In a speech structured as a series of 'don't' statements — each one a concise piece of wisdom — Dyson addressed the question of persistence. His formulation was notable for its precision: it is not that things are never over, but that they are not over until you yourself decide to stop. The agency lies entirely with you. This was not naive optimism but a practical observation from decades in the corporate world: that many people give up not because they have genuinely exhausted their options but because they have exhausted their patience. Dyson coupled this with a related insight — 'Don't be afraid to encounter risks. It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave' — suggesting that the willingness to persist and the willingness to take risks are two sides of the same coin.