Nothing Can Take the Place of Persistence (True?)
I ran across this quote today and realized it’s a topic I blog about often: Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is…
I ran across this quote today and realized it's a topic I blog about often:
Nothing in the world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "Press On" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. (Calvin Coolidge)
How I feel about persistence depends on which day you ask me:
- Writing & Publishing: More Than a Patience Game
- Persistence Doesn't Matter If You Make This Common Mistake
- Does Talent Eventually Get Discovered?
- Leading Indicator of Success
What do you think? It certainly sounds silly to say persistence doesn't matter, but perhaps it can be overemphasized. Certainly, though, chance favors the prepared. (Go read the first pages of The Other 8 Hours—the story about Mark & Sarah stranded on remote islands.)
There's one book I adore that speaks to many of these dilemmas of the writer's life: Page After Page by Heather Sellers. Go check it out.
Jane Friedman is a full-time entrepreneur (since 2014) and has 20 years of experience in the publishing industry. She is the co-founder of The Hot Sheet, the essential publishing industry newsletter for authors, and is the former publisher of Writer’s Digest. In addition to being a columnist with Publishers Weekly and a professor with The Great Courses, Jane maintains an award-winning blog for writers at JaneFriedman.com. Jane’s newest book is The Business of Being a Writer (University of Chicago Press, 2018).