90 Persistence Quotes For When You Need Strength to Keep Going

These persistence quotes will inspire you to develop yourself and create the best version of yourself.

There have, no doubt, been many times in your life where something was “too hard,” and you wanted to throw in the towel.

Sometimes, those things might be situations we put ourselves in, like college.

Getting a degree is no easy feat, but those who push through are rewarded.

Persistence is an excellent quality because it will help you reach whatever long-term goal you may set for yourself. 

We don’t choose some of the hard stuff life throws at us, as we do with our goals.

Things like abusive childhoods, medical diagnoses, and the death of a loved one are all things that can stop a person in their tracks.

Persistence is important because it will lead you to develop and strengthen yourself, and ultimately create the best version of yourself. 

Also, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily wisdom. 

See the rest of our quote database for even more inspirational ideas and thoughts.

Persistence quotes that will encourage you to keep going

1. “Keep Going. Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end.” ― Roy T. Bennett

2. “When the going gets tough, put one foot in front of the other and just keep going. Don’t give up.” ― Roy T. Bennett

3. “No matter how much falls on us, we keep plowing ahead. That’s the only way to keep the roads clear.” ― Greg Kincaid

4. “When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember this, you haven’t.” ― Thomas Edison

5. “Losing is only permanent if you stop trying.” ― Marieke Nijkamp

6. “We should walk through the valley of the shadow of death, not just pitch a tent and camp there.” ― Stan Gardner, M.D.

7. “Just keep going. Everybody gets better if they keep at it.” ― Ted Williams

8. “The answer is always “no,” if you don’t ask.” ― Cheri M. Partain

9. “Be wise and be persistent – rest will come.” ― Abhijit Naskar

The power of persistence quotes

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

11. “They key of persistence opens all door closed by resistance.” ― John Di Lemme

12. “Persistence is the key to solving most mysteries.” ― Christopher Pike

13. “Persistence is contagious.” ― Toba Beta

14. “If water makes a hole in rock, with a single steady drop, then we can move worlds with persistence.” ― Ari Gunzburg

15. “To challenge myself to great things is to patiently and persistently expend myself in enduring all of the little things that make up every great thing.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough

16. “A river cuts through rock, not because of its power, but because of its persistence.” ― James N. Watkins

17. “Only the strong appreciate the warmth emanating from those who can turn obstacles into fuel.” ― Garry Fitchett

You will also enjoy our article on unbroken quotes.

Persistence quotes about success and failure

18. “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” ― Winston S. Churchill

19. “Slight persistent effort can move you successfully forward in anything you do.” ― Kelli Wilson

20. “Persistence and determination are always rewarded.” ― Christine Rice

21. “Passion, Patience, and Persistence are the ingredients to be an entrepreneur.” ― Jawo

22. “Patience and persistence are the keys… The keys to unlock doors of success… With these two virtues, you grow in reasoning and experience.” ― Ogwo David Emenike

23. “Brick walls are not there to keep us out, they are there to show us how much we want something.” ― Randy Pausch

24. “I don’t believe in failure. I’m perseverant – I believe in failing.” ― Bauvard

25. “Persist. Even when you’re heavy with emotion, pick yourself up, bringing the axe of your actions down, repeatedly chopping at the day until you bring the sun low with success.” ― Curtis Tyrone Jones

26. “Character consists of what you do on the third and fourth tries.” ― James A. Michener

27. “Success in any area of life does not come easily, nor does it come overnight. It is an ongoing process that requires persistence, humility, and determination.” ― Tirzah Libert

28. “Persistence can change failure into extraordinary achievement.” ― Marv Levy

29. “The Fifth Law: With persistence, success can come at any time.” ― Albert-László Barabási

30. “Successful people aren’t born successful. Behind it all there is hard work, persistence and a lot of grit.” ― Arshad Wahedna

Persistence quotes that will light a fire within

31. “Keep a little fire burning; however small, however hidden.” ― Cormac McCarthy

32. “The best way out is always through.” ― Robert Frost

33. “Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence.” ― Hal Borland

34. “We are made to persist. That’s how we find out who we are.” ― Tobias Wolff

35. “Do it badly; do it slowly; do it fearfully; do it any way you have to, but do it.” ― Steve Chandler

36. “As long as there’s breath in You – PERSIST!” ― Bernard Kelvin Clive

37. “Sometimes you have to swim through a bit of darkness if you’re ever going to surface in the light.” ― Sara Ella

38. “Possible lies in persistence.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

39. “Sometimes you have to go through hell to create your own paradise.” ― Tirzah Z.B. Libert

40. “Make a decision to keep pressing forward. Keep believing and keep stretching until you see your dream fulfilled.” ― Joel Osteen

41. “If you truly believe in something, don’t give up on it.” ― Mark Kilens

Persistence quotes on the important things to remember about never giving up

42. “First, forget inspiration. Habit is more dependable. Habit will sustain you whether you’re inspired or not. Habit will help you finish and polish your stories. Inspiration won’t. Habit is persistence in practice.” ― Octavia Butler

43. “To persist with a goal, you must treasure the dream more than the costs of sacrifice to attain it.” ― Richelle E. Goodrich

44. “Talent is nothing without persistence.” ― Dean Crawford

45. “Even the best inborn potentialities for achievement do not render unnecessary patient and persistent practice.” ― Ralph Alfred Habas

46. “Persistence and consistency are like nail and finger. Always point forward even when the hand/arm is tired.” ― Goitsemang Mvula

If you’re enjoying these quotes, you’ll love our collection of consistency quotes to inspire long term thinking.

47. “Stability is a part of working to improve yourself by focusing on the positive and remaining persistent.” ― Ari Gunzburg

48. “The most useful form of patience is persistence. Patience implies waiting for things to improve on their own. Persistence implies keeping your head down and continuing to work when things take longer than you expect.” ― James Clear

49. “What is often called exceptional ability is nothing more than persistent endeavor.” ― Pauli Murray

50. “A kite can’t soar without some kind of force against it.” ― Dakota Kirk

51. It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.” – Confucius

More persistence quotes and sayings

52. Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” – Napoleon Hill

53. “For every obstacle, there is a solution. Persistence is the key. The greatest mistake is giving up!” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

54. You just can’t beat the person who never gives up.” – Babe Ruth

55. After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.” – Nelson Mandela

56. Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

57. “The habit of persistence is the habit of victory.” – Herbert Kaufman

58. “The greatest achievement is to outperform yourself.” – Denis Waitley

59. “A little more persistence, a little more effort, and what seemed hopeless failure may turn to glorious success.” – Elbert Hubbard

60. “Never give up, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.” – Harriet Beecher Stowe

Persistence Quotes To Inspire You When You Feel Like Giving Up

61. “Ambition is the path to success. Persistence is the vehicle you arrive in.” – Bill Bradley.

62. “Energy and persistence conquer all things.” – Benjamin Franklin

63. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit”. – Aristotle

64. “Opportunities are usually disguised as hard work, so most people don’t recognize them” – Ann Landers

65. “To follow, without halt, one aim: There’s the secret of success.” – Anna Pavlova

66. “No great achievement is possible without persistent work.” – Bertrand Russell

67. “Just because you fail once doesn’t mean you’re gonna fail at everything.” – Marilyn Monroe

68. “Champions keep playing until they get it right.” – Billy Jean King

69. “Success is the result of perfection, hard work, learning from failure, loyalty, and persistence.”  – Colin Powell

70. “The difference between the difficult and the impossible is that the impossible takes a little longer time.” – Lady Aberdeen Learn

Persistence Quotes To Inspire Hard Work and Determination

71. “If you are going through hell, keep going.” — Winston Churchill

72. “The real glory is being knocked to your knees and then coming back. That’s real glory. That’s the essence of it.” — Vince Lombardi

73. “Positivity, confidence, and persistence are key in life, so never give up on yourself.” — Khalid

74. “I will persist until I succeed. I will always take another step. If that is of no avail I will take another, and yet another.” — Og Mandino

75. “The hustle brings the dollar. The experience brings knowledge. Persistence brings success.” — Ross Simmonds

76. “Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it’s not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way.” — Barack Obama

77. “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.

78. “Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fail.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

79. “The majority of men meet with failure because of their lack of persistence in creating new plans to take the place of those which fail.” — Napoleon Hill

80. “Success is not the absence of failure; it’s the persistence through failure.” — Aisha Tyler

Persistence Quotes To Encourage You Not To Give Up

81. “If you fall behind, run faster. Never give up, never surrender, and rise up against the odds.” ― Jesse Jackson

82. “Luck is predictable; the harder you work, the luckier you get.” ― Brian Tracy

83. “Push yourself again and again. Don’t give an inch until the final buzzer sounds.” ― Larry Bird

84. “Make the second effort your second nature.” ― Harvey Mackay

85. “Every setback might be the very thing that makes you carry on and fight all the harder and become much better.” ― Les Paul

86. “The secret of our success is that we never, never give up.” ― Wilma Mankiller

87. “Character produces endurance and persistence when the going gets tough, and life truly is an endurance race, not a sprint.” ― Zig Ziglar

88. “We are not a failure just because we fail at something. Nobody is a failure unless they quit trying!” ― Joyce Meyer

89. “Never set limits, go after your dreams, don’t be afraid to push the boundaries. And laugh a lot – it’s good for you!” ― Paula Radcliffe

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

What did you learn from these persistence quotes?

It isn’t easy to be persistent when you are trying to survive, let alone, thrive.

However, how you define yourself in those moments, and the person you become when you feel you can’t go on anymore matters.

The strength required to face some of the hardest things that people can face leads to an extraordinary impact on their lives; and even the lives of others. 

We have no way of knowing what the fruits of our persistence will be, but they will be there.

The result will be life-changing and it will always be worth it. You are worth it.

Please leave your encouraging stories of persistence in the comments, or any other favorite persistence quotes and sayings I might have missed!