There are many things which we can afford to forget which it is yet well to learn.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Why should you row a boat race? Why endure the long months of pain in preparation for a fierce half hour that will leave you all but dead? Does anyone ask the question? Is there anyone who would not go through all the costs, and more, for the moment when anguish breaks into triumph or even for the glory of having nobly lost? Is life less than a boat race? If a man will give the blood in his body to win the one, will he spend all the might of his soul to prevail in the other?
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the sacrifices and efforts people are willing to make in life for moments of glory or achievement, much like a boat race.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. uses the metaphor of a boat race to explore the idea of sacrifice and the pursuit of greatness in life. He questions why individuals endure hardships and challenges, likening these struggles to the effort put into preparing for a race. The essence of the quote highlights that life itself is a series of races where triumphs, losses, and the experience of striving are valuable, suggesting that the journey and the passion behind our pursuits are what truly matter.
Themes
SacrificeStruggleGloryAchievementLifeEffort
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about perseverance during hard times.
More from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
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The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make facts live.
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Beware how you take away hope from another human being.
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If there is any principle of the Constitution that more imperatively calls for attachment than any other it is the principle of free thought, not free thought for those who agree with us but freedom for the thought that we hate.
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