If you get down about the state of American culture, just remember there are still more public libraries in this country than there are McDonalds.
David McculloughRead
Develop and protect a moral sensibility and demonstrate the character to apply it. Dream big. Work hard. Think for yourself. Love everything you love, everyone you love, with all your might. And do so, please, with a sense of urgency, for every tick of the clock subtracts from fewer and fewer...
Interpretation
What this quote means
Cultivate a strong moral compass and pursue your passions vigorously while being mindful of time.
This quote emphasizes the importance of developing a strong moral sensibility and character, urging individuals to dream ambitiously and work diligently towards their goals. It highlights the need for urgency in pursuing love and passion, reminding us that time is limited and that we should fully embrace and cherish what we love, both in actions and emotions.
Themes
MoralityPassionDreamsUrgencyCharacterWorkLove
In practice
Example use cases
I shared this quote at a motivational seminar to inspire the audience to pursue their dreams.
More from David Mccullough
All quotes →There is only one person who can measure your success. That person is you.
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I just thank my father and mother, my lucky stars, that I had the advantage of an education in the humanities.
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Napoleon could never imagine that some people loved their country as much as he loved his own.
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When the founders wrote about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, they didn't mean longer vacations and more comfortable hammocks. They meant the pursuit of learning. The pursuit of improvement and excellence. In hard work is happiness.
David McculloughRead
Any nation that expects to be ignorant and free," Jefferson said, "expects what never was and never will be." And if the gap between the educated and the uneducated in America continues to grow as it is in our time, as fast as or faster than the gap between the rich and the poor, the gap between the educated and the uneducated is going to be of greater consequence and the more serious threat to our way of life. We must not, by any means, misunderstand that.
David McculloughRead
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