“I spit on my life.
Death in battle would be better for me
than that I, defeated, survive.”
This statement is made in reference to his battle against the personification of temptation to evil, Mara.
Source: Pali Canon, Sutta Pitaka, Khuddaka Nikaya (Minor Collection), (Suttas falling down), Sutta 3.2. Padhana Sutta
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Gautama Buddha121
philosopher, reformer and the founder of Buddhism -563–-483 BCRelated quotes
“I survive all those battles," she growled, "and I get defeated by a stupid chunk of rock!”
Rick Riordan book The Last Olympian
Source: The Last Olympian
Frederick II of Prussia (1712–1786) king of Prussia
[Holmes, Richard, John Pimlott, 1999, The Hutchinson Atlas of Battle Plans: Before and After, Taylor & Francis, 9781579582036, http://books.google.com/books?id=FB1zBuyCQF0C&pg=PA117&lpg=PA117&dq=%22I+shall+not+survive+this+cruel+misfortune&source=bl&ots=ovyO1BCrCg&sig=_acnLcNlnOwVb44Nw-whp8S3Slk&hl=en&ei=pyFKS6SGGcPVlAfQv7wX&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CAcQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=%22I%20shall%20not%20survive%20this%20cruel%20misfortune&f=false]
Paulo Coelho (1947) Brazilian lyricist and novelist
As quoted in Honor Your Gifts (2007) by Dona M. Deane, p. 199.
Variant: But there is suffering in life, and there are defeats. No one can avoid them. But it's better to lose some of the battles in the struggles for your dreams than to be defeated without ever knowing what you're fighting for
“I know what it's like to battle everyday of my life, just for acceptance, just to survive.”
Christine Feehan American writer
Source: Water Bound
Lily Tomlin (1939) American actress, comedian, writer, and producer
As "Trudy"
Contributions of Jane Wagner, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (1985)
“I would rather be defeated than make capital out of my religion.”
James A. Garfield (1831–1881) American politician, 20th President of the United States (in office in 1881)
Source: 1880s, Garfield's Words (1882)
“I don't care if they eat me alive, I've got better things to do than survive.”
Ani DiFranco (1970) musician and activist