“Adversity introduces a man to himself.”

— Albert Einstein

Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Adversity introduces a man to himself." by Albert Einstein?

Albert Einstein 702

German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativi… 1879–1955

Related quotes

“God hath introduced Man to be a spectator of Himself and of His works; and”

Epictetus (50–138) philosopher from Ancient Greece

Golden Sayings of Epictetus
Context: But God hath introduced Man to be a spectator of Himself and of His works; and not a spectator only, but also an interpreter of them. Wherefore it is a shame for man to begin and to leave off where the brutes do. Rather he should begin there, and leave off where Nature leaves off in us: and that is at contemplation, and understanding, and a manner of life that is in harmony with herself. See then that ye die not without being spectators of these things. (13).

“Adversity is the state in which man most easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.”

John Wooden (1910–2010) American basketball coach

Wooden: A Lifetime of Observations and Reflections on and Off the Court (1997)

“He is truly a man who will not permit himself to be unduly elated when fortune’s breeze is favorable, or cast down when it is adverse.”
Is demum vir erit, cuius animum neque prosperae res flatu suo efferent nec adversae infringent

Livy (-59–17 BC) Roman historian

Book XLV, sec. 8
History of Rome

“Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.”

Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher

(Often shortened to "can't stand prosperity" as an unknown quote).
1840s, Heroes and Hero-Worship (1840), The Hero as Man of Letters

“A man must either fall or rise in adversity.”

Edmund Cooper (1926–1982) British writer

The cloud walker (1973)

“Man's mettle is tested both in adversity and in success. Twice is this true of the soul of a nation.”

Soong Mei-ling (1897–2003) Chiang Kai-shek's wife, First Lady of the Republic of China

Address to the U.S. House of Representatives (February 18, 1943)

“By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity. Another man's, I mean.”

Mark Twain book Following the Equator

Pudd'nhead Wilson's New Calendar, Ch. XXXIX
Following the Equator (1897)

“Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power.”

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) 16th President of the United States

Widely attributed to Lincoln, this appears to be derived from Thomas Carlyle's general comment below, but there are similar quotes about Lincoln in his biographies.
Adversity is sometimes hard upon a man; but for one man who can stand prosperity, there are a hundred that will stand adversity.
Thomas Carlyle (1841) On Heroes and Hero Worship.
Any man can stand adversity — only a great man can stand prosperity.
Horatio Alger (1883), Abraham Lincoln: The Backwoods Boy; or, How a Young Rail-Splitter became President
Most people can bear adversity; but if you wish to know what a man really is give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never used it except on the side of mercy.
Robert G. Ingersoll (1883), Unity: Freedom, Fellowship and Character in Religion, Volume 11, Number 3, The Exchange Table, True Greatness Exemplified in Abraham Lincoln, by Robert G. Ingersoll (excerpt), Quote Page 55, Column 1 and 2, Chicago, Illinois. ( Google Books Full View https://books.google.com/books?id=JUIrAAAAYAAJ&q=%22man+really%22#v=snippet&)
If you want to discover just what there is in a man — give him power.
Francis Trevelyan Miller (1910), Portrait Life of Lincoln: Life of Abraham Lincoln, the Greatest American
Any man can handle adversity. If you truly want to test a man's character, give him power.
Attributed in the electronic game Infamous
Misattributed

“Man is completely out of phase with nature. Nature is woman. Man is the intruder. The man who re-attunes himself with nature is the man who de-mans himself or eliminates himself as man.”

Jill Johnston book Lesbian Nation

Lesbian Nation, p. 190.

“Adversity, if a man is set down to it by degrees, is more supportable with equanimity by most people than any great prosperity arrived at in a single lifetime.”

Samuel Butler book The Way of All Flesh

Source: The Way of All Flesh (1903), Ch. 5

“Adversity introduces a man to himself.”

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Albert Einstein 702

Related quotes

Related topics