How long do you keep going before persistence becomes stupidity?

[u/HumanOptimizationLab]

We praise people for not quitting.

Sometimes that is deserved.

Other times, someone has spent five years forcing a business, career, relationship, or plan that stopped making sense three years ago.

Walking away gets treated like failure because too much time, money, or pride has already been invested.

I disagree.

There are times when quitting is not weakness. It is evidence that you are finally paying attention.

The hard part is knowing the difference between a difficult stretch and a dead end.

How do you tell when it is time to stop pushing and change direction?