Sometimes, You Can't Fight Fate. And when things aren't going your way, it's good to know when to call the whole thing a wash and quit. After all, knowing when to just walk away is a useful skill. It may have even indirectly contributed to the creation of The Thirty-Six Stratagems as an actual list.

The Fatalist is quite aware of this wisdom. The Determinator, however, is not. The Determinator will rarely know when to back down, even when it would be beneficial; as such, not knowing when to quit will frequently be presented as a flaw for this kind of character. A Determinator who refuses to back down from a hopeless battle and gets their ass kicked is a very common and easy way to show that the threats are getting bigger, and that an iron-willed resolve isn't going to work against someone who can turn them into jelly. A Combat Pragmatist would see that sort of attitude as foolhardy; he'll fight as long as he can (and fight dirty, at that), but flees if it's clear that he's going to lose. Quitting while they're ahead also sometimes happens, with the rationale usually being that they're not going to survive a prolonged fight and would be better off using a temporary advantage as an opportunity to get the hell out of there.