100 Overcoming Challenges and Adversity Quotes to Lift You Up
To help you deal with the stress without losing your mind or ruining your relationships, I put together a compilation of 100+ positive inspiring quotes for navigating challenges, adversity, and obstacles thrown in your path.
I've divided the quotes into topics to make them more digestible, added graphics to boost the inspiration, and include a section of tools and how-to steps for facing and overcoming life's challenges.
Hopefully, one or more of these encouraging quotes from a wide range of people will spur you on and lift you up during hard times. Let me know your favorites in the comments section (or tell us about other quotes that inspire you.)
What's in This Post
My Gary Larsen Crisis Clinic Cup |
Navigating Life’s Challenges: Motivational Quotes to Keep You Going |
Overcoming Difficulties Quotes: You’ve Got This! |
Facing Adversity Quotes: Rising Up to Meet the Challenge |
You Can Make a Difference: Empowering Quotes for Challenging Times |
Life Challenges Quotes that Inspire a Resilient Attitude and Mindset |
Comic Relief: Funny Quotes about Adversity, Obstacles, and Crappy Situations |
Beating Adversity at Its Own Game: The Benefits and Rewards |
Strength from Struggle: Motivational Quotes about Life Challenges |
How Challenges and Adversity Reveal the Real You |
Inspiring Quotes for Finding Happiness in Midst of Challenges |
Hard Times: Workouts for Your Virtue Muscles |
Life and Challenges Quotes: Letting Go of What Keeps You Stuck |
How to Move Forward: 8 Strategies for Facing Life’s Challenges with Resilience |
Books, Workbooks, and Recordings to Make Your Life Better |
My Gary Larsen Crisis Clinic Cup
When I started my counseling therapy practice about twenty years ago, I came across a cup with a Gary Larson cartoon that was a perfect humorous addition to my office. The cartoon depicts a Crisis Clinic in crisis: on fire about to go over a waterfall!
I loved that cup.
But the irony didn't stop there—within a couple of years, the handle broke off!
It made me love the cup even more. I can't use it for drinking out of now, but it's a great smile stimulant.
The cup seems like an appropriate way to get us going for a discussion on adversity, challenges, trials and tribulations, and obstacles.
Now, onto the promised quotes.
Navigating Life’s Challenges: Motivational Quotes to Keep You Going
Let’s begin with some quotes that offer inspiration and encouragement to help you navigate challenges, adversity, and difficulties. These ancient and recent words of wisdom inspire optimism and remind us to appreciate life’s highs and lows. They point out the possibility of finding happiness and meaning in tough times.
"I will love the light for it shows me the way, yet I will endure the darkness for it shows me the stars." —Og Mandino
"When it is dark enough, you can see the stars." —Ralph Waldo Emerson
"One ceases to recognize the significance of mountain peaks if they are not viewed occasionally from the deepest valleys." —Dr. Al Lorin
"However long the night, the dawn will break." —African Proverb
"In the end, some of your greatest pains become your greatest strengths." —Drew Barrymore
"Storms don’t last forever." —Anonymous
"If you're feeling low, don't despair. The sun has a sinking spell every night, but it comes back up every morning. The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain." —Dolly Parton
Overcoming Difficulties Quotes: You’ve Got This!
Life’s challenges test us in many ways (that’s why they’re called challenges), but they also reveal the strength and inner resources we have to overcome them. Let these quotes inspire you to recognize the courage, resilience, and wisdom already within you.
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s timeless insight, happiness expert Doe Zantamata’s uplifting perspective, and Christopher Robin’s encouraging words to Winnie-the-Pooh are here to tell you: You’ve got this!
"What lies behind you and what lies in front of you pales in comparison to what lies inside of you." — Ralph Waldo Emerson
"It is only in our darkest hours that we may discover the true strength of the brilliant light within ourselves that can never, ever, be dimmed." —Doe Zantamata
"Always remember you are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think." —A.A. Milne
Facing Adversity Quotes: Rising Up to Meet the Challenge
Meeting the moment can help you find the strength to overcome life’s trials and tribulations.
These quotes remind you to embrace discomfort and use it to propel you forward. From Helen Keller’s inspiring optimism on overcoming adversity to Bruce Lee’s wisdom on inner strength and endurance, these words encourage us to meet the moment and rise with purpose.
"Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it." —Helen Keller
"We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey." —Kenji Miyazawa
"We must meet the challenge rather than wish it were not before us." —William J. Brennan Jr.
"It is under the greatest adversity that there exists the greatest potential for doing good, both for oneself and others." —The Dalai Lama
"Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strength to endure a difficult one." —Bruce Lee
You Can Make a Difference: Empowering Quotes for Challenging Times
It’s easy to feel hopeless and powerless when facing tough times. But you may have more potential to influence positive outcomes than you realize. Making a difference doesn’t always require grand gestures—it starts with the courage to take action, no matter how small.
These quotes use encouragement, humor, and wit to inspire you to discover your power, embrace your potential, and remember that even the smallest actions can create a ripple effect of change.
"You may not always have a comfortable life, and you will not always be able to solve all of the world’s problems at once, but don’t ever underestimate the importance you can have because history has shown us that courage can be contagious and hope can take on a life of its own." —Michelle Obama
“If you think you're too small to make a difference, you've never been in bed with a mosquito.” (There are many different versions of this idea appearing as an African Proverb, or quote from The Dahlia Lama and others. This is my favorite version that I found many years ago without attribution.)
“Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are.” —Theodore Roosevelt
Life Challenges Quotes that Inspire a Resilient Attitude and Mindset
Your attitude and mindset shape how you experience life’s challenges.
These quotes remind you to focus on what you can control, embrace optimism, and grow with the flow. (Notice I did a little twist on go with the flow there. :)
Whether it’s finding opportunity in a problem, choosing resilience in tough times, or realizing the strength of your own mind, these words inspire us to persevere with purpose and grace.
"Things turn out the best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out." —John Wooden
"Attitude-flexibility is the mentality that helps us to smoothly persevere through turbulent times." —Dr. Jacinta Mpalyenkana
"Be the attitude you want to be around." —Tim DeTellis
"You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." —Marcus Aurelius
"Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." —John Wooden
"I can be changed by what happens to me. But I refuse to be reduced by it." —Maya Angelou
"Tough times never last, but tough people do." —Robert H. Schuller
"A problem is a chance for you to do your best." —Duke Ellington
"If you feel like giving up, give up on that feeling and give into the realization there are endless possibilities waiting to be discovered before you." —Tom Althouse
Comic Relief: Funny Quotes about Adversity, Obstacles, and Crappy Situations
Time for a humor break. Each of these quotes about facing adversity, challenges, and obstacles made me smile, chuckle or laugh out loud. (If they don’t have an author attached, I found them bouncing around social media.)
First, words of wisdom on the benefits of finding humor during tough times:
"Every time you are able to find some humor in a difficult situation, you win."
“It's your outlook on life that counts. If you take yourself lightly and don't take yourself too seriously, pretty soon you can find the humor in our everyday lives. And sometimes it can be a lifesaver.” —Betty White
And on the possibility of finding humor in the midst of difficulties:
“Humor and joy are skills, not the luck of the draw.” —C. W. Metcalf, author of Lighten Up: Survival Skills for People Under Pressure
Now the funny (or at least with a humorous twist) stuff:
"When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on." —Franklin D. Roosevelt
"When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this—you haven't." —Thomas A. Edison
"Life is like a box of chocolates, but sometimes you keep getting the ones filled with toothpaste."
"No matter how bad things are, you can always make things worse." —Randy Pausch
"I walk around like everything’s fine, but deep down, inside my shoe, my sock is sliding off."
"Navigating life is like trying to fold a fitted sheet. No one really knows how, but we all pretend we do."
"Life’s like trying to plug in a USB. It never goes right on the first try, or the second, or the third…"
"If life had background music, mine would be the sound of a trombone playing ‘womp womp’."
"I asked life for a sign. It gave me a stop sign. I’m not sure how to proceed."
"Some say the glass is half empty, some say the glass is half full, I say, are you going to drink that?" —Lisa Claymen
Beating Adversity at Its Own Game: The Benefits and Rewards
Adversity plays a tough game—pushing your limits, testing your resilience, and forcing you to grow. But when you rise to the challenge, you gain more than just survival—you gain strength, confidence, and the satisfaction of overcoming life’s toughest moments.
These quotes remind us that hardship often leads to personal growth and that success may depend on you going through what you’re going through.
"Every adversity, every failure, and every heartache carries with it the seed of an equivalent or a greater benefit." —Napoleon Hill
"It may sound strange, but many champions are made champions by setbacks." —Bob Richards (American athlete in three Olympic Games)
"On the other side of a storm is the strength that comes from having navigated through it. Raise your sail and begin." —Gregory S. Williams
"Storms make trees take deeper roots." —Dolly Parton
"It is a blessing to experience hardship. Not because we suffer, but because we learn to endure." —Saim A. Cheeda
"No rain, no flowers."
"The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials." —Chinese Proverb
"Life is at its best when everything has fallen out of place, and you decide that you’re going to fight to get them right, not when everything is going your way and everyone is praising you." —Thisuri Wanniarachchi
Strength from Struggle: Motivational Quotes about Life Challenges
Enduring psychological and emotional strength doesn’t come from comfort or ease—it’s built through meeting challenges head on.
These quotes remind us that adversity can be the greatest teacher, shaping us into stronger, more resilient individuals. Note that can is an important word in this sentence. Adversity can teach us things if we work with it and pay attention to its lessons.
"My strength did not come from lifting weights. My strength came from lifting myself up when I was knocked down." —Bob Moore
"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls; the most massive characters are seared with scars." —Khalil Gibran
"All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened me. You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best thing in the world for you." —Walt Disney
“Experience is the hardest kind of teacher. It gives you the test first and the lesson afterward.” ―Oscar Wilde
How Challenges and Adversity Reveal the Real You
Adversity and challenges have a remarkable way of revealing who we truly are. They highlight strengths to be appreciated and shortcomings to be addressed.
If you don’t like what you see—seek the knowledge and tools to help you build skills and attitudes that will help you with this situation and future challenges. (More help with that in the Tips and Strategies section near the end of this post.)
As you grow, celebrate self-improvement wins. Don’t wait for the big win, celebrate micro-wins too!
"In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer." —Albert Camus
"Life’s challenges are not supposed to paralyze you; they’re supposed to help you discover who you are." —Bernice Johnson Reagon
"Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you never really knew." —Cicely Tyson
"You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have." —Bob Marley
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." —Martin Luther King Jr.
"He knows not his own strength who hath not met adversity." —William Samuel Johnson
"Everyone has inside them a piece of good news. The good news is you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish! And what your potential is." —Anne Frank
"Adversity is like a strong wind. It tears away from us all but the things that cannot be torn so that we see ourselves as we really are." —Arthur Golden
Inspiring Quotes for Finding Happiness in Midst of Challenges
Happiness can feel elusive during a tough period. It’s often there. We just have to notice it.
Sources of happiness might show up in the form of what I call a small smilable: a beautiful sunrise, a humorous phrase, a puppy doing its thing. Allow yourself to smile, savor the moment, and grow the smile. Smiling releases feel good endorphins. They are a no-cost easy to give yourself a lift.
These quotes remind us that even during difficulties, happiness isn’t out of reach—it’s something we can find, create, and hold onto.
"Even if happiness forgets you a little bit, never completely forget about it." —Jacques Prévert
"Happiness isn’t something that depends on our surroundings; it’s something we make inside ourselves." —Corrie Ten Boom
"When you focus on the good, the good gets better." —Abraham Hicks
"And hard times are good in their own way, too. Because the only way you can achieve true happiness is if you experience true sadness as well. It’s all about light and shade. Balance." —Gabrielle Williams
"Right in the difficult we must have our joys, our happiness, our dreams: there against the depth of this background, they stand out, there for the first time we see how beautiful they are." —Rainer Maria Rilke
"Every day may not be good, but there’s something good in every day." —Alice Morse Earle
Hard Times: Workouts for Your Virtue Muscles
Hard times are like workouts for your virtue muscles: they challenge you and stretch your capabilities. They build character and the strength you need to maneuver through obstacles thrown in your path.
Virtues (AKA attributes or qualities) like courage, optimism, gratitude, flexibility, and perseverance aren’t just traits you’re born with—they are skills you develop through practice and effort. Moments of struggle offer opportunities to grow stronger, wiser, and more capable.
As Haruki Murakami reminds us, "When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about."
These quotes celebrate the inner strength that emerges from life’s toughest workouts and highlight some of the virtues that can help you rise above challenges to survive and thrive.
"The kind of beauty I want most is the hard-to-get kind that comes from within: strength, courage, and dignity." —Ruby Dee
"The hard times that you go through build character, making you a much stronger person." —Rita Mero
"Sometimes you learn, grow, and give far more when your back's against the wall." —Rasheed Ogunlaru
"The art of living lies less in eliminating our troubles than in growing with them." —Bernard Baruch
1. Courage: The Fuel for Facing Down Challenges
Courage is the energy that drives us forward when life feels overwhelming. It powers our ability to reflect on difficult moments, embrace change, and keep trying.
These quotes remind us that courage is the fuel we all need to face down challenges and grow stronger in the process.
"I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection." —Thomas Paine
"When we least expect it, life sets us a challenge to test our courage and willingness to change." —Paulo Coelho
"And one has to understand that braveness is not the absence of fear but rather the strength to keep on going forward despite the fear." —Paulo Coelho
"Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, I will try again tomorrow." —Mary Anne Radmacher
2. Patience: Strengthening Your Waiting Game
Patience requires calm and focus, even when progress feels slow. It’s the ability to wait well, trusting in the process and timing of life.
“To lose patience is to lose the battle.” —Mahatma Gandhi
“The greatest power is often simple patience.” —E. Joseph Cossman
“Patience is the calm acceptance that things can happen in a different order than the one you have in mind.” —David G. Allen
“In any contest between power and patience, bet on patience.” —W.B. Prescott
"Be patient and tough; someday this pain will be useful to you." —Ovid
What is Patience? Best Patience Quotes and Definitions |
3. Optimism: The Pep Talk You Need to Keep Going
Optimism is your personal cheerleader. It’s there when you need an encouraging pep talk to lift your spirts and spur you on. It doesn’t ignore what you’re up against—it acknowledges the challenges while choosing to pay attention to reasons to hope and possibility. It’s the voice in your head that says, “You can do it!” and “It’s going to be OK.”
"Prosperity is not without many fears and disasters, and adversity is not without comforts and hopes." —Francis Bacon
“Always remember, good times await you after the difficult times pass.” —James A. Murphy III
"I believe in being strong when everything seems to be going wrong. I believe that tomorrow is another day and I believe in miracles." —Audrey Hepburn
4. Gratitude: Appreciating the Positives
Turning your focus toward what you have and what’s going right, and noting your appreciation for those things, supplements your positivity. It’s like taking in electrolytes during an intense workout. Gratitude nourishes you.
And if you express gratitude that you have for others to those people, it nourishes them too and helps them keep going strong.
“Going through challenging things can teach you a lot, and they also make you appreciate the times that aren’t so challenging.” —Carrie Fisher
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today and creates a vision for tomorrow.” —Melody Beattie
More on GRATITUDE |
5. Flexibility: Bending Without Breaking
Flexibility is what keeps us steady and adaptable when life doesn’t go as planned. Like stretching a muscle, practicing flexibility in your mindset helps you navigate life’s twists and turns with strength and ease.
It’s about finding balance, adjusting to challenges, and moving forward without losing your center.
"The oak fought the wind and was broken, the willow bent when it must and survived." —Robert Jordan
"The human capacity for burden is like bamboo—far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance." —Jodi Picoult
"A bend in the road is not the end of the road... unless you fail to make the turn." —Unknown
6. Perseverance: Training for Endurance
Perseverance is the steady, determined effort to keep going, even when the road is long and obstacles seem insurmountable. Like endurance training, it’s about pushing past discomfort and staying focused on the goal.
Perseverance strengthens not just your resolve but also your ability to overcome future challenges.
"A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles." —Christopher Reeve
"Let perseverance be your engine and hope your fuel." —H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Life and Challenges Quotes: Letting Go of What Keeps You Stuck
Life often calls for letting go—not as a defeat, but as a step toward freedom and clarity. When we release what keeps us stuck, we gain the space to grow, heal, and embrace what truly matters.
"Sometimes you have to let go of the picture of what you thought life would be like and learn to find joy in the story you are actually living." —Rachel Marie Martin
"At some point you just have to let go of what you thought should happen and live in what is happening." —Unknown
"When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need." —Lao Tzu
"I realize there’s something incredibly honest about trees in winter, how they’re experts at letting things go." —Jeffrey McDaniel
How to Move Forward: 8 Strategies for Facing Life’s Challenges with Resilience
Facing life’s challenges requires more than just endurance—it calls for practical strategies and thoughtful actions to help you navigate tough times with resilience.
This section provides approaches and tips to help you move forward, from noticing moments of happiness to processing the pain, letting go of controlling things outside your control, and embracing the power of self-compassion.
1. Catch Happy and Inspiring Moments
In the chaos of life, moments of beauty, inspiration, humor and joy often go unnoticed unless we pause to see them. Practicing being present allows you to slow down, notice small sources of happiness, and savor the feel-good.
Savoring the feel-good gets chips in the bank that you can draw from for stress resilience.
"It’s funny how, when things seem the darkest, moments of beauty present themselves in the most unexpected places." —Karen Marie Moning
"Life keeps throwing me stones. And I keep finding the diamonds." —Ana Claudia Antunes
2. Acknowledge and Process Your Pain
Stress resilience doesn’t mean ignoring pain; it’s about facing it head-on and not being taken out by it. Resilience requires acknowledging your pain points, naming them, and working through them.
Processing your emotions is an essential step toward healing and growth, helping you move forward with strength and clarity.
(My workbooks and journals can help you consciously process the pain. My Release and Refresh Emotional Detox Hypnosis and Meditation recording can help you let the burden part of the emotions go.)
“Grief and resilience live together.” —Michelle Obama
Friedrich Nietzsche's That Which Doesn't Kill You Quote
“That which does not kill us makes us stronger.” —Friedrich Nietzsche
I don’t believe that difficulties automatically make you strong. They can weaken you. They can harden you in negative ways. They can leave gapping psychological wounds that trigger you when poked.
The end result of struggles depends on how you handle the challenges. So, I’ve added a phrase to Nietzshe’s life struggles quote.
My version:
“That which does not kill you makes you stronger—only if you process the thoughts and feelings and gather the wisdom and learning from the experience.”
And here’s another quote from Nietzshe showing that he understands that there’s more to getting through adversity than just making it to the other side of it.
"To live is to suffer; to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering." —Friedrich Nietzsche
(Dark humor twist: “What doesn’t kill you will try and get you tomorrow.” —Robert Horn)
3. Don’t Shame on Yourself
Struggling doesn’t make you weak—it makes you human. Instead of shaming yourself for not handling everything perfectly, show yourself compassion.
“What we don't need in the midst of struggle is shame for being human.” —Brené Brown
4. Let Go of Control
There’s freedom in understanding what’s within your power and what isn’t. Letting go of the need to control everything can bring peace and help you focus on your zones of control and influence.
“You can be happy if you know this secret: Some things are within your power to control and some things are not.” —Epictetus
The Serenity Prayer
The serenity prayer is a long-standing staple of 12-Step programs. Its longevity proves the need for the message and its power to help people make change.
Here’s my non-religious version of the serenity prayer:
May I have the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
5. Problem-Solve Step by Step
Challenges often feel overwhelming, but breaking them down into smaller, manageable steps makes them less daunting. Problem-solving is a skill you strengthen each time you face an obstacle, focus on one task at a time, and keep moving forward.
"I think that little by little I’ll be able to solve my problems and survive." —Frida Kahlo
"At some point, everything's gonna go south and you're going to say, this is it. This is how I end. Now, you can either accept that, or you can get to work. That's all it is. You just begin. You do the math. You solve one problem and you solve the next one and then the next. And if you solve enough problems, you get to come home." —Mark Watney, Matt Damon's character in The Martian
"Life is like a camera, focus on the good times, develop from the negatives, and if things don't work out, take another shot." —Anonymous
"We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down." —Eleanor Roosevelt
6. Give Yourself a Positivity Boost
Dwelling on negative thoughts can create mushroom clouds of despair. Using some of your mental time thinking positive thoughts can boost happiness and change your outlook.
"Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will." —Zig Ziglar
One way to do this is with affirmations. Positive affirmations are words of encouragement you give yourself, helping to shift your mindset and approach challenges with hope and resilience.
"Just one small positive thought in the morning can change your whole day." —The Dalai Lama
7. Stop Automatic Reactions
When life throws curveballs, it’s easy to react without thinking, but learning to pause and reset can help you regain control.
Threats often stimulate survival instinct and the fight, flight, freeze, or fawn response.
Thought-stopping and quick grounding resets are two sets of skills that can interrupt knee-jerk overreactions and buy you time to be able to reset your mind for clear thinking.
"In the story of my life, autocorrect is the villain." —Anonymous
"Keep calm and carry on. A challenging time is just that—a period in time. Taking a few deep breaths and knowing that it won't last forever really allows me to focus on the present moment and task at hand." —Elizabeth Armstrong
8. Find the Silver Lining
Even in the hardest times, there’s value to be found—whether it’s a lesson learned, unexpected growth, a protection, a bonus result from being redirected, or a success you could not have attained otherwise.
These quotes encourage us to seek meaning in adversity.
"In every difficult situation is potential value. Believe this, then begin looking for it." —Norman Vincent Peale
"Sometimes painful things can teach us lessons that we didn’t think we needed to know." —Amy Poehler
"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." —Albert Einstein
"My barn having burned down, I can now see the moon." —Mizuta Masahide
"The most challenging times bring us the most empowering lessons." —Karen Salmansohn
"We all have battles to fight. And it’s often in those battles that we are most alive: it’s on the frontlines of our lives that we earn wisdom, create joy, forge friendships, discover happiness, find love, and do purposeful work." —Eric Greitens
Books, Workbooks, and Recordings to Make Your Life Better
Through decades of helping people like yourself, I've found ways to present emotion and relationship skills and life tips in ways that are easy-to-grasp and put into action. Check out my self-help/therapist-help books and workbooks:
Hypnosis and guided visualization are part of my therapy toolbox. They are incredibly efficient and gentle methods for working through issues. Over the years of writing, using, and rewriting hypnosis scripts for a variety of goals, one has become my go-to as a starter for most clients: my Release and Refresh Emotional Detox Hypnosis and Guided Visualization Meditation.
It can help you let go of anything that weighs you down or keeps you stuck--without you having to identify the sources of the emotional strain.
You can listen to it any time you have a half-hour to relax or as you are going to sleep. Most people listen to it when they are going to sleep. They report getting to sleep more easily and getting a better quality of sleep.
It's under $10. No risk. Money back guarantee. No questions asked. Give it a try and see what you think.
- Ann Silvers
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