The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
Tag Tag Perseverance
It is far easier to start something than it is to finish it.
Amelia Earhart 20 Hrs. 40 Min. · 1928

Quotes

“But man is not made for defeat. A man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

Ernest Hemingway · The Old Man and the Sea, 1952 · Primary source

“Never give in—never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.”

Winston Churchill · Never give in, never, 1941 · Primary source

“I’m convinced that about half of what separates the successful entrepreneurs from the non-successful ones is pure perseverance.”

Steve Jobs · Smithsonian Oral and Video Histories: Steve Jobs, 1995 · Primary source

“As in a game of cards, so in the game of life, we must play what is dealt to us, and the glory consists, not so much in winning, as in playing a poor hand well.”

Josh Billings · Josh Billings on Ice, and Other Things, 1868 · Primary source

“Diligence overcomes difficulties, sloth makes them.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Little strokes fell great oaks.”

Benjamin Franklin · The Way to Wealth, 1758 · Primary source

“We shall never surrender.”

Winston Churchill · We shall fight on the beaches, 1940 · Primary source

“Life is not easy for any of us. But what of that? We must have perseverance and above all confidence in ourselves. We must believe that we are gifted for something, and that this thing, at whatever cost, must be attained.”

Marie Curie · Madame Curie: A Biography, 1938 · Secondary source

“One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.”

Marie Curie · Madame Curie: A Biography, 1938 · Secondary source

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt · Citizenship in a Republic, 1910 · Primary source

“But I have found out that though the ways in which I can make myself useful are few, yet the work open to me is endless.”

Helen Keller · Optimism, 1903 · Primary source

“Let me tell you the secret that led me to my success. My only strength is my tenacity.”

Louis Pasteur · Oeuvres de Pasteur, 1922 · Primary source

“I’ve been banging away at this thing for 30 years. I think, I think the simple math is some projects work and some don’t and there’s no reason to belabor either one. Just get on to the next and keep telling stories.”

Brad Pitt · 2020 Screen Actors Guild Acceptance Speech, 2020 · Primary source

“All things are easy to industry, all things difficult to sloth.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“He that can have patience can have what he will.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“No gains without pains.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“No man ever was glorious who was not laborious.”

Benjamin Franklin · Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1732-1758 · Primary source

“Many things were adopted in the war which we were told were technically impossible, but patience, perseverance, and, above all, the spur of necessity under war conditions, made men’s brains act with greater vigour, and science responded to the demands.”

Winston Churchill · The Second World War, 1948-1953 · Primary source

“Sometimes life’s gonna hit you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith.”

Steve Jobs · Stanford Commencement Address, 2005 · Primary source

“Be of good cheer. Do not think of today’s failures, but of the success that may come tomorrow. You have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will find a joy in overcoming obstacles. Remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost.”

Helen Keller · The Story of My Life, 1903 · Primary source

I will not cease from mental fight,
Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand
Till we have built Jerusalem
In England’s green and pleasant land.

William Blake · And did those feet in ancient time (Jerusalem), 1808 · Primary source

“Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm.”

Winston Churchill · No reliable source

“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.”

Winston Churchill · No reliable source

“If you’re going through hell, keep going.”

Winston Churchill · No reliable source

“We can do anything we want as long as we stick to it long enough.”

Helen Keller · No reliable source

Works

Ernest Hemingway · 1952
The Old Man and the Sea

An ageing Cuban fisherman struggles with a giant marlin, testing his endurance, pride, skill and relationship with the natural world.

Read summary·Explore 8 quotes
Winston Churchill · 1941
Never give in, never

A wartime address to Harrow School urging perseverance, measured judgement, and resistance to apparently overwhelming force during the Second World War.

Read summary·Explore 2 quotes
Randy Pausch · 2007
Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

A personal lecture on pursuing childhood ambitions, overcoming obstacles, helping others achieve their goals, and applying practical lessons about work and life.

Read summary·Explore 1 quotes

Related Tags

Judgement 31 Purpose 31 Resilience 30 Courage 25 Perspective 21 Self-discipline 19 Persistence 19 Effort 18 Commitment 17 Industry 17 Reputation 16 Diligence 15 Achievement 15 Self-control 13 Failure 12 Hope 12 Second World War 12 Sacrifice 10 Consistency 10 Criticism 10 Procrastination 9 Resolve 9 Patience 7 Endurance 7 Resistance 7 Success 7 Adversity 7 Pride 7 Personal development 7 Hard work 6 Innovation 6 Progress 6 Acceptance 6 Dignity 5 Determination 5 Personal responsibility 5 Ageing 5 Follow-through 4 Defiance 4 Necessity 4 Work 4 Entrepreneurship 4 Sloth 3 Technical progress 3 Hardship 3 Setbacks 3 Service 3 Jerusalem 3 Tenacity 3 National defence 2 Honour 2 Enthusiasm 2 Self-confidence 2 Obstacles 2 Contribution 2 Spiritual renewal 2 Scientific work 2 Storytelling 2 Resourcefulness 2 Wartime morale 2 Completion 1 Long-term goals 1 Incremental progress 1 Surrender 1 Wartime research 1 Learning from experience 1 Forward movement 1 Unfinished tasks 1 Usefulness 1 Long-term effort 1 Mental struggle 1 Social transformation 1 Sustained effort 1 Success and failure 1 Humanity and nature 1 Harrow School 1 National resistance 1 Childhood dreams 1 Teaching 1 Life lessons 1