Ecclesiastes 3:1,6
For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven… a time to keep, and a time to throw away.

During the Great Depression, self-help writer Napoleon Hill coined a phrase that became stitched into the American psyche: “A quitter never wins and a winner never quits.” Rooted in the virtue of perseverance, it became a mantra for the American Dream. For generations, we’ve measured winners and losers by it. Winners persevere. Quitters lose.

There is wisdom here. Scripture is full of calls to endurance (James 1, Galatians 6, Hebrews 10, Matthew 24). In a world of shallow commitments, we need perseverance. As a young pastor, I remember reading Eugene Peterson’s Under the Unpredictable Plant, where he urged ministers to “stay put”—because holiness and intimacy are forged in the staying. And many of us quit far too quickly, missing the growth God has for us.

But here’s the tension: sometimes quitting is not shameful. Sometimes, it’s the wisest, most faithful thing you can do.

The Bad Reasons to Quit

• Security or notoriety. If you’re leaving because a new role offers more money or status, you may be bowing to idolatry. Jesus said you can’t serve both God and money (Matthew 6). Proverbs 12:11 puts it plainly: “Those who work their land will have abundant food, but those who chase fantasies have no sense.”
• Messiah complex. Believing God “needs” you somewhere else—or that everything will collapse if you leave—is self-idolatry. There’s only one Savior, and it isn’t you.
• Fear of failure or conflict. Most of us would raise our hands here. But running from difficulty often robs us of growth. Sometimes God calls us to stay and face it.

The Wise Reasons to Quit

• For the sake of the Kingdom. Twice I’ve left churches I planted. Not because of moral failure, but because after much prayer and counsel I sensed I was no longer the best one to lead. Kicking and screaming, I stepped aside so others could take the work further. It was painful—but right.
• Mismatched vision or values. Think Jerry Maguire and the fish tank scene. If your organization’s culture fundamentally conflicts with Kingdom values, sometimes the faithful choice is to take your fish and go.
• For health—yours or your family’s. A wise elder once told a burned-out pastor, “You’re no good to any of us this way.” True. Sometimes stepping away is the only way to keep from collapsing in the ditch.

Not Quitting vs. Not Giving Up

There’s a big difference between quitting and giving up. Perseverance is about faith in God’s guiding grace, not about white-knuckling through every storm. Staying isn’t automatically virtue. Quitting isn’t automatically shame.

The real question is this: are you listening to God’s call? Are you persevering in faith—or clinging to a role out of fear, pride, or idolatry?

Not quitting doesn’t make you a winner. And quitting doesn’t make you a loser. What matters is trusting the Lord of the seasons to tell you when to keep going—and when it’s time to lay it down.