--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How you start is important, but it is how…" description: "\"How you start is important, but it is how you finish that counts. In the race for success, speed is less important than stamina. The sticker outlasts t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/b-c-forbes-2124_important_how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how_373338.jpg" --- # How you start is important, but it is how you finish that… ![“How you start is important, but it is how you finish that counts. In the race for success, speed is less important than stamina. The sticker outlasts the sprinter.” quote by B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/b-c-forbes-2124_important_how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how_373338.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/b-c-forbes-2124_important_how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how_373338.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/b-c-forbes-2124_important_how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how_373338.jpg) > “How you start is important, but it is how you finish that counts. In the race for success, speed is less important than stamina. The sticker outlasts the sprinter.” [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success depends more on sustained effort than on a strong start; endurance outweighs speed in long‑term goals. **In simple terms:** Finish matters more than start; stamina beats speed. Key Takeaway Focus on lasting effort. Themes endurance success perseverance Mood determined optimistic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - marathon training - business projects - personal development Key Concepts growth mindset long‑term planning Questions to Reflect On - How can you build stamina for your goals? - What habits help maintain momentum over time? A Different Perspective Speed alone cannot guarantee success; without stamina, early advantage fades. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Stamina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-stamina-2161201/) [Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Speed Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed-important-588149/) [Sprinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sprinter/) [Sprinters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sprinters/) [Stamina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamina/) [Stamina Sticker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamina-sticker-3402020/) [Sticker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticker/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [How you start is important, very important, but in the end it is how you finish that counts. It is easier to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/how-you-start-is-important-very-important-but-in-the-end-it-is-how/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [In the race for success, speed is less important than stamina.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/in-the-race-for-success-speed-is-less-important-than-stamina/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Carl Lewis wasn't a great sprinter. He could only run fast for like 9 seconds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serge-ibaka/carl-lewis-wasn-t-a-great-sprinter-he-could-only-run-fast-for-like-9/) [Serge Ibaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serge-ibaka/) > [To a sprinter, the hundred-yard dash is over in three seconds, not nine or ten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/to-a-sprinter-the-hundred-yard-dash-is-over-in-three-seconds-not-nine-2/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [We crave instant success these days. If you are a really good sprinter and long jumper, you don't want to spend two or three…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daley-thompson/we-crave-instant-success-these-days-if-you-are-a-really-good-sprinter/) [Daley Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daley-thompson/) > [Double gold means I'm king of the sprints. It shows I'm the best sprinter around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-gatlin/double-gold-means-i-m-king-of-the-sprints-it-shows-i-m-the-best/) [Justin Gatlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-gatlin/) > [A lot of sprinters aren't football players. I'm a football player. That's the difference between me and a sprinter. My knowledge of the game.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marquise-goodwin/a-lot-of-sprinters-aren-t-football-players-i-m-a-football-player-that/) [Marquise Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marquise-goodwin/) > [When I was young, I was too slow. I thought I must learn to run fast by practicing to run fast, so I ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/when-i-was-young-i-was-too-slow-i-thought-i-must-learn-to-run-fast-by-2/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [The poster boy for our superabled future is Oscar Pistorius, an increasingly famous South African sprinter who happens to have had both of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-h-wilson/the-poster-boy-for-our-superabled-future-is-oscar-pistorius-an/) [Daniel H. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-h-wilson/) > [I realized that I was more of a sprinter than a marathon man. With a long, long project, I get bored easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-realized-that-i-was-more-of-a-sprinter-than-a-marathon-man-with-a/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [You learn to run like a sprinter, you'll be a great distance runner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-salazar/you-learn-to-run-like-a-sprinter-you-ll-be-a-great-distance-runner/) [Alberto Salazar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-salazar/) > [To a sprinter, the hundred-yard dash is over in three seconds, not nine or ten. The first 'second' is when you come out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/to-a-sprinter-the-hundred-yard-dash-is-over-in-three-seconds-not-nine/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [You need to become more than one type of athlete. You have to be a sprinter, a weight man and a distance guy all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-o-brien/you-need-to-become-more-than-one-type-of-athlete-you-have-to-be-a/) [Dan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-o-brien/) > [It's a different world because of the Internet and bloggers. Now, every editor is concerned about speed because every minute counts. Speed is more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hilburn/it-s-a-different-world-because-of-the-internet-and-bloggers-now-every/) [Robert Hilburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hilburn/) > [Speed is more important than endurance in the decathlon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlyn-jenner/speed-is-more-important-than-endurance-in-the-decathlon/) [Caitlyn Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlyn-jenner/) ## More by B. C. Forbes > [Our future and our fate lie in our wills more than in our hands, for our hands are but the instruments of our wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/our-future-and-our-fate-lie-in-our-wills-more-than-in-our-hands-for/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [What one thing does the world need most today-apart, that is, from the all-inclusive thing we call righteousness? Aren't you inclined to agree that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/what-one-thing-does-the-world-need-most-today-apart-that-is-from-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are soft-hearted people handicapped in business? You have heard a businessman say of someone else, He's all right, but he's too soft-hearted… To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-soft-hearted-people-handicapped-in-business-you-have-heard-a/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Search and you will find that at the base and birth of every great business organization was an enthusiast, man consumed with earnestness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/search-and-you-will-find-that-at-the-base-and-birth-of-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [A big business man was telling Henry Ford about a coach driver of super-expertness with his whip. The driver was telling how he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/a-big-business-man-was-telling-henry-ford-about-a-coach-driver-of/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Better to be occasionally cheated than perpetually suspicious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/better-to-be-occasionally-cheated-than-perpetually-suspicious/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Honesty pays dividends both in dollars and in peace of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/honesty-pays-dividends-both-in-dollars-and-in-peace-of-mind/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Timing is everything. Tell me how a young man spends his evenings and I will tell you how far he is likely to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/timing-is-everything-tell-me-how-a-young-man-spends-his-evenings-and/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [To succeed, we must have the will to succeed, we must have stamina, determination, backbone, perseverance, self-reliance, and faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/to-succeed-we-must-have-the-will-to-succeed-we-must-have-stamina/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [There are two brands of discontent: the brand that merely fosters greed and snarling and back-biting, and the brand that inspires greater and greater…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/there-are-two-brands-of-discontent-the-brand-that-merely-fosters/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Which class is happiest, the rich, the middle class or the poor? A very successful executive of a large organization touches upon this vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/which-class-is-happiest-the-rich-the-middle-class-or-the-poor-a-very/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Are your desires purely selfish? Do your tastes run to a grand home, automobiles, fine clothes, an abundance of amusements, and so forth? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/are-your-desires-purely-selfish-do-your-tastes-run-to-a-grand-home/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [When you delve deep enough, you find that practically every great fortune and great enterprise in America have sprung from the courageous enterprise of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/when-you-delve-deep-enough-you-find-that-practically-every-great/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [It can be set down as a broad, general principle that we cannot indulge in idleness and abundance during both the first and second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/it-can-be-set-down-as-a-broad-general-principle-that-we-cannot/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [The Christmas spirit brings home to us-or should bring home to us-the profound Biblical truth that it is more blessed to give than to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/the-christmas-spirit-brings-home-to-us-or-should-bring-home-to-us-the/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) [Explore all 184 B. C. Forbes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) ## More Important quotes > [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [Fiscal prudence is very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smriti-irani/fiscal-prudence-is-very-important/) [Smriti Irani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smriti-irani/) > [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/) [Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/) > [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/) [John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [If I had learned how to get along in the quotidian world while keeping up the search for the hidden realm, I might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/if-i-had-learned-how-to-get-along-in-the-quotidian-world-while/) [Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/) > [Modeling is more important than the talking we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-williams/modeling-is-more-important-than-the-talking-we-do/) [Wayne Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-williams/) > [There are more important things to focus on in life than how you look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arden-cho/there-are-more-important-things-to-focus-on-in-life-than-how-you-look/) [Arden Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arden-cho/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/) [Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 30,993 Important quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "How you start is important, but it is how you finish that counts. In the race for success, speed is less important than stamina. The sticker outlasts the sprinter.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "B. C. Forbes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how-you-finish-that-counts-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Important" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how-you-finish-that-counts-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/b-c-forbes-2124_important_how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how_373338.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/b-c-forbes-2124_important_how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how_373338.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/029/b-c-forbes-2124_important_how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how_373338.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How you start is important, but it is how you finish that counts. In the race for success, speed is less…” — B. C. Forbes", "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": "B. C. Forbes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "How you start is important, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how-you-finish-that-counts-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how-you-finish-that-counts-in/#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 } } ] } ```