“The truth is, life hands all of us setbacks,” Hillary Rodham Clinton said to a rumble of laughter and applause yesterday afternoon at the annual Girls Inc. luncheon in Manhattan. Dressed in a cherry red pantsuit—the color of the nonprofit advocacy group as well as International Women’s Day—the former presidential candidate delivered the line with a knowing smile, but she had a broader meaning in mind. For many young mentees in the organization, the path to success is pockmarked with family discord, discrimination, and flagging confidence; well-timed support can make all the difference, as demonstrated by the poised, college-bound speakers sharing the stage. “Everybody gets knocked down. What matters is that you get back up and keep going,” said Clinton, accepting the Champion for Girls Award.

At a time when self-care is hailed as the ticket to staying grounded and energized for whatever fights lay ahead—political, professional, or personal—it’s not exactly surprising that Clinton leads by example. The woman is endurance incarnate. Less expected was her recollection of gender bias on her high-school basketball court (“hard to believe,” she quipped of her phys-ed days). If the modern wellness movement loves a guru, Clinton might have earned herself a new role, with advice on emotional well-being and advocacy for equal opportunity in everything from exercise to education. “Think of the hard-hitting news on the glossy pages of Teen Vogue right across from makeup tips. Because you know what: Girls can and do care about both,” she said in celebration of beauty and brains. Here, four life lessons from Clinton’s speech.

Foster a Community of Support“I’ve had my ups and my downs. In the last months, I’ve done my share of sleeping, a little soul-searching and reflecting, long walks in the woods. [laughter] And in those moments, I am thankful for my own village, my community of family and friends who have supported and encouraged me. I have also been buoyed by the love and support that I’ve received from the young women I have mentored over my lifetime. They inspire me every day.”

Practice Gratitude—And Grit“One of my favorite phrases that I came across in a hard time in my own life was to practice the discipline of gratitude. Now, it is easy to be grateful when things are going our way, but to exercise the mental discipline to be grateful in the face of setbacks, I have found, is one of the great experiences that give you that resilience and the opportunity to see your life, to see your community and the world much more broadly, and to keep going. [It’s] the inner strength, even the stubbornness to keep showing up every day, to refuse to quit or give up in the face of any setback. Sometimes the road to progress can feel like it’s two steps forward, one step back, particularly when it comes to advancing the rights, opportunities, and full participation of women and girls. It can seem discouraging, whether you’ve been on that road for a long time or you’re just starting out. But think how different the world would be today if the people who came before us had not just gotten discouraged but because of that had given up.”