When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.

The image of reaching “the end of your rope” evokes a moment of exhaustion or crisis when ordinary resources are spent. The counsel to “tie a knot and hang on” reframes that brink as a point for improvisation and renewed resolve: even when nothing seems left, one can create a small margin of safety—an extra grip—and persist. As a piece of motivational rhetoric, it emphasizes endurance over rescue, suggesting that survival and eventual recovery often depend on stubborn continuation rather than dramatic reversal. The saying’s popularity also reflects a broader cultural ideal of grit in adversity, whether personal hardship or collective trials.