Persistence Prevails
Here’s what most people get wrong about persistence. Persistence doesn’t mean repeatedly doing what’s failing. Remember the old adage about the futility of doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results? The goal isn’t to fail fast. It’s to learn fast. We should be celebrating the lessons from failure—not failure itself.
Ozan Varol • Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life
Indeed, persistence often requires that one change one's mind. That's where good judgement comes in. The persistent are quite rational. They focus on expected value. It's this, not recklessness, that lets them work on things that are unlikely to succeed.
Paul Graham • The Right Kind of Stubborn
This ability to persevere despite obstacles and setbacks is the quality people most admire in others, and justly so; it is probably the most important trait not only for succeeding in life, but for enjoying it as well.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi • Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience (Harper Perennial Modern Classics)
That’s the fight—sticking with something long enough to have actually meaningful observations. You have to weather a lot of peaks and troughs to get there, but the time spent is worth it.