Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.

The aphorism distinguishes between an external setback (“being defeated”) and an internal decision (“giving up”). Defeat is framed as a momentary state—an outcome of a particular contest, attempt, or circumstance—while permanence enters only when a person stops trying. The line thus shifts agency back to the individual: failure does not define a life or project unless it is accepted as final. In motivational terms, it champions resilience and iterative effort, implying that persistence can convert losses into learning and future success. Its punch comes from the contrast between passive experience (defeat happens) and active choice (quitting).