--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How you start is important, very…" description: "\"How you start is important, very important, but in the end it is how you finish that counts. It is easier to be a self-starter than a self-finisher. Th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/b-c-forbes-2124_america_how-you-start-is-important-very-importan_1006886.jpg" --- # How you start is important, very important, but in the end… ![“How you start is important, very important, but in the end it is how you finish that counts. It is easier to be a self-starter than a self-finisher. The victor in the race is not the one who dashes off swiftest but the one who leads at the finish. In the race for success, speed is less important…” quote by B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/b-c-forbes-2124_america_how-you-start-is-important-very-importan_1006886.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/b-c-forbes-2124_america_how-you-start-is-important-very-importan_1006886.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e65/b-c-forbes-2124_america_how-you-start-is-important-very-importan_1006886.jpg) > “How you start is important, very important, but in the end it is how you finish that counts. It is easier to be a self-starter than a self-finisher. The victor in the race is not the one who dashes off swiftest but the one who leads at the finish. In the race for success, speed is less important than stamina. The sticker outlasts the sprinter in life's race. In America we breed many hares but not so many tortoises.” [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. Finishing strong matters more than starting fast; endurance beats speed in long‑term achievement. **In simple terms:** Endurance matters more than speed. Key Takeaway Focus on stamina and consistent effort. Themes success endurance goal‑setting Mood motivational practical Type inspirational advice When to use this quote - career development - marathon training - project management - personal growth Key Concepts psychology of motivation long‑term planning Questions to Reflect On - What habits build lasting stamina? - How to balance speed and endurance? A Different Perspective Stamina alone may not overcome lack of skill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [America](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/america/) [Easier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easier/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Finishers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finishers/) [Hares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hares/) [Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important/) [Important Stamina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/important-stamina-2161201/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Perseverance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perseverance/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Race in america](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race-in-america/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self Finisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-finisher-2161202/) [Self starter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-starter-166782/) [Speed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed/) [Speed Important](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/speed-important-588149/) [Sprinters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sprinters/) [Stamina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stamina/) [Starter Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starter-self-2161200/) [Starters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starters/) [Sticker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sticker/) [Tortoises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tortoises/) ## Related quotes > [How you start is important, but it is how you finish that counts. In the race for success, speed is less important than stamina.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/how-you-start-is-important-but-it-is-how-you-finish-that-counts-in/) [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/) > [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/) > [“In science, it is not speed that is the most important. It is the dedication, the commitment, the interest and the will to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-wigner/in-science-it-is-not-speed-that-is-the-most-important-it-is-the/) [Eugene Wigner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-wigner/) > [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 has become an important element of strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regis-mckenna/speed-has-become-an-important-element-of-strategy/) [Regis McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regis-mckenna/) > [Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/welcome-every-morning-with-a-smile-look-on-the-new-day-as-another/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day. Today will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/let-your-first-hour-set-the-theme-of-success-and-positive-action-that/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [What the carburetor, sparkplug and self-starter are to an automobile, initiative, private enterprise and executive ability are to industry as a whole, including the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-h-boetcker/what-the-carburetor-sparkplug-and-self-starter-are-to-an-automobile/) [William J. H. Boetcker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-j-h-boetcker/) > [Be a self-starter. Do it now! When you don't know how to do something, start. Beware of the paralysis of analysis. Be a person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mamie-mccullough/be-a-self-starter-do-it-now-when-you-don-t-know-how-to-do-something/) [Mamie McCullough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mamie-mccullough/) > [The focus of my life begins at home with family, loved ones and friends. I want to use my resources to create a secure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merlin-olsen/the-focus-of-my-life-begins-at-home-with-family-loved-ones-and/) [Merlin Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merlin-olsen/) > [Welcome every morning with a smile. Look on the new day as another special gift from your Creator, another golden opportunity to complete what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/welcome-every-morning-with-a-smile-look-on-the-new-day-as-another-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In order to be creatively satisfied and financially secure, you need to be a self-starter. I'm always assuming nothing's going to work out and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-goldwyn/in-order-to-be-creatively-satisfied-and-financially-secure-you-need/) [Tony Goldwyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-goldwyn/) > [We treat racism in this country like it's a style that America went through. Like flared legs and lava lamps. Oh, that crazy thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-rock/we-treat-racism-in-this-country-like-it-s-a-style-that-america-went/) [Chris Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-rock/) > [“The next morning the newspapers carried the news that while our meeting was being held there had been staged in Paris, Texas, one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ida-b-wells-barnett/the-next-morning-the-newspapers-carried-the-news-that-while-our/) [Ida B. Wells-Barnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ida-b-wells-barnett/) ## 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. 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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 America quotes > [The costs of the Bush-Obama wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now estimated to run as high as $4.4 trillion - a major victory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-costs-of-the-bush-obama-wars-in-iraq-and-afghanistan-are-now/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [So here's what I want you to know, and here's what I want all our men and women in uniform to know: Because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-here-s-what-i-want-you-to-know-and-here-s-what-i-want-all-our-men/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Today, the world looks to America for leadership. And America looks to its Corps of Marines.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/today-the-world-looks-to-america-for-leadership-and-america-looks-to/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [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/) > [ I'll smoke, I'll cough, I'll get the tumors, I'll die, deal? Thank you America. \[salutes\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hicks/i-ll-smoke-i-ll-cough-i-ll-get-the-tumors-i-ll-die-deal-thank-you/) [Bill Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hicks/) > [America is a democracy and has no Hitler, but I am afraid for her future; there are hard times ahead for the American people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/america-is-a-democracy-and-has-no-hitler-but-i-am-afraid-for-her/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I'm gonna bring America together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/i-m-gonna-bring-america-together/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [In the nineteenth century some parts of the world were unexplored, but there was almost no restriction on travel.:; Up to 1914 you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/in-the-nineteenth-century-some-parts-of-the-world-were-unexplored-but/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [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/) > [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/) [Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/) > [You live overseas, you see these exotic places and you want to know about them. But, weirdly, it also made me homesick for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-jennings/you-live-overseas-you-see-these-exotic-places-and-you-want-to-know/) [Ken Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-jennings/) > [Freedom in every sense but primarily political sense, a rise in repression that stems from a repression of sexuality. 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