Can I Quote You?

This quarter we are focusing on what it means to be tenacious. This characteristic is an important one for our children to learn as it is more valuable than talent or skill. In surveys of professional coaches, CEOs, and other leaders, the overwhelming majority will say that tenacity is more important than talent or skill when it comes to achieving success. That is a powerful statement about the importance of this quality. In my research for these articles, I will often save statements or quotes that grab my attention. Some even go up on the wall in my office. Here are my more favorite statements about tenacity:

• In the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins—not through strength but by tenacity. (H. Jackson Brown)
• Diamonds are nothing more than chunks of coal that stuck to their jobs. (Malcolm Forbes)
• Success seems to be largely a matter of hanging on after others have let go. (William Feather)
• Luck is tenacity of purpose. (Elbert Hubbard)
• Nothing in this world can take the place of being tenacious. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Tenacity and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. (Calvin Coolidge)
• When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on. (Franklin Roosevelt)
• People are often rewarded in public for what they have practiced for years in private. (Tony Robbins)