--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: you cannot just be stubborn against…" description: "\"“you cannot just be stubborn against something, you need to be stubborn for something as well”\" — Azar Nafisi" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/azar-nafisi-2001_need_you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-some_103858.png" --- # you cannot just be stubborn against something, you need to… ![“you cannot just be stubborn against something, you need to be stubborn for something as well” quote by Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/azar-nafisi-2001_need_you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-some_103858.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/azar-nafisi-2001_need_you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-some_103858.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/azar-nafisi-2001_need_you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-some_103858.png) > ““you cannot just be stubborn against something, you need to be stubborn for something as well”” [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stubbornness should be purposeful, defending a cause rather than resisting for its own sake. **In simple terms:** Be stubborn for a cause. Key Takeaway Purposeful persistence matters. Themes determination purpose resilience values Mood assertive inspirational Type max motivational When to use this quote - activism - personal goal pursuit - conflict resolution Key Concepts goal‑directed behavior motivation Practical Applications - identify core values before persisting - channel stubbornness into constructive action Questions to Reflect On - When does stubbornness become counterproductive? - How can one align stubbornness with meaningful goals? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“you cannot just be stubborn against something, you need to be sib born for something as well”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-something-you-need-to-be-sib-born/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“We had both made mistakes and been admittedly stubborn, but we need to move on with, not away from, each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-eulberg/we-had-both-made-mistakes-and-been-admittedly-stubborn-but-we-need-to/) [Elizabeth Eulberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-eulberg/) > [You need a stubborn belief in an idea in order to see it realised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dyson/you-need-a-stubborn-belief-in-an-idea-in-order-to-see-it-realised/) [James Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dyson/) > [“I shook my head. He sighed. “You’re still just as stubborn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/i-shook-my-head-he-sighed-you-re-still-just-as-stubborn/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [I don't read books on how to write screenplays just because I'm stubborn. So it's all sort of made up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-carruth/i-don-t-read-books-on-how-to-write-screenplays-just-because-i-m/) [Shane Carruth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-carruth/) > [“Gibson Goode to Archy: "You're just being stubborn now. Stubbornness in the service of a mistaken notion is a vanity and a sin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/gibson-goode-to-archy-you-re-just-being-stubborn-now-stubbornness-in/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“You wanted me as much as I wanted you. You're just too stubborn to admit it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-perry/you-wanted-me-as-much-as-i-wanted-you-you-re-just-too-stubborn-to/) [Kate Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-perry/) > [“I've tried to tell myself that it's nothing, a stupid whim, but no matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-miles/i-ve-tried-to-tell-myself-that-it-s-nothing-a-stupid-whim-but-no/) [Amy Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-miles/) > [Who knows, maybe I'm just a stubborn jerk? Maybe the other people who do stuff they don't want to do, maybe they're doing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-page/who-knows-maybe-i-m-just-a-stubborn-jerk-maybe-the-other-people-who/) [Ellen Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-page/) > [I was just too stubborn to ever be governed by enforced insanity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-was-just-too-stubborn-to-ever-be-governed-by-enforced-insanity/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [I was just more stubborn and more passionate than most about physics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/i-was-just-more-stubborn-and-more-passionate-than-most-about-physics/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Music is an art, if not a part, You are just another stubborn sort...:)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babu-rajan/music-is-an-art-if-not-a-part-you-are-just-another-stubborn-sort/) Babu Rajan > [“I will have both of you," he said. "My Sentinel and my city. And the GP will learn exactly how stubborn we both can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-neill/i-will-have-both-of-you-he-said-my-sentinel-and-my-city-and-the-gp/) [Chloe Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-neill/) > [We're also fairly stubborn, I think, fairly independent. We have our share of difficulties with our federal government, although I've tried to as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-miller/we-re-also-fairly-stubborn-i-think-fairly-independent-we-have-our/) [Dan Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-miller/) > [I'm a very stubborn woman and I'm from a very stubborn family of headstrong women. I have sisters, so the women rule the coop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evangeline-lilly/i-m-a-very-stubborn-woman-and-i-m-from-a-very-stubborn-family-of/) [Evangeline Lilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evangeline-lilly/) ## More by Azar Nafisi > [“A novel is not an allegory...it is a sensual experience of another world. If you don't enter that world, hold your breath with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/a-novel-is-not-an-allegory-it-is-a-sensual-experience-of-another/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“I have a recurring fantasy that one more article has been added to the Bill of Rights: the right to free access to imagination.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-have-a-recurring-fantasy-that-one-more-article-has-been-added-to/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“Hope for some means its loss for others; when the hopeless regain some hope, those in power--the ones who had taken it away--become afraid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/hope-for-some-means-its-loss-for-others-when-the-hopeless-regain-some/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Imagine you are walking down a leafy path…The sun is receding, and you are walking alone, caressed by the breezy light of the late…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/imagine-you-are-walking-down-a-leafy-path-the-sun-is-receding-and-you/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [If I turned towards books, it was because they were the only sanctuary I knew, one I needed in order to survive, to protect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/if-i-turned-towards-books-it-was-because-they-were-the-only-sanctuary/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [ “Such an act \[testifying for an accused prison guard of the Shah's regime\] can only be accomplished by someone who is engrossed in literature,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/such-an-act-testifying-for-an-accused-prison-guard-of-the-shah-s/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [It is only through literature that one can put oneself in someone else’s shoes and understand the other’s different and contradictory sides and refrain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/it-is-only-through-literature-that-one-can-put-oneself-in-someone/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“That first day I asked my students what they thought fiction should accomplish, why one should bother to read fiction at all. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/that-first-day-i-asked-my-students-what-they-thought-fiction-should/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Do not, under any circumstances, belittle a work of fiction by trying to turn it into a carbon copy of real life; what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/do-not-under-any-circumstances-belittle-a-work-of-fiction-by-trying/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Visa for Avalon is a testament to the power of fiction. It illuminates the truth at the heart of what is commonly called reality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/visa-for-avalon-is-a-testament-to-the-power-of-fiction-it-illuminates/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“You ask me what it means to be irrelevant? The feeling is akin to visiting your old house as a wandering ghost with unfinished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-ask-me-what-it-means-to-be-irrelevant-the-feeling-is-akin-to/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“I explained that most great works of the imagination were meant to make you feel like a stranger in your own home. The best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-explained-that-most-great-works-of-the-imagination-were-meant-to/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“We envy people like you, and we want to be you; we can't, so we destroy you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/we-envy-people-like-you-and-we-want-to-be-you-we-can-t-so-we-destroy/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [“..."readers were born free and ought to remain free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/readers-were-born-free-and-ought-to-remain-free/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [I eat my heart out alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/i-eat-my-heart-out-alone/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) [Explore all 182 Azar Nafisi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) ## More Need quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [I was very lucky to get well known much later in life. You need to have flopped quite a few times to get a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clooney/i-was-very-lucky-to-get-well-known-much-later-in-life-you-need-to/) [George Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clooney/) > [A draft doesn't produce the people we need to satisfy our real manpower shortage. We need specialists to keep our jets flying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/a-draft-doesn-t-produce-the-people-we-need-to-satisfy-our-real/) [Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/) > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [U dount need eny cuz when u get in a relaishondhip u love it forever not for crying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-athors-name-i-made-it/u-dount-need-eny-cuz-when-u-get-in-a-relaishondhip-u-love-it-forever/) No Athors Name I Made It > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [Inequality is pervasive but invisible. It's hard to see. You need a sort of tool to make it visible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hito-steyerl/inequality-is-pervasive-but-invisible-it-s-hard-to-see-you-need-a/) [Hito Steyerl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hito-steyerl/) > [I think I need the demons in order to write, but the demons have gone. It bothers me a lot. I've tried and tried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/i-think-i-need-the-demons-in-order-to-write-but-the-demons-have-gone/) [Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/) > [I really like female singers; I've got zero interest in working with male singers. Any male voice I need to do, I can do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devin-townsend/i-really-like-female-singers-i-ve-got-zero-interest-in-working-with/) [Devin Townsend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devin-townsend/) > [Receiving the care that you need, and are entitled to, shouldn't be a struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marty-walsh/receiving-the-care-that-you-need-and-are-entitled-to-shouldn-t-be-a/) [Marty Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marty-walsh/) > [Anything you pray for, you need to prepare for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-franklin/anything-you-pray-for-you-need-to-prepare-for/) [DeVon Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-franklin/) > [If the system should not need parts now, the worker should not produce because you are just absorbing instead of producing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliyahu-goldratt/if-the-system-should-not-need-parts-now-the-worker-should-not-produce/) [Eliyahu Goldratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliyahu-goldratt/) > [I really don't think you need a letter on your jersey to be a leader on a hockey club.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carey-price/i-really-don-t-think-you-need-a-letter-on-your-jersey-to-be-a-leader/) [Carey Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carey-price/) > [The more I trust you, the less details I need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-more-i-trust-you-the-less-details-i-need/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) Browse all 14,164 Need quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“you cannot just be stubborn against something, you need to be stubborn for something as well”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Azar Nafisi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-something-you-need-to-be-stubborn/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Need" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-something-you-need-to-be-stubborn/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/azar-nafisi-2001_need_you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-some_103858.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/azar-nafisi-2001_need_you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-some_103858.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee7/azar-nafisi-2001_need_you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-some_103858.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“you cannot just be stubborn against something, you need to be stubborn for something as well” — Azar Nafisi", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Azar Nafisi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“you cannot just be stubborn against...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-something-you-need-to-be-stubborn/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/you-cannot-just-be-stubborn-against-something-you-need-to-be-stubborn/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```