“I expect to maintain this contest until successful, or till I die, or am conquered, or my term expires, or Congress or the country forsakes me.”
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About this quote
The line is a blunt pledge to keep working until the goal is met or until outside forces truly stop the effort. It forces responsibility over excuses and asks you to measure effort by outcomes, not intentions. Use it as a hard reminder to set clear targets, keep grinding daily, and accept that only steady action produces durable results.
When to use it
- A local organizer uses it when promising neighbors they will keep fighting a decades-long housing project until homes are built or outside forces end it.
- A startup founder says it before committing to a three-year turnaround plan, accepting that results—not promises—will decide the outcome.
- A student repeats it at the start of a demanding degree program as a vow to continue studying and submitting work until graduation, no matter setbacks.
- A mayor invokes it while defending a tough public works plan, signaling they will push it through until it succeeds or is truly blocked.

