Quotes About Determination

I knew from the age of four that I wanted to preach. I didn't even consider it strange that grown people were listening to this kid preaching until I was around thirteen. I have never believed in limitations.

In fact when Sweet Honey was ten years old it was too big for me to run, and I knew it, but I ran it for another thirteen years because I couldn't convince other people to really do it. And this year, I'm not running it.

Actually, I was more or less determined to be a theoretical physicist at the age of thirteen.

I started working at age thirteen. I'm a product of public schools, I'm a product of a public university. I started my first company when I was 21. I've subsequently never worked for anybody else. I started that first business when I was still in college.

Jack Nicholson didn't get anything until he was in his thirties. You have to persevere and put yourself in positions, and sooner or later, you will break through.

Everything we did was criticized. For about thirty years we lived with the world against us, accusing us of things we didn't do!

I hurt my knee, and that messed up my running, and boy did that ever just have a cascade effect. I've gained about thirty pounds that my doctors have screamed at me about. I've got to get that off, and I know that.

Running doesn't come easy to me, especially the first thirty or so minutes. My message is take it one step at a time.

Sometimes you just can't walk away from films you're offered, like the Dylan Thomas thing.

When I was 26, I wrote my first mystery, 'The Thomas Berryman Number', and it was turned down by, I don't know, 31 publishers. Then it won an Edgar for Best First Novel. Go figure.

Advance, and never halt, for advancing is perfection. Advance and do not fear the thorns in the path, for they draw only corrupt blood.

Base Ball, to be played thoroughly, requires the possession of muscular strength, great agility, quickness of eye, readiness of hand, and many other faculties of mind and body that mark the man of nerve.

I'm always determined that as a novelist I'm going to go out there and research my characters very thoroughly before I start writing.

I have frequently noticed how circumstances conspire to help a man, or a boy, when he has thoroughly resolved on doing a thing.

When I like something, I thoroughly pursue it. That hasn't changed since I was in high school.

Nobody likes to fail. I want to succeed in everything I do, which isn't much. But the things that I'm really passionate about, if I fail at those, if I'm not successful, what do I have?

Those who stand for nothing fall for anything.

It doesn't matter what cards you're dealt. It's what you do with those cards. Never complain. Just keep pushing forward. Find a positive in anything and just fight for it.

That's the easiest thing to do, is quit and give up when things are hard. You really see what you're made of when those things are not going the way you want them to go.

Those who are blessed with the most talent don't necessarily outperform everyone else. It's the people with follow-through who excel.

I am certainly not one of those who need to be prodded. In fact, if anything, I am the prod.

By the will art thou lost, by the will art thou found, by the will art thou free, captive, and bound.

I think that the power is the principle. The principle of moving forward, as though you have the confidence to move forward, eventually gives you confidence when you look back and see what you've done.

When facing a difficult task, act as though it is impossible to fail. If you are going after Moby Dick, take along the tartar sauce.