“It’s okay if you want to quit, as long as you don’t.” – Melissa Arnot
I had a short conversation today with a Facebook friend, talking about inspiration and determination. He’s a long distance hiker, training for a big trip. He gave me a quote that I really liked and it got me thinking about other motivational quotes I love, touching on similar themes. I’ve been doing training lately myself. One mile sprint hikes with one thousand feet of elevation gain. I repeat Melissa’s quote in my head more than once. Oh, and I’m knocking off about 30 seconds with each hike.
We’re all faced with challenges that seem daunting. But success begins with taking the first step. Somebody has to take the ring to Mordor. Frodo didn’t want to do it, but it had to be done. Along the way, he wanted to quit. We all want to quit. And though taking that first step is the hardest, staying the course seems just as difficult.
From “The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers”
Sam – “It’s like in the great stories Mr. Frodo, the ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were, and sometimes you didn’t want to know the end because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end it’s only a passing thing this shadow, even darkness must pass. A new day will come, and when the sun shines it’ll shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you, that meant something even if you were too small to understand why. But I think Mr. Frodo, I do understand, I know now folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t. They kept going because they were holding on to something.”
Frodo – “What are we holding onto, Sam?”
Sam – “That there’s some good in the world, Mr. Frodo, and it’s worth fighting for.”
The passage above reminds me why I continue to put one foot in front of the other, when all I want to do is go home. Yeah…I believe The Lord of the Rings was a mountaineering textbook. I’ve warned you before…
Here’s a list of more favorite quotes;
- “It’s perfectly okay to want to quit, as long as you don’t.” – Melissa Arnot, world class mountaineer. A quote so nice, I’ve written it twice. May be my favorite motivational quote.
- “Greyhounds don’t race if they are able to catch the rabbit.” – The Hike Guy, Kolby “Condor” Kirk. Never heard this one before today. Great perspective.
- “Slow and steady wins the race.” – Attributed to Aesop’s “The Tortoise and the Hare”. My brother-in-law uses this quote all the time. Has a nice cadence when said aloud. Neat huh? Think about it…
- “Don’t give up, don’t ever give up.” – Jim Valvano. Absolutely moving, motivational speech by the legendary Jimmy V. Simple. The truth should be simple.
- “You go, we go.” – Lt. Stephen “Bull” McCaffrey, Backdraft. Corny? Yes. Hokey? Yep, that too. Ridiculously inspirational? Heck YEAH! This personifies the value of not giving up on teamwork.
- “Where there is a will, there is a way.” – English proverb. Another simple way to say it like it is.
- “A man is not finished when he is defeated. He is finished when he quits.” – Richard Milhous Nixon. I’m not usually one to quote presidents of any party, but history has proven this quote true time and time again.
- “The person who says something cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it.” – Unknown proverb.
Keep motivated and keep moving toward your goal. Whatever the goal. A little progress is better than no progress at all, right? What are your favorite quotes to keep you going?
Greg Morton 
Oooooo what a great post! Let’s see. I don’t know if you remember this but a couple months ago you offered me some encouragement about changing my eating and (lack of) exercise habits. My new year’s resolution was to make friends with my body (which I’d been blaming for some things that were not its fault) and so far it’s going really well. You gave me a quote, “It doesn’t matter how slow you go so long as you do not quit – Confucius” and told me to write it on a post it and put it on my computer – which I did. It was a kindness that I greatly appreciated and still do. I read it every morning and every night.
A couple other ones I like lately:
“Anyone can stay on track when they’re motivated. People with character do it when they’re discouraged.” Dr. Steven Brownlow (he’s a forensic and clinical psychologist that I follow on Twitter – smart guy)
“The difference between a life lived actively, and a life of passive drifting and dispersal of energies, is an immense difference. Once we begin to feel committed to our lives, responsible to ourselves, we can never again be satisfied with the old, passive way.” Adrienne Rich
Jackie, thanks for your comments. I am honored and moved that you have shared something so personal. I’m no expert on the mind, but I’ll give you some information about how I’ve dealt with my “perception” of my own body. It comes down to finding what I LIKE about me and about my body and accenting that in how I carry myself (dress, behavior, etc.) The things I don’t like about my body I’ve put into two categories; 1) Things I can change and 2) Things I can’t. If anything about my body (or life, for that matter) falls into #1, then I tell myself that if it’s going to change I need to do something about it. I have ABSOLUTE POWER to make a difference, and I tell myself that I have no right to complain if I’m NOT doing something about it. If it falls into #2, then forget it. Life is too short & precious to waste energy on the things you can’t change. Seriously, why add the stress? If you’re interested, I have your email address and will email you more details of what I’m talking about for ME, so that you have a better understanding of my thought process. Again, I’m no expert, but I’d be happy to share my experiences with you.
Ultimately, I hope you strive for happiness each day.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the quotes. I’m going to add them to a bigger list that I’ve started. Thanks again for sharing!!
Hey 🙂
Thanks so much for your thoughtful reply :). I think I know what you’re saying, but I’m always up for a conversation about this stuff and you’re more than welcome to email me any time. It’s not something that a lot of people get, so finding people on this path always feels like a bit of a gift. Also, I really try to be open to anybody who feels like they have something that might be of use to me. I don’t think this is meant to be a solitary journey, at least not entirely.
I agree that life is meant to be shared. Hope you had a fantastic weekend!!!
Perhaps another way of saying this: trying does not count; you either do it or you do not. The amount of time it takes is not as important as the persistence.
Thanks Juliana! Straight forward, I LOVE it!