The task of leadership is not to put greatness into people, but to elicit it, for the greatness is there already.
John BuchanRead
The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but attainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Fishing embodies the thrill of chasing after something difficult to catch, while providing endless opportunities for optimism.
This quote highlights the essence of fishing as a metaphor for life, where the act of pursuit—though often challenging—brings about a continuous sense of hope. It reflects the joy found in striving for goals that seem just out of reach, embodying the balance of effort and expectation that characterizes many aspects of our lives.
Themes
FishingHopePursuitNatureOptimism
In practice
Example use cases
This quote would be perfect for a speech about perseverance in the face of obstacles.
More from John Buchan
All quotes →The task of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.
John BuchanRead
Similar quotes
Among the scenes which are deeply impressed on my mind, none exceed in sublimity the primeval [tropical] forests, ... temples filled with the varied productions of the God of Nature. No one can stand in these solitudes unmoved, and not feel that there is more in man than the mere breath of his body.
Charles DarwinRead
In nature things move violently to their place, and calmly in their place.
Francis BaconRead
We have a responsibility to protect the rights of generations, of all species, that cannot speak for themselves today. The global challenge of climate change requires that we ask no less of our leaders, or ourselves.
Wangari MaathaiRead
The roofs are shining from the rain,_x000D_ _x000D_ The sparrows twitter as they fly,_x000D_ _x000D_ And with a windy April grace_x000D_ _x000D_ The little clouds go by._x000D_ _x000D_ Yet the back yards are bare and brown_x000D_ _x000D_ With only one unchanging tree-_x000D_ _x000D_ I could not be so sure of Spring_x000D_ _x000D_ Save that it sings in me.
Sara TeasdaleRead
An Armageddon is approaching at the beginning of the third millennium. But it is not the cosmic war and fiery collapse of mankind foretold in sacred scripture. It is the wreckage of the planet by an exuberantly plentiful and ingenious humanity.
E. O. WilsonRead
And we'd sit in the dry leaves that whispered a little with the slow respiration of our waiting and with the slow breathing of the earth and the windless october, the rank smell of the lantern fouling the brittle air, listening to the dog and the echo of louis' voice dying away
William FaulknerRead