These quotes will encourage you to make your setback a success story.
Everybody loves a good comeback story, whether it’s their own or someone else’s.
When you experience a bad turn of luck or somehow fall short of your goals, it’s incredibly satisfying to make a comeback and triumph in the end.
We love to see the underdog win.
You can make a great comeback in any other way than your professional or athletic life.
It’s a sweet victory when you can deliver the perfect witty comeback to someone else’s snarky comment.
It can be tricky to have a sharp retort, or clever quip on hand. And it often comes to us long after we are ready to use it.
Whether you need a quick answer for a cutting comment, or you’re seeking motivation after a setback, the comeback quotes and sayings below will help you prepare to make an inspiring comeback.
Comeback Quotes to help you get through a setback
1. “To have a comeback, you have to have a setback.” – Mr. T
2. “That’s the greatest comeback since Lazarus.” – Sid Waddell
3. “Nothing is cooler and more attractive than a big comeback, and that’ll be me.” – Steven Adler
4. “I’m always making a comeback but nobody ever tells me where I’ve been.” – Billie Holiday
5. “Making a comeback is one of the most difficult things to do with dignity.” – Greg Lake
6. “To admit you want to have a comeback means you have to admit you weren’t what you were supposed to be. You dropped below your own standard.” – Marilyn Manson
7. “There’s nothing as exciting as a comeback – seeing someone with dreams, watching them fail, and then getting a second chance.” – Rachel Griffiths
8. “There is nothing as sweet as a comeback, when you are down and out, about to lose, and out of time.” – Anne Lamott
If you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to check out our collection of cool quotes about keeping a relaxed mind.
9. “I’m a comeback waiting to happen. No one deserves it more than I do.” – Sean Young
10. “I am facing a challenge, I am not facing defeat. Remember this.” – Nikki Rowe
11. “Fall down seven times, get up eight.” – Naoki Higashida
QuotesSports: Great comebacks
12. “I’ve learned that something constructive comes from every defeat.”- Tom Landry
13. “The more difficult the victory, the greater the happiness in winning.”- Pele
14. “I don’t know if God is a sports fan or not, but I do know this: He loves a good comeback.” – Lane Kiffin
15. “The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory. That’s the essence of it.” – Vince Lombardi
16. “The only way to prove that you’re a good sport is to lose.”- Ernie Banks
17. “When you’ve got something to prove, there’s nothing greater than a challenge.” – Terry Bradshaw
18. “Never give up, never give in, and when the upper hand is ours, may we have the ability to handle the win with the dignity that we absorbed the loss.”- Doug Williams
19. “Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.”- Marv Levy
20. “During my 18 years I came to bat almost 10,000 times. I struck out almost 1,700 times and walked around 1,800 times. YouAn average ballplayer will average 500 at bats per season. That means I played seven years without ever hitting the ball.” – Mickey Mantle
21. “To uncover your true potential you must first find your own limits and then you have to have the courage to blow past them.” – Picabo Street
22. “Never give up! Failure and rejection are only the first step to succeeding.” – Jim Valvano
23. “It’s not whether you get knocked down; it’s whether you get up.” – Vince Lombardi
Check out our inspirational Good Will Hunting quotes, which will help you reach your full potential.
Comeback QuotesThe Underdog: A Guide for Successful People
24. “I never expect to lose. Even when I’m the underdog, I still prepare a victory speech.” – H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
25. “I’ve always felt like the underdog, and I’m comfortable with that label.” – Pink
26. “I love being the underdog.” – Howard Schultz
27. “I’ve always been an underdog. I feel like I beat the odds.” – J. ColeIf you’re enjoying these quotes, make sure to read our collection of J. Cole quotes and lyrics on life & love.
28. “I am the underdog, and I want to prove that one can follow one’s dreams despite all the flaws and setbacks.” – Winnie Harlow
29. “I was the undersized underdog who people never gave a chance. From that, the motivation to prove people wrong just grew and grew.” – Baker MayfieldIf you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of short motivational quotes that will get you ready to tackle the day.
30. “There’s a place in me that can really relate to being the underdog.” – Halle Berry
31. “I just think, as a people in general, we should always look at ourselves as the underdog, so we should always go harder than the next person.” – Shaggy
Comeback QuotesThe Perfect Snarky ComebackIt’s too late
32. “People in France have a phrase: “Spirit of the Stairway.” In French: Esprit de l’escalier. It means that moment when you find the answer, but it’s too late. Say you’re at a party and someone insults you. YouYou have to say something. Under pressure and with everyone watching, you may say something dumb. But the moment you leave the party… As you start down the stairway, then — magic. You come up with the perfect thing you should’ve said. Perfect crippling putdown. That’s the Spirit of the Stairway.” – Chuck Palahniuk
33. “You only think of the best comeback when you leave.” – Jimmy Fallon
34 “Unfortunately, I am incapable of thinking up perfectly biting, split-second retorts, in any language. The French even have a word for this: l’esprit de l’escalier; staircase wit, something you only think of on the way out.” – Tania Aebi
35 “I always think of the good comebacks on the car ride home.” – Ron Howard
36. “I am often tongue-tied with strangers and have what the philosopher Monsieur Diderot calls l’esprit de l’escalier, staircase wit: only long after a remark is made to me will my imagination supply the thing I should have said in reply.” – Debra Dean
37. “I was sure I’d have the perfect answer sometime tonight.” – Karen Tayleur
YouThese quotes are also great for second chances in love, life and other topics.
Anonymous QuotesThey Make Witty Comebacks
38. “Of course I talk like an idiot. How else could you understand me?” – Unknown
39. “There’s no need to repeat yourself. I ignored you just fine the first time.” – Unknown
40 “No, I’m not insulting you. I’m describing you.” – Unknown
41. “I’d agree with you but then we’d both be wrong.” – Unknown
42. “If you ran like your mouth you’d be in good shape.” – Unknown
43. “I was going to give you a nasty look, but I see you already have one.” – Unknown
44 “If you’re going to be two-faced, at least make sure one of them is pretty.” – Unknown
45 “I’ve found puddles deeper than you.” – Unknown
46. “Someday you’ll go far—and I really hope you stay there.” – Unknown
47. “Everyone’s entitled to act stupid once in a while, but you really abuse the privilege.” – Unknown
Hilarious comeback quotes
48. “You’re about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.” – Unknown
49. “It’s hilarious watching you try to fit your entire vocabulary into one sentence.” – Unknown
50 “The village called. They’d like their idiot back.” – Unknown
51. “Oh you’re talking to me, I thought you only talked behind my back.” – Unknown
52 “It’s a shame you can’t Photoshop your personality.” – Unknown
53. “My name must taste good because it’s always in your mouth.” – Unknown
54 “I’m an acquired taste. If you don’t like me, acquire some taste.” – Unknown
Motivational comeback quotes
55 “I won’t insult your intelligence by suggesting that you really believe what you just said.” – William F. Buckley, Jr.
56 “Tough times don’t last, but tough people do.” – Unknown
57. “Every time I show up to do something here it’s considered a comeback. If I came into town and they didn’t call it that, I’d be disappointed.” – Sheena Easton
58 “ToTo everyone, perseverance is important. Don’t give up. Don’t Give in. There is always an answer to everything.” – Louis Zamperini
59. “I do a movie once every four years and they call it a comeback.” – Pam Grier
60 “The moment you give up is the moment you let someone else win.” – Kobe Bryant
61 “A great champion deals with setback with a comeback.” – Donna de Varona
62. “Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up.” – Michael Jordan
63. “You may be in a tough time but that setback is simply a setup for a greater comeback.” – Joel Osteen
64 “Your setback is just a setup for your comeback.” – Steve Harvey
YouYou might also enjoy these quotes about disappointment to motivate your next comeback.
More comeback quotes & sayings
65 “He’s been to the brink and come back. I guess when you lose your pride, even for just a moment, you realise how much it means to you.” – Markus Zusak
66 “When you’re crying, your tears may be watering the seeds of your come-back.” – Steve Maraboli
67 “Persevere like a seed; even when people try to bury you, flourish.” – Matshona Dhliwayo
68. “Always try to come back to your senses when in love, because that’s the moment you become almost carried away by sensuality and sentiments.” – Michael Bassey Johnson
69 “Sometimes loneliness makes the loudest noise.” – Aaron Ben-Ze’ev
70 “It’s not too late for a new beginning.” – Eleanor Brownn
71 “Books can teach you many nice comebacks.” – Tamuna Tsertsvadze
72 “A comeback is a setback that did its homework, learned the lesson, and then moved forward.” – Eleanor Brownn
73. “Kindness is the key that opens the door of favour and beautiful surprises.” – Michael Bassey Johnson
74. “Never give up on you. You will experience disappointments. These trials are not fair. These trials are not to be viewed as failures. Look at these lessons as opportunities to learn and make the best personal comeback. You’ve got this.” – Christine E. Szymanski
75. “My comeback was not about winning or losing; it was about the feeling of being able to compete at top level again.” – Thomas Muster
76. “I feel blessed to have as many comebacks as I can.” – Paula Abdul
These comeback quotes will inspire you to go all out.
When you’re on the athletic field, it comes from enduring failures and losses, learning from them all the while. After you eventually triumph, you’ll feel the satisfaction of an extraordinary comeback.
Perhaps your problems are related to your work, your creativity, or your personal life. No matter where you are located, setbacks can be a chance to overcome and create an inspiring comeback.
A great joke must be delivered with wit and humor when you are having a conversation. Now, you’re ready to make your great comeback.
These are some of the best comeback quotes and sayings that you’ve ever read. Do you have other inspiring quotes? Please leave a comment below with any inspirational quotes.
