---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Patience is the ability to idle your…"
description: "\"Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.\" — Barbara Johnson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/barbara-johnson-8544_ability_patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-mot_1948745.png"
---

#  Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel…

![“Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.” quote by Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/barbara-johnson-8544_ability_patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-mot_1948745.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/barbara-johnson-8544_ability_patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-mot_1948745.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/barbara-johnson-8544_ability_patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-mot_1948745.png)

> “Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.”

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Patience means pausing action to prevent damage when frustration builds.

**In simple terms:** Pause before reacting.

Key Takeaway

Pause to avoid burnout.

Themes

patience selfcontrol resilience

Mood

calm thoughtful

Type

advice motivational

When to use this quote

- high‑pressure work
- traffic jams
- family disagreements

Key Concepts

emotional regulation stress management

Questions to Reflect On

- What signals tell you it’s time to act?
- How do you know when patience becomes passivity?

A Different Perspective

Excessive patience may lead to missed opportunities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patience/)

## Related quotes

> [Patience is idling your motor when you feel like stripping a gear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gothard/patience-is-idling-your-motor-when-you-feel-like-stripping-a-gear/)

[Bill Gothard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gothard/)

> [Patience is the ability to suffer a long time under the mistreatment of others without growing resentful or bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-bridges/patience-is-the-ability-to-suffer-a-long-time-under-the-mistreatment/)

[Jerry Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-bridges/)

> [Patience is the ability to accept trouble, suffering, delay without getting angry or upset, I feel like if you can master patience you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-sean/patience-is-the-ability-to-accept-trouble-suffering-delay-without/)

[Big Sean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-sean/)

> [Patience is not the ability To wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while your WAITING!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-guzaldo/patience-is-not-the-ability-to-wait-but-the-ability-to-keep-a-good-3/)

[Andrew Guzaldo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-guzaldo/)

> [Patience is not an ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-nwakama/patience-is-not-an-ability-to-wait-but-the-ability-to-keep-a-good/)

[Anne Nwakama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-nwakama/)

> [“Patience Is Not the Ability to Wait: Patience is not the ability to wait. Patience is to be calm no matter what happens, constantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/patience-is-not-the-ability-to-wait-patience-is-not-the-ability-to/)

[Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/)

> [Patience is not only the ability to wait..but the ability to keep a good attitude while you are waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/patience-is-not-only-the-ability-to-wait-but-the-ability-to-keep-a/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [Patience is not the ability to wait, but how you act while you're waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ziad-k-abdelnour/patience-is-not-the-ability-to-wait-but-how-you-act-while-you-re/)

[Ziad K. Abdelnour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ziad-k-abdelnour/)

> [The patience and ability to work through a long series of steps - to figure things out - is a foundation for the child's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-lewin-benham/the-patience-and-ability-to-work-through-a-long-series-of-steps-to/)

[Ann Lewin-Benham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-lewin-benham/)

> [Patience is not the ability to wait,but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/patience-is-not-the-ability-to-wait-but-the-ability-to-keep-a-good-2/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Patience is not the ability to wait, but it is the ability to keep good attitude while waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/patience-is-not-the-ability-to-wait-but-it-is-the-ability-to-keep/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Patience is not the ability to wait but the way you act while you are waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknow/patience-is-not-the-ability-to-wait-but-the-way-you-act-while-you-are/)

Unknow

> [I have discovered that patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/i-have-discovered-that-patience-is-not-the-ability-to-wait-but-the/)

[Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/)

> [Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting. God has the solution- Don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/patience-is-not-the-ability-to-wait-but-the-ability-to-keep-a-good/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A moment of patience saves you from hundred moment of regret .Patience is ability to keep good attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/a-moment-of-patience-saves-you-from-hundred-moment-of-regret-patience/)

[DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/)

## More by Barbara Johnson

> [Forgiveness is a stunning principle, your ticket out of hate and fear and chaos. ... I know what regret feels like; I've earned my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/forgiveness-is-a-stunning-principle-your-ticket-out-of-hate-and-fear/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [Change is a process not an event.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/change-is-a-process-not-an-event/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [We can choose to gather to our hearts the thorns of disappointment, failure, loneliness, and dismay in our present situation. Or we can gather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/we-can-choose-to-gather-to-our-hearts-the-thorns-of-disappointment/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [If things are tough, remember that every flower that ever bloomed had to go through a whole lot of dirt to get there. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/if-things-are-tough-remember-that-every-flower-that-ever-bloomed-had/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [How will you use the years God gives you? Will you be remembered for being a fault-finder? Or will you be known for your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/how-will-you-use-the-years-god-gives-you-will-you-be-remembered-for/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [Worry is the senseless process of cluttering up tomorrows opportunities with leftover problems from today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/worry-is-the-senseless-process-of-cluttering-up-tomorrows/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [“Men are like parking spaces, the good ones are already taken and the ones left are running out of their metres”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/men-are-like-parking-spaces-the-good-ones-are-already-taken-and-the/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/never-let-a-problem-to-be-solved-become-more-important-than-a-person/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [If we give someone a piece of bread and butter, that's kindness, but if we put jelly or peanut butter on it, then it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/if-we-give-someone-a-piece-of-bread-and-butter-that-s-kindness-but-if/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [Violets are God's apology for February.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/violets-are-god-s-apology-for-february/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [Don’t let your life speed out of control. Live intentionally. Do something today that will last beyond your lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/don-t-let-your-life-speed-out-of-control-live-intentionally-do/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [God will never let you sink under your circumstances. He always provides a safety net and His love always encircles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/god-will-never-let-you-sink-under-your-circumstances-he-always/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [Winners see an answer for every problem; losers see a problem in every answer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/winners-see-an-answer-for-every-problem-losers-see-a-problem-in-every/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [We spend our lives dreaming of the future, not realizing that a little of it slips away every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/we-spend-our-lives-dreaming-of-the-future-not-realizing-that-a-little/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

> [Motherhood: if it were going to be easy, it never would have started with something called labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/motherhood-if-it-were-going-to-be-easy-it-never-would-have-started/)

[Barbara Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

[Explore all 80 Barbara Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/)

## More Ability quotes

> [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/)

[Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/)

> [“the importance of ability. The things that make a great job great, I discovered, are rare and valuable. If you want them in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/the-importance-of-ability-the-things-that-make-a-great-job-great-i/)

[Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/)

> [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/)

[Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/)

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Maybe law enforcement would like the ability to turn on the camera on your Mac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-cook/maybe-law-enforcement-would-like-the-ability-to-turn-on-the-camera-on/)

[Tim Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-cook/)

> [I've seen guys come along with more ability - they've been faster or bigger or stronger - but they never worked hard to develop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-largent/i-ve-seen-guys-come-along-with-more-ability-they-ve-been-faster-or/)

[Steve Largent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-largent/)

> [The youth of India has the strength to move the entire World with a click of a mouse, we have generated that ability!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/the-youth-of-india-has-the-strength-to-move-the-entire-world-with-a/)

[Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/)

> [Time hath not yet so dried this blood of mine, Nor age so eat up my invention, Nor fortune made such havoc of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/time-hath-not-yet-so-dried-this-blood-of-mine-nor-age-so-eat-up-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [An absolutely necessary part of a writer's equipment, almost as necessary as talent, is the ability to stand up under punishment, both the punishment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irwin-shaw/an-absolutely-necessary-part-of-a-writer-s-equipment-almost-as/)

[Irwin Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irwin-shaw/)

> [I'd be more frightened by not using whatever abilities I'd been given. I'd be more frightened by procrastination and laziness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denzel-washington/i-d-be-more-frightened-by-not-using-whatever-abilities-i-d-been-given/)

[Denzel Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denzel-washington/)

> [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give: my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/bring-into-captivity-every-thought-to-the-obedience-of-christ-take/)

[Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/)

> [You can only do the work to the very best of your ability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/you-can-only-do-the-work-to-the-very-best-of-your-ability/)

[Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/)

> [Judge a person not by his ability to make money but by his ability to retain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/judge-a-person-not-by-his-ability-to-make-money-but-by-his-ability-to/)

[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Bobby had faith in my ability as a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-london/bobby-had-faith-in-my-ability-as-a-singer/)

[Julie London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-london/)

[Browse all 9,990 Ability quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ability/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barbara Johnson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-motor-when-you-feel-like/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Ability"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-motor-when-you-feel-like/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/barbara-johnson-8544_ability_patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-mot_1948745.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/barbara-johnson-8544_ability_patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-mot_1948745.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6d2/barbara-johnson-8544_ability_patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-mot_1948745.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Patience is the ability to idle your motor when you feel like stripping your gears.” — Barbara Johnson",
                "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": "Barbara Johnson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-johnson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Patience is the ability to idle...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-motor-when-you-feel-like/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-johnson/patience-is-the-ability-to-idle-your-motor-when-you-feel-like/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
