Failure is the line of least persistence

Someone said, "Failure is the line of least persistence." My mother
called it "stick-to-it." It generally boils down to a healthy
combination of faith and hard work, and it usually means success.

Of the above-mentioned...." ".

What does " the line of least " refer to ? ?

What does it( line of least) mean ?

Many thanks in advance for your advice.

[mykwyner]

There is an idiomatic phrase in English about following the path (line) of least resistance. It usually means using the easiest possible method to accomplish a task while disregarding the quality of the results. Scientifically, liquids follow the line of least resistance when they flow downhill. The statement you quoted is a clever play on words based on the similarity in sound of persistance and resistance, but it means that people who are not persistant will fail.