Adversity causes some men to break others to break records.

William Arthur Ward is best known for short, epigrammatic motivational aphorisms that circulated widely in mid-to-late 20th-century American inspirational literature, especially through quotation collections, newsletters, and workplace “thought for the day” compilations. This line fits that genre: a compact contrast meant for encouragement in the face of setbacks rather than a remark tied to a single public speech or dated event. In most appearances it is presented as a standalone maxim about resilience, suggesting it was crafted for general readership and repeated in secondary sources rather than recorded in a specific situational moment.

Ward contrasts two common responses to hardship: collapse versus transformation. “Adversity” is framed as a pressure test that reveals character and choice. Some people “break” under stress—losing resolve, hope, or function—while others convert the same strain into performance, achievement, and growth (“break records”). The aphorism reflects a mid‑20th‑century American self-help and motivational tradition in which resilience is treated as a learnable stance rather than a fixed trait. Its punchy parallel structure makes it memorable and easily repurposed as encouragement in athletic, professional, or personal contexts.

1) “Adversity causes some men to break; others to break records.”
2) “Adversity causes some people to break; others to break records.”