May the sun never set on American baseball.
Harry S. TrumanRead
I always remember an epitaph which is in the cemetery at Tombstone, Arizona. It says: 'Here lies Jack Williams. He done his damnedest.' I think that is the greatest epitaph a man can have - When he gives everything that is in him to do the job he has before him. That is all you can ask of him and that is what I have tried to do.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of giving your best effort in any endeavor.
Harry S. Truman reflects on an epitaph that embodies the ideal of striving to do one's utmost in life. He believes that the essence of legacy is not just in success but in the commitment to giving everything you have to a task, which represents true integrity and fulfillment. This perspective encourages individuals to focus on their efforts and contributions rather than solely on the outcomes.
Themes
EffortLegacyCommitmentWorkIntegrity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a graduation speech to inspire students to give their best in their future endeavors.
More from Harry S. Truman
All quotes →Having found the bomb we have used it. We have used it against those who attacked us without warning at Pearl Harbor, against those who have starved and beaten and executed American prisoners of war, against those who have abandoned all pretense of obeying international laws of warfare. We have used it in order to shorten the agony of war, in order to save the lives of thousands and thousands of young Americans.
Harry S. TrumanRead
Herbert Hoover once ran on the slogan, 'Two cars in every garage'. Apparently, the Republican candidate this year is running on the slogan, 'Two families in every garage'.
Harry S. TrumanRead
The only things worth learning are the things you learn after you know it all.
Harry S. TrumanRead
I never would have agreed to the formulation of the Central Intelligence Agency back in forty-seven, if I had known it would become the American Gestapo.
Harry S. TrumanRead
I would rather have peace in the world than be President.
Harry S. TrumanRead
Similar quotes
Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment.
LaoziRead
All that time is lost which might be better employed.
Jean-Jacques RousseauRead
Whiskey, like a beautiful woman, demands appreciation. You gaze first, then it's time to drink.
Haruki MurakamiRead
An example I often use to illustrate the reality of vanity, is this: look at the peacock; it's beautiful if you look at it from the front. But if you look at it from behind, you discover the truth... Whoever gives in to such self-absorbed vanity has huge misery hiding inside them.
Pope FrancisRead
It is no judgement of a thing outside yourself to say it makes you ill. The wise reader knows that every pronouncement is, to some degree, an act of self-exposure; the book you find too challenging might only show how ill-equipped you are to face its challenge.
Howard JacobsonRead
Improvement makes strait roads, but the crooked roads without Improvement, are roads of Genius.
William BlakeRead