Greatest Quotations on Perseverance and Persistence

 — compiled by Michael Josephson

  1. You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it. ~ Maya Angelou
  2. It’s always too soon to quit. Norman Vincent Peale
  3. If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again. American proverb
  4. Winners never quit and quitters never win. – unknown
  5. A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence. Jim Watkins
  6. Passionate commitment is powerful, but its power will often be drained by setbacks, disappointments and failures. Persistence is the power that allows you to regenerate your passion and your will to keep trying until you succeed. – Michael Josephson
  7. If you do what you ought to do, when you ought to do it, the time will come when you can do the what you want to do, when you want to do it. Zig Ziglar
  8. Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up. ~ Thomas Edison
  9. The question is not how many times do you have to try before you quit but how many times you have to try before you succeed. When something is important enough, quitting is not an option.- Michael Josephson
  10. Education. Desire. Planning. All these contribute to success but none of them are enough without persistence. – Michael Josephson
  11. When you are frustrated and exhausted and ready to say “enough!” the voice of persistence says, “Not yet, we’re almost there”. And when even that extra effort doesn’t bring success, persistence says, “We’ve come this far, we can’t quit now.” And finally, persistence smiles and says, “I knew we could do it.” Michael Josephson
  12. Pursue success like you ride a bicycle remembering you won’t fall off unless you stop peddling. Michael Josephson
  13. I believe that persistent effort, supported by a character-based actions, will enable you to get more of the things money will buy and all of the things money won’t buy. Zig Ziglar
  14. Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ~Winston Churchill
  15. The key to persistence is keep your eye on the prize and to want it enough to justify the cost to attain it. Michael Josephson
  16. Perseverance is the sometimes screaming, sometimes encouraging coach in your head that won’t let you quit. – Michael Josephson
  17. The key of persistence opens all doors closed by setbacks and disappointments. Michael Josephson
  18. A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. ~ Elbert Hubbard
  19. Only when persistence has its way and success is ours do we realize that all the effort it took to get us there was the necessary price. – Michael Josephson
  20. Persistence is essential to success, and the more of it you display, the more you will accomplish. It is persistence that will allow you to make the most of your ability.- David ran Roov
  21. Passionate commitment to a dream backed persistence: – that’s the formula for success. – Michael Josephson
  22. Consider the postage stamp: Its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there. ~ Josh Billings
  23. Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to always try just one more time. ~ Thomas Edison
  24. Success is the fruit of a tree called persistence. Michael Josephson
  25. Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. ~ Bill Bradley
  26. It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. ~ Albert Einstein
  27. Energy and persistence conquer all things. ~ Benjamin Franklin
  28. Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time. ~ Marabel Morgan
  29. As long as there’s breath in You–Persist! ~ Bernard Kelvin Clive
  30. No great achievement is possible without persistent work. ~ Bertrand Russell
  31. Champions keep playing until they get it right. ~ Billy Jean King
  32. Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not. Nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not. Unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not. The world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. — Calvin Coolidge
  33. Persistence is like a Genie that creates a magical force in your life. ~ Lucas Remmerswaal
  34. Persistence and determination are always rewarded. ~ Christine Rice
  35. Talent is nothing without persistence. ~ Dean Crawford
  36. Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries. ~ James A. Michener
  37. The most essential factor is persistence–the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by discouragement. ~ James Whitcomb Riley
  38. If you’re going through hell, keep going. — Winston Churchill
  39. If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward. — Martin Luther King, Jr.
  40. Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th. ~ Julie Andrews
  41. Slight persistent effort can move you successfully forward in anything you do. ~Kelli Wilson
  42. My strength lies solely in my tenacity. ~ Louis Pasteur
  43. If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward. ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
  44. Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success. ~ Napoleon Hill
  45. Persistence is to the character of man as carbon is to steel. ~ Napoleon Hill
  46. It always seems impossible until it is done. ~ Nelson Mandela
  47. He conquers who endures. ~ Persius
  48. Press on. Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. ~ Ray Kroc
  49. The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense. ~ Thomas Edison
  50. Let me tell you what winning means… you’re willing to go longer, work harder, give more than anyone else. ~ Vincent Lombardi
  51. It’s the constant and determined effort that breaks down all resistance, sweeps away all obstacles Claude M. Bristol
  52. Permanence, perseverance, and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragement, and impossibilities: It is this, hat in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak. ~ Thomas Carlyle
  53. With ordinary talent and extraordinary perseverance, all things are attainable. ~Thomas Foxwell Buxton
  54. I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. ~Thomas Jefferson
  55. We are made to persist. That’s how we find out who we are. ~ Tobias Wolff
  56. Continuous effort–not strength or intelligence–is the key to unlocking our potential. ~ Winston Churchill
  57. Paralyze resistance with persistence. ~ Woody Hayes
  58. When I thought I couldn’t go on, I forced myself to keep going. My success is based on persistence, not luck  Estee Lauder
  59. We keep moving forward, opening new doors and doing new things. Our curiosity keeps taking us down new paths Walt Disney
  60. Have the dogged determination to follow through to achieve your goal; regardless of circumstances or whatever other people say, think, or do Paul Meyer
  61. Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent Marilyn vos Savant
  62. Whenever you make a mistake or get knocked down by life, don’t look back at it too long. Mistakes are life’s way of teaching you. Failures are part of growth. Shake off your blunders.  Never quit. Og Mandino
  63. Know what you want to do, hold the thought firmly, and do every day what should be done, and every sunset will see you that much nearer the goal. Elbert Hubbard
  64. Let us not be content to wait and see what will happen, but give us the determination to make the right things happen Peter Marshall
  65. Focus on the solution, not the problem Walter Anderson
  66. The majority of people meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail Napoleon Hill
  67. Persistent people begin their success where others end in failure Edward Eggleston
  68. Champions know there are no shortcuts to the top. They climb the mountain one step at a time. Judi Adler
  69. If it worth having it worth working for. Stick to it. Your hard work will pay off. MJ
  70. Feel free to abandon any goal that isn’t worth working for. – MJ
  71. If you want something badly enough to endure the frustration and disappointment encountered in every journey to success, persistence is the coach that won’t let you quit. MJ
  72. People do not lack strength; they lack will. Victor Hugo
  73. There is no chance, no destiny, no fate that can circumvent or hinder or control the firm resolve of a determined soul Ella Wheeler Wilcox
  74. RESILIENCY Vitality shows not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over F. Scott Fitzgerald
  75. Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. John Quincy Adams
  76. I’m very determined and stubborn. There’s a desire in me that makes me want to do more and more, and to do it right. Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. It’s our goal in life to find it and to keep it lit. Mary Lou Retton
  77. Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it. Michael Jordan
  78. Keep on going and the chances are you will stumble on something, perhaps when you are least expecting it. I have never heard of anyone stumbling on something sitting down Charles F. Kettering
  79. You can surmount the obstacles in your path if you are determined, courageous and hard-working. Never be faint-hearted. Be resolute, but never bitter Ralph J. Bunche
  80. If it doesn’t exist, create it Accept nothing nearly right or good enough Henry Royce
  81. The last dejected effort often becomes the winning stroke. W.J. Cameron
  82. If your plan isn’t working, adjust your plan. Never give up Matt Martin
  83. It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop Confucius
  84. Inspiration grows into full-scale creation through persistence and imagination Carol Lloyd
  85. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something Franklin D. Roosevelt
  86. As you work toward your goal, anxiously anticipating the light at the end of the tunnel, don’t forget to notice the light that shines upon you today. Michelle C. Ustaszeski
  87. Act decidedly and take the consequences. No good is ever done by hesitation. Thomas Henry Huxley
  88. While no road is ever straight, dedication and persistence will always lead you to your dreams. Arte Moreno
  89. Victory belongs to the most persevering Napoleon Bonaparte
  90. Life is not easy for any of us. But what of tit? We must have perseverance confidence in ourselves and the importance of our goal. Marie Curie (paraphrased)
  91. As you go along your road in life, you will, if you aim high enough, also meet resistance but no matter how tough the opposition may seem, have courage still and persevere. Madeleine Albright
  92. Lots of people limit their possibilities by giving up easily. Never tell yourself this is too much for me or
  93. It’s no use. I can’t go on. If you do you’re licked by your own thinking. Keep believing and keep on keeping on. Norman Vincent Peale
  94. Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. Walter Elliot
  95. There is nothing so fatal to character as half-finished tasks. David Lloyd George
  96. Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them. You will find that they haven’t half the strength you think they have Norman Vincent Peale
  97. Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, or an hour, or a day, or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever. Lance Armstrong
  98. What this power is, I cannot say. All I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when you are in that state of mind in which you know exactly what you want and are fully determined not to quit until you get it. Alexander Graham Bell
  99. One who gains strength by overcoming obstacles possesses the only strength which can overcome adversity. Albert Schweitzer
  100. The race goes not always to the swift … but to those who keep on running. Author Unknown
  101. The only thing that stands between a man and what he wants from life is often merely the will to try it and the faith to believe that it is possible. Richard M. DeVos
  102. A hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles. Christopher Reeve
  103. Obstacles cannot crush me. Every obstacle yields to stern resolve. He who is fixed to a star does not change his mind. Leonardo da Vinci
  104. Everyone’s got it in him, if he’ll only make up his mind and stick at it. None of us is born with a stop-valve on his powers or with a set limit to his capacities. There’s no limit possible to the expansion of each one of us. Charles M. Schwab
  105. Pursue one great decisive aim with force and determination. Karl von Clausewitz
  106. Do not wait; the time will never be ‘just right.’ Start where you stand, and work with whatever tools you may have at your command, and better tools will be found as you go along. Napoleon Hill
  107. The rock that is an obstacle in the path of one person becomes a stepping stone in the path of another. Author Unknown
  108. If you consistently do the best you can, with integrity, you will regret less and move forward with greater ease. Brian Koslow
  109. The test of character is not persistence when you expect a light at the end of the tunnel. The true test is performance and persistence when you see no light coming. James A. Ray
  110. It’s the constant and determined effort that breaks down all resistance and sweeps away all obstacles. Claude M. Bristol
  111. Nothing ever comes to one that is worth having except as a result of hard work. Booker T. Washington
  112. Either I will find a way, or I will make one. Philip Sidney
  113. There is genius in persistence. It conquers all opposition. It gives confidence. It annihilates obstacles. Everybody believes in a determined man. People know that when he undertakes a thing, the battle is half won, for his rule is to accomplish whatever he sets out to do. Orison Swett Marden
  114. Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
  115. The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a persons’ determination. Tommy Lasorda

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