The Quotation IndexThe trusted reference for quotations and the sources behind them
Tag Tag Persistence
I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious.
Albert Einstein Letter to Carl Seelig · 1952

Quotes

“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

“Brick walls are there for a reason: they let us prove how badly we want things.”

Randy Pausch · Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams, 2007 · Primary source

“Little strokes fell great oaks.”

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

“I fight for my corner. I leave when the pub closes.”

Winston Churchill · Churchill is Dead at 90; The World Mourns Him; State Funeral Saturday, 1965 · Secondary source

“Good luck is another name for tenacity of purpose.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Wealth, 1860 · Primary source

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

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

“Genius is one percent inspiration, ninety-nine percent perspiration.”

Thomas Edison · Professor gets Many Autographs: Edison, Other Great Men Respond, 1932 · Secondary source

“You will never reach your destination if you stop to shy [throw] stones at every dog that barks.”

Winston Churchill · Shy a stone at every dog, 1923 · Primary source

“All the greatest men are maniacs. They are possessed by a mania which drives them forward towards their goal. The great scientists, the philosophers, the religious leaders—all maniacs. What else but a blind singleness of purpose could have given focus to their genius, would have kept them in the groove of their purpose? Mania, my dear Mister Bond, is as priceless as genius. Dissipation of energy, fragmentation of vision, loss of momentum, the lack of follow-through—these are the vices of the herd.”

Ian Fleming · Dr. No, 1958 · Primary source

“If a man has failed, you will find he has dreamed instead of working. There is no way to success in our art, but to take off your coat, grind paint, and work like a digger on the railroad, all day and every day.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Power, 1860 · Primary source

“All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.”

John F. Kennedy · Inaugural Address of President John F. Kennedy, 1961 · Primary source

“I’m afraid that’s the way it [reality] is. If there are twenty factors and they interact some, you’ll have to learn to handle it—because that’s the way the world is. But you won’t find it that hard if you go at it Darwin-like, step by step with curious persistence. You’ll be amazed at how good you can get.”

Charlie Munger · Poor Charlie’s Almanack, 2005 · Primary source

“Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Discharge your duties faithfully and well. Step by step you get ahead, but not necessarily in fast spurts. But you build discipline by preparing for fast spurts. Slug it out one inch at a time, day by day, and at the end of the day—if you live long enough—like most people, you will get out of life what you deserve.”

Charlie Munger · Poor Charlie’s Almanack, 2005 · Primary source

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act. The rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life and the procedure. The process is its own reward.”

Amelia Earhart · No reliable source

“Never interrupt someone doing something you said couldn’t be done.”

Amelia Earhart · No reliable source

“Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing. The prize will not be sent to you. You have to win it.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · No reliable source

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

Helen Keller · No reliable source

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road… Unless you fail to make the turn.”

Helen Keller · No reliable source

Related Tags

Self-reliance 49 Decision-making 35 Purpose 31 Resilience 30 Perseverance 29 Initiative 21 Curiosity 19 Discipline 19 Effort 18 Ambition 17 Commitment 17 Adaptation 17 Achievement 15 Complexity 15 Self-control 13 Execution 13 Fear 12 Duty 11 Agency 10 Consistency 10 Focus 10 Criticism 10 Priorities 8 Patience 7 Humour 7 Success 7 Public service 7 Change 7 Adversity 7 Possibility 6 Hard work 6 Creativity 6 Continuous improvement 6 Talent 5 Self-assessment 5 Self-development 5 Determination 5 Entrepreneurship 4 Genius 4 Work 4 Collective action 4 Tenacity 3 Setbacks 3 Scepticism 2 Distraction 2 1945 general election 2 Obsession 2 Craftsmanship 2 Political responsibility 2 Charles Darwin 2 Obstacles 2 Dedication 2 Scientific motivation 1 Long-term goals 1 Incremental progress 1 Political determination 1 Retirement 1 Single-mindedness 1 Long-term commitment 1 Systems thinking 1 Long-term effort 1