Persistence.
Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence.
If there’s one principle that’s shaped my life more than any other, it’s persistence.
Not talent. Not intelligence. Not luck, charm, or timing. Just the simple decision to keep going when everything in you wants to stop. The ability to show up, again and again, whether it’s noticed or not. The quiet force that keeps you moving forward through failure, fatigue, and frustration.
There’s a quote I’ve kept close for years. People often credit it to Calvin Coolidge. Whether or not he wrote it is something we’ll explore, but the authorship has never mattered to me. What matters is how true it is, and how much it explains.
“Nothing in this 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.”
I’ve watched talented people walk away. I’ve seen brilliant thinkers stall out and go quiet. I’ve known highly educated people who never applied what they knew because they were too afraid to risk failure. The people who endure, the ones who build something meaningful, are rarely the most gifted. They’re the ones who don’t stop.
This isn’t about forced optimism. It’s not about pretending hardship doesn’t sting. It’s about what it really means to push forward when nothing feels certain. It’s about the kind of persistence that doesn’t shout or perform, but outlasts. The kind that doesn’t rely on being motivated. The kind that just works.
This post is the foundation. It’s the place I’ll point to whenever someone asks how to keep going. It’s the heart of how I operate, how I lead, and how I repair the pieces when everything falls apart.
If you take only one thing from this blog, let it be this. Press on.
Where the Quote Comes From
Most people think the quote comes from Calvin Coolidge, and on the surface, that makes sense. He was quiet, disciplined, and believed in staying out of the spotlight. The quote reflects that kind of thinking. But he didn’t write it.
The earliest version of the message came from a minister named Theodore T. Munger in 1881. His writing focused more on the power of purpose than persistence, but the tone and message were familiar. Later, in the early 1900s, a man named Edward Hart, speaking at a life insurance convention, shaped the quote into something closer to what we know today. He sharpened the language, added the contrast with talent and education, and introduced the phrase “Press On.”
By the late 1920s, newspapers had started printing versions of the quote and attributing them to Coolidge. He didn’t argue. In fact, after his presidency, he included the quote in materials for New York Life, which helped solidify the connection.
He didn’t come up with it. But he embraced it. And while his presidency may not have left a powerful mark, the quote has. It outlasted him, just like the message promises.
That’s what matters.
Why It Matters
The reason this quote sticks is because it strips away all the excuses. It doesn’t care where you went to school, how smart you are, or how much potential you had. It only cares whether or not you kept going.
Talent is common. So is wasted talent. Intelligence without action doesn’t build anything. And education, no matter how expensive or impressive, is useless without follow-through. The world is full of people who could have done something if they had just stuck with it.
Persistence is rare. That’s why it’s powerful. And it’s rare because it’s hard.
Continuing when you're tired, discouraged, or humiliated is one of the hardest things a person can do. It means showing up when no one’s watching, when the outcome is uncertain, and when failure feels personal. Most people can’t do that consistently. They start strong, get excited, and fall off the minute it gets boring or painful. That’s the pattern.
If you can break that pattern, even a little, you already have an edge; Not because you’re better, not because you know more, just because you’re still in the fight when most people have already walked away.
Persistence is not glamorous, but it is the deciding factor more often than anything else. The longer you can hold the line, the more the odds tilt in your favor. That’s the truth no one wants to hear, because it means the path forward is hard and slow.
But it also means the path is wide open. Most people won’t take it. That’s your advantage.
The Great Equalizer
Persistence is the great equalizer.
You can’t choose where you’re born, who raises you, or what kind of start you get. Life hands people wildly different circumstances, and pretending otherwise is dishonest. Some people are born with advantages — some aren’t. But persistence is the one variable anyone can control.
It doesn’t matter if you’re broke, behind, or starting from scratch. The one thing you can always do is refuse to quit. You can decide that no matter how many times you get knocked down, you’ll get back up. That choice is available to everyone; And because so few people make it, it becomes a weapon.
You don’t have to be the smartest. You don’t have to be the fastest. You don’t even have to be the most skilled. If you outlast the others, if you keep showing up after they’ve stopped — you change the outcome. That’s how people with no background, no support, and no obvious advantage still win.
The world can stack the odds against you, but if you never stop pushing, it has to give ground. Eventually, something breaks. Eventually, the pressure you apply creates movement. That’s what persistence does. It doesn’t ask for permission — it just keeps going until there’s no choice but progress.
That’s what makes it powerful. That’s what makes it fair.
The Hard Way
I didn’t come into the defense industry the way most people did.
Most had a traditional path. They came from the right background, had the right experience, or followed a standard track that opened doors for them. I didn’t have that. I started young, without the pedigree, and without the resume that would make people say yes on paper.
What I had was persistence.
Since I couldn’t walk through the front door, I had to build my own way in. That meant grinding, learning, aquiring a clearance, and stacking qualifications. Not for attention or approval, but because I knew it was the only way. I had to outwork the process. I had to make it undeniable.
Eventually, someone saw that effort. A friend who understood what I was trying to do — His name was Curtis. He saw how long I had been clawing my way forward and gave me a shot; Not a handout, not a shortcut, just an opportunity to prove I had earned a place.
That chance changed everything. It was the beginning of a career built entirely on staying in the fight. And I will never be able to thank him enough for it; not just for the opportunity, but for the example. He let me prove that I could do it the hard way. And he did it too, every single day.
I will spend the rest of my life trying to live up to that example.
Closing
Everyone wants a shortcut. They want a secret, a hack, or a system. They want to believe there is something out there that explains why others succeed while they are still stuck. But most of the time, it is none of those things. It is not brilliance, it is not luck, it is not perfect timing —It is persistence.
Persistence is not loud, it is not exciting, it is not even inspiring most of the time. It is quiet and unglamorous. It looks like doing the work when no one cares. It feels like moving forward when nothing is working. It means getting back up when you are exhausted, unsure, or alone. That is the truth most people do not want to hear.
But it is the truth that actually matters.
If you are willing to stay in the fight, when others give up, the gap starts to form. You do not have to be the most gifted, you do not have to be the best, you just have to be there when everyone else has stopped. That is what changes everything.
This is not theory —it is not motivation. It is the core of what separates people who endure from people who fade out. It is the reason someone with no connections, no formal background, and nothing handed to them can still build something great. And it is available to anyone.
If there is one thing I want to be remembered for, it is not being talented, it is not being impressive, it is this —I did not quit. I kept showing up, I pressed on.
And if you do the same, nothing can stop you.
Press on.
This post is dedicated to my friend Curtis who gave me a chance when no one else would. He saw the work, the effort, and the intent, and he opened the door. He didn’t have to, but he did.
He was killed in the line of duty in 2017. I will never stop striving to be the kind of man he was. Loyal, quietly strong —relentless. A true warrior in every sense.
I owe him more than I can say.