There are many things which we can afford to forget which it is yet well to learn.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
With all humility, I think, "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might." Infinitely more important than the vain attempt to love one's neighbor as one's self. If you want to hit a bird on the wing you must have all your will in focus, you must not be thinking about yourself, and equally, you must not be thinking about your neighbor; you must be living with your eye on that bird. Every achievement is a bird on the wing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Put your full effort into anything you do, focusing on the task rather than on yourself or others.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. emphasizes the importance of dedication and focus in achieving success. He suggests that to truly excel in any endeavor, one must pour their entire will and effort into it, likening achievements to a bird in flight that requires concentration and detachment from distractions, including self-doubt and comparisons to others. This encourages a mindset of commitment and singular focus, which is essential for realizing one's potential.
Themes
EffortFocusDedicationSuccessAchievements
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech to students about the importance of commitment in their studies.
More from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
All quotes →On the whole, I am on the side of the unregenerate who affirms the worth of life as an end in itself, as against the saints who deny it.
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If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.
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Why should you row a boat race? Why endure the long months of pain in preparation for a fierce half hour that will leave you all but dead? Does anyone ask the question? Is there anyone who would not go through all the costs, and more, for the moment when anguish breaks into triumph or even for the glory of having nobly lost? Is life less than a boat race? If a man will give the blood in his body to win the one, will he spend all the might of his soul to prevail in the other?
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make facts live.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Beware how you take away hope from another human being.
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