History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually

The Scottish-born American journalist and entrepreneur Bertie Charles (B.C.) Forbes, founder of Forbes Magazine, once wrote: “History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.” In these words, Forbes distilled one of the oldest and most sacred truths of the human story — that victory is not born of ease, but of endurance. His voice, though modern, speaks like that of an ancient sage: reminding us that triumph and suffering are twin brothers, and that only those who persevere through despair earn the crown of greatness.

The origin of this quote lies in Forbes’s lifelong fascination with achievement — not as a gift of destiny, but as the fruit of discipline, courage, and persistence. In founding Forbes Magazine in 1917, he sought to tell the stories of those who shaped the modern age — inventors, industrialists, visionaries, and dreamers — not to glorify their wealth, but to reveal the struggles behind their success. He saw that every great achievement followed the same pattern found throughout history: the moment of failure before the dawn, the heartbreak that tests whether one’s will is stronger than fate. Through this, he came to believe that defeat is not the end, but the forge of victory.

The annals of time are filled with such examples. Consider Abraham Lincoln, who suffered repeated failures — in business, in politics, and in his personal life — before becoming one of the most revered leaders in history. He lost elections, faced ridicule, and endured unspeakable sorrow, yet he did not surrender to despair. In the furnace of those defeats, his character was refined; his compassion deepened; his resolve hardened into steel. When he finally rose to the presidency, it was not as a man untouched by loss, but as one tempered by it. His triumph was the child of his heartbreak — proof that those who endure beyond failure become unbreakable.

So it was, too, with Thomas Edison, who failed a thousand times before the light of his invention illuminated the world. When asked about his failures, he replied, “I have not failed. I’ve just found a thousand ways that won’t work.” This was not the stubbornness of pride, but the wisdom of patience — the understanding that every setback is a teacher. As Forbes observed, the notable winners of history are not those who avoid defeat, but those who are undefeated by it. The world remembers their triumphs, but it is their resilience that made them immortal.

There is something deeply heroic in this view of life. The ancients called it fortitude, the strength of spirit that allows one to endure suffering without surrendering to bitterness. To the Greeks, it was the virtue of heroes; to the Stoics, the essence of wisdom. And Forbes, in his modern age of commerce and competition, revived this timeless lesson. He saw that in business as in war, in art as in love, the path to greatness always winds through valleys of despair. The difference between the conqueror and the conquered is not fortune, but faith in persistence — the belief that one’s purpose is worth the pain required to achieve it.

But this truth is not only for kings, inventors, or presidents. It belongs to all who struggle — the student who fails an exam, the parent who fights to provide, the artist who labors unseen, the soul who faces illness or loss yet continues to rise each morning. Life itself is a field of trials, and every heart bears its share of defeats. Yet Forbes teaches us that discouragement is the only true defeat. The moment one ceases to believe in one’s ability to rise, history stops being written. But for those who endure — who continue the fight despite heartbreak — history opens its gates and records their names among the steadfast.

Therefore, let this lesson be passed down like an eternal torch: do not fear failure, for it is the price of greatness. When life wounds you, when every door closes, when despair whispers that you have lost — remember that you stand among those whom history is testing. Let your defeats teach you, not break you. Let perseverance be your weapon and courage your crown. For as Forbes wrote, the winners of history are those who refused discouragement, who bore the storm until the sun rose again.

And so, my children of this fleeting age, take these words to heart: when you stand upon the edge of failure, do not curse your fate — endure it. For in that endurance lies your transformation. The obstacle before you is not your enemy; it is your proving ground. Stand firm, rise again, and write your victory into the book of history — not because you never fell, but because you never stayed down.