That's what happens when you're thirty-seven years old: you do the things you always did but the result is somehow different.
Commitment, by its nature, frees us from ourselves and, while it stands us in opposition to some, it joins us with others similarly committed. Commitment moves us from the mirror trap of the self absorbed with the self to the freedom of a community of shared values.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Commitment allows individuals to connect with others and creates a supportive community, shifting focus from selfishness to shared values.
This quote by Michael Lewis emphasizes the transformative power of commitment in relationships and community. It suggests that by committing to something greater than oneself, individuals can break free from self-absorption and isolation, instead forming meaningful connections with others who share similar values and goals. Commitment fosters a sense of belonging and mutual support, ultimately enriching both personal and collective experiences.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech to inspire teamwork, one might quote this to emphasize the importance of commitment in building a strong community.
More from Michael Lewis
All quotes →People in both fields operate with beliefs and biases. To the extent you can eliminate both and replace them with data, you gain a clear advantage.
Above all, recognize that if you have had success, you have also had luck — and with luck comes obligation. You owe a debt, and not just to your Gods. You owe a debt to the unlucky.
The men on the trading floor may not have been to school, but they have Ph.D.’s in man’s ignorance.
A banking system is an act of faith: it survives only for as long as people believe it will.
That was how a Salomon bond trader thought: He forgot whatever it was that he wanted to do for a minute and put his finger on the pulse of the market. If the market felt fidgety, if people were scared or desperate, he herded them like sheep into a corner, then made them pay for their uncertainty. He sat on the market until it puked gold coins. Then he worried about what he wanted to do.
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Integrity is important in building relationships. And is the foundation upon which many other qualities for success are built, such as respect, dignity, and trust.
The beggarly question of parentage--what is it, after all? What does it matter, when you come to think of it, whether a child is yours by blood or not? All the little ones of our time are collectively the children of us adults of the time, and entitled to our general care. That excessive regard of parents for their own children, and their dislike of other people's, is, like class-feeling, patriotism, save-your-own-soul-ism, and other virtues, a mean exclusiveness at bottom.