33 Motivating and Inspiring Quotes on Perseverance

Sometimes all of us, especially leaders, face unexpected or difficult challenges. The motivational quotes in this piece were collected to share two thoughts:

A. You are not alone. Everyone experiences challenges in thier day to day lives – Even very successful people.

B. The wisdom of these individuals can help you see a path forward as you navigate your obstacles.

Below you’ll see quotes by aviators, athletes, industrialists, authors, statesmen and soldiers. Enjoy these motivating quotes on perserverance. Overcome!

1. There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.  —  Roger Staubauch

2. People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances.  The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them make them.  —  George Bernard Shaw 

3. It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.  —   Seneca

4. Do all that you can with all you have, where ever you are.   —  President Theodore Roosevelt

5. It’s hard to beat a person who never gives up.  —  Babe Ruth

6. Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognized.  In the first, it is ridiculed. In the second, it is opposed.  In the third, it is regarded as self-evident.  —  Arthur Schopenhauer

7. To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.  —  Steve Prefontaine

8. If you are going to win any battle, you have to do one thing: You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body is never tired if the mind is not tired.  —  General George S. Patton Jr.

9. That which does not kill us makes us stronger.  —   Fredric Nietczhe

10. I attribute my success to this: I never gave or took any excuse.  — Florence Nightingale

  11. Half-heartedness never won a battle.  —   President William McKinnley

12. It’s not about perfect. It’s about effort. And when you bring that effort every single day, that’s where transformation happens.   —   Jillian Michaels

13. Constant dripping hollows out a stone.   —  Lucretius

14. It always seems impossible until it’s done.   —   Nelson Mandela

15. You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.   —  C. S. Lewis

16. I walk slowly, but never backward.  —  President Abraham Lincoln

17. 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 hve to keep moving forward.   —  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

18. Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get.  —  Ray Kroc

19. I can accept failure, everyone fails at something. But I can’t accept not trying.  — Michael Jordan

20. Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance.   —  Samuel Johnson

21. It’s not the load that breaks you down, it’s the way you carry it. — Lou Holtz

22. When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life is hard,’ I am always tempted to aks, ‘Compared to what?’  —  Sydney J. Harris

23. The road to success is not easy to navigate, but with hard work, drive and passion, it’s possible to achieve the American dream.   — Tommy Hilfiger

24. There’s no lotion or potion that will make sales faster and easier for you – unless your potion is hard work.  —  Jeffrey Gitomer

25. Energy and persistence conquer all things.   —  Benjamin Franklin

26. Whenever everything seems to be going against you, remember that the airplane takes off against the wind, not with it.  —  Henry Ford

27. Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one.  —  Albert Einstein

28. Action may not always bring happiness, but there is not happiness without action.   —  Benjamin Disraeli 

29. The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity.   —  Amelia Earhart

30. I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.  —  Thomas Edison

31. I believe that life is a journey, often difficult and sometimes incredibly cruel, but we are well equipped for it if only we tap into our talents and gifts and allow them to blossom.  —  Les Brown

32. If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.  —  Milton Burle

33. Permanence, perseverance and persistence in spite of all obstacles, discouragements and impossibilities. It is this, that in all things distinguishes the strong souls from the weak.  —  Thomas Carlisle

Which quotes were most impactful to you? How can you put them to work for your today?

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