Perseverance and resilience
Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty.
— John Ruskin (1819–1900), The Two Paths (1859), Lecture IV: The Influence of Imagination in Architecture, section 137

Perseverance and resilience

What it means

Ruskin values the capacity to keep going above raw power. Lasting through difficulty is a quieter but nobler form of strength.

About the author

John Ruskin — English polymath (1819–1900).

Source and verification

Source
The Two Paths (1859), Lecture IV: The Influence of Imagination in Architecture, section 137
Reference
John Ruskin on Wikiquote
Checked
Wording and source taken from the sourced section of the author’s Wikiquote page, which cites the work given here (accessed 2026-10-11).
Copyright
Public domain: the author died in 1900.

The explanation above is ToDoMatriX’s own reading of the quote, not the author’s words.

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