An athlete may run ten thousand miles in order to prepare for one hundred yards. Quantity gives experience.
Interpretation
Preparation and hard work are essential for success, even in small endeavors.
This quote by Ray Bradbury highlights the importance of extensive preparation and practice in achieving success in any pursuit. An athlete's rigorous training and experience, likened to running thousands of miles, are imperative to excel in a seemingly short and straightforward task, such as sprinting a hundred yards. It serves as a reminder that success often requires significant effort behind the scenes, emphasizing the idea that diligent preparation can lead to great achievements.
In practice
In a motivational speech at a sports event.
I've written about 2,000 short stories; I've only published 300 and I feel I'm still learning. Any man who keeps working is not a failure. He may not be a great writer, but if he applies the old fashioned virtues of hard, constant labor, he'll eventually make some kind of career for himself as a writer. Ray Bradbury, 1967 interview (Doing the Math - that means for every story he sold, he wrote six "un-publishable" ones. Keep typing!)
I never went to college, so I went to the library.
There must be something in books, something we can’t imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house; there must be something there. You don’t stay for nothing.
I think the sun is a flower, That blooms for just one hour.
The first thing a writer should be is - excited. He should be a thing of fevers and enthusiasms. Without such vigor, he might as well be out picking peaches or digging ditches; God knows it'd be better for his health.
You can't try to do things; you simply must do them.
The most important thing to remember is that you can wear all the greatest clothes and all the greatest shoes, but you’ve got to have a good spirit on the inside. That’s what’s really going to make you look like you’re ready to rock the world.
Hope is important because it can make the present moment less difficult to bear. If we believe that tomorrow will be better, we can bear a hardship today.
I've had moments where I didn't hit the ball very good coming in, and you've got to turn it around. That's the whole idea of practicing and really working on being focused on what I'm doing and being committed to what I'm doing. I know what the fix is and I've proven it to myself, and it's just a matter of going out there and executing it consistently over 72 holes.
I just love it when people say I can't do something. There's nothing that makes me feel better, because all my life people have said I wasn't going to make it.
The day when I start a race without intending to win it, I won't be able to look at myself in the mirror.
We need to get women to the point where they aren't apologizing. Its time to take ownership in our success.
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