Persevere to the End—and Know When to Quit or Change Course

Originally published 2024-07-02Reposted material (a San Antonio Spurs locker-room motto; source not identified) + Robin’s commentary

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Collected in Robin Shen’s Field Notes · Content type and attribution are shown above

English translation of the Chinese post originally published 2024-07-02. Translated 2026-10-30 with AI assistance. Historical figures and claims have not been updated or independently verified. 中文原文

Reading guide

The post retells the stonecutter metaphor displayed in the Spurs’ locker room: after a hundred blows, the rock has no crack, but the hundred-and-first splits it in two—not because of that final blow alone, but because of the consistent effort. The text says that only founders who have endured countless setbacks and life-or-death trials, then finally seen a glimmer of success, truly understand perseverance. Robin adds that the great differences between people ultimately lie in persevering when perseverance is needed, but also decisively choosing to quit or change course at the right moment.

Key points

The rock splits on the 101st blow because of consistent effort, according to the reposted metaphor.
Founders who have weathered setbacks understand what perseverance means.
Persevere when you should, and decisively quit or change course when needed, Robin advises.

One clear path continues into the distance among several branching routes, suggesting choice and focus. — Entrepreneurship & strategyThematic illustration · AI generated

Full text — English translation

In the Spurs’ locker room: “When everything seems beyond saving, I go and watch a stonecutter strike the rock in front of him a hundred times without a single crack appearing. But on the hundred-and-first blow, the rock splits in two. It is not because of that one blow, but because of your consistent effort.” Only founders who have endured countless setbacks and life-or-death ordeals, then finally seen a glimmer of hope and achieved something, can truly understand what it means to persevere to the end. Robin: “The enormous differences that ultimately emerge between people lie in being able to persevere to the end when that is what is needed—and, at critical moments, decisively choose to quit or change course at the right time.”

These articles are personal notes, book excerpts, and collected reprints. Figures and events reflect the time of the original publication, are not current information, and do not constitute investment advice.

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