You have to be burning with an idea, or a problem, or a wrong that you want to right. If you're not passionate enough from the start, you'll never stick it out.

There are a thousand excuses for failure but never a good reason.

Irrevocable commitments that offer loopholes, not bail-out provisions, and no parachute clauses will extract incredible productivity and performance.

Pleasure without joy is as hollow as passion without tenderness.

An irresistible passion that would induce me to believe in innate ideas and the truth of prophecy has decided my career. I have always loved liberty with the enthusiasm which actuates the religious man with the passion of a lover and with the conviction of a geometrician.

Every civilization is, among other things, an arrangement for domesticating the passions and setting them to do useful work.

Why has government been instituted? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason & justice without constraint.

The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.

I have to face life with a newly found passion. I must rediscover the irresistible will to learn, to live and to love.

And, more importantly, reach for the stars. And realize that it is never too late—not now, not ever—for you to pursue you passion, your pursuit of perfection. And most importantly, your perseverance for making it happen.

My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style.

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish.

You may shoot me with your words, you may cut me with your eyes, you may kill me with your hatefulness, but still, like air, I'll rise.

Football is like life—it requires perseverance, self-denial, hard work, sacrifice, dedication and respect for authority.

The necessity of the times, more than ever, calls for our utmost circumspection, deliberation, fortitude and perseverance.

Against all odds and despite all the obstacles, we are going to make it.

Life is thickly sown with thorns, and I know no other remedy than to pass quickly through them. The longer we dwell on our misfortunes, the greater is their power to harm us.

Half-finished work generally proves to be labor lost.

Real excellence does not come cheaply. A certain price must be paid in terms of practice, patience, and persistence—natural ability notwithstanding.

Persistence guarantees that results are inevitable.

To remain indifferent to the challenges we face is indefensible. If the goal is noble, whether or not it is realized within our lifetime is largely irrelevant. What we must do therefore is to strive and persevere and never give up.

Continuous effort — not strength or intelligence — is the key to unlocking our potential.