10 Quotes on Persistence to Help You Keep Going The ability to keep making progress may just be the greatest skill an entrepreneur can learn.
By Adam Toren
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
This article was originally published on July 29, 2014.
Entrepreneurship is a labor of love, and like any great love, that often means a lot of passion and a lot of persistence to reach your happily ever after. There are set-backs and failures and successes and triumphs, but it just may be that all those peaks and valleys are what make being an entrepreneur so great.
Related: Remember, Persistence Pays Off. Stay Motivated With These 5 Tips.
The one ingredient you'll always need for the journey of entrepreneurship is persistence. It can take your further than any other quality alone. Here are 10 great quotes about persistence and passion to fuel your journey forward.
Energy and persistence conquer all things. -- Benjamin Franklin
The power to keep going will conquer all other obstacles. Combine that with the energy and passion to see new ways around challenges and you'll achieve your goals.
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
Persistence can overcome almost any challenge. When you put your mind to something and are willing to do everything it takes, including patience, putting in time and adjusting your strategy to get there -- you'll ultimately know the omnipotence of determination.
Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success. -- Napoleon Hill
It's important to want things, to have goals and aspirations, but it's even more important to take the action to achieve them. Thoughts alone won't get you to the goal line, you'll need to do the work necessary to reach the objective.
Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty and persistence. --Colin Powell
The qualities that will carry you through to achieve your goals are often the same ones that are necessary for great leadership as well. As an entrepreneur, you'll likely be a leader, so the quality to inspire as well as persevere will be key to your personal growth and success.
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
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Perseverance is the ability to keep going after defeat. Don't define each stumble or failure along the way, as they are only there to make you stronger. Try to see the other qualities and lessons that come forth and shape who you are as you go.
Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in. -- Bill Bradley
It's easy to see successful people and think they were born that way. The reality is that every successful person was ambitious and relentless. Persistence is the vehicle you should be most interested in.
Paralyze resistance with persistence. -- Woody Hayes
Sometimes feelings of defeat, failure and anxiety will sneak up on you. When they do, try to feed your courage instead of fuel your fear. Overcome the resistance with unrelenting persistence.
If you're going through hell, keep going. -- Winston Churchill
Parts of the journey will be hellish and hard, but the only thing that can make it worse is quitting. Keep going. Make the struggle worth it by persisting.
Champions keep playing until they get it right. -- Billy Jean King
If you want to become a champion in life and in your niche, keep going. No matter what hardships you face, learn to keep playing the game until you succeed.
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.
Some days the actions you take will be big, other days your best will be very little, but keep moving forward to persevere and succeed.
Related: The Entrepreneur's Secret Weapon: Persistence. (See General Grant.)
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