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Progress Quotes

Words on moving forward, one step at a time.

This page gathers quotes on progress in its widest sense - from the slow, hard-won steps of social reform to the ambitions of politicians who say they champion it. Some voices here are hopeful; others question whether it is happening at all. Readers who like this theme often check out Change as well.

True progress quietly and persistently moves along without notice.

Quotes by Saint Francis de Sales

It is a most certain truth, that the richer we see ourselves to be, confessing at the same time our poverty, the greater will be our progress, and the more real our humility.

Quotes by Saint Teresa of Avila

I still have sadness and complicated feelings about my divorce. But how beneficial is it to keep hanging onto those feelings? If someone lives through an accident, his aim is to become better and healthy. My aim is always to...

Quotes by Ryan Phillippe

The progress of society is mainly the improvement in the condition of the workingmen of the world.

Quotes by Rutherford B. Hayes

If you're aware of a pattern, you can do something about it, and you can be aware of your own culpability. I like to think I can do that, but, like everyone else, I'm a work in progress.

Quotes by Ruth Bradley

In addition, we were unable to meet openly to discuss the progress of the book, for we were both on the list of persons banned from communicating with other banned persons.

Quotes by Ruth First

Usually, terrible things that are done with the excuse that progress requires them are not really progress at all, but just terrible things.

Quotes by Russell Baker

Technological progress becomes even more exciting when it enters into the service of the social idea which demands that not only a small elite but humanity at large should profit by it.

Quotes by Rudolf Christoph Eucken

When you don't play, you really feel the difference of what matches give you. The match-sharpness, the fitness. It's what you need to progress.

Quotes by Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Television made a lot of difference in country music. It's progress. I believe in progress.

Quotes by Roy Acuff

Sometimes when you push something or you force something too much, the progress doesn't happen the way it should.

Quotes by Rose Namajunas

The Southern Progress Fund will bring much-needed resources into multiple Southern states where Democrats must identify up-and-coming leaders and build a bench of strong potential candidates up and down the ballot.

Quotes by Ronnie Musgrove

You have to train the best way that is suited to you, a way that will allow you to progress.

Quotes by Ronnie Coleman

Progress takes time and discipline.

Quotes by Ronnie Coleman

A great epiphany: I found out that I'm totally confused and I'm good with that. I'm consistently inconsistent. I'm all of the above. I'm OK. I'm a work in progress. That's my next tattoo somewhere.

Quotes by Ronnie Dunn

There are no constraints on the human mind, no walls around the human spirit, no barriers to our progress except those we ourselves erect.

Quotes by Ronald Reagan

Semantics, or the study of meaning, remained undeveloped, while phonetics made rapid progress and even came to occupy the central place in the scientific study of language.

Quotes by Roman Jakobson

Well, one thing that has happened is they have had a presidential election in Egypt which has represented progress. Now, we were not happy with everything that happened with the parliamentary elections, and it was not exactly a perfect presidential...

Quotes by Roger Wicker

The Christian image of God is that of a rational being who believes in human progress.

Quotes by Rodney Stark

The Christian image of God is that of a rational being who believes in human progress, more fully revealing himself as humans gain the capacity to better understand.

Quotes by Rodney Stark

Frequently Asked Questions

What do the "progress" quotes on this page focus on?
These quotes look at progress from several different angles - from a historical, high-cost view ("Every step of progress the world has made has been from scaffold to scaffold, and from stake to stake") to political ambition and personal belief. It's not one narrow theme; it spans history, national politics, and personal conviction.
Does the page include quotes about political progress?
Yes. One quote is a politician's personal reflection on their father, "one of the leaders of the Iraqi Democratic Party, who believed in progress." Another sample post shares a speaker's own critical assessment of how much progress was being made in Iraq at the time - that assessment is presented in the quote as the speaker's opinion, not as an established fact.
Is there a quote about bringing "progressive" issues to a national stage?
Yes, one sample quote comes from a speaker discussing progress and progressive issues they were tackling locally, in Miramar, with the stated ambition of taking those issues nationally - presented as that speaker's own political goal, not a neutral fact.
What's a well-known standalone line about progress from this collection?
One of the most quotable lines here is "Every step of progress the world has made has been from scaffold to scaffold, and from stake to stake" - a stark way of framing how much progress has often cost throughout history.
Where can I find more quotes related to progress and change?
If you enjoyed these, you may also like our Change and New quotes pages, which explore related ideas about moving forward and starting fresh.

Because progress means something different depending on who is speaking - a reformer, a candidate, or a skeptic watching a distant conflict unfold - this set stays broad rather than picking one definition. For related reading, browse Good or More.