# Persistence Can Surpass Talent That Quits by Bryant McGill > “Success is a marathon. Mastery of any craft, like playing an instrument, takes years of dedicated practice. Those who stay with it long enough often surpass more talented people who quit.” > **— Bryant McGill**, *Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream (Aug 2016)* ## Sources and Context - **Authoritative developed source:** [[livestreams/Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream|Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream]] — the Reminder reproduces the complete marked quotation object without alteration. For this workflow, the developed livestream document is the source authority. - **Mastery context:** The marathon metaphor locates achievement on a long timescale. Talent affects the starting conditions, while continued practice determines whether skill has enough time to compound into mastery. ## Related Articles and Collections - **Collection:** [[collections/Simple Reminders|Simple Reminders]] - **Article:** [[articles/Ideas as Lindy Organisms|Ideas as Lindy Organisms]] - **Article:** [[articles/The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley|The Evolutionary Roots of Silicon Valley]] - **Article:** [[articles/simple reminders/Your Future Begins with Your Next Thought|Your Future Begins with Your Next Thought]] - **Livestream:** [[livestreams/Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream|Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream]] ## Related Topics - [[wiki/Persistence|Persistence]] - [[wiki/Mastery|Mastery]] - [[wiki/Discipline|Discipline]] ## Share on Social Media ``` “Success is a marathon. Mastery of any craft, like playing an instrument, takes years of dedicated practice. Those who stay with it long enough often surpass more talented people who quit.” — Bryant McGill, Emergence, Compounding Effort, and the Architecture of a Mission - Livestream (Aug 2016) https://bryantmcgill.com/simple-reminders-bryant-mcgill-persistence-surpasses-talent ```