You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.

The line is attributed to Maya Angelou in multiple interviews and discussions about resilience and survival. A 1970 newspaper interview reports her saying she wrote her autobiography to encourage girls and emphasize that setbacks are common but should not define a person. Later interviews and reprints (including an interview conducted by Claudia Tate) repeat the idea, sometimes adding that facing defeats can build endurance and strength.

The quote frames failure as something a person may go through repeatedly, while insisting that inner resolve and self-worth should remain intact. It distinguishes between experiencing losses and allowing those losses to permanently break one’s spirit or agency.

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.”

“You may encounter many defeats, but you just must never be defeated.”

“I believe it may be necessary to encounter many defeats, without being defeated by them.”

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, the encountering may be the very experience which creates the vitality and the power to endure.”