“You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.”

—  Bob Marley

Variant: You never know how strong you are, until being strong is your only choice...

Last update May 15, 2025. History

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Bob Marley 118
Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician 1945–1981
Bob Marley quote: “You never know how strong you are until being strong is your only choice.”

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A very similar remark was attributed to Nancy Reagan, in The Observer (29 March 1981): "A woman is like a teabag — only in hot water do you realize how strong she is."
Variants:
A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.
A woman is like a tea bag, you can not tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.
A woman is like a tea bag; you can't tell how strong she is and how much to trust her until you put her in hot water.
Disputed

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