Do Not Quit
When things go wrong as they sometimes will,
When the road you’re trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit…
Rest if you must, but don’t you quit.
Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems afar.
So, stick to the fight when you’re hardest hit…
It’s when things go wrong that you mustn’t quit.
—Edgar Guest (1881–1959) English-born American Poet, Radio Personality, TV Personality
The truth is that our finest moments are most likely to occur when we are feeling deeply uncomfortable, unhappy, or unfulfilled. For it is only in such moments, propelled by our discomfort, that we are likely to step out of our ruts and start searching for different ways or truer answers.
—M. Scott Peck (1936–2005) American Psychiatrist, Author
At work, you think of the children you have left at home. At home, you think of the work you’ve left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself. Your heart is rent.
—Golda Meir (1898–1978) Israeli Head of State
Usually obstacles are the things you see when you take your eyes off the goal.
—Hannah More
The greater the difficulty, the greater the glory.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
Bumps are the things we climb on.
—Warren W. Wiersbe (1929–2019) American Pastor, Biblical Scholar
As favor and riches forsake a man, we discover in him the foolishness they concealed, and which no one perceived before.
—Jean de La Bruyere (1645–96) French Satiric Moralist, Author
The greatest difficulties lie where we are not looking for them.
—Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German Poet
The senses have been conditioned by attraction to the pleasant and aversion to the unpleasant: a man should not be ruled by them; they are obstacles in his path.
—The Bhagavad Gita Hindu Scripture
Adversity is a severe instructor, set over us by one who knows us better than we do ourselves, as he loves us better too. He that wrestles with us strengthens our nerves and sharpens our skill. Our antagonist is our helper. This conflict with difficulty makes us acquainted with our object, and compels us to consider it in all its relations. It will not suffer us to be superficial.
—Edmund Burke (1729–97) British Philosopher, Statesman
The greater the obstacle, the more glory we have in overcoming it; the difficulties with which we are met are the maids of honor which set off virtue.
—Moliere (1622–73) French Playwright
The mind unlearns with difficulty what has long been impressed on it.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
October. This is one of the peculiarly dangerous months to speculate in stocks. The others are July, January, September, April, November, May, March, June, December, August, and February.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Some days the dragon wins.
—Unknown
Almost any difficulty will move in the face of honesty. When I am honest I never feel stupid. And when I am honest I am automatically humble.
—Hugh Prather (b.1938) American Christian Author, Minister, Counselor
For ye have need of patience … .
—The Holy Bible Scripture in the Christian Faith
Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at fifty.
—Edgar Degas (1834–1917) French Painter, Sculpture, Printer maker, Artist
Doing easily what others find difficult is talent; doing what is impossible for others is genius.
—Henri Frederic Amiel (1821–81) Swiss Moral Philosopher, Poet, Critic
In really hard times the rules of the game are altered. The inchoate mass begins to stir. It becomes potent, and when it strikes, it strikes with incredible emphasis. Those are the rare occasions when a national will emerges from the scattered, specialized, or indifferent blocs of voters who ordinarily elect the politicians. Those are for good or evil the great occasions in a nation’s history.
—Walter Lippmann (1889–1974) American Journalist, Political Commentator, Writer
The hardest part of skating is the ice.
—Indian Proverb
When man meets an obstacle he can’t destroy, he destroys himself.
—Ryszard Kapuscinski (1932–2007) Polish Journalist
Hope and patience are two sovereign remedies for all, the surest reposals, the softest cushions to lean on in adversity.
—Robert Burton (1577–1640) English Scholar, Clergyman
When difficulties are overcome they begin blessing.
—Common Proverb
The difficulty for most of us in the modern world is that the old-fashioned idea of God has become incredible or implausible.
—Alan Watts (1915–73) British-American Philosopher, Author
Divide each difficulty into as many parts as is feasible and necessary to resolve it.
—Rene Descartes (1596–1650) French Mathematician, Philosopher
The eternal stars shine out as soon as it is dark enough.
—Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish Historian, Essayist
Our energy is in proportion to the resistance it meets. We attempt nothing great but from a sense of the difficulties we have to encounter; we persevere in nothing great but from a pride in overcoming them.
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English Essayist
One of the hardest things in life is watching the person you love, love someone else.
—Unknown
Love the moment. Flowers grow out of dark moments. Therefore, each moment is vital. It affects the whole. Life is a succession of such moments and to live each, is to succeed.
—Corita Kent (1918–86) American Artist, Graphic Artist, Educator
What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult for each other?
—George Eliot (Mary Anne Evans) (1819–80) English Novelist
If most people are not willing to see the difficulty, this is mainly because, consciously or unconsciously, they assume that it will be they who will settle these questions for the others, and because they are convinced of their own capacity to do this.
—Friedrich Hayek (1899–1992) British Economist, Social Philosopher
For every mountain, there is a miracle.
—Robert H. Schuller (1926–2015) American Christian Televangelist, Author
The superior man makes the difficulty to be overcome his first interest; success only comes later.
—Confucius (551–479 BCE) Chinese Philosopher
You think it more difficult to turn air into wine than to turn wine into blood?
—Graham Greene (1904–91) British Novelist, Playwright, Short Story Writer
Life comes in clusters, clusters of solitude, then clusters when there is hardly time to breathe.
—May Sarton (1912–95) American Children’s Books Writer, Poet, Novelist
God grant us patience.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
To know yet to think that one does not know is best; Not to know yet to think that one knows will lead to difficulty.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
Every great and deep difficulty bears in itself its own solution. It forces us to change our thinking in order to find it.
—Niels Bohr (1885–1962) Danish Physicist
To accept whatever comes, regardless of the consequences, is to be unafraid.
—John Cage (1912–92) American Composer
The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.—Skilful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.
—Epicurus (c.341–270 BCE) Greek Philosopher
Every cloud has its silver lining but it is sometimes a little difficult to get it to the mint
—Don Marquis (1878–1937) American Humorist, Journalist, Author
So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work.
—Peter Drucker (1909–2005) Austrian-born Management Consultant
I think my biggest achievement is that after going through a rather difficult time, I consider myself comparatively sane. I’m proud of that.
—Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (1929–94 ) American First Lady
When the senses contact sense objects, a person experiences cold or heat, pleasure or pain. These experiences are fleeting they come and go. Bear them patiently.
—The Bhagavad Gita Hindu Scripture
The difficulty lies not so much in developing new ideas as in escaping from old ones.
—John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) English Economist
If things are natural, they’re easy. If they’re unnatural they’re difficult. I have never met a man who found it difficult to marry, but I have never found a man who found it easy to divorce either.
—Unknown
In every difficult situation is potential value. Believe this, then begin looking for it.
—Norman Vincent Peale (1898–1993) American Clergyman, Self-Help Author
The marvelous richness of human experience would lose something of rewarding joy if there were no limitations to overcome. The hilltop hour would not be half so wonderful if there were no dark valleys to traverse.
—Helen Keller (1880–1968) American Author
The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart.
—Robert G. Ingersoll (1833–99) American Lawyer, Orator, Agnostic