Do not quit! Hundreds of times I have watched people throw in the towel at the one-yard line while someone else comes along and makes a fortune by just going that extra yard.
Interpretation
Perseverance is key to success; many give up just before achieving their goals.
This quote emphasizes the importance of persistence and determination. It illustrates how many people tend to give up too easily, often right before they are on the verge of success. The metaphor of the 'one-yard line' serves as a powerful reminder that making just a little extra effort can lead to significant rewards, while quitting can mean missing out on opportunities that are just within reach.
In practice
Using this quote as a rallying cry during a team meeting to encourage persistence in a challenging project.
You always think, 'Oh, if only I had a little chalet in the mountains! How great that would be and I'd do all this writing' Except, no, I wouldn't. I'd do the same amount of writing I do now and the rest of the time I'd go stir crazy. If you're waiting for the perfect moment you'll never write a thing because it will never arrive. I have no routine. I have no foolproof anything. There's nothing foolproof.
Progress is not an illusion, it happens, but it is slow and invariably disappointing.
Those among us who have achieved the most have achieved only a fraction of what ALL of us are capable of. You haven't even begun to scratch the surface!
I could sit at home, watch TV, and go for the odd run. But to be the best, you have to make this sacrifice, keep going away and doing blocks of training in the mountains.
I knew I was a winner back in the late sixties. I knew I was destined for great things. People will say that kind of thinking is totally immodest. I agree. Modesty is not a word that applies to me in any way - I hope it never will.
At 25, I was in the audience of my first professional speaker, Bob Bales. His presentation got my attention. I had never seen anyone having so much fun 'at work' and getting paid for it!
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