"There are winners, there are losers and there are people who have not yet learned how to win."

This quote is all about mindset and growth. It tells us that success doesn’t just split the world into winners and losers. Instead, it suggests a third group—the learners. These are the folks who haven’t cracked the code to winning yet, but they have the potential to get there. The idea is that losing isn’t a permanent state; it’s a temporary stage in the process of learning how to succeed.

Think about it. When this was said, it was probably meant to encourage people who felt down about their failures. It’s a reminder that failing isn’t the end of the road. Someone might have said this during a tough time—maybe after a big loss in sports or business—to remind themselves or others that the journey is ongoing.

Take Thomas Edison for example. The guy was a legend for inventing the light bulb, but he didn’t get it right on his first try. Or his second. Or his hundredth. He failed over a thousand times, but every failure taught him something new. Eventually, he got it right. He’s the poster child for this quote. Edison wasn’t a loser during those failed attempts. He just hadn’t yet learned how to win. Each failure was a lesson, a step closer to success.

So how does one apply this wisdom? First, you’ve got to shift your perspective on failure. Don’t see it as a dead end. See it as a detour—a learning opportunity. When you mess up, take a moment to analyze what went wrong. What can you learn from it? What can you do differently next time? That’s the crucial part. If you treat every setback as a lesson, you’re no longer a loser; you’re a learner on your way to winning.

Here’s a story that might hit home. Imagine you’re in high school, trying out for the basketball team. You’ve practiced hard, but you don’t make the cut. It stings, right? You could see yourself as a loser and give up basketball altogether. Or, you could use that experience to fuel your fire. Maybe you work on your dribbling, your shooting, your stamina. You join a local league, practice every weekend, and get better. The next year, you try out again and this time you make the team. That’s the difference between seeing yourself as a loser and seeing yourself as someone who just hadn’t learned how to win yet.

Remember, anyone who’s successful has failed at some point. The key is not to let those failures define you. Instead, let them teach you. When you shift your mindset this way, you’re more resilient. You start seeing challenges as opportunities. You get back up, dust yourself off, and keep going. That’s how you move from being someone who hasn’t yet learned how to win to being an actual winner.

So, next time you face a setback, think of it as a lesson. What can you learn from this? How can it make you better? Keep that mindset, and you’ll find that winning isn’t as far off as you might think.