--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a funny word, persistence. It means…" description: "\"It's a funny word, persistence. It means not giving up, but it also means just passing on through time.\" — Questlove" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/questlove-8011_giving_it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-n_3218875.jpg" --- # It's a funny word, persistence. It means not giving up… ![“It's a funny word, persistence. It means not giving up, but it also means just passing on through time.” quote by Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/questlove-8011_giving_it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-n_3218875.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/questlove-8011_giving_it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-n_3218875.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/questlove-8011_giving_it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-n_3218875.jpg) > “It's a funny word, persistence. It means not giving up, but it also means just passing on through time.” [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Persistence is both steadfastness and the gradual passage of time. **In simple terms:** Persistence = not quitting + time. Key Takeaway Keep going, accept time’s flow. Themes determination time patience growth resilience Mood reflective steady Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - long‑term projects - learning a new instrument - career development - personal healing Key Concepts temporal endurance psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does time shape your persistence? - When is it wise to pause? A Different Perspective Persistence alone may ignore the need for strategic pauses. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Funny Word](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-word-258510/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-up/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Not giving up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/not-giving-up/) [Passing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passing/) [Passing Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passing-time/) [Passings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/passings/) [Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence/) [Persistence Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence-means-5412222/) [Rough times](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rough-times/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Word Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/word-persistence-6043374/) ## Related quotes > [Persistence means giving full concentration to whatever you are doing right now. ... Persistence is success through trial, error, resetting your goals, and moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/persistence-means-giving-full-concentration-to-whatever-you-are-doing/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [“Fine’s a funny word, don’t you think? I don’t think there’s another like it in the English language that says so much while actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/fine-s-a-funny-word-don-t-you-think-i-don-t-think-there-s-another/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [“Heyday, now that is a funny word ain't it? Part of a heyday is, you don't never know you are having yourself one till…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-smith/heyday-now-that-is-a-funny-word-ain-t-it-part-of-a-heyday-is-you-don/) [Lee Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-smith/) > [For some reason, people find me funny. It's quite hard to define why a thought is funny. It's even harder to define why a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-shawn/for-some-reason-people-find-me-funny-it-s-quite-hard-to-define-why-a/) [Wallace Shawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-shawn/) > [“Greenwich is a funny word, isn't it? All green and witchy. Like soup.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/greenwich-is-a-funny-word-isn-t-it-all-green-and-witchy-like-soup/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [I keep moving through time and time keeps moving through me. And through that process, life takes shape. The question is what shape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-keep-moving-through-time-and-time-keeps-moving-through-me-and/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [“Take hold of your passing time and convert it into living your dreams. Only then can you truly fulfill the great destiny that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/take-hold-of-your-passing-time-and-convert-it-into-living-your-dreams/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Sleep was a vehicle for passing the time, for avoiding the present. It was a trolley for the depressed, the impatient, and the dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/sleep-was-a-vehicle-for-passing-the-time-for-avoiding-the-present-it/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [“You must arrest every passing time and convert it into growing your knowledge and prowess in that chosen field of influence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/you-must-arrest-every-passing-time-and-convert-it-into-growing-your/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Convert every passing time of your life before it melts away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/convert-every-passing-time-of-your-life-before-it-melts-away/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [Life is not just the passing of time. Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/life-is-not-just-the-passing-of-time-life-is-the-collection-of/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [“The West Indian is not exactly hostile to change, but he is not much inclined to believe in it. This comes from a piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-wouk/the-west-indian-is-not-exactly-hostile-to-change-but-he-is-not-much/) [Herman Wouk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-wouk/) > [“I allowed my mind to wander. I’ve found this to be a very effective way of passing the time; you take a situation or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/i-allowed-my-mind-to-wander-i-ve-found-this-to-be-a-very-effective/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [“There’s an air of things closing down. Teachers wear shorts and T-shirts to class. They show movies while they clean out their desks. Nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/there-s-an-air-of-things-closing-down-teachers-wear-shorts-and-t/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) > [That's mostly what the Internet is, just passing the time. But unfortunately you are dealing with words that can have meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/that-s-mostly-what-the-internet-is-just-passing-the-time-but/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) ## More by Questlove > [I feel like the downfall of any person is the second an artist starts celebrating their work themselves, that becomes problematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-feel-like-the-downfall-of-any-person-is-the-second-an-artist-starts/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [Part of me would just like to relax and have one job that pays me the amount I need to survive. And another part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/part-of-me-would-just-like-to-relax-and-have-one-job-that-pays-me-the/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [Funk never dies. It is eternal. It just smells a little different from time to time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/funk-never-dies-it-is-eternal-it-just-smells-a-little-different-from/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [Music has the power to stop time. But music also keeps time,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/music-has-the-power-to-stop-time-but-music-also-keeps-time/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [I hate videos. I'm meticulous on everything from cover art, fonts, productions, mixing. But when it comes to videos, I just feel so defeated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-hate-videos-i-m-meticulous-on-everything-from-cover-art-fonts/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [My first gig was at Radio City Music Hall when I was 13.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/my-first-gig-was-at-radio-city-music-hall-when-i-was-13/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [I never want to get to that level of poverty where taking a bath has to be a hot-pot experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-never-want-to-get-to-that-level-of-poverty-where-taking-a-bath-has/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [I believe that the only people who really, truly benefit from any of the policies of Republicans are the wealthy. I'm in that 1…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-believe-that-the-only-people-who-really-truly-benefit-from-any-of/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [I hear a lot of cries of socialism and certainly real disguises of "Why should I share my money with these people?" We have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-hear-a-lot-of-cries-of-socialism-and-certainly-real-disguises-of/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [I feel like the downfall of any person is the second an artist starts celebrating their work themselves, that becomes problematic. And you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-feel-like-the-downfall-of-any-person-is-the-second-an-artist-starts-2/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [Meaninglessness takes hold because meaninglessness is addictive,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/meaninglessness-takes-hold-because-meaninglessness-is-addictive/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [I hate holidays because it's the quietest; it's the most deafening sound in my apartment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/i-hate-holidays-because-it-s-the-quietest-it-s-the-most-deafening/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [Resistance here doesn't mean revolution. It doesn't mean storming the barricades. Resistance means using art for the things that it does best, which is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/resistance-here-doesn-t-mean-revolution-it-doesn-t-mean-storming-the/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [How do you plan a rebirth? I'm not sure you do. You just stand in the darkness until you can't endure it any long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/how-do-you-plan-a-rebirth-i-m-not-sure-you-do-you-just-stand-in-the/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [There's no such thing as success on an isolated level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/there-s-no-such-thing-as-success-on-an-isolated-level/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) [Explore all 85 Questlove quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) ## More Giving 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/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [You've touched people and known it. You've touched people and never may know it. Either way, you have something to give. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/you-ve-touched-people-and-known-it-you-ve-touched-people-and-never/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [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 received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) [Riffat Hassan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/riffat-hassan/) > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [Give me strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/give-me-strength-to-walk-the-soft-earth-a-relative-to-all-that-is/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [I don't think my relationship with the idea of womanhood is that attached to giving birth... like, I'm fully aware that I'll never give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-don-t-think-my-relationship-with-the-idea-of-womanhood-is-that/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) [Browse all 39,303 Giving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a funny word, persistence. It means not giving up, but it also means just passing on through time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Questlove" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-not-giving-up-but-it-also/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Giving" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-not-giving-up-but-it-also/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/questlove-8011_giving_it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-n_3218875.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/questlove-8011_giving_it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-n_3218875.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/933/questlove-8011_giving_it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-n_3218875.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's a funny word, persistence. It means not giving up, but it also means just passing on through time.” — Questlove", "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": "Questlove", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's a funny word, persistence. It...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-not-giving-up-but-it-also/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/it-s-a-funny-word-persistence-it-means-not-giving-up-but-it-also/#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 } } ] } ```