Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.

The saying contrasts raw power or talent (“strength”) with sustained effort (“perseverance”), arguing that enduring commitment is what ultimately produces major achievements. It reflects a moral and practical view of work: large undertakings are rarely completed in a single burst of ability, but through repeated application, patience, and resilience in the face of setbacks. Read this way, the line functions as both encouragement and corrective—warning against overvaluing innate capacity while elevating habits of persistence. Its appeal lies in its universality: whether in scholarship, art, or public life, the quote frames greatness as the cumulative result of continued exertion rather than exceptional force.