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Perseverance Quotes in The Martian

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

I don't have a plan for surviving four years on one year of food [...] For now, I'm well fed and have a purpose: Fix the damn radio. (2.21)

Sometimes, you just need take things one at a time. If Mark were to spend too much time worrying about how to get out of this mess, he'd lose focus on short-term survival. Plus, setting goals will help his morale—without them, he'd probably feel lost.

Quote #2

Sirius 1 was aborted after one hour. I guess you could call it a "failure," but I prefer the term "learning experience." (7.68)

This sounds straight off a motivational poster, likely featuring a prominent photo of a cat. Not that we're complaining. With crazy stuff happening on a daily basis, Mark can't expect things to go perfect the first time around. The key will be working harder the second time.

Quote #3

So I cheated. I upped my O2 mixture. It really helped a lot. Probably shouldn't make that a habit. (9.88)

Careful now, buddy. This is the first time that we see a downside to Mark's never-say-die mentality. Everyone has their physical and mental limit, and Mark would be wise to not overstep his own.