Top 20 Quotes About Perseverance — Favorite Lines to Keep You Moving

Hi, please do enjoy this compilation of “Top 20 Quotes about Perseverance.” I put this list together to give you a short, powerful library of quotes about perseverance that you can turn to when the road gets rough. In this article I expand on each quotation from the video, explain the idea behind it, and offer practical context so these quotes about perseverance can do more than inspire — they can guide how you respond to setbacks.

Why these quotes about perseverance matter

Quotes have a way of crystallizing experience into a memorable phrase. The quotes about perseverance here come from thinkers, leaders, writers, and artists who faced their own trials. Each quote captures a different facet of persistence: steady patience, stubborn grit, brave action in the face of fear, or the quiet decision to begin again. Read them slowly, and consider which one speaks to your current challenge.

How to use this list

Read one quote a day, make one into your affirmation, or pin a few where you’ll see them during hard work. These quotes about perseverance can be prompts for journaling, conversation starters, or the tiny shifts that keep you taking another step. Below are the twenty quotes from the video, each followed by a short reflection to help you apply the idea.

1. “It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” ― Confucius

   This quote reminds us that progress is relative to movement, not speed. In long-term projects and personal growth, tiny consistent steps compound. When you feel impatient, silence the comparison trap and measure yourself by continuity. Perseverance often looks less like a sprint and more like steady, daily motion.

   

2. “Never, never, never give in!” ― Winston S. Churchill

   Churchill’s blunt insistence captures the military-grade resolve sometimes necessary to weather extreme challenge. Giving up is easy; persistence requires deliberate refusal. Use this as a mental anchor when circumstances demand stubborn courage, but couple the attitude with strategy: refusing to quit doesn’t mean refusing to adapt.

3. “It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.” ― Winston S. Churchill

   This is a call to responsibility beyond comfort. Perseverance isn’t always about effort alone; it’s about doing the necessary things — even unpopular tasks or extra work — to reach the goal. When “best” isn’t enough, discipline and clarity about requirements become the engine of progress.

4. “Whatever gets you through the night.” ― John Lennon

   Lennon’s words are compassionate and pragmatic. Everyone copes differently in hard times; endurance can mean leaning on rituals, art, friendship, or simple routines. This quote honors the personal, sometimes improvisational methods people use to persevere through the darkest hours.

   

5. “If you fell down yesterday, stand up today.” ― H.G. Wells

   Recovery is immediate action. You can’t rewrite past missteps, but you can decide how you respond next. This short, practical admonition reframes failure as a momentary state, not an identity. Perseverance begins with the decision to rise again.

6. “The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.” ― Thomas A. Edison

   Edison’s list blends exertion with tenacity and practical judgment. Perseverance isn’t blind repetition — it’s persistent, informed action. Work hard, persist through setbacks, and use common sense to tweak your approach when results lag.

   

7. “Even if I knew that tomorrow the world would go to pieces, I would still plant my apple tree.” ― Martin Luther

   This quote celebrates hope as a form of perseverance. Planting a tree is an act of faith — a long-view commitment to beauty and life despite uncertainty. Persistence can be an act of optimism: small investments in a future you may not live to see.

8. “It always seems impossible until it’s done.” ― Nelson Mandela

   Mandela’s observation reassures anyone tackling monumental goals. The frontier between impossible and possible is often crossed by sustained effort. Keep moving toward the horizon; the scale of difficulty shrinks as incremental progress accumulates.

   

9. “Certain motherfuckers think they can fuck with my shit, but you can’t kill the Rooster. You might can fuck him up some times, but, bitch, nobody kills the motherfucking Rooster. You know what I’m saying?” ― David Sedaris

   Raw and defiant, Sedaris’ line (noted for its colorful language) captures an irrepressible spirit. Perseverance sometimes looks like audacity: an unbreakable core of self that refuses to be silenced. Use this as permission to protect your identity and grit, even when others test you.

10. “That’s one of the remarkable things about life. It’s never so bad that it can’t get worse.” ― Bill Watterson

    Watterson’s wry observation is a dark-humored reminder to keep perspective. When things feel intolerable, remember that context shifts — either for better or worse. Perseverance here means managing expectations, keeping a sense of humor, and preparing for the long haul.

    

11. “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

    Angelou reframes defeat as revelation. Losses test and teach resilience, revealing inner resources you might not access otherwise. Perseverance isn’t avoidance of failure; it’s learning through it, growing stronger and clearer about who you are and what matters.

12. “The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack in will.” ― Vince Lombardi

    Lombardi points to willpower as the decisive factor. Talent and knowledge help, but persistence — the daily choice to continue — often separates those who achieve from those who plateau. Strengthen your will with routines, accountability, and visible progress markers.

    

13. “Go back?” he thought. “No good at all! Go sideways? Impossible! Go forward? Only thing to do! On we go!” ― J.R.R. Tolkien

    Tolkien’s adventurer-in-action shows determination in narrative form. When options narrow, the forward choice becomes moral and tactical. Perseverance can mean accepting that the only viable direction is onward and embracing the uncertainty of the path ahead.

14. “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” ― A.A. Milne

    Milne offers a gentle counterpoint to grubby hustle. Patience is a dimension of perseverance: keeping steady without panic. Like a river, consistent movement, even slow, navigates obstacles and ultimately reaches its destination.

    

15. “Courage is not having the strength to go on; it is going on when you don’t have the strength.” ― Theodore Roosevelt

    Roosevelt separates physical energy from moral courage. Sometimes perseverance is simply the act of moving despite exhaustion. Honor small acts of bravery: the choice to keep going when comfort and resources are depleted is real courage.

16. “Hardships make or break people.” ― Margaret Mitchell

    Mitchell observes that adversity reveals character. Hardship can crush or refine you; the deciding variable is how you respond. Perseverance is the skill of being shaped by challenge rather than destroyed by it.

    

17. “It’s not how we fall. It’s how we get back up again.” ― Patrick Ness

    Ness puts emphasis on recovery. Everyone fails, but resilience is measured by the comeback. Practice rapid recovery rituals: assess, learn, and restart. Over time, your bounce-back becomes a competitive advantage.

18. “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.” ― Henri Cartier-Bresson

    Cartier-Bresson translates persistence into craft. Mastery often involves a long stretch of imperfect practice. Embrace the early-stage mediocrity as necessary training. Perseverance in creative work looks like producing a lot and learning with each attempt.

    

19. “Persistence. Perfection. Patience. Power. Prioritize your passion. It keeps you sane.” ― Criss Jami

    Jami’s alliterative reminder links persistence and passion. Pursuit of a meaningful goal stabilizes you amid chaos. Perseverance grounded in passion becomes sustainable: it fuels repeat effort and protects you from burnout.

20. “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

    Hiddleston captures the quiet accumulation of effort. What feels mundane today can become extraordinary in retrospect. Perseverance is cumulative — small acts compound into significant climbs. Trust the process, and keep moving.

Extra reflections from other classic voices on perseverance

Beyond the twenty featured lines, many timeless sayings reinforce the same ideas: “Perseverance is not a long race; it is many short races one after the other,” or “Fall seven times, stand up eight.” These sentiments confirm a few practical truths: break big goals into small tasks, accept temporary failure as feedback, and protect your emotional reserves with rituals and community.

Closing — make a quote your practice

Pick one of these quotes about perseverance and make it your practice for a week. Write it on a sticky note, repeat it in the morning, and let its meaning shape one small action. Over time, the phrases you return to will not only inspire you — they will change how you operate in the world. If you found one quote that resonates, keep it close and let it guide your next step.

From Quotes Vault: I hope these expanded reflections help you turn memorable lines into lived habits. Perseverance is less a single act and more a series of decisions to begin again, to show up, and to adapt. Keep going.

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