quotes about Determination
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Anyone who is steady in his determination for the advanced stage of spiritual realization and can equally tolerate the onslaughts of distress and happiness is certainly a person eligible for liberation.
-- A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada -
Determination is the fuel that propels one to higher virtues.
-- Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni -
I wanna be the best at what I do. I wanna sing, I wanna dance, I wanna act. That's about it.
-- Aaliyah -
Have a determination that is strong enough to move walls.
-- Aaron Feuerstein -
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I wanted the world to know that my country Ethiopia has always won with determination and heroism.
-- Abebe BikilaSource : "50 stunning Olympic moments: Abebe Bikila's 1960 marathon victory - in pictures" by Steven Bloor, www.theguardian.com. April 25, 2012.
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Determine that the thing can and shall be done and then... find the way.
-- Abraham Lincoln -
So we want an Islamic state where Islamic law is not just in the books but enforced, and enforced with determination. There is no space and no room for democratic consultation. The Shariah is set and fixed, so why do we need to discuss it anymore? Just implement it!
-- Abu Bakar Bashir -
In his fierce, bold determination to see the lives of modern-day slaves up close, Benjamin Skinner reminds me of the British abolitionist of two hundred years ago, Zachary Macaulay, who once traveled on a slave ship across the Atlantic, taking notes. Skinner goes everywhere, from border crossings to brothels to bargaining sessions with dealers in human beings, to bring us this vivid, searing account of the wide network of human trafficking and servitude which spans today's globe.
-- Adam Hochschild -
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The folkish state must not adjust its entire educational work primarily to the inoculation of mere knowledge, but to the breeding of absolutely healthy bodies. The training of mental abilities is only secondary. And here again, first place must be taken by the development of character, especially the promotion of will-power and determination, combined with the training of joy in responsibility, and only in last place comes scientific schooling.
-- Adolf Hitler -
We must apply our humble efforts to the construction of a more just and humane world. And I want to declare emphatically: Such a world is possible. To create this new society, we must present outstretched and friendly hands, without hatred and rancor, even as we show great determination and never waver in the defense of truth and justice. Because we know that we cannot sow seeds with clenched fists. To sow we must open our hands.
-- Adolfo Perez EsquivelSource : Adolfo Pérez Esquivel (1983). “Christ in a Poncho: Testimonials of the Nonviolent Struggles in Latin America”
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The determination of the average man is not merely a matter of speculative curiosity; it may be of the most important service to the science of man and the social system. It ought necessarily to precede every other inquiry into social physics, since it is, as it were, the basis. The average man, indeed, is in a nation what the centre of gravity is in a body; it is by having that central point in view that we arrive at the apprehension of all the phenomena of equilibrium and motion.
-- Adolphe Quetelet -
There are those... who enter the world in such poverty that they are deprived of both the means and the motivation to improve their lot. Unless these unfortunates can be touched with the spark which ignites the spirit of individual enterprise and determination, they will only sink back into renewed apathy, degradation and despair. It is for us, who are more fortunate, to provide that spark.
-- Aga Khan IV -
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There are many who still do not believe that global warming is a problem at all. And it's no wonder: because they are the targets of a massive and well-organized campaign of disinformation lavishly funded by polluters who are determined to prevent any action to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming out of a fear that their profits might be affected if they had to stop dumping so much pollution into the atmosphere.
-- Al Gore -
Hitler had a plausible case to argue when he claimed that the Anschluss was only the application of the Wilsonian principle of self-determination.
-- Alan BullockSource : Alan Bullock (1964). “Hitler, a study in tyranny”, Harpercollins College Div
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That has been the great achievement of our age: to so thoroughly flood the planet with megabits that every image and fact has become a digitized disembodied nothingness. With magnificent determination, our species has advanced from Stone Age to Industrial Revolution to Digital Emptiness. We've become weightless, in the bad sense of the word.
-- Alan Lightman -
I know quite certainly that I myself have no special talent; curiosity, obsession and dogged endurance, combined with self-criticism, have brought me to my ideas.
-- Albert Einstein -
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The strength of the Constitution lies entirely in the determination of each citizen to defend it. Only if every single citizen feels duty bound to do his share in this defense are the constitutional rights secure.
-- Albert Einstein -
Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow - perhaps it all will.
-- Albert Einstein -
Baseball is the exponent of American Courage, Confidence, Combativeness, American Dash, Discipline, Determination, American Energy, Eagerness, Enthusiasm, American Pluck, Persistency, Performance, American Spirit, Sagacity, Success, American Vim, Vigor, Virility.
-- Albert Goodwill SpaldingSource : Albert Goodwill Spalding, Samm Coombs (1991). “America's national game: historic facts concerning the beginning evolution, development, and popularity of base ball, with personal reminiscences of its vicissitudes, its victories, and its votaries”
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But the Congress has made the determination that certain kinds of information can be protected even though the American people may want to have access to information.
-- Alberto GonzalesSource : Interview with Jim Lehrer, www.pbs.org. July 26, 2005.
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Oh, how desperately bored, in spite of their grim determination to have a Good Time, the majority of pleasure-seekers really are!
-- Aldous Huxley -
I do like to try and see myself in football players. Everybody is different and express themselves in different ways. There are different kinds of talents of course and there are many who I would never have had the talent that they have when I was a player. But I still had that determination to be successful and try my best.
-- Alex Ferguson -
Don't tell me what you believe in. I'll observe how you behave and I will make my own determination.
-- Alex TrebekSource : "What I've Learned: Alex Trebek". Esquire, March 2003.
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Another discovery which came out of my investigation was the fact that when one gives his or her order to produce a definite result and stands by that order, it seems to have the effect of giving one what might be termed a second sight which enables him or her to see right through ordinary problems. What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when one is in that state of mind in which he or she knows exactly what one wants and is fully determined not to quit until he or she finds it.
-- Alexander Graham Bell -
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And so on, until you arrive at the other side, among the purely abstract self-harming: the grinding over your failures, the refusal to remember anything good, the determination to ensure - if anyone falls into the mistake of making it clear they actually like you - that the next time round they change their opinion pronto. Emotional self-cannibalism, in other words, like those tessellated pictures of a person grappling with a mirror image of himself.
-- Alexander MastersSource : Alexander Masters (2006). “Stuart: A Life Backwards”, Random House Digital, Inc.
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Meanings are not determined by situations, but we determine ourselves by the meanings we give to situations.
-- Alfred AdlerSource : "What Life Should Mean to You". Book by Alfred Adler (p. 14), 1937.
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An unflinching determination to take the whole evidence into account is the only method of preservation against the fluctuating extremes of fashionable opinion.
-- Alfred North Whitehead -
If you're sufficiently tenacious and interested, you can accomplish what you want to accomplish in this world.
-- Alice Neel -
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the world has changed: it did not change without your prayers without your faith without your determination to believe in liberation and kindness; without your dancing through the years that had no beat.
-- Alice Walker -
Dig until you hit rock. Then take out that jackhammer and go a little deeper.
-- Allison Brennan -
The dream doesn't lie in victimization or blame; it lies in hard work, determination and a good education.
-- Alphonso Jackson -
resolute, adj. Obstinate in a course that we approve.
-- Ambrose Bierce -
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EMOTION, n. A prostrating disease caused by a determination of the heart to the head. It is sometimes accompanied by a copious discharge of hydrated chloride of sodium from the eyes.
-- Ambrose Bierce -
There is no doubt that Iraqis, like Australians and Americans, love and desire freedom. However, if freedom doesn't mean the right to complete self-determination, unfettered by interests other than one's own, then that freedom is less than worthless - it's oppression.
-- Amir Butler -
It takes something to get married: nerve, hope, a strong desire to make a certain statement - and it takes something to stay married: more hope, determination, a sense of humor, and needs that are best met by being in a pair.
-- Amy Bloom -
A new danger now beset him [Grotius], the danger of becoming simply a venal pleader, a creature who grinds out arguments on this or that side, for this or that client: a mere legal beast of prey. Fortunately for himself and for the world he took a higher view of his life-work: his determination clearly was to make himself a thoroughly equipped jurist, and then, as he rose more and more in his profession, to use his powers for the good of his country and of mankind.
-- Andrew Dickson WhiteSource : "Seven Great Statesmen in the Warfare of Humanity with Unreason". Book by Andrew Dickson White, p. 59, 1915.
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I like to think that I've got determination, and I'm fiercely protective of the people I love.
-- Andrew LincolnSource : "Q&A – Andrew Lincoln (Rick Grimes)". Interview with Brian Fegter, www.amc.com.
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We won't let history define our future. Our actions will do the talking. Our determination will turn doubters into believers.
-- Andrew McCutchen -
When confronted with a challenge, the committed heart will search for a solution. The undecided heart searches for an escape.
-- Andy AndrewsSource : Andy Andrews (2005). “The Traveler's Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success”, p.86, Thomas Nelson Inc
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My idea of feminism is self-determination, and it's very open-ended: every woman has the right to become herself, and do whatever she needs to do.
-- Ani DiFranco -
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In this fast paced world it is too frequently the case that people accept what society, family members and the authorities, whom nobody ever seems to question, believe regarding how to live their lives. And yet, the happiest people I know have been those who have accepted the primary responsibility for their own spiritual and physical well-being - those who have inner strength, courage, determination, common sense and faith in the process of creating more balanced and satisfying lives for themselves.
-- Ann Wigmore -
Confidence is a static state. Determination is active. Determination allows for doubt and for humility - both of which are critical in the world today. There is so much that we don’t know, and so much that we know we don’t know. To be overly confident or without doubt seems silly to me. Determination, on the other hand, is a commitment to win, a commitment to fight the good fight.
-- Anna Deavere SmithSource : Anna Deavere Smith (2008). “Letters to a Young Artist: Straight-up Advice on Making a Life in the Arts-For Actors, Performers, Writers, and Artists of Every Kind”, p.25, Anchor
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If we could muster the same determination and sense of responsibility that saves a country like Japan - or a company like Xerox - then investing to save women and children who are dying in the developing world would be very good business.
-- Anne M. Mulcahy -
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The first thing I did with my very first camera was climb Mt. Fuji. Climbing Mt. Fuji is a lesson in determination and moderation. It would be fair to ask if I took the moderation part to heart. But it certainly was a lesson in respecting your camera. If I was going to live with this thing, I was going to have to think about what that meant. There were not going to be any pictures without it.
-- Annie Leibovitz -
The determination and conviction to succeed can only come from within.
-- Anthony D. Williams -
And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.
-- Antoine de Saint-ExuperySource : Le Petit Prince ch. 21 (1943)
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The only things you learn are the things you tame
-- Antoine de Saint-Exupery -
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Cruelty signifies rigor, implacable intention and decision, irreversible and absolute determination,
-- Antonin Artaud -
How shall freedom be defended? By arms when it is attacked by arms, by truth when it is attacked by lies, by faith when it is attacked by authoritarian dogma. Always, in the final act, by determination and faith.
-- Archibald MacLeish -
Re. the Caribbean Conservation Corporation Everybody in the organization has subscribed to the original concept that its most important attributes are a single-minded resistance to any distraction from the central aim of keeping watch over the Tortuguero nesting colony and a determination to make it the most thoroughly studied sea turtle population in the world.
-- Archie Carr -
Give me but a firm spot on which to stand, and I shall move the earth.
-- ArchimedesSource : Quoted in Pappus, Synagoge
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Being fit helps me improve my concentration, my will power and even my determination.
-- Arjun Rampal -
Leadership is understanding people and involving them to help you do a job. That takes all of the good characteristics, like integrity, dedication of purpose, selflessness, knowledge, skill, implacability, as well as determination not to accept failure.
-- Arleigh BurkeSource : "Naval Leadership : Voices of Experience". Book by Karel Montor (p. 18), 1998.
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The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.
-- Arnold J. ToynbeeSource : "Mindfulness" edited by Ellen J. Langer, (p. 133), 1989.
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I've always made a total effort, even when the odds seemed entirely against me. I never quit trying; I never felt that I didn't have a chance to win.
-- Arnold Palmer -
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If I train the hardest, run the longest, go beyond what anyone else has the mental determination to do, I will be the winner.
-- Arnold Schwarzenegger -
Through discipline, and determination one can change anything and everything about him - his habits, his outlook on life
-- Arnold Schwarzenegger -
For this war is essentially a war of conquest. If ever a nation did wage such a war, the North is now engaged, with a determination worthy of a more hopeful cause, in endeavoring to conquer the South...
-- Arthur Fremantle -
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Right here in our bodies, in our defense of our right to experience joy, in the refusal to abandon the place where we have been most completely invaded & colonized, in our determination to make the bombed & defoliated lands flower again and bear fruit, here where we have been most shamed is one of the most radical & sacred places from which to transform the world.
-- Aurora Levins MoralesSource : Aurora Levins Morales (1998). “Medicine Stories: History, Culture, and the Politics of Integrity”, p.119, South End Press
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The statistical method is required in the interpretation of figures which are at the mercy of numerous influences, and its object is to determine whether individual influences can be isolated and their effects measured. The essence of the method lies in the determination that we are really comparing like with like, and that we have not overlooked a relevant factor which is present in Group A and absent from Group B. The variability of human beings in their illnesses and in their reactions to them is a fundamental reason for the planned clinical trial and not against it.
-- Austin Bradford Hill -
Whoever you are, no matter what social position you have, rich or poor, always show great strength and determination, and always do everything with much love and deep faith in God. One day you will reach your goal.
-- Ayrton SennaSource : "Ayrton Senna's Message". Interview (1991) for documentry "A Star Named Ayrton Senna", www.youtube.com. February 16, 1998.
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And so you touch this limit, something happens and you suddenly can go a little bit further. With your mind power, your determination, your instinct, and the experience as well, you can fly very high.
-- Ayrton Senna -
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The Bible says, 'Where there is no vision, the people perish.' Have you a vision? And are you undeviatingly pressing and pushing toward its accomplishment? Dreaming alone will not get you there. Mix your dreams with determination and action.
-- B. C. Forbes -
While there are many causes for which a state goes to war, its fundamental object can be epitomized as that of ensuring the continuance of its policy - in face of the determination of the opposing state to pursue a contrary policy. In the human will lies the source and mainspring of conflict.
-- B. H. Liddell Hart -
The future belongs to the common man with uncommon determination.
-- Baba Amte -
With her courage and determination, Malala has shown what terrorists fear most: a girl with a book.
-- Ban Ki-moonSource : Ban Ki-moon's statement on the Awarding of the Nobel Prize for Peace to Malala Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi, www.un.org. October 10, 2014.
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We know the battle ahead will be long. But always remember that, no matter what obstacles stand in our way, nothing can stand in the way of the power of millions of voices calling for change.
-- Barack Obama -
We also recommit to supporting tribal self-determination, security, and prosperity for all Native Americans. While we cannot erase the scourges or broken promises of our past, we will move ahead together in writing a new, brighter chapter in our joint history.
-- Barack Obama -
Our task, of course, is to transmute the anger that is affliction into the anger that is determination to bring about change. I think, in fact, that one could give that as a definition of revolution.
-- Barbara DemingSource : Barbara Deming (1974). “We cannot live without our lives”
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Balance and control come from healthy anger. This is just as aggressive as the unhealthy kind. But it is based on a belief and hope for change in social roles and institutions. Healthy anger demands change and creates the confrontations needed for change to occur. It also gives the other an opportunity to help make that change. “Our task, of course, is to transmute the anger that is affliction into the anger that is determination to bring about change. I think, in fact, that one could give that as a definition of revolution.
-- Barbara Deming -
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there is clearly a kind of anger that is healthy. It is the concentration of one's whole being in the determination: this must change.
-- Barbara Deming -
Even the most daring and accomplished people have undergone tremendous difficulty. In fact, the more successful they became, the more they attributed their success to the lessons learned during their most difficult times. Adversity is our teacher. When we view adversity as a guide towards greater inner growth, we will then learn to accept the wisdom our soul came into this life to learn.
-- Barbara Rose -
Developing a cheerful disposition can permit an atmosphere wherein one's spirit can be nurtured and encouraged to blossom and bear fruit. Being pessimistic and negative about our experiences will not enhance the quality of our lives. A determination to be of good cheer can help us and those around us to enjoy life more fully.
-- Barbara W. Winder -
But their determination to banish fools foundered ultimately in the installation of absolute idiots.
-- Basil BuntingSource : Basil Bunting (2016). “The Poems of Basil Bunting”, p.66, Faber & Faber
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All worthwhile journeys have big obstacles. It's the way of the world. The rewards go to those who can push through those trying moments and still manage to keep a smile on their face.
-- Bear Grylls -
To counter the fixation on a rhetoric of victimhood, black folks must engage in a discourse of self-determination.
-- Bell Hooks -
It's amazing what ordinary people can do if they set out without preconceived notions.
-- Ben Stein -
I have brought myself, by long meditation, to the conviction that a human being with a settled purpose must accomplish it, and that nothing can resist a will which will stake even existence upon its fulfillment.
-- Benjamin Disraeli -
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He that can have patience can have what he will.
-- Benjamin Franklin -
Tim Price continues to explore and develop his deeply personal approach to music. Through the years his persistence, determination and passion has enabled him to create a stellar reputation as a multiple woodwind master, composer, producer, author and last but not least educator. Tim is one of the best musicians active today and I'm happy to say he's my friend....
-- Bennie Maupin -
Take the selfishness out of anger and you're left with determination.
-- Bernie Glassman -
I believe in Jesus Christ, and I believe He gave me the passion and determination to continue surfing. You fall off the horse, and you get back on. I had to go for it.
-- Bethany Hamilton -
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Marriage takes perseverance and determination. There are always opportunities to walk away from marriage but I feel very strongly that you have a responsibility once you start a family.
-- Betty Churcher -
I wish you power that equals your intelligence and your strength. I wish you success that equals your talent and determination. And I wish you faith.
-- Betty Shabazz -
The responsibility for the risks we posed to others in some of our most extreme actions in those underground years never leaves my thoughts for long. The antiwar movement in all its commitment, all its sacrifice and determination, could not stop the violence unleashed against Vietnam. And therein lies cause for real regret.
-- Bill AyersSource : "The Real Bill Ayers". Article by William Ayers, www.nytimes.com. December 05, 2008.
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Anyone can dabble, but once you've made that commitment, your blood has that particular thing in it, and it's very hard for people to stop you.
-- Bill Cosby -
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Regardless of the problem, as long as our solution requires someone else to change, we will never know the power and promise of self-determination.
-- Bill Crawford -
The American Dream is still alive out there, and hard work will get you there. You don't necessarily need to have an Ivy League education or to have millions of dollars startup money. It can be done with an idea, hard work and determination.
-- Bill Rancic -
I have always had the deepest respect for Bill Nicholson as a person and as a manager. The Spurs boss is an honest Yorkshireman and you will go a long way before finding a straighter character than that. Bill has never wavered in his determination to give White Hart Lane fans the best.
-- Bill Shankly -
If there is a single trait in our character that has historically set us apart from other nations, it is our determination to limit the authority of those who rule over us.
-- Billy BraggSource : Billy Bragg (2013). “The Progressive Patriot”, p.330, Random House
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Censorship defeats the right to self determination.
-- Billy Forbes -
The determination that led me to create a new sports team taught me an important lesson: opportunity is manufactured.
-- Biz StoneSource : Biz Stone (2014). “Things A Little Bird Told Me”, p.14, Pan Macmillan
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Rosa Parks' courage, determination, and tenacity continue to be an inspiration to all those committed to non-violent protest and change nearly half a century later.
-- Bob Filner -
When I hear bad news I look at it as another leadership test that will determine how successful Go Daddy will become. So I no longer dread it. Instead, I enjoy the game of finding the very best way to deal with it, and take great satisfaction in having a hand in resolving the issues that come my way.
-- Bob Parsons -
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Being a winner is never an accident; winning comes about by design, determination and positive action.
-- Bob Proctor -
It doesn't matter how you grew up, or what you've struggled with in life - your mind is unscathed by any circumstance you've yet to live... and it's phenomenally powerful.
-- Bob Proctor -
Every person who has grown to any degree of usefulness, every person who has grown to distinction, almost without exception has been a person who has risen by overcoming obstacles, by removing difficulties, by resolving that when he met discouragement he would not give up.
-- Booker T. Washington -
The man who has learned to do something better than anyone else, has learned to do a common thing in an uncommon manner, is the man who has a power and influence that no adverse circumstances can take from him.
-- Booker T. Washington -