Albert Einstein was being extremely modest when he made this statement, but, in truth, HE DID stay with problems for years until he solved them. He championed the unbelievable potential of the atomic bomb to President FRANKLIN ROOSEVELT, who also believed in the principle of persistence, saying:

"WHEN YOU COME TO THE END OF YOUR ROPE, TIE A KNOT AND HANG ON."

Neither man was perfect and had their share of human frailties, but both demonstrated the fact that:

"SAINTS ARE SINNERS WHO KEPT ON GOING."
- Robert Louis Stevenson

Singleness of purpose and a determination to be victorious in one's personal battles (we all have them) is crucial:

"NOBODY TRIPS OVER MOUNTAINS. IT IS THE SMALL PEBBLE THAT CAUSES YOU TO STUMBLE. PASS ALL THE PEBBLES IN YOUR PATH AND YOU WILL FIND YOU HAVE CROSSED THE MOUNTAIN."

Things did not look good for the United States and her allies in the early stages of the war, but singleness of purpose prevailed:

"THE FLOWER THAT FOLLOWS THE SUN DOES SO EVEN IN CLOUDY DAYS."
- Robert Leighton

BUDDHIST MONKS, some of the most resolute, determined and disciplined of human beings have a saying:

"IF WE ARE FACING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS KEEP ON WALKING."

We have all seen the Allstate TV commercials that end by challenging us: "ARE YOU IN GOOD HANDS?" Maybe we need to ask ourselves, "AM I FACING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION?"

Speaking personally, there are times I have definitely not been facing in the right direction, but kept on walking in the wrong direction anyway. Perseverance is a great trait, but we must be sure our cause is right in the beginning and be willing to have the flexibility to change directions when necessary. As LAURENCE STERNE intelligently discerned:

"TIS KNOWN BY THE NAME OF PERSEVERANCE IN A GOOD CAUSE, AND OF OBSTINACY IN A BAD."

Most of us tend to maximize the obstacles we face and minimize what others have had to overcome:

"REMEMBER WHEN YOU SEE A MAN AT THE TOP OF A MOUNTAIN, HE DIDN'T FALL THERE."

When things go wrong, as they will, we often look at others and see only their success, compared to our temporary, but seeming failure. We simply DON'T KNOW what that person had to endure and overcome to get to the top of their mountain. You can bet that these people lived the rule of the following Japanese proverb, even if they never heard it:

"FALL SEVEN TIMES, STAND UP EIGHT."

The ability to persist is truly an integral part of one's character. As NAPOLEON HILL observed:

"PERSISTENCE IS TO THE CHARACTER OF MAN AS CARBON IS TO STEEL."

As WALTER ELLIOT noted:

"PERSEVERANCE IS NOT A LONG RACE; IT IS MANY SHORT RACES ONE AFTER THE OTHER."