“Sometimes you have to lose to win”

Attributed in The Little Book of Romanian Wisdom (2011) edited by Diana Doroftei and Matthew Cross

Presidential campaign (April 12, 2015 – 2016), First presidential debate (September 26, 2016)

Source: How to Win Friends and Influence People

"Interview: Richard Stallman" on Kernel (4 January 2005) http://archive.is/20120711223115/kerneltrap.org/node/4484
2000s
Context: I am a pessimist by nature. Many people can only keep on fighting when they expect to win. I'm not like that, I always expect to lose. I fight anyway, and sometimes I win.
I'm not the main leader in this particular battle. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is fighting. Public Knowledge is fighting. People need to get involved politically. At this point people should go to the EFF website and the Public Knowledge website, and continue doing so over the coming weeks to see how they can get involved in this coming campaign. It's going to take a lot of people spending probably at least twenty minutes. If you care enough about your freedom to spend twenty minutes on it, if you can tear yourself away from whatever little job it is you're doing this week, and next week, and so on. Spend a little time fighting for your freedom, and we can win.

Classified Appendix (p. 354)
The Laundry Files, The Apocalypse Codex (2012)

Hansard http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200506/cmhansrd/vo051109/debtext/51109-03.htm#51109-03_spmin10, House of Commons, 6th series, vol. 439, col. 302.
9 November 2005, responding to Charles Kennedy in the House of Commons during Prime Minister's Questions. Blair was referring to the likely defeat in Parliament of additional powers to detain terror suspects without charge, which happened later that day.
2000s