Fan Works
The other message you can take away from this is "Know when to quit." There's a difference between iron-willed determination and stubborn denial. If you don't call it quits after being met with failure some two dozen times or so, it's safe to say the former had morphed into the latter. I think most would agree that this transition happened to Squidward not long after the first movie. He really should have taken the memo, but Status Quo Is God, and we couldn't have Squidward change or grow as a character. Squidward wouldn't be Squidward if he ate humble pie, but watching him being put through the wringer for 20 years, long after the show itself had peaked, ceased being funny or relatable a while ago and just became depressing after a point.
—Author's notes, Finite
Video Games
"Isn't that delicious? Your 'determination.' The power that let you get this far... It's gonna be your downfall!"
"I know your type. You're, uh, very determined, aren't you? You'll never give up, even if there's absolutely NO benefit to persevering whatsoever. If i can make that clear. No matter what, you'll just keep going. Not out of any desire for good or evil... but just because you think you can. And because you can... you have to."
— Sans, Undertale
Web Original
"At some point, hanging in there just makes you look like an even bigger loser."
— Despair, Inc. Demotivational Poster
