History Main / GaveUpTooSoon

** In ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'', James spends a ludicrous amount of money on a common Magikarp from [[SnakeOilSalesman a conman]], and desperately tries to find a use for it after being told it's worthless to sell. After Magikarp proves to a terrible swimmer (which nearly killed Team Rocket) and [[EatTheDog inedible]], James gets so furious by its uselessness that he literally kicks it off his team. But right after he does that, the released [[MagikarpPower Magikarp suddenly evolves into Gyarados]], a powerful Pokémon that is [[TheDreaded feared by sailors and trainers alike]]. Amazed by its potential power, James tries to get Gyarados back on his team, but ultimately couldn't because the [[TheDogBitesBack Atrocious Pokémon is seething to get revenge]] on its former master.

* Neverminding the extent to which Benedict Arnold's problems were his own fault, had he put up with them a bit longer, he could have taken Washington's offer for him to command a wing of his army in battle. Sadly, he had gone too far by this point and requested West Point.

* ''Manhua/OldMasterQ'' have one strip where Master Q and friends, Chin and Big Potato, goes on a treasure hunt, only to decide they're giving up after digging for hours... while ''minutes'' away from the treasure. [[https://www.oldmasterq.com/comics/992/ It looks like the page image, but vertical]].

** In ''Anime/PokemonTheOriginalSeries'', James spends a ludicrous amount of money on a common Magikarp from [[SnakeOilSalesman a conman]], and desperately tries to find a use for it after being told it's worthless to sell. After Magikarp proves to a terrible swimmer (which nearly killed Team Rocket) and [[EatTheDog inedible]], James gets so furious by its uselessness that he literally kicks it of his team. But right after he does that, the released [[MagikarpPower Magikarp suddenly evolves into Gyarados]], a powerful Pokémon that is [[TheDreaded feared by sailors and trainers alike]]. Amazed by its potential power, James tries to get Gyarados back on his team, but ultimately couldn't because the [[TheDogBitesBack Atrocious Pokémon is seething to get revenge]] on its former master.

* ''Anime/DirtyPairFlash'': Iris (a.k.a. Flare) has a grudge against the 3WA because they didn't provide backup when she called for help, which caused [[spoiler:Molly]] to get killed. Or so she thought -- actually, they could and would have provided backup if she hadn't thrown away her communicator device, assuming that they weren't going to.
* In ''Manga/SchoolLive'', if Miki's friend Kei had persisted and stuck with Miki a little bit longer, she might have been rescued by the School Life club when they went into the mall [[spoiler: and wouldn't have become a zombie, as strongly implied in chapter 30.]]
* In ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf TheMovie 1: Big Trouble In Nekonron, China'', the Chinese girl Lychee has been waiting all her life for the legendary prince that will come seeking the legendary scroll she possesses, presumably to make its owner his bride. She waited so long, devoting so much of her life to the fantasy, she basically lost her entire childhood. When she finally gets fed up with waiting and hunts down the man responsible (Happosai) for spreading such an awful lie to her family (and giving them the scroll), she hurls her scroll at him in rage... only to have it picked up by Akane ''two seconds'' before Prince Kirin, surprise surprise, shows up. And kidnaps her, thinking she's his destined girl. From then on, Ranma and Co. (plus Lychee) have to get her back. [[spoiler: The end of the movie implies that Prince Kirin and Lychee may be able to give one another a chance, however.]]

* ''Manga/FairyTail'': When Ultear Milkovich was sick, her mother Ur took her to a facility for treatment. Instead, the people performed torturous experiments on her and lied to Ur that she had died. Eventually, Ultear managed to escape and ran home, only to see Ur playing with her students Lyon Vastia and Gray Fullbuster. Instead of letting them see her, Ultear, who didn't know that her tormentors lied about her death, automatically assumes that Ur doesn't care about her and had already replaced her. She angrily runs away while plotting revenge against her mother. Shortly after she leaves, Ur starts talking about her daughter, whom she misses dearly and loves with all of her heart.

* Inverted in a ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' cartoon where a trio of prisoners digging a tunnel under the ocean "feel the first drop of rain".

* In ''Literature/{{Neverwhere}}'', Door agreed to meet up with the Marquis at the floating market. They could have touched him, had they known where he was. [[spoiler:Dead.]] By the time he recovered, they had already left.

* Lighthearted example where it's Zigzagged (the character gives up too soon, but succeeds by doing so) in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'', Harry has to get into Dumbledore's office, but he doesn't know the password. He does know that the password is always some type of candy, so [[TryEverything he rattles off the names of every popular brand he can think of]], like "Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans" (then remembers that Dumbledore doesn't like those, so that's clearly not right), "Chocolate Frog", and "Sugar Quill", before throwing up his arms in desperation and shouting, "Cockroach Cluster!". And ''that'' is the password, which causes the bemused Harry to say “[[{{Squick}} Cockroach Cluster?]] [[IWasJustJoking I was only joking …]]”

* Vin's thieving crew at the start of ''Literature/{{Mistborn}}'' teams up with another crew to rob a boat full of Ministry acolytes, knowing it secretly holds Ministry funds. Vin's crewleader betrays the other crew by claiming the down payment early, which would bring suspicion down on the other crew. Two books later, it turns out that the hidden Ministry funds in turn hid ''atium'', a metal so valuable that a single bead is worth more than the down payment. If thieving crews weren't in the habit of backstabbing each other, they would have been the richest people in the Empire.

* ''VideoGame/MassEffectAndromeda:'' A pair of krogan scouts on Elaaden can be found searching for the rumoured source of water on the moon, or more accurately having just given up searching when Ryder finds them. They're actually sitting right on top of the source's front door.
* In ''VideoGame/DarkSouls2'', one of the sidequests has you meet with a swordswoman called Lucatiel, who, like you, suffers from the Undead Curse that is ravaging the entire setting, and has traveled to Drangleic to both find a cure as well as her brother Aslatiel, who made this journey a while earlier. As you meet her, she grows increasingly more hollow and panicked, until you find her in a small shack in front of Aldia's manor, giving you her armor while begging you not to forget her as she loses her last bit of hope. Step into the manor, however, and you are almost immediately invaded by Darkwraith Aslatiel.

* The Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/40600662?view_adult=true Colors Fading]]'', a SoulmateAUFic, has Homura and Madoka as soulmates with every timeline having minute changes. However in the twenty-eighth timeline, Homura finds the timeline to have her have not just Madoka as a soulmate, but also Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko. Homura quickly ''nopes'' out of this timeline, though a spin off story ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/44558080 Timeline Twenty-Eight]]'' explores this timeline a bit more, which reveals it would have actually been a pretty ideal timeline for Homura to have stayed in. With Mami and Kyoko both present at the start and the bonds between all five of them already present, they would have all been more stable, and Mami had already learned several truths that would normally have left her incredibly unstable and worked through them. Instead Homura reflexively freaked out and fled the timeline, and we see her endure many more and suffer as a consequence.

* The fanfic ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/40600662?view_adult=true Colors Fading]]'', a SoulmateAUFic, has Homura and Madoka as soulmates with every timeline having minute changes. However in the twenty-eighth timeline, Homura finds the timeline to have her have not just Madoka as a soulmate, but also Sayaka, Mami, and Kyoko. Homura quickly ''nopes'' out of this timeline, though a spin off story ''[[https://archiveofourown.org/works/44558080 Timeline Twenty-Eight]]'' explores this timeline a bit more, which reveals it would have actually been a pretty ideal timeline for Homura to have stayed in. With Mami and Kyoko both present at the start and the bonds between all five of them already present, they would have all been more stable, and Mami had already learned several truths that would normally have left her incredibly unstable and worked through them. Instead Homura reflexively freaked out and fled the timeline, and we see her endure many more and suffer as a consequence.

* ''Anime/DoraemonNobitasDorabianNights'' have Doraemon and friends crossing a ThirstyDesert after barely surviving a shipwreck (with Doraemon's Fourth Dimensional Pocket stolen). At one point Suneo exclaims he saw an oasis, prompting everyone to quickly run ahead for a mile before finding nothing, at which point it's revealed Suneo had seen a mirage. Minutes later after trudging through the desert, Suneo sees another oasis... and decide to ignore it, thinking it's another mirage. This second oasis is actually the ''real'' deal.

** In episode 57 of ''Anime/PokémonJourneysTheSeries'', Ash and Goh spend a day trying to find new Pokémon during a snowstorm, to no avail. Despite Goh's insistence on continuing, Ash convinces him to leave to go eat ramen. A herd of Lapras emerges from the river they were looking at, just as they leave.

* ''Anime/{{Pokemon}}'':
** In ''Pokemon XYZ'', after losing Squishy (Z1), Team Flare put a tail on Ash and his friends, believing that they may make contact with it again after it left their group. When it looks like the trainers don't know where Z1 is, Team Flare pull their men back. It's then at the end of the episode that Ash and company are reunited with Squishy, with Team Flare unaware.
** In episode 57 of ''Pokemon Journeys'', Ash and Goh spend a day trying to find new Pokemon during a snowstorm, to no avail. Despite Goh's insistence on continuing, Ash convinces him to leave to go eat ramen. A herd of Lapras emerges from the river they were looking at, just as they leave.

* When Germany was divided into East and West after World War II, UsefulNotes/{{Bonn}} became the "temporary" capital of the western half. By the mid-1980s, the West German government finally accepted that the "temporary" solution was going to be permanent, and so commissioned the construction of a proper government sector. Then in 1989, just as work on the government quarter was nearing completion, the Berlin Wall fell and Germany was reunified a year later, with Berlin being reestablished as the national capital in 1991. To this day, many government ministries have their offices in Bonn instead of Berlin.

* When Germany was divided into East and West after World War II, Bonn became the "temporary" capital of the western half. By the mid-1980s, the West German government finally accepted that the "temporary" solution was going to be permanent, and so commissioned the construction of a proper government sector. Then in 1989, just as work on the government quarter was nearing completion, the Berlin Wall fell and Germany was reunified a year later, with Berlin being reestablished as the national capital in 1991. To this day, many government ministries have their offices in Bonn instead of Berlin.