Observe the postage stamp: Its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there.

Josh Billings (1818–1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]

(Spurious)

While this saying is almost universally attributed to Billings, it is not found in his writing, and first appears after his death. The earliest, anonymous rendition of this saying is in the Elmira Gazette, New York (1893-12). By mid-1895, it was being attributed to Billings.

For more of this phrase's history, see Quote Origin: Observe the Postage Stamp—Its Usefulness Depends Upon Its Ability to Stick to One Thing Till It Gets There – Quote Investigator®.

Variants:

• "Be like a postage stamp -- stick to one thing until you get there."
• "A postage stamp is a mighty small thing, but it has the ability to stick to one thing until it gets there."
• "To be successful a man must be like a postage stamp–stick to one thing till he gets there."