32 Quotes About Persistence to Keep You Going When You Want to Quit

Persistence sounds lovely on a motivational poster, but in actual life it can be hard to find especially on the hard days. The rainy cold Monday. The third week of a new habit when the novelty has well and truly worn off. The moment your brain very says that “you suck and can’t do this”. 

Quotes are not a magic fix (nothing is), but they do work as little inspiration hit to get back onto the path. A reminder that everyone who has ever done anything worth doing has wanted to quit at some point.

We think about this a lot at MerryBody, because showing up on your mat is basically persistence in its most simple form. It’s not about being perfect or motivated every single day. It’s about coming back. Again and again. Even when it’s hard, or you don’t want to. Even if it’s just for 5 minutes. Plus, it’s also important to note that the people who see the biggest shifts aren’t the ones who never miss a day, they’re the ones who don’t let a missed day turn into a missed month. SO you miss a day today… oh well… back to it tomorrow! 

So whether you’re building a movement habit, chasing a big goal or just trying to get through a tough stage in life, here are 32 quotes about persistence to keep you moving forward. Also! Be sure to download your free quote printable! 

32 Quotes About Persistence to Keep You Going When You Want to Quit

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

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

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

“Persistence is the twin sister of excellence. One is a matter of quality; the other, a matter of time.” — Marabel Morgan

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

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

“Don’t watch the clock; do what it does. Keep going.” — Sam Levenson

“Energy and persistence conquer all things.” — Benjamin Franklin

“Fall seven times, stand up eight.” — Japanese Proverb

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

“If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, if you can’t walk, then crawl, but by all means, keep moving.” — Martin Luther King Jr.

“Keep going, even when everything inside of you wants to stop.” — Unknown

“Little by little, one travels far.” — J.R.R. Tolkien

“Never confuse a single defeat with a final defeat.” — F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.” — Calvin Coolidge

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” — Thomas A. Edison

“Patience, persistence, and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.” — Napoleon Hill

“Perseverance is failing 19 times and succeeding the 20th.” — Julie Andrews

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

“Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go.” — William Feather

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

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in a person’s determination.” — Tommy Lasorda

“The drops of rain make a hole in the stone, not by violence, but by oft falling.” — Lucretius

“The greatest oak was once a little nut that held its ground.” — Unknown

“The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender.” — Vince Lombardi

“The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.” — Confucius

“The only guarantee for failure is to stop trying.” — John C. Maxwell

“Through perseverance many people win success out of what seemed destined to be certain failure.” — Benjamin Disraeli

“To persist with confidence is to prove everyone wrong.” — Unknown

“We can do anything we want to if we stick to it long enough.” — Helen Keller

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated.” — Maya Angelou

“I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.” — Abraham Lincoln

Here’s the thing about persistence. It’s not one grand hero moment, it’s a hundred small unremarkable choices to just keep going.

To show up again. To try one more time… even when quitting would be so much easier.

None of these quotes about persistence will do the work for you (sorry), but on the right day, the right words can create the little spark that gets you moving again. So save the ones that made sense to you, come back to them when you need them, and remember that the only people who never make progress are the ones who stop for good. You’re clearly not one of them, hehe… because you made it to the end of this post.

Em and Carla x