When the going gets tough, the tough get going

1. The way to overcome adversity is to try harder.

Idioms and Phrases

see under get going, def. 2.

Example Sentences

It’s a reminder of the line, “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

Read more on Los Angeles Times

He just gets down, you know, when the going gets tough, the tough get going and that's what he is.

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I’ll quote a favorite cliche: “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

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Citing the old adage that when the going gets tough, the tough get going, she said Knuth “never stopped making the world a better place.”

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“When we were growing up, the motto was, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.'”

Read more on Seattle Times