It was a Tuesday night in February 2017 when a piece of dry, parliamentary procedure accidentally birthed a global anthem. Honestly, if you were watching C-SPAN at the time—which, let's be real, almost nobody was—you wouldn't have thought you were witnessing the birth of a viral phenomenon. Senator Elizabeth Warren was on the floor of the Senate, reading a letter written by Coretta Scott King back in 1986. The letter was a critique of Jeff Sessions, who was then a nominee for Attorney General. Suddenly, the room got tense. Senator Mitch McConnell invoked "Rule XIX," a fairly obscure rule that basically says senators can’t impugn the character of their colleagues.
Warren was silenced. She was told to sit down.
When McConnell later explained his decision to the press, he said: "Senator Warren was giving a lengthy speech. She had appeared to violate the rule. She was warned. She was given an explanation. And nevertheless, she persisted."
He meant it as a complaint. He meant it as a justification for why she had to be muted. But the internet? The internet saw something else entirely. Within hours, those four words were on t-shirts, tattoos, and protest signs. It became a shorthand for every woman who has ever been told to be quiet, stay in her lane, or wait her turn. It wasn't just about a senator anymore. It was about a universal experience of friction against authority.
The Literal History of Rule XIX
You can’t talk about how and nevertheless she persisted became a thing without looking at the weird, stuffy rules of the U.S. Senate. Rule XIX is meant to keep things "civil." It dates back to 1902, following a literal fistfight on the Senate floor between two South Carolina senators. It says no senator shall "refer offensively to any State of the Union" or "impute to another Senator or to other Senators any conduct or motive unworthy or unbecoming a Senator."
When Warren read Coretta Scott King’s words—which claimed Sessions had used the power of his office to "chill the free exercise of the vote by black citizens"—McConnell argued she was breaking that rule. It was a tactical move. It worked, technically. But it backfired culturally.
The fascinating thing is that the letter Warren was reading wasn't even new. It had been in the public record for decades. Yet, the act of stopping her from reading it made everyone want to read it more. This is basically the Streisand Effect in its purest political form. By trying to bury the message, McConnell ensured that the message—and the phrase he used to describe the messenger—would live forever.
The Coretta Scott King Connection
We often forget that the "persisting" wasn't just Elizabeth Warren's. The actual content of the controversy was a letter from a civil rights icon. Coretta Scott King wrote that letter in opposition to Sessions' nomination to a federal judgeship in the 80s. She was persisting against a system she felt was unfair long before 2017.
When we say the phrase today, we're unknowingly tethered to that history. It’s a lineage. King persisted in 1986. Warren persisted in 2017. And a whole lot of people felt they were persisting in their own daily lives.
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Why the Phrase Went Nuclear
Language is weird. Sometimes a phrase just hits the "resonance" frequency of a culture.
In 2017, the political climate in the U.S. was essentially a powder keg. People were looking for symbols. But why this specific string of words? Why not "She kept talking" or "She didn't stop"?
The word "nevertheless" is the key. It’s formal. It’s slightly academic. It implies a conscious choice to ignore an obstacle. It acknowledges the "warning" and the "explanation" but treats them as irrelevant compared to the goal. It sounds like a fairy tale opening, but it feels like a battle cry.
Think about your own life. Have you ever been told "no" by someone who didn't actually have the moral authority to stop you, just the bureaucratic power? That’s where the power of the phrase lies. It’s the vibe of being told to be "polite" when you're trying to be "effective."
It’s Not Just for Politics
While it started in the Senate, the phrase quickly migrated. You started seeing it in the context of:
- Women in STEM fighting for credit on research papers.
- Athletes coming back from career-ending injuries.
- Teachers working in underfunded schools.
- Basically anyone who has had to deal with a "Mitch" in their lives.
It became a meme, sure. But it also became a sort of secular mantra. For many, it represented a shift from asking for permission to simply taking up space.
The Criticism: When a Slogan Becomes Too Commercial
Look, we have to be honest here. Once a phrase starts appearing on $40 Pinterest-style throw pillows and mass-produced coffee mugs at Target, it loses some of its edge. Some critics argued that and nevertheless she persisted became a form of "pink pussyhat" feminism that was more about aesthetic than actual policy change.
There is a valid argument that turning a political act of defiance into a brand can dilute the meaning. When a phrase becomes a hashtag, it can sometimes feel like a substitute for action. For some women of color, the phrase felt like it centered a specific kind of white, middle-class struggle while ignoring the much more dangerous "persisting" that marginalized groups have had to do for centuries without the benefit of a viral t-shirt.
However, even with the commercialization, the core sentiment remains surprisingly sturdy. It’s hard to kill the power of a phrase that accurately describes the feeling of being right but being told you’re being "difficult."
Reclaiming the "Difficult" Woman
Historically, being called "persistent" or "tenacious" was often a coded insult for women. It meant you wouldn't take a hint. It meant you were annoying. It meant you didn't know when to quit.
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What happened in 2017 was a massive rebranding.
The phrase took the negative connotation of "persistence"—the idea of being a nuisance—and flipped it. It made persistence a virtue of the highest order. It suggested that if you aren't being told to sit down and be quiet at least once in a while, you might not be pushing hard enough.
Other Famous Examples of "Persisting"
Warren wasn't the first, and she won't be the last. History is littered with these moments.
- Rosa Parks: She was told to move. She was warned. She was given an explanation of the city’s segregation laws. Nevertheless, she stayed in her seat.
- Malala Yousafzai: She was threatened. She was attacked. She was told girls shouldn't go to school. Nevertheless, she became a global advocate for education.
- Kathrine Switzer: The first woman to run the Boston Marathon with a bib. A race official literally tried to physically pull her off the course. She kept running.
These aren't just stories; they are the literal blueprint for what the phrase is talking about. It’s the refusal to accept the current reality as the final reality.
The Psychological Impact of Personal Mantras
Psychologists often talk about "self-talk." The phrases we repeat to ourselves when things get hard actually change our neurological response to stress.
Using a phrase like and nevertheless she persisted functions as a cognitive reframing tool. Instead of seeing yourself as a "victim" of a rule or a boss or a bad situation, you see yourself as a "protagonist" in a story of endurance. You aren't just struggling; you are persisting.
It changes the narrative from something happening to you to something you are doing through the obstacle. That’s a massive psychological shift. It moves the needle from passive to active.
How to Apply the Spirit of Persistence Today
If we move past the hashtags and the mugs, what does this actually look like in 2026? It’s not just about arguing in a boardroom or on a Senate floor. It’s more granular than that.
It looks like:
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- Continuing to apply for roles even after getting ghosted by ten recruiters.
- Speaking up in a meeting when you know your idea is better, even if the "vibe" of the room is dismissive.
- Holding your ground on personal boundaries with family or friends who expect you to be "nicer" or "more accommodating."
- Working on a creative project for years before anyone cares or notices.
The reality is that most persistence is quiet. It’s not a viral moment. It’s the boring, repetitive act of showing up when you’ve been given every reason to leave.
Actionable Insights for the Modern Persister
If you're feeling the weight of the "warnings" and "explanations" of the world, here’s how to actually keep going without burning out:
Know the Rule XIX of your own life. Identify the "unwritten rules" people are using to hold you back. Is it a real rule, or is it just someone’s preference for how you should behave? Once you label it as a preference rather than a law, it loses its power.
Find your "Coretta King" letter. Everyone needs a "why." Elizabeth Warren wasn't just talking to hear herself speak; she was reading something she believed was vital. If you’re going to persist, you need a core belief or a piece of truth that is more important than the discomfort of the pushback.
Acknowledge the warning, then move on. McConnell’s quote is actually a great template. "She was warned. She was given an explanation." You can acknowledge that people have told you the risks. You can acknowledge that you understand the "rules." But you don't have to let those things be the end of the sentence. Your "nevertheless" is your agency.
Build a "Persisted" Circle. Persistence is exhausting if you do it in a vacuum. You need people who will remind you why you started when you’re too tired to remember. Who are the people who will stand up with you when you’re told to sit down?
Persistence isn't about being loud for the sake of being loud. It’s about the refusal to be erased. It’s about the understanding that "no" is often just the beginning of a much more interesting conversation. Whether you like Elizabeth Warren or not, the cultural moment she sparked is a reminder that the power to continue is often the only power we truly own.
Keep going. Even when the rules say you shouldn't. Especially then.