--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Persistence. Change doesn't happen…" description: "\"Persistence. Change doesn't happen overnight. You have to stay with it. Rosa Parks helped start the Civil Rights movement in earnest in 1955. Then it w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/kabir-sehgal-18015_change_persistence-change-doesn-t-happen-overni_287459.jpg" --- # Persistence. Change doesn't happen overnight. You have to… ![“Persistence. Change doesn't happen overnight. You have to stay with it. Rosa Parks helped start the Civil Rights movement in earnest in 1955. Then it was nearly a decade until the Civil Rights Act was passed.” quote by Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/kabir-sehgal-18015_change_persistence-change-doesn-t-happen-overni_287459.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/kabir-sehgal-18015_change_persistence-change-doesn-t-happen-overni_287459.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/914/kabir-sehgal-18015_change_persistence-change-doesn-t-happen-overni_287459.jpg) > “Persistence. Change doesn't happen overnight. You have to stay with it. Rosa Parks helped start the Civil Rights movement in earnest in 1955. Then it was nearly a decade until the Civil Rights Act was passed.” [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Change requires sustained effort; progress is gradual and often delayed despite initial breakthroughs. **In simple terms:** Change takes time and persistence. Key Takeaway Commit to long‑term effort. Themes persistence social change history Mood determined hopeful Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - policy advocacy - community organizing - education campaigns Key Concepts civil rights movement activism Questions to Reflect On - What small actions keep you motivated? - How can setbacks be reframed? A Different Perspective Patience may cause frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Change Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change-doesn/) [Civil Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-right/) [Civil rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights/) [Civil rights act](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-act/) [Civil rights movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/civil-rights-movement/) [Decades](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decades/) [Earnest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earnest/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [Parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parks/) [Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence/) [Racism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/racism/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Rights movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights-movement/) [Rosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rosa/) [Rosa parks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rosa-parks/) ## Related quotes > [If Willie Nelson had been Rosa Parks, there never would have been a civil rights movement in this country, because he refuses to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kinky-friedman/if-willie-nelson-had-been-rosa-parks-there-never-would-have-been-a/) [Kinky Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kinky-friedman/) > [I was raised in Arizona, and I went to public school, and the extent of my knowledge of the civil-rights movement was the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-stone/i-was-raised-in-arizona-and-i-went-to-public-school-and-the-extent-of/) [Emma Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-stone/) > [Half a century ago, the amazing courage of Rosa Parks, the visionary leadership of Martin Luther King, and the inspirational actions of the civil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-cameron/half-a-century-ago-the-amazing-courage-of-rosa-parks-the-visionary/) [David Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-cameron/) > [The civil rights movement would experience many important victories, but Rosa Parks will always be remembered as its catalyst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-costa/the-civil-rights-movement-would-experience-many-important-victories/) [Jim Costa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-costa/) > [Rosa Parks was primed, she had the Civil Rights Movement behind her, she didn't just decide to sit on the bus, it was strategic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-hinds/rosa-parks-was-primed-she-had-the-civil-rights-movement-behind-her/) [Aisha Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aisha-hinds/) > [You probably know the name of Rosa Parks. You probably know that her refusal to move to the colored section in the back of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-martin/you-probably-know-the-name-of-rosa-parks-you-probably-know-that-her/) [Michel Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-martin/) > [Most students graduate from high school knowing nine words about the civil rights movement: Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, and "I Have a Dream."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/most-students-graduate-from-high-school-knowing-nine-words-about-the/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [I went to jail 44 times. I've been beaten and left for dead on the side of the road fighting for freedom. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-abernathy/i-went-to-jail-44-times-i-ve-been-beaten-and-left-for-dead-on-the/) [Ralph Abernathy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-abernathy/) > [I heard of Martin Luther King Jr. when I was 15 years old. I heard of Rosa Parks. And I met Dr. King in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/i-heard-of-martin-luther-king-jr-when-i-was-15-years-old-i-heard-of/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [There will come a time when the gun owners of America, the law-abiding gun owners of America, will be the Rosa Parks and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/there-will-come-a-time-when-the-gun-owners-of-america-the-law-abiding/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [The argument about marriage equality will one day seem as arcane and shocking to us as the fact that Rosa Parks had to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uma-thurman/the-argument-about-marriage-equality-will-one-day-seem-as-arcane-and/) [Uma Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uma-thurman/) > [Some people know Rosa Parks, they know Daisy Bates in Arkansas, but every... Ruby Doris Smith, Diane Nash, countless individuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/some-people-know-rosa-parks-they-know-daisy-bates-in-arkansas-but/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [What you might not know is that shortly after she worked alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others, Rosa Parks had to leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-martin/what-you-might-not-know-is-that-shortly-after-she-worked-alongside-dr/) [Michel Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-martin/) > [Rosa Parks' courage, determination, and tenacity continue to be an inspiration to all those committed to non-violent protest and change nearly half a century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-filner/rosa-parks-courage-determination-and-tenacity-continue-to-be-an/) [Bob Filner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-filner/) > [Rosa Parks will be remembered for her lasting contributions to society. Her legacy lives on in the continued struggle for civil rights around the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-costa/rosa-parks-will-be-remembered-for-her-lasting-contributions-to/) [Jim Costa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-costa/) ## More by Kabir Sehgal > [We are privileged that the dollar is the "currency of last resort" and the most important currency in the world. Global commodities are priced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/we-are-privileged-that-the-dollar-is-the-currency-of-last-resort-and/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [All organisms rely on exchange. They form symbiotic partnerships in order to obtain the energy that they need to survive. Energy is the currency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/all-organisms-rely-on-exchange-they-form-symbiotic-partnerships-in/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [The oldest and most important currency is debt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/the-oldest-and-most-important-currency-is-debt/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [Gone is the day where you work at a job for thirty years and retire. Millennials jump around and switch careers. I think it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/gone-is-the-day-where-you-work-at-a-job-for-thirty-years-and-retire/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [All decisions originate in the brain. So if we can better understand what's happening in the brain when we make investment decisions, maybe one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/all-decisions-originate-in-the-brain-so-if-we-can-better-understand/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [Albert Murray's The Omni-Americans is the most valuable non-business book because it discusses how you have to draw upon everyone's creativity. America is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/albert-murray-s-the-omni-americans-is-the-most-valuable-non-business/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [On a biological level, the brain registers money as something valuable - even a dollar bill which has no intrinsic value, it's just paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/on-a-biological-level-the-brain-registers-money-as-something-valuable/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [Reputation will become an even more important currency in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/reputation-will-become-an-even-more-important-currency-in-the-future/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [“A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away. In Star Wars, a currency known as the “Galactic Credit Standard” or “credit” functioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/a-long-time-ago-in-a-galaxy-far-far-away-in-star-wars-a-currency/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [After Hurricane Katrina, I wanted to go back to New Orleans to help musicians return to the city. But Andrew Young advised me, "If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/after-hurricane-katrina-i-wanted-to-go-back-to-new-orleans-to-help/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > ["Begin with where you are." Everyone is looking to get ahead, but you get ahead by doing well at the things that are immediately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/begin-with-where-you-are-everyone-is-looking-to-get-ahead-but-you-get/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [Researchers have compared brain scans of those people who are making money to those high on cocaine and found that them to be almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/researchers-have-compared-brain-scans-of-those-people-who-are-making/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [Money numbs your senses. People who touched paper money and then placed their hands in hot burning water didn't feel as much pain as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/money-numbs-your-senses-people-who-touched-paper-money-and-then/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [We don't invest in financial literacy in a meaningful way. We should be teaching elementary school children how to balance a checkbook, how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/we-don-t-invest-in-financial-literacy-in-a-meaningful-way-we-should/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) > [Money is really like blood. You need it to live but it isn't the point of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabir-sehgal/money-is-really-like-blood-you-need-it-to-live-but-it-isn-t-the-point/) [Kabir Sehgal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) [Explore all 36 Kabir Sehgal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kabir-sehgal/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) [Phil Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-hogan/) > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Persistence. 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