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Courage, not cleverness; not even inspiration, is the grain of mustard that grows up to be a great tree.
Ludwig Wittgenstein
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Courage is more important than intelligence or inspiration for achieving great things.

This quote by Ludwig Wittgenstein emphasizes that the foundation of significant achievements lies in courage rather than just smart thinking or fleeting inspiration. Just as a small mustard seed can grow into a large tree, the act of being brave can lead to profound outcomes in one's life, highlighting the immense potential that courage holds in personal and collective growth.

Themes

CourageGrowthPotentialMustard SeedAchievement

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech about pursuing dreams despite fears.

More from Ludwig Wittgenstein

If we spoke a different language, we would perceive a somewhat different world.
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One cannot guess how a word functions. One has to look at its use and learn from that. But the difficulty is to remove the prejudice which stands in the way of doing this. It is not a stupid prejudice.
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No one likes having offended another person; hence everyone feels so much better if the other person doesn't show he's been offended. Nobody likes being confronted by a wounded spaniel. Remember that. It is much easier patiently - and tolerantly - to avoid the person you have injured than to approach him as a friend. You need courage for that.
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It's impossible for me to say one word about all that music has meant to me in my life. How, then, can I hope to be understood?
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Nothing is so difficult as not deceiving oneself.
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My day passes between logic, whistling, going for walks, and being depressed. I wish to God that I were more intelligent and everything would finally become clear to me - or else that I needn't live much longer.
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