--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men seldom persevere in a vocation unless…" description: "\"Men seldom persevere in a vocation unless they believe or can convince themselves that it is fundamentally more important than anyother calling. Women ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/friedrich-nietzsche-15_believe_men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unles_103679.jpg" --- # Men seldom persevere in a vocation unless they believe or… ![“Men seldom persevere in a vocation unless they believe or can convince themselves that it is fundamentally more important than anyother calling. Women are the same with their lovers.” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/friedrich-nietzsche-15_believe_men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unles_103679.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/friedrich-nietzsche-15_believe_men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unles_103679.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/friedrich-nietzsche-15_believe_men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unles_103679.jpg) > “Men seldom persevere in a vocation unless they believe or can convince themselves that it is fundamentally more important than anyother calling. Women are the same with their lovers.” [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People stay in a career only when they view it as more vital than any other pursuit; the same holds for romantic relationships. **In simple terms:** Commitment hinges on perceived importance. Key Takeaway Perceived hierarchy drives perseverance. Themes motivation career relationships values Mood reflective serious Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - Choosing a job over a hobby - Staying in a marriage despite challenges - Prioritizing a passion project Key Concepts intrinsic vs extrinsic drive psychology of commitment Practical Applications - Clarify personal hierarchy of goals - Align tasks with core values Questions to Reflect On - What truly makes a vocation feel essential? - Can love be measured against career ambition? A Different Perspective Assumes rational self‑assessment; emotions often override logical importance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Lovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) [Vocation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocation/) ## Related quotes > [Vocations are born in prayer and from prayer; and only in prayer can they persevere and bear fruit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/vocations-are-born-in-prayer-and-from-prayer-and-only-in-prayer-can/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [A vocation is the backbone of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/a-vocation-is-the-backbone-of-life/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Along the journey we commonly forget its goal. Almost every vocation is chosen and entered upon as a means to a purpose but is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/along-the-journey-we-commonly-forget-its-goal-almost-every-vocation/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [A vocation makes us unthinking; that is its greatest blessing. For it is a bulwark behind which we are permitted to withdraw whencommonplace doubts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/a-vocation-makes-us-unthinking-that-is-its-greatest-blessing-for-it/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Men seldom understand any laws but those they feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-george-savile-8th-baronet/men-seldom-understand-any-laws-but-those-they-feel/) [Sir George Savile, 8th Baronet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-george-savile-8th-baronet/) > [Men seldom, or rather never for a length of time and deliberately, rebel against anything that does not deserve rebelling against.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/men-seldom-or-rather-never-for-a-length-of-time-and-deliberately/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Men seldom act from a correct sense of what may be harmful or useful to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giacomo-leopardi/men-seldom-act-from-a-correct-sense-of-what-may-be-harmful-or-useful/) [Giacomo Leopardi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giacomo-leopardi/) > [Great men are seldom over-scrupulous in the arrangement of their attire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/great-men-are-seldom-over-scrupulous-in-the-arrangement-of-their/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“Men are seldom helpless against their own evil wishes, and in their souls they know it. But common men love flattery not less than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-renault/men-are-seldom-helpless-against-their-own-evil-wishes-and-in-their/) [Mary Renault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-renault/) > [Men very seldom change, try though we will, beneath the shifts of exterior doctrine, our hearts so often remain what they were.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-kempton/men-very-seldom-change-try-though-we-will-beneath-the-shifts-of/) [Murray Kempton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-kempton/) > [A great cause of evil in the world is that men seldom think themselves criminal if they offer the same injustice to others that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/a-great-cause-of-evil-in-the-world-is-that-men-seldom-think/) [Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/) > [Men seldom rise from low condition to high rank without employing either force or fraud, unless that rank should be attained either by gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-seldom-rise-from-low-condition-to-high-rank-without-employing/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [I believe in our side and theirs, with the good and evil decided after the fact, by those who survive. Among men you seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-cook/i-believe-in-our-side-and-theirs-with-the-good-and-evil-decided-after/) [Glen Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-cook/) > [One of the great tragedies of life is that men seldom bridge the gulf between practice and profession, between doing and saying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/one-of-the-great-tragedies-of-life-is-that-men-seldom-bridge-the-gulf/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [. . . men seldom risk their lives where an escape is without hope of recompense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-burney/men-seldom-risk-their-lives-where-an-escape-is-without-hope-of/) [Fanny Burney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-burney/) ## More by Friedrich Nietzsche > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) [Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Men seldom persevere in a vocation unless they believe or can convince themselves that it is fundamentally more important than anyother calling. Women are the same with their lovers.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unless-they-believe-or-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unless-they-believe-or-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/friedrich-nietzsche-15_believe_men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unles_103679.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/friedrich-nietzsche-15_believe_men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unles_103679.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98b/friedrich-nietzsche-15_believe_men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unles_103679.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Men seldom persevere in a vocation unless they believe or can convince themselves that it is fundamentally…” — Friedrich Nietzsche", "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": "Friedrich Nietzsche", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Men seldom persevere in a vocation...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unless-they-believe-or-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/men-seldom-persevere-in-a-vocation-unless-they-believe-or-can/#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 } } ] } ```