Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
Source: Orations, Plymouth address (1802)
Topic
Persistence is the discipline that separates people who achieve things from people who intend to. The quotes gathered here make that case from every angle — through the testimony of those who succeeded only after long failure, through the analysis of what sustained effort actually requires, and through the plain observation that most worthwhile things take longer than anticipated and longer than is comfortable. The voices here are honest about persistence's demands: it requires not just determination but the ability to endure discouragement, to revise without abandoning, to distinguish productive stubbornness from mere repetition of what isn't working. Several quotes probe the relationship between persistence and identity — the way continued effort in the face of setback is, among other things, a statement about what one values enough to keep paying for. Whether you are fighting through a specific obstacle or trying to understand what keeps certain people going when most stop, this collection offers direct and substantive guidance.
Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air.
Self-help is the best help.
Slow but steady wins the race.
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.
Do not attempt too much at once.
Produce! Produce! Were it but the pitifullest infinitesimal fraction of a Product, produce it, in God's name!
Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work.
Genius is hard work, stick-to-it-iveness, and common sense.
Results! Why, man, I have gotten a lot of results!