In this compilation of phrases about misfortune You will find reflections by authors and historical figures as important as William Shakespeare, Confucius or Rubén Darío.
The fear of avoiding falling into its domain is so great that sometimes this fear can lead us to make wrong decisions. And misfortune, or the fear of it, always lurks if it becomes one of our obsessions and we do not know how to manage our expectations well.
Below you will find a selection of phrases of misfortune that will help you reflect on those adverse moments
1. It is curious how distant a misfortune is when it does not concern us personally (John Steinbeck)
This phrase of misfortune brings us closer to that disconnection that people feel with respect to other people who go through distressing situations.
2. Undeserved honor is the preamble to disgrace (Han Shan)
Expectations can turn into disappointments.
3. Unfortunate is the one who considers himself such (Seneca)
A phrase from Seneca about suggestion and induction towards sadness.
4. Doom does not weigh on man every time he does something; but it weighs on him, unless he does something (Gilbert Keith Chesterton)
For Chesterton, it is a matter of responsibility.
5. By talking about our misfortunes we alleviate them (Pierre Corneille)
Talking decreases the pain.
6. The unfortunate has no other medicine but hope (William Shakespeare)
A medicine that often does not arrive or is not real.
7. There is nothing more excused and even lost than the miserable person telling his misfortunes to someone whose chest is full of contentment (Miguel de Cervantes)
You can expect little from a situation like that.
8. Because it is by hitting rock bottom, even if it is in bitterness and degradation, where one comes to know who one is, and where one then begins to step firmly (José Luis Sampedro)
When we reach the depths of an adverse situation.
9. There are many people who acquire the habit of being unhappy (George Eliot)
Sometimes we do everything possible to cause ourselves misfortunes making bad decisions.
10. Isn’t it sad to consider that only misfortune makes men brothers? (Benito Pérez Galdos)
For Pérez Galdos, brotherhood has to always be lived.
11. When misfortune comes, it never comes alone, but in battalions (William Shakespeare)
It often happens that one situation triggers another worse one.
12. Enough misfortune and enough confinement means living on an island (Abilio Estévez)
Phrase from this Cuban writer referring to the political situation in his country.
13. The greatest misfortune is to deserve misfortune (Jean de La Fontaine)
There are people who believe that they deserve to go through adversity.
14. Men in disgrace do not attract crowds, but rather curious people (Francisco Martín Moreno)
People who can waste your time or mental health.
15. Misfortune is the closest bond of hearts (Jean de La Fontaine)
It opens up a vulnerable and sensitive situation and makes it easy to contact others more honestly and intimately.
16.In misfortunes we must remember the state of conformity with which we view those of others (Epictetus of Phrygia)
The philosopher Epictetus tries to make us reflect on the level of empathy we can have with others
17. Happinesses that are lost are greater misfortunes (Pedro Calderón de la Barca)
The size of the penalty is measured according to their value.
18. Lying in the midst of misery, the soul sees much (Sophocles)
When by a shock of reality we realize many things.
19. A man is the sum of his misfortunes You might think that misfortune will end one day because he gets tired, but then it is time that becomes our misfortune (William Faulkner)
An interesting reflection from Faulker.
20. Misfortune is the midwife of virtues (Louis de Jaucourt)
Virtues are forged in misfortune.
21. Only misfortune can turn a heart of rock into a human heart (Fénelon)
The power of misfortune has a transformative effect.
22. Misfortune reveals lights to the soul that prosperity cannot perceive (Blaise Pascal)
It shows the side that we rarely discover.
23. There is only one true misfortune for man: incurring a fault and having cause for censure against himself (Jean de la Bruyere)
Phrase of misfortune by Jean de la Bruyere, about self-concept
24. When you have problems, people are afraid of getting infected… Misfortune is contagious (Katherine Pancol)
It is for this reason that in difficult times many people walk alone.
25. Most of our misfortunes are more bearable than the comments our friends make about them (Charles Caleb Colton)
Sometimes disappointment comes in other forms.
26. Misfortune, when it attached itself to me, taught me little by little another religion, different from the religion taught by men (George Sand)
In misfortune is a new spirituality.
27. The most unfortunate are those who cry the least (Jean-Baptiste Racine)
About not being able to express his emotions freely.
28. That head that proudly wears its misfortune, like a king his crown (Carlo Bini)
This phrase is for people who relapse into misfortune.
29. The most feared misfortunes are, ordinarily, those that never come (James Russell Lowell)
For Lowell, these types of misfortunes are the ones that cause us the most anxiety
30. It is not good to be unhappy, but it is good to have been (Antoine Gombaud)
Because one can learn many lessons so as not to repeat them.
31. In life, the saddest thing is not being completely unhappy, it is that we are very close to being happy and we cannot achieve it (Jacinto Benavente)
About not being able to complete our happiness.
32. Knowing the things that make one miserable is already a kind of happiness (François de La Rochefoucauld)
Even more so if we avoid them.
33. If you do not want to be miserable, treat disasters as annoyances, but by no means treat annoyances as catastrophes (André Maurois)
You have to know how to approach and appropriately deal with each difficult situation
34. Misfortune is a dead end. It leads directly to the wall. If you want to get rid of her, turn away from her. So you’ll think she’s backing away while you stand up to her (Yasmina Khadra)
For Khadea it is important to know how to deal with misfortune.
35. The most unfortunate of all men is he who believes himself to be so (Fénelon)
When we pigeonhole ourselves into a single position.
36. Man can endure misfortunes that are accidental and come from outside But suffering through one’s own faults, that is the nightmare of life (Oscar Wilde)
A phrase of misfortune from Oscar Wilde will always be an honest reflection.
37. The ruined man reads his condition in the eyes of others so quickly that he himself feels his fall (William Shakespeare)
When we project our experience onto the other.
38. Misfortune is also necessary to discover certain mysterious mines hidden in human intelligence (Alexander Dumas)
In all circumstances of life we learn something.
39. My life has been full of terrible misfortunes, most of which never happened (Michel de Montaigne)
When you live inside a lie and even worse when they have had an effect on you.
40. Hate the mouths that predict eternal misfortunes (Rubén Darío)
For Rubén Darío, we must avoid playing with the future.
41. (…) All the misfortunes in the world were born from many lies, those told on purpose, but also those involuntary, caused by haste or imprecision (Michael Ende)
An interesting reflection by Ende about what can make us happy or unhappy.
42. Misfortunes, like fortune, only come when we have sought them with our actions (Confucius)
Everything has a consequence, and misfortune is one of them.
43. Small minds are tamed and subjugated by misfortune, while great ones overcome it (Washington Irving)
This misfortune phrase can encourage a person who is going through a very difficult situation.
44. Fortune saves those it favors for greater misfortunes (Seneca)
It is a way to achieve security.
45. Even misfortune gets tired (Seneca)
Nothing lasts forever.
46. Unforeseen misfortune hurts us more strongly (Seneca)
When we are not prepared for difficult moments
47. Everyone is as they are, and they have enough misfortune (José Luis Coll)
About the particular individualities of each human experience.
48. Light is the misfortune that can be suffered, and that which cannot be suffered is brief (Seneca)
A way to differentiate misfortune.
49. There is no misfortune for which there is no remedy (Seneca)
Every misfortune has a solution.
50. Misfortunes are of no use to those who do not learn from them (Seneca)
Misfortune can be turned into something useful and constructive, we must take advantage of it.
51. Time makes misfortunes bearable (Seneca)
Whether due to laziness or training.
52. Misfortune is capable of opening the eyes of even the blind. She is a teacher who knows a lot, and a friend who does not deceive, like happiness (Ventura Ruiz Aguilera)
Misfortune returns us to reality with all its nuances.
53. Certain men have the talent of seeing a lot in everything. But they have the misfortune of seeing everything that is not there, and nothing that is there (Jaime Balmes)
It’s a question of perspectives.
54. He who laughs last, at the misfortune of others, laughs best (Roberto Fontanarrosa)
Humor will always be an intelligent way to deal with these types of situations.
55. How the star of misfortune was illuminated in his life, which has a dim light, as you writers would say (Sergio Ramírez)
Ramirez addresses misfortune in a poetic way
56. Misfortune rarely comes alone (John Dryden)
Various elusive events are also attached.
57. There is no greater pain than remembering the happy times in misfortune (Dante Alighieri)
Longing for happy memories that make us feel miserable.
58. Death always knows how to connect vice with misfortune (Jindrich Styrsky)
An aphorism about the vices that accumulate until they lead us to a situation in which there is no turning back.
59. Do not laugh at a person in his misfortune (Chilon of Sparta)
It is the lowest expression of humanity we can have.
60. Every creature in misfortune has the same right to be protected (Francis of Assisi)
Saint Francis of Assisi was known for always showing mercy towards animals.
61. The measure of a man is the way he endures misfortune (Peter Nivio Zarlenga)
People can be measured by the strategies they employ when dealing with adversity.
62. The night is always darkest just before the dawn (The Dark Knight)
In the most difficult times we must always have hope that everything will get better.
63. The weather and my mood have little connection. I have my cloudy and beautiful days within me; my prosperity or my misfortune has little to do with the matter (Blaise Pascal)
Some people sync their mood with the weather, others don’t.
64. Never before has so much been owed to so few (Winston Churchill)
In times of adversity is when we must thank those who help us.
65. No one is immune to misfortune (Ferdinand Marcos)
It’s something that affects us all.
66. After the storm there always comes calm (Popular saying)
A saying that can help us live life with greater hope.
67. A misfortune can be coincidence; two could be a divine punishment. Three is a plan (Catherynne M. Valente,)
A religious way of conceiving some of the misfortunes that happen to us in life.
68. What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger (Friedrich Nietzsche)
One of the most popular quotes from this German philosopher, which continues to be used in informal contexts.
69. Jehovah was with them, there was no misery or misfortune (Lailah Gifty Akita)
For believers, God is the solution and relief to turn to in any misfortune.
70. Whatever sadness or misfortune happened in my life, the solution I always found was to keep living (Mary Rubin)
In the face of any adversity we must continue forward with our heads held high.
71. Misfortunes never come alone (Popular saying)
Sometimes it happens that a problem overcomes us and it multiplies into many more.
72. It is reckless and potentially dangerous to enjoy the misfortunes of others (Wayne Gerard Trotman)
A piece of advice we can follow to be happier.
73. One day you are the hammer, the next day the nail (Mary Rubin)
We all have to go through one misfortune or another at some point.
74. All men have faced the moment of misfortune (Lailah Gifty Akita)
Misfortune is something that makes us equal, since we have all experienced it.
75. Ignominy has always been the younger sister of misfortune (Franz Werfel Jeremías)
Misfortune offends the physical and emotional integrity of anyone who is affected by it.
76. Yesterday’s misfortunes sustain tomorrow’s fortunes (Craig D. Lounsbrough)
A date full of positivity and optimism for the future.
77. A man’s mother is his misfortune, but his wife is his fault (Walter Bagehot)
A particular and very incorrect way of conceiving misfortunes.
78. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted (Matthew 5: 3-12)
One of the most famous episodes in the Holy Scriptures.
79. When I was young I experienced a constant storm, although from time to time bright suns broke through. Thus, few red fruits were born in my garden. The rain and thunder had a lot to do with it. (Charles Baudelaire)
We must accept the reality that confronts us and fight to change it for the better.
80. When your house burns you look for your lost dreams among the ashes (Mary Rubin)
A hymn to hope and overcoming adversity with a good face.
81. Oh, what bad luck it was that made me love that man! (Iris Murdoch)
Some crushes make us truly miserable.
82. There are misfortunes that can only be overcome with indifference (Marty Rubin)
Sometimes that’s the only way to deal with adversity.
83. Since the house is burning, let’s warm ourselves in it (Spanish proverb)
A philosophical phrase that we can apply to face life’s misfortunes.
84. Many people are the cause of their own misfortune in life, I blame the devil for it or they blame God (Bamigboye Olurotimi)
We must take blame for everything that happens to us in life.
85. It is sad to remember the past when it is going to be day (Charles Dickens)
Sometimes bad memories can cause us to fall into disgrace at the most unexpected moments.
86. The fallen angel becomes an evil demon. However, even the enemy of God and man enjoyed the company of friends and fellow men in his desolation. I, on the other hand, am completely alone (Mary Shelley)
Mary Shelley tells in “Frankenstein” a true story of successive misfortunes.
87. Do not accept bad luck or misfortune as an inevitable destiny. Destiny is primarily the result of living your life by design (Anthon St. Maarten)
Only we are capable of shaping our future and our future.
88. I swear to you that I would have preferred to always remain in ignorance. Rather than discover the ingratitude and depravity of a person so dear to me (Mary Shelley)
The discovery of the most abject human nature can cause us real misfortunes.
89. We will fight in the seas and oceans, we will fight with increasing confidence and increasing strength in the air, we will defend our island, whatever the cost, we will fight on the beaches, we will fight on the airstrips, we will fight in the fields and in the streets , we will fight in the hills, we will never surrender!, (Winston Churchill)
One of the most inspiring speeches of the great British statesman, about the misfortune that struck his country during the Second World War.
90. I love life, even though it is nothing more than an accumulation of anguish, and I will defend it (Mary Shelley)
Even if we go through adversity, we must always move forward.
