A truth not spoken nearly enough

From Danwei, quoting the editor of Southern Metropolis Daily:

However, the athletes who met with defeat on the field stand for the great courage and competitive spirit of the eliminated majority, in a symbolic reenactment of human life: you will inevitably fail, yet you continue onward. Lu Xun wrote about this truth in "The First and the Last," encouraging people to "not be ashamed to be last." His final lines are quoted most often: "When I watch a sports meet, I often think: of course praise is due to the victors, but it is those competitors who press on to the finish line despite having fallen behind, and the spectators who do not laugh at them, who are the future backbone of China."