Adversity builds character. This statement is one of the most common phrases that all people hear again and again to keep them aspiring goals that require an extreme amount of hard work. Yet as cliché as this is, it ultimately is effective in its actual meaning. Horace is accurate in his statement claiming that adversity brings out the best in people that they necessarily never knew they had because with examples such as professional athletes and also with role models who people respect, the audience is able to realize that to achieve greatness or even success one will have to dig deep like they never knew they could. All athletes that compete at the highest level have to overcome many obstacles such as failure and even injuries or things that make it hard to be able to grasp their goal to be the best they can be. “I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.” -Michael Jordan. Michael Jordan is one of the most successful athletes in all of sports and is considered to be the greatest basketball player ever and yet he faced more and more adversity throughout his spectacular career. However he would had never been able to obtain the ability to perform at the highest level if he hadn’t faced the daunting task that lied ahead of him. Despite the fact that failure is something that people dread, Michael was able to dig deep and power himself through the long workouts that left him unable to walk without wobbling knees. These were things that he had to make himself do to be the best that his ability allowed him to be. Likewise, Lance Armstrong battle through cancer and won seven Tour de France titles from 1999-2005. Cancer is difficult on anyone no matter how active or inactive they may be. It restricts them in a way that makes them unable to perform simple tasks, and for one to overcome that and then win the most respected biking event for seven years straight is extremely impressive. For one to