--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Making your mark on the world is hard. If…" description: "\"Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/barack-obama-17_commitment_making-your-mark-on-the-world-is-hard-if_2855920.jpg" --- # Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy… ![“Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. it's whether you let it harden or shame…” quote by Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/barack-obama-17_commitment_making-your-mark-on-the-world-is-hard-if_2855920.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/barack-obama-17_commitment_making-your-mark-on-the-world-is-hard-if_2855920.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af2/barack-obama-17_commitment_making-your-mark-on-the-world-is-hard-if_2855920.jpg) > “Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes commitment, and it comes with plenty of failure along the way. The real test is not whether you avoid this failure, because you won't. it's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or whether you learn from it; whether you choose to persevere.” [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Achieving impact requires effort, patience, commitment, and learning from failure rather than being paralyzed by it. **In simple terms:** Success needs hard work and learning from setbacks. Key Takeaway Embrace failure, keep moving forward. Themes perseverance resilience growth leadership Mood determined reflective Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - career development - personal goals - creative projects Key Concepts commitment patience learning from failure Questions to Reflect On - How do you turn setbacks into lessons? - What habits sustain your perseverance? A Different Perspective Failure can demotivate if not reframed as feedback. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Commitment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/greatness/) [Inaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inaction/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/) [Perseverance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perseverance/) [Shame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shame/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) [Tests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tests/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [You choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-choose/) ## Related quotes > [The real test is not whether you avoid failure, because you won't. It's whether you let it harden or shame you into inaction, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-real-test-is-not-whether-you-avoid-failure-because-you-won-t-it-s/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Making your mark on the world is hard. If it were easy, everybody would do it. But it's not. It takes patience, it takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danial/making-your-mark-on-the-world-is-hard-if-it-were-easy-everybody-would/) Danial > [“There was all the difference in the world between this planning airily away from the canvas and actually taking her brush and making the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/there-was-all-the-difference-in-the-world-between-this-planning/) [Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/) > [One of the joys of writing music is making your own mark. Study other stuff, immerse yourself in music and then tell your own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thea-gilmore/one-of-the-joys-of-writing-music-is-making-your-own-mark-study-other/) [Thea Gilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thea-gilmore/) > [Making a mark becomes more challenging when you are a part of a multi-starrer. But I like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamannaah/making-a-mark-becomes-more-challenging-when-you-are-a-part-of-a-multi/) [Tamannaah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamannaah/) > [I always knew that I will have to find my own way in the industry. My father had told me that making a mark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicky-kaushal/i-always-knew-that-i-will-have-to-find-my-own-way-in-the-industry-my/) [Vicky Kaushal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicky-kaushal/) > [I would love to see more women making their mark in the music that I love so much ... There are so many more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/i-would-love-to-see-more-women-making-their-mark-in-the-music-that-i/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [“Making your mark in the world is better than making trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/making-your-mark-in-the-world-is-better-than-making-trouble/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [“The truth is to love yourself with the same intensity you would use to pull yourself up if you were hanging off a cliff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-ravikant/the-truth-is-to-love-yourself-with-the-same-intensity-you-would-use/) [Kamal Ravikant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-ravikant/) > [Love is more than just saying the words I love you to someone, It takes commitment and trust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-dawn-monks/love-is-more-than-just-saying-the-words-i-love-you-to-someone-it/) [Victoria Dawn Monks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-dawn-monks/) > [Sleeping like an internet person takes commitment, it all starts in the late afternoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troye-sivan/sleeping-like-an-internet-person-takes-commitment-it-all-starts-in/) [Troye Sivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troye-sivan/) > [When people tell me they will give it a try, I say don’t bother, you have already decided to fail. It takes more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-fuhrman/when-people-tell-me-they-will-give-it-a-try-i-say-don-t-bother-you/) [Joel Fuhrman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-fuhrman/) > [Make sure to be honest with yourself, about if that's really what you want to do with your life - to make music. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-daniels/make-sure-to-be-honest-with-yourself-about-if-that-s-really-what-you/) [Charlie Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-daniels/) > [A proper relationship takes more than passion - it takes commitment, compromise and having each other's backs no matter what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleen-nolan/a-proper-relationship-takes-more-than-passion-it-takes-commitment/) [Coleen Nolan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleen-nolan/) > [Challenging the status quo takes commitment, courage, imagination, and, above all, dedication to learning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-ganz/challenging-the-status-quo-takes-commitment-courage-imagination-and/) [Marshall Ganz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-ganz/) ## More by Barack Obama > [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/) > [The peaceful transition of power is one of the hallmarks of our democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-peaceful-transition-of-power-is-one-of-the-hallmarks-of-our/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Donald Trump is temperamentally unfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/donald-trump-is-temperamentally-unfit/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [What we've said to the girls is: 'If you guys ever decide that you're going to get a tattoo, then mommy and me will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/what-we-ve-said-to-the-girls-is-if-you-guys-ever-decide-that-you-re/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Nobody is listening to your telephone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/nobody-is-listening-to-your-telephone-calls/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ That is another theme in the book \[Dreams from My Father\]. How do we exercise more empathy in our public discourse? How do we… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/that-is-another-theme-in-the-book-dreams-from-my-father-how-do-we/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I can say across Europe that many principles that have been taken for granted here around free speech, and around civil liberties and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-can-say-across-europe-that-many-principles-that-have-been-taken-for/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [So Americans understand the costs of war. Yet as a country, we will never tolerate our security being threatened, nor stand idly by when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/so-americans-understand-the-costs-of-war-yet-as-a-country-we-will/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [I want to thank the Greek people publicly for their humanitarian response to the crisis of so many migrants and refugees seeking safety in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/i-want-to-thank-the-greek-people-publicly-for-their-humanitarian/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [We had a farewell dinner for some of my senior staff, and generally everybody likes to talk about how cool I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/we-had-a-farewell-dinner-for-some-of-my-senior-staff-and-generally/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ It's good to get fresh legs in \[the White house\]. I think that it refreshes our democracy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/it-s-good-to-get-fresh-legs-in-the-white-house-i-think-that-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Believe it or not, entertainment is part of our American diplomacy, it is part of what makes us exceptional, part of what makes us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/believe-it-or-not-entertainment-is-part-of-our-american-diplomacy-it/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) [Explore all 3,624 Barack Obama quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) ## More Commitment quotes > [Deepen your existing spiritual commitment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/deepen-your-existing-spiritual-commitment/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [Certainly these are not easy times. But history does not contain very many easy times. Years from now, we will look back at this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/certainly-these-are-not-easy-times-but-history-does-not-contain-very/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [Trust is about keeping commitments, but in many instances, circumstances change and organizations therefore shed commitments, things such as retiree medical benefits, pension obligations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-pfeffer/trust-is-about-keeping-commitments-but-in-many-instances/) [Jeffrey Pfeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-pfeffer/) > [“You make me believe in happiness... if I had my way, if anything were up to me, I’d never be without you. You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-kirchoff/you-make-me-believe-in-happiness-if-i-had-my-way-if-anything-were-up/) [Courtney Kirchoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-kirchoff/) > [Golf is such a big commitment, and so is acting. Sometimes you have to give up something to do something else, although, when I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-newton/golf-is-such-a-big-commitment-and-so-is-acting-sometimes-you-have-to/) [Kathryn Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-newton/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [When you make a commitment to a relationship, you invest your attention and energy in it more profoundly because you now experience ownership of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-de-angelis/when-you-make-a-commitment-to-a-relationship-you-invest-your/) [Barbara De Angelis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-de-angelis/) > [ “For \[erotically intelligent couples\], love is a vessel that contains both security and adventure, and commitment offers one of the great luxuries of life:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-erotically-intelligent-couples-love-is-a-vessel-that-contains/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [Having a point to start is important. You know that when you decide to write something it's like a commitment. It's like falling in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/having-a-point-to-start-is-important-you-know-that-when-you-decide-to/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [A lasting relationship consists of the 3 C's: Commitment. Communication. Compromise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/a-lasting-relationship-consists-of-the-3-c-s-commitment-communication/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [I've developed a huge regard for Toyota for its environmental awareness, for its immense commitment to research and development in this field, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-developed-a-huge-regard-for-toyota-for-its-environmental/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [And the commitment that I've been giving to the Australian people is that there'll be no surprises and no excuses under a Coalition government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-abbott/and-the-commitment-that-i-ve-been-giving-to-the-australian-people-is/) [Tony Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-abbott/) > [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) [Browse all 4,004 Commitment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/commitment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Making your mark on the world is hard. 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