slid down from my face, lightly stroking the line of my neck, down toward my shoulder. Everywhere he touched, a trail of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-mead/his-fingertips-slid-down-from-my-face-lightly-stroking-the-line-of-my/)

[Richelle Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-mead/)

> [No matter what. Wherever your mind wanders, it seems to turn up at the same Field of Dreams. It's the vision you wake up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/no-matter-what-wherever-your-mind-wanders-it-seems-to-turn-up-at-the/)

[James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/)

> [The bumps are what you climb on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-w-wiersbe/the-bumps-are-what-you-climb-on/)

[Warren W. Wiersbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-w-wiersbe/)

> [Mr. Bumpy from Bump in the Night was this funky little guy who lived under the bed and thought eating dust bunnies was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/mr-bumpy-from-bump-in-the-night-was-this-funky-little-guy-who-lived/)

[Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/)

> [I got into acting in high school mainly because I wasn't doing anything else and started to hit a few bumps in the road.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-letscher/i-got-into-acting-in-high-school-mainly-because-i-wasn-t-doing/)

[Matt Letscher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-letscher/)

> [A rollicking good read-THE HUNTER is steampunk with a Wild West feel. Theresa Meyers is an entertaining and witty writer with a fresh, new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yasmine-galenorn/a-rollicking-good-read-the-hunter-is-steampunk-with-a-wild-west-feel/)

[Yasmine Galenorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yasmine-galenorn/)

> [We've never managed, either one of us, to get all the way into life. We're hanging on to the outside for all we're worth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-bowles/we-ve-never-managed-either-one-of-us-to-get-all-the-way-into-life-we/)

[Paul Bowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-bowles/)

> [I've taken my bumps and bruises, but you've got to be willing to get knocked down and pick yourself up. You can't get discouraged.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jermaine-o-neal/i-ve-taken-my-bumps-and-bruises-but-you-ve-got-to-be-willing-to-get/)

[Jermaine O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jermaine-o-neal/)

> [Women's golf definitely hit a bump in the road. We lost some tournaments due to a combination of things led by the downturn in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hollis-stacy/women-s-golf-definitely-hit-a-bump-in-the-road-we-lost-some/)

[Hollis Stacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hollis-stacy/)

> [I've always been more afraid of being left alone or left out than of things that go bump in the night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-gidding/i-ve-always-been-more-afraid-of-being-left-alone-or-left-out-than-of/)

Nelson Gidding

> [...but I preferred reading the American landscape as we went along. Every bump, rise, and stretch in it mystified my longing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-i-preferred-reading-the-american-landscape-as-we-went-along-every/)

[Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/)

> [Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. It is, as far as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/here-is-edward-bear-coming-downstairs-now-bump-bump-bump-on-the-back/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I have no doubt that there will continue to be bumps, some serious crises indeed in our relationship with China… Neither membership in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-patrick-moynihan/i-have-no-doubt-that-there-will-continue-to-be-bumps-some-serious/)

[Daniel Patrick Moynihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-patrick-moynihan/)

> [I love life, and I have a lot of gratitude. There have been a lot of bumps in the road, but my sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-morrison/i-love-life-and-i-have-a-lot-of-gratitude-there-have-been-a-lot-of/)

[Shelley Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-morrison/)

> [Be fearless. Have the courage to take risks. Go where there are no guarantees. Get out of your comfort zone even if it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-couric/be-fearless-have-the-courage-to-take-risks-go-where-there-are-no/)

[Katie Couric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-couric/)

Browse all 323 Bumps quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We all hit bumps. But we're not defined by the bumps, we're defined by how we respond to those bumps.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Vince Poscente"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-poscente/we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-by-the-bumps-we-re-defined-by/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bumps"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-poscente/we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-by-the-bumps-we-re-defined-by/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/vince-poscente-51605_bumps_we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-b_1970480.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/vince-poscente-51605_bumps_we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-b_1970480.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/781/vince-poscente-51605_bumps_we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-b_1970480.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We all hit bumps. But we're not defined by the bumps, we're defined by how we respond to those bumps.” — Vince Poscente",
                "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": "Vince Poscente",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vince-poscente/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We all hit bumps. But we're...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-poscente/we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-by-the-bumps-we-re-defined-by/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vince-poscente/we-all-hit-bumps-but-we-re-not-defined-by-the-bumps-we-re-defined-by/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
