I've learned... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
Andy RooneyRead
Everyone wants to live on top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you're climbing it.
Interpretation
True happiness and personal growth come from the journey, not just the end goal.
This quote emphasizes that the pursuit of goals and the experiences we have along the way are where we find true fulfillment and personal development. While many aspire to achieve high status or success ('live on top of the mountain'), it is the struggles and efforts ('climbing it') that cultivate joy and growth in our lives.
In practice
In a graduation speech to inspire students about their future paths.
I've learned... That simple walks with my father around the block on summer nights when I was a child did wonders for me as an adult.
I am not retiring. Writers don't retire. Writers never stop writing.
Writers don't often say anything that readers don't already know, unless its a news story. A writer's greatest pleasure is revealing to people things they knew but did not know they knew. Or did not realize everyone else knew, too. This produces a warm sense of fellow feeling and is the best a writer can do.
My advice is not to wait to be struck by an idea. If you're a writer, you sit down and damn well decide to have an idea. That's the way to get an idea.
Stay hungry, remain humble and get better today.
It is my firm belief that I have a link with the past and a responsibility to the future. I cannot give up. I cannot despair. There's a whole future, generations to come. I have to keep trying.
I am looking for a lot of men who have an infinite capacity to not know what can't be done.
Dream big. Start small. But most of all, start.
If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.
When I have reached a summit, I leave it with great reluctance, unless it is to reach for another, higher one.
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