There's a victory, and defeat; the first and best of victories, the lowest and worst of defeats which each man... — Plato

There's a victory, and defeat; the first and best of victories, the lowest and worst of defeats which each man gains or sustains at the hands not of another, but of himself.

Author: Plato

Insight: You can win every external battle and still feel like a failure if you've compromised who you are. The person most capable of crushing your potential isn't your competition—it's the voice in your head telling you to settle. Real defeat isn't losing to others; it's losing to yourself.

Source: Laws, 626d