Quote by I Ching: “Perseverance furthers.”

One of the most concise pieces of advice in any philosophical tradition: staying the course, continuing despite difficulty, is what moves things forward. Not brilliance, not luck — persistence. These two words recur throughout the I Ching as a reminder that steadiness is the engine of progress.

The I Ching was composed during the early Zhou dynasty, a period that Chinese culture would later regard as a golden age of sage-kingship. The text was used for divination at court and among the general population, providing ethical and practical guidance through symbolic interpretation of natural patterns and change.

Ancient Chinese divination text, also known as the Book of Changes, composed and refined over several centuries beginning around the tenth century BCE during the Zhou dynasty. It consists of 64 hexagrams with associated commentary addressing ethics, action, and natural patterns. Confucius reportedly studied it so intensively that he wore through three sets of binding cords.