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Patience, persevering, and sense of purpose are constant themes when talking about resilience, especially when overcoming adversity or striving to achieve dreams and goals.
It is that stick-to-itiveness – the motivation to not quit when the road gets tough – that ultimately makes the biggest difference in our lives.
But it’s important to understand that the process begins with a commitment to achieve a clearly defined outcome and isn’t about just doing the same thing over and over for the sake of hanging on.
We must learn from each action, each mistake, and each success. From this knowledge we make appropriate course corrections, all the while keeping a clear vision of our purpose and the life we ultimately desire to create for ourselves.
Persevering With Purpose
No matter what happens, no matter how far you seem to be away from where you want to be, never stop believing that you will somehow make it. Have an unrelenting belief that things will work out, that the long road has a purpose, that the things that you desire may not happen today, but they will happen. ~Brad Gast
When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. ~Franklin D. Roosevelt
When you get into a tight place and it seems that you can’t go on – hold on – for more often than not that’s just the place and time that the tide will turn. ~Harriet Beecher Stowe
A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success. ~Elbert Hubbard
Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after another. Click To TweetThe most essential factor in life is perseverance – the determination never to allow your energy or enthusiasm to be dampened by the discouragement that must inevitably be a part of the journey. ~James Whitcomb-Riley
We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee. ~Marian Wright Edelman
You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you’ve climbed a mountain. ~Tom Hiddleston
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History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats. ~B.C. Forbes
No is a word on your path to Yes. Don’t give up too soon. Not even if well-meaning parents, relatives, friends, and colleagues tell you to get a real job. Your dreams are your real job. ~Joyce Spizer
The price of success is hard work, dedication to the job at hand, and the determination that whether we win or lose, we have applied the best of ourselves to the task at hand. ~Vince Lombardi
Perseverance is a refusal to quit. It is looking into the face of adversity and saying ‘I take my odds.’ It is an unwillingness to move aside. It is having a purpose and being distracted by nothing. ~Author Unknown
Look at a stonecutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundred-and-first blow it will split in two, and you know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before. ~Jacob A. Riis
Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second. Click To TweetYou learn you can do your best even when it’s hard, even when you’re tired and maybe hurting a little bit. It feels good to show some courage. ~Joe Namath
The Last Mile
No matter how hard you work, if you don’t BELIEVE that you will finish, you never will. ~Author Unknown
It’s a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don’t quit when you’re tired. You quit when the gorilla is tired. ~Fausto Coppi
All endeavor calls for the ability to tramp the last mile, shape the last plan, endure the last hour’s toil. the fight to the finish sprint is the one characteristic we must possess if we are to face the future as finishers. ~Henry David Thoreau
The last mile is the amount of distance that it takes to separate winners from losers. ~Linda Poindexter
On the last mile, when your legs are tired and lungs are burning. Just get angry. Get angry for being tired. AND THEN RUN HARDER ~Author Unknown
How about you? How do you sustain your energy and motivation as you persevere in your efforts to achieve your dreams and goals?
Related reading …
Let today be the day you give up who you’ve been for who you can become.
About Marquita Herald
Marquita is an author, resilience coach and the chief evangelist at Emotionally Resilient Living. She’s also an unapologetic workaholic who loves red wine, rock n’ roll, road trips (and car dancing!), peanut butter cookies and (especially) a dog named Lucy.
She’s saddened and frustrated by excuses and cruelty and believes authentic compassion is the most powerful force in the world.
To learn more about Marquita and the mission of Emotionally Resilient Living click “here“.
Twitter: ikechiawazie
says:
Hi Marquita
These are great quotes and a reminder that we should never quit no matter the obstacle. I have been blessed by them.
Thanks for sharing. Take Care
Well said Ikechi. 🙂
Twitter: MarketingKM
says:
Hi Marquita,
Oh I do so love this article. Wonderful uplifting quotes. I’m saving this one and will put it on my Facebook for Women in Business to keep it for myself and to share with others. My favorites were Tom Hiddleston and Joyce Spizer quotes.
In particular, I loved this…No is a word on your path to Yes. Don’t give up too soon. Not even if well-meaning parents, relatives, friends, and colleagues tell you to get a real job. Your dreams are your real job. ~Joyce Spizer
Kathryn Maclean recently posted…Women Entrepreneurship
I’m so glad you enjoyed the collection Kathryn, and thanks for sharing! 🙂
Twitter: WRusho
says:
The struggle, the never giving in is the most important part. I look back at my days of martial arts. The pain from the injuries, the exhaustion from the works, the embarrassments for the failures. I remember those as if they happened yesterday.
The trophies, the accolades, after I reached my goal are memories that fade away each passing day.
So true William! I have similar memories of goals I’ve pursued and the experiences along the way, the overcoming and pushing through problems, the satisfaction from those memories are far more vivid than when I finally managed to cross the finish line. Thanks for sharing with us! 🙂
Twitter: donna_tribe
says:
Hi Marquita,
I love all the quotes you have put together. If we find a way to believe in ourselves it grows. Whatever our goals are will grow too. It’s never going to be easy…There always will be bumps in the road, but we owe it to our selves to believe in our dreams and make it the goals in our life.
Donna Merrill recently posted…Struggling Bloggers Live In Fear
Beautifully said Donna! 🙂
Twitter: RoseMGriffith
says:
I’ve been called tenacious–sometimes as a compliment & sometimes not so much. Thanks for the good array of quotes.
RoseMary Griffith recently posted…Italy’s Beautiful 19th century haven of Rapallo still rocks
Glad you enjoyed them RoseMary. 🙂
There are really a lot of quotes about perseverance. But it is an important topic. It is easy to give up on yourself. But if you really want something, you have to keep moving forward for sure.
Ha! Not as many as you might think Erica. 🙂 Anyway, I’m glad you enjoyed the collection.
Twitter: erthorpe
says:
This is the quote I most identify with: We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee. ~Marian Wright Edelman
Edward Thorpe recently posted…Commonsense Ways That Can Prevent Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease
That is a good one Edward. It’s so tempting to focus our efforts and attention on big accomplishments when it really is the things we do day after day that really make a difference. Thanks for sharing!
Love the article and the quotes Marquita! It couldn’t have come at a better time too as I’m starting my new job in a week and I’ll need all the encouragement and motivation I can get and hope that it was the right decision. Thanks for sharing =)
I’m glad you enjoyed the collection Rosary, and I wish you all the best with your new job!
Twitter: TalwarSonal
says:
Hi Marquita
Great post! Loved all the quotes you shared!
Sonal Talwar recently posted…5 Morning Habits to Help You in your Weight Loss journey
So glad to hear it Sonal! 🙂
Twitter: wizardofwords
says:
Wonderful post, Marty! You have certainly accumulated a terrific selection of quotes on the subject of perseverance. I particularly like the one from Brad Gast.
Doreen Pendgracs recently posted…A visit to Hershey: America’s favorite chocolate mecca
I’m glad you enjoyed the collection Doreen. 🙂
Yep, belief in yourself is so important, and sticking at it to achieve the goal. It’s so easy to give up when hurdles appear. Don’t worry about getting over them, go round them if you have to. There’s a great psychology test where you are faced with a brick wall and you are asked what do you do. When I did the test I just went round it. Didn’t see a problem. Many sat down against it a stayed there though.
Enjoy the journey!
Mandy Allen recently posted…How To Use Influencer Marketing To Build Your Business
That test sounds awesome Mandy, but I can’t even imagine just sitting down and giving up!
Twitter: cheryschmidt
says:
Good Morning Marty! Awesome share my friend! What a wonderful way to start my day! I loved all your quotes and you can bet I will be sharing a few of them..
Happy 4th Of July My Friend.
Great Job As Usual.
Thank You
Chery :))
Chery Schmidt recently posted…Are You In Control Of Your Financial Freedom?
Thanks Chery! I’m glad you enjoyed them, and I hope you’re enjoying the long holiday weekend. 🙂
Twitter: LenieHokansson
says:
Marquita – I love quotes and on Twitter I follow quite a few so enjoyed readng all your quotes here. My favourite is:
When you get into a tight place and it seems that you can’t go on – hold on – for more often than not that’s just the place and time that the tide will turn. ~Harriet Beecher Stowe
Lenie recently posted…150 Canadian Facts-150 Years-It’s All About Canada, eh?
That is a lovely quotation to be sure Lenie. I’m glad you enjoyed them. 🙂
Twitter: etcwriter
says:
I really like the Tom Hiddlestone quote. I think all these quotes are great in encapsulating perseverance and motivating people to just keep going. Thank you for sharing.
Emil recently posted…SEO Dos and Don’ts: How to Drive Traffic to Your Website the Right Way
I’m so glad you enjoyed the collection of quotations Emily. Thanks for stopping by. 🙂
Twitter: coach2coachguy
says:
Bravo M!
First of all, I love all of your timeless quotes, but I especially like and
appreciate the one by Franklin Roosevelt.
And I love how you masterfully differentiate, between persevering with purpose, and or merely hanging on, simply for the sake of doing so.
This is a lesson, which definitely should be taken to heart.And sadly, some of us mistake, the very first mile for the last! And quit before we ever truly got started!LOL!
Thanks for sharing, another extremely enlightening post M!
Mark recently posted…How And Why A Little Strategic Charity Can Help Your Small Business Prosper!
I’m glad you enjoyed the Mark. I’m in the process of updating my books and two of them are quote books so I feel like I have a thousand mini-conversations going on in my head at the moment! 🙂
Twitter: PhoeniciaO
says:
Great article Marquita!
I will note some of these quotes, namely;
“Perseverance is a refusal to quit. It is looking into the face of adversity and saying ‘I take my odds.’ It is an unwillingness to move aside. It is having a purpose and being distracted by nothing.” ~Author Unknown
“On the last mile, when your legs are tired and lungs are burning. Just get angry. Get angry for being tired. AND THEN RUN HARDER” ~Author Unknown
It is so easy to become despondent when you cannot see the outcome of all your hard work. You may even believe the dream/goal you held onto is no longer for you. If you let go, there is nothing to push forward for- you are simply existing. We owe it to ourselves to pursue our passion.
Phoenicia recently posted…8 tips to minimise clutter in your home!
Beautifully said Phoenicia! 🙂