--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Difficulties will assail you only when…" description: "\"Difficulties will assail you only when you lack in concentration and persistence.\" — Walter J. Phillips" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bb/walter-j-phillips-8536_adversity_difficulties-will-assail-you-only-when-y_2751201.jpg" --- # Difficulties will assail you only when you lack in… ![“Difficulties will assail you only when you lack in concentration and persistence.” quote by Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bb/walter-j-phillips-8536_adversity_difficulties-will-assail-you-only-when-y_2751201.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bb/walter-j-phillips-8536_adversity_difficulties-will-assail-you-only-when-y_2751201.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1bb/walter-j-phillips-8536_adversity_difficulties-will-assail-you-only-when-y_2751201.jpg) > “Difficulties will assail you only when you lack in concentration and persistence.” [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Lack of focus and perseverance invites difficulty; concentration wards off challenges. **In simple terms:** Focus prevents problems. Key Takeaway Cultivate concentration and persistence. Themes focus perseverance challenge Mood calm determined Type advice motivational When to use this quote - studying - project work - athletics Key Concepts psychology self‑discipline Questions to Reflect On - What practices improve your focus? - How do you sustain persistence? A Different Perspective Distractions can still cause issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) [Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration/) [Concentration Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concentration-persistence-3101428/) [Difficulties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulties/) [Difficulties Assail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulties-assail-3101427/) [Difficulty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficulty/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Lack Concentration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-concentration-1407529/) [Persistence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persistence/) ## Related quotes > [One great cause of failure of young men in business is the lack of concentration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-carnegie/one-great-cause-of-failure-of-young-men-in-business-is-the-lack-of/) [Andrew Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-carnegie/) > [Do not many of us who fail to achieve big things. . .fail because we lack concentration--the art of concentrating the mind on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-rockefeller/do-not-many-of-us-who-fail-to-achieve-big-things-fail-because-we-lack/) [John D. Rockefeller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-rockefeller/) > [One great cause of failure is lack of concentration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/one-great-cause-of-failure-is-lack-of-concentration/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [Happiness requires courage, stamina, persistence, fortitude, perseverance, bravery, boldness, valor, vigor, concentration, solidity, substance, backbone, grit, guts, moxie, nerve, pluck, resilience, spunk, tenacity, tolerance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-mcwilliams/happiness-requires-courage-stamina-persistence-fortitude-perseverance/) [Peter McWilliams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-mcwilliams/) > [Many of the old masters of watercolour painted from notes, with enthusiasm either unabated or renewed. It is hard to assume the same degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/many-of-the-old-masters-of-watercolour-painted-from-notes-with/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [“We have to pray with our eyes on God, not on our difficulties”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-have-to-pray-with-our-eyes-on-god-not-on-our-difficulties/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [New things have to experience difficulties and setbacks as they grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/new-things-have-to-experience-difficulties-and-setbacks-as-they-grow/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [War is being declared to-morrow here so perhaps you can understand that I have been working under difficulties, but difficulties negligible compared with what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-lowry/war-is-being-declared-to-morrow-here-so-perhaps-you-can-understand/) [Malcolm Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-lowry/) > [Sincerity and honesty carry one through many difficulties which all the arts he can invent would never help him through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-stillingfleet/sincerity-and-honesty-carry-one-through-many-difficulties-which-all/) [Benjamin Stillingfleet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-stillingfleet/) > [Men are always averse to enterprises in which they foresee difficulties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-are-always-averse-to-enterprises-in-which-they-foresee/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Lifes difficulties can seem overwhelming, and you may face times when problems seem encompassing. Dont look back at what youve lost, for the road…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lifes-difficulties-can-seem-overwhelming-and-you-may-face-times-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Too much is made for us; too much is given to us - even those of us who are underprivileged. The poverty is given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edgar-wideman/too-much-is-made-for-us-too-much-is-given-to-us-even-those-of-us-who/) [John Edgar Wideman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edgar-wideman/) > [“A variety of difficulties will come your way. But at the time of difficulty, you will be able to find a ready made medicine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/a-variety-of-difficulties-will-come-your-way-but-at-the-time-of/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [I have always followed Arsenal in the Premier League. At some points they were really good, but also had some difficulties like a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gervinho/i-have-always-followed-arsenal-in-the-premier-league-at-some-points/) [Gervinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gervinho/) > [One of the difficulties of photography is that it is much better at being explicit than at being reticent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/one-of-the-difficulties-of-photography-is-that-it-is-much-better-at/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) ## More by Walter J. Phillips > [Any subject is suitable provided it is of sufficient interest, but the design must be very carefully considered, and plenty of time and thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/any-subject-is-suitable-provided-it-is-of-sufficient-interest-but-the/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [The rewards of art are not always commensurate with its quality. It affords a precarious living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/the-rewards-of-art-are-not-always-commensurate-with-its-quality-it/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [There must be a judicious arrangement of all the parts. Considered conversely, the artist's task is to fill his panel with a design that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/there-must-be-a-judicious-arrangement-of-all-the-parts-considered/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [It is the sense of unfamiliar envelopment that is impressive, whether in the living grays of hoarfrost, the crimson of the heavens at sunset,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/it-is-the-sense-of-unfamiliar-envelopment-that-is-impressive-whether/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [A horizontal or vertical line lacks energy, compared with one that deviates from either. The difference between these graphic expressions is the difference between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/a-horizontal-or-vertical-line-lacks-energy-compared-with-one-that/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Many cherish the idea that a photograph is an exact presentment of nature, and accept without question the paradox that a photograph cannot lie.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/many-cherish-the-idea-that-a-photograph-is-an-exact-presentment-of/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Take away a painter's vanity, said a famous landscape painter, and he will never touch a pencil again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/take-away-a-painter-s-vanity-said-a-famous-landscape-painter-and-he/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Submit your work to interested societies for exhibition where the critics in the light of their physical well-being and according to the extent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/submit-your-work-to-interested-societies-for-exhibition-where-the/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [The portrait painter... If he insults his sitters his occupation is gone. Whether he paints the should instead of the features, or the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/the-portrait-painter-if-he-insults-his-sitters-his-occupation-is-gone/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Tradition is a prop for social security.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/tradition-is-a-prop-for-social-security/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [While it is emotion that gives an impulse to the landscape painter, it is his style that inspires the critic's praise, and his subject…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/while-it-is-emotion-that-gives-an-impulse-to-the-landscape-painter-it/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Water is the most expressive element in nature. It responds to every mood from tranquility to turbulence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/water-is-the-most-expressive-element-in-nature-it-responds-to-every/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Etching will suggest subtle variations of tone, the most delicate shadings, all with black lines, which, as far as lines go, are unsurpassed for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/etching-will-suggest-subtle-variations-of-tone-the-most-delicate/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [Many of the old masters of watercolour painted from notes, with enthusiasm either unabated or renewed. It is hard to assume the same degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/many-of-the-old-masters-of-watercolour-painted-from-notes-with/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) > [For an intelligent estimate of your technique go to another artist working in the same medium.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-j-phillips/for-an-intelligent-estimate-of-your-technique-go-to-another-artist/) [Walter J. Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) [Explore all 80 Walter J. Phillips quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-j-phillips/) ## More Adversity quotes > [We love playing together and we love adversity. You know, back-to-back, the two best teams in the East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nash/we-love-playing-together-and-we-love-adversity-you-know-back-to-back/) [Steve Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nash/) > [When we have public success we also have private struggles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deion-sanders/when-we-have-public-success-we-also-have-private-struggles/) [Deion Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deion-sanders/) > [“The threats that resurfaced in the past 10 years were not an aberration. Al Qaeda and terrorism or one such threat, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/the-threats-that-resurfaced-in-the-past-10-years-were-not-an/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [He who is content with what has been done is an obstacle in the path of progress.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/he-who-is-content-with-what-has-been-done-is-an-obstacle-in-the-path/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“Friction is necessary. Ease of life leads to complacency and the atrophy of the human will and spirit. Within our struggles lives our strength,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-versey/friction-is-necessary-ease-of-life-leads-to-complacency-and-the/) [Jason Versey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-versey/) > [“Every adversity is just another opportunity to excel a little more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-templet/every-adversity-is-just-another-opportunity-to-excel-a-little-more/) [Michel Templet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-templet/) > [“Just because she doesn't talk about it, doesn't mean she isn't feeling it. She hurts, but she won't wear it on her sleeve. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfa-h/just-because-she-doesn-t-talk-about-it-doesn-t-mean-she-isn-t-feeling/) [Alfa H](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfa-h/) > [Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-buckham-kennedy/every-trial-endured-and-weathered-in-the-right-spirit-makes-a-soul/) [James Buckham Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-buckham-kennedy/) > [Honesty, by evil fortune tried, Finds in adversity the seed of praise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/honesty-by-evil-fortune-tried-finds-in-adversity-the-seed-of-praise/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [“Struggles are not associated to a particular people or creed, everyone struggles, not for the same reasons, but each has a personal struggle at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-chirisa/struggles-are-not-associated-to-a-particular-people-or-creed-everyone/) [Wayne Chirisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-chirisa/) > [“Watch a man in times of adversity to discover what kind of man he is; for then at last words of truth are drawn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/watch-a-man-in-times-of-adversity-to-discover-what-kind-of-man-he-is/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [God often hides His blessing in trouble or trial, which makes it all the sweeter when it comes our way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/god-often-hides-his-blessing-in-trouble-or-trial-which-makes-it-all/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [“Life is not about less mistakes but about more trials”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-e-sever/life-is-not-about-less-mistakes-but-about-more-trials/) [S.E. SEVER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-e-sever/) > [Show your contempt for the problem and your concern for the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/show-your-contempt-for-the-problem-and-your-concern-for-the-person/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [When everything feels like an uphill struggle, just think of the view from the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-everything-feels-like-an-uphill-struggle-just-think-of-the-view/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 5,001 Adversity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Difficulties will assail you only when you lack in concentration and persistence.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Walter J. 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