Perseverance is more prevailing than violence; and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little.

Plutarch contrasts brute force with sustained, patient effort. The saying argues that steady perseverance can achieve what sudden violence cannot, because complex obstacles often resist a single decisive blow but can be reduced through incremental progress. The image of things “taken little by little” suggests strategy: breaking a problem into manageable parts, returning repeatedly, and letting time and persistence do work that strength alone cannot. In moral terms, it also implies self-mastery—habits, vices, and entrenched opinions are more effectively changed through consistent practice than through dramatic, coercive measures. The quote’s enduring appeal lies in its practical psychology and its ethical preference for measured endurance over aggression.