You Can Win The Battle But Not The War

[NatBates]

old saying,

win the battle but loose the war

[factor-fiction]

...lose the war

Are you asking who said it?

[ichkeria]

There's no such saying as far as I know.
Sometimes one says "we've won the battle but not the war" meaning "there are still struggles to come"

[Baldric]

Do you actually have a question you want answering?

[ludwig]

I once had an argument with a traffic warden that ended with me punching him in the face and driving off. That was winning the battle.

Some time later I had to not only pay the fine with interest, but also do a 6 month stretch for assault. That was losing the war.