That statement — “Until death, all defeat is psychological” — is philosophically true, depending on how you look at it. Let’s unpack it.

Why it could be true:

Mindset is everything: A person can fail repeatedly and still not consider themselves defeated. As long as the will remains, so does the potential for resurgence. This echoes stoic and existentialist thinking.

Psychological resilience: In war, sports, relationships, and personal goals — people bounce back from what looks like utter failure because they don’t internalize defeat. They mentally choose to continue.

Historical examples: Mandela, Malcolm X, Viktor Frankl — people who were imprisoned, humiliated, even tortured, and yet came out spiritually or mentally stronger. To them, defeat was never final unless they gave in mentally.

But there are caveats:

Physical or external limitations can sometimes overrule the psychological. Someone can want to stand, run, or continue — but illness, injury, or oppression may block that. So, the “defeat” in that case may be physical too.

Denial vs. resilience: Some people might refuse to see they’ve lost out of pride, not strength. So the mindset alone isn’t always a virtue — it depends on clarity and purpose.

So if you’re asking existentially or spiritually — then yes:
True. All defeat is psychological until death.

If you’re asking literally or practically — then:
Partially true, with context-dependent exceptions.

Shervan K Shahhian