Grit your teeth and smile. In the face of adversity, go. They

Hear the fierce and unwavering words of Christine Lagarde: “Grit your teeth and smile. In the face of adversity, go. They don’t deserve you.” These are not words of resignation, but of resilience. They are not meant to comfort the weary with softness, but to command the weary to rise with strength. The call here is to endure without bitterness, to fight without cruelty, to stand unbroken while others seek to diminish you. The smile she speaks of is not the fragile smile of ease, but the iron smile of defiance—the radiant armor of those who refuse to be conquered by hostility.

The ancients also praised this kind of fortitude. The Stoics of Rome taught that the noblest act is to meet adversity without yielding one’s dignity. To “grit your teeth” is to bear pain with control; to “smile” is to rise above the reach of your enemies. Together, they form a sacred union of strength and grace. For adversity always seeks to provoke anger or despair. But when one responds with composure, when one answers with calm resilience, the adversary is defeated before the battle has even begun.

Consider the story of Nelson Mandela. For 27 years he was imprisoned, humiliated, and denied freedom. Yet when he emerged, he did not bow to hatred. He smiled. He shook hands with those who had once shackled him. He showed the world that though they had stolen decades of his life, they had not broken his spirit. This was the living embodiment of Lagarde’s teaching: smile in the face of adversity, and walk forward, for the chains of others’ cruelty do not deserve your submission.

The meaning of Lagarde’s words runs deeper still. To “go” is not simply to leave a place—it is to leave behind those who diminish you, those who fail to see your worth, those who attempt to make you small. To walk forward is to claim your future, unbound by the contempt or envy of others. When she says, “They don’t deserve you,” she speaks the truth that not every battle is worth fighting, and not every person is worthy of your pain. Sometimes the greatest victory is not to win over your adversaries, but to rise above them.

This wisdom is reflected in the life of Eleanor Roosevelt. Often mocked for her appearance and dismissed for her outspokenness, she continued to serve, to write, and to fight for human rights with dignity. She learned to grit her teeth and smile in the face of ridicule, knowing her mission was greater than her critics. She chose to go forward, leaving behind the small-minded voices that sought to bind her. In the end, history remembers her as a champion of dignity and justice, while her detractors are long forgotten.

The lesson for us is clear: do not waste your spirit on those who do not honor it. When you meet with hostility, with envy, or with dismissal, hold your head high. Smile, not because the pain is absent, but because your spirit is stronger than the pain. Do not remain where you are diminished; go forward, carrying your strength into places where it will bear fruit. To stay and fight every small enemy is to waste your fire; to rise and move forward is to preserve it for battles worthy of you.

Practically, this means cultivating the discipline of composure. When insulted, pause. When scorned, smile. When opposed unjustly, endure without surrendering your dignity. Then go—step forward into new paths, new work, new company, where your strength will be valued. In this way, you protect not only your spirit but your destiny.

Thus let Lagarde’s words be written as counsel for every generation: “Grit your teeth and smile. In the face of adversity, go. They don’t deserve you.” This is the anthem of resilience, the creed of those who refuse to be broken by cruelty. Carry it with you, for there will always be adversity. But let your answer be strength, let your answer be composure, let your answer be the smile that proves you are unconquered. And when the time comes, go forward—because your worth is greater than the walls others would build around you.