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The Fremen were supreme in that quality the ancients called "spannungsbogen" -- which is the self-imposed delay between desire for a thing and the act of reaching out to grasp that thing.
Frank Herbert
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Interpretation

What this quote means

The quote highlights the importance of patience and self-control in achieving desires.

Frank Herbert's quote emphasizes the concept of 'spannungsbogen', which reflects the discipline required to delay immediate gratification in pursuit of a greater goal. It suggests that true mastery and effectiveness come from being able to control one's impulses and desires, leading to more meaningful and successful endeavors.

Themes

PatienceDesireSelf-ControlDisciplineWisdom

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech about achieving long-term goals.

More from Frank Herbert

My father once told me that respect for truth comes close to being the basis for all morality. 'Something cannot emerge from nothing,' he said. This is profound thinking if you understand how unstable 'the truth' can be.
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Religion must remain an outlet for people who say to themselves, "I am not the kind of person I want to be." It must never sink into an assemblage of the self-satisfied.
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To know a thing well, know it's limits; Only when pushed beyond it's tolerance will it's true nature be seen. -The Amtal Rule
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Technology tends toward avoidance of risks by investors. Uncertainty is ruled out if possible. People generally prefer the predictable. Few recognize how destructive this can be, how it imposes severe limits on variability and thus makes whole populations fatally vulnerable to the shocking ways our universe can throw the dice.
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It is impossible to live in the past, difficult to live in the present and a waste to live in the future.
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