I have far more confidence in the one man who works mentally and bodily at a matter than in the six who merely talk about it.
Interpretation
Action and effort are more valuable than mere words and discussions.
This quote by Michael Faraday emphasizes the importance of action over talk. It suggests that those who invest their time and effort into working towards a goal, both mentally and physically, are far more reliable and impactful than those who only discuss ideas without taking steps to bring them to fruition.
In practice
In a team meeting, when discussing project strategies, this quote can motivate members to take action rather than just brainstorming.
I think chemistry is being frittered away by the hairsplitting of the organic chemists; we have new compounds discovered, which scarcely differ from the known ones and when discovered are valueless-very illustrations perhaps of their refinements in analysis, but very little aiding the progress of true science.
I am no poet, but if you think for yourselves, as I proceed, the facts will form a poem in your minds.
It is on record that when a young aspirant asked Faraday the secret of his success as a scientific investigator, he replied, 'The secret is comprised in three words- Work, Finish, Publish.'
When I consider the multitude of associated forces which are diffused through nature - when I think of that calm balancing of their energies which enables those most powerful in themselves, most destructive to the world's creatures and economy, to dwell associated together and be made subservient to the wants of creation, I rise from the contemplation more than ever impressed with the wisdom, the beneficence, and grandeur, beyond our language to express, of the Great Disposer of us all.
Water is to me, I confess, a phenomenon which continually awakens new feelings of wonder as often as I view it.
It is right that we should stand by and act on our principles; but not right to hold them in obstinate blindness, or retain them when proved to be erroneous.
The journey is essential to the dream.
Don't get discouraged if you're hammering away at a sentence or a paragraph or a chapter, and it keeps coming out wrong. You're allowed to get it wrong, as many times as you need to; you only need to get it right once.
Don't be afraid. Don't be daunted. Just do your job. Continue to show up for your piece of it, whatever that might be.
People need motivation to do anything. I don't think human beings learn anything without desperation.
The gap between the committed and the indifferent is a Sahara whose faint trails, followed by the mind's eye only, fade out in sand.
I would advise you to keep your overhead down; avoid a major drug habit; play everyday, and take it front of other people. They need to hear it, and you need them to hear it.
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