I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife.
James Russell LowellRead
Not failure, but low aim, is crime.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Aim high to achieve success; settling for less is the true failure.
This quote by James Russell Lowell emphasizes that having low aspirations or aims is a greater failure than any mistakes or setbacks one might encounter. It encourages individuals to strive for higher goals and to realize that failing to reach one's potential is what constitutes a true personal offense.
Themes
FailureAimHighSuccessMotivation
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing dreams, this quote could inspire the audience to set ambitious goals.
More from James Russell Lowell
All quotes βThe foolish and the dead alone never change their opinions.
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Good luck is the willing handmaid of upright, energetic character, and conscientious observance of duty.
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Puritanism, believing itself quick with the seed of religious liberty, laid, without knowing it, the egg of democracy.
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Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind.
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Old events have modern meanings; only that survives of past history which finds kindred in all hearts and lives.
James Russell LowellRead
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