QuoteProject
The only lost cause is one we give up on before we enter the struggle.
Vaclav Havel
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Perseverance is key; giving up too soon can make any effort a lost cause.

This quote from Vaclav Havel emphasizes the importance of determination and persistence in the face of challenges. It suggests that a cause or goal only becomes a lost cause when we abandon it prematurely, thereby underscoring the necessity of engaging fully in our struggles before deeming them unsuccessful. Success requires effort and resilience, especially when facing difficulties.

Themes

PerseveranceStruggleDeterminationMotivationEffort

In practice

Example use cases

In a speech about resilience, one could use this quote to encourage students to persist in their studies.

More from Vaclav Havel

Without a global revolution in the sphere of human consciousness a more humane society will not emerge.
Vaclav HavelRead
Ownership is not a vice, not something to be ashamed of, but rather a commitment, and an instrument by which the general good can be served.
Vaclav HavelRead
In my opinion, theater shouldn't give advice to citizens.
Vaclav HavelRead
Sometimes I wonder if suicides aren't in fact sad guardians of the meaning of life.
Vaclav HavelRead
The exercise of power is determined by thousands of interactions between the world of the powerful and that of the powerless, all the more so because these worlds are never divided by a sharp line: everyone has a small part of himself in both.
Vaclav HavelRead
Human rights, human freedoms... and human dignity have their deepest roots somewhere outside the perceptible world... while the state is a human creation, human beings are the creation of God.
Vaclav HavelRead

Similar quotes

Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand - and melting like a snowflake.
Francis BaconRead
As long as possible, I would really like to complete one marathon per year. Though my time has been slowing down as I get older, it has become a very important part of my life.
Haruki MurakamiRead
Life takes on meaning when you become motivated, set goals and charge after them in an unstoppable manner.
Les BrownRead
I have begun everything with the idea that I could succeed, and I never had much patience with the multitudes of people who are always ready to explain why one cannot succeed.
Booker T. WashingtonRead
Stick to your dreams and determine that you're going to make them come true.
Ronald ReaganRead
To spend each day with some laughter and some thought, to get your emotions going. To be enthusiastic every day and as Ralph Waldo Emerson said, 'Nothing great could be accomplished without enthusiasm,' to keep your dreams alive in spite of problems whatever you have. The ability to be able to work hard for your dreams to come true, to become a reality.
Jim ValvanoRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.

Quote by Vaclav Havel | QuoteProject