What makes this observation sharper than the usual "failure builds character" platitude is its reversal of cause and effect—determination doesn't precede the hard lessons; it *follows* them, almost involuntarily, like a hound catching a scent. Bryant understood that once your body and pride have absorbed the sting of losing, you don't have to manufacture grit; it becomes a reflex. Consider the parent who bombs their first job interview: they're not heroically choosing perseverance afterward—they're simply unable to sit still, reworking their pitch at midnight because the memory of that stumble won't let them rest. That restless hunger, born from knowing exactly what disappointment tastes like, is far more reliable than any amount of motivational thinking.