Jim Valvano Quotes

A long list. From getting cut from the high school basketball team, to getting fired from jobs, getting credit cards rejected and cut up. Rejection has only been a distraction, not a roadblock. “Every no gets me closer to a yes,” was the saying I used to use.

One of the secrets of success is to refuse to let temporary setbacks defeat us.

Success is buried on the other side of rejection.

Failure makes me work even harder.

The only real failure is the failure to try, and the measure of success is how we cope with disappointment.

Expect rejection, but expect even more strongly to overcome it.

Success is never ending, failure is never final.

In great attempts, it is glorious even to fail.

Delays, disappointments and defeats cause quitters to give up in resignation; losers, to give in the frustration; winners, to come through with determination.

The most successful people in the world are people who were rejected more than anybody else.

Young people can understand, and must understand, that we had success, we had failures, but we never gave up. We never gave in. We never became bitter. We didn't hate. We continued to press on. And that's what we're saying: There are some ups, there are some downs, and when you're not down, you must have the capacity and the ability to get up and keep going.

If you run into a wall, don't turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it.

You are fortunate if you have learned the difference between temporary defeat and failure, more fortunate still if you have learned the truth that the very seed of success is dormant in every defeat that you experience.

Defeat should not be the source of discouragement, but a stimulus to keep plotting.

All successful people learn that success is buried on the other side of frustration.

If you give up at the first sign of struggle, you're really not ready to be successful.

We are not a failure just because we fail at something. Nobody is a failure unless they quit trying!

Nothing is ever a setback. If anything, it just motivates you for what's next.

Pursue your goals even in the face of difficulties, and convert adversities into opportunities.

Failure is a stepping stone to success.

There is a vast difference between failure and temporary defeat.

If you don't succeed at first, there's no need for the F word (Failure). Pick yourself up and try, try again.

Succes is really nothing more than the record of failure. To be successful means you must be willing to fail more than anyone else.

Rejection is a gift and failure is the best educator, so when someone knocks you down, get back up!

Success is not achieved by winning all the time. Real success comes when we rise after we fall. Some mountains are higher than others. Some roads steeper than the next. There are hardships and setbacks but you cannot let them stop you. Even on the steepest road you must not turn back.