Endurance is nobler than strength, and patience than beauty.
John RuskinRead
Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives, the cumulative experience of many masters of craftsmanship. Quality also marks the search for an ideal after necessity has been satisfied and mere usefulness achieved.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Quality comes from intentional effort and skilled execution, not by chance.
This quote by John Ruskin emphasizes that achieving quality is a deliberate process that involves thoughtful intention, hard work, and expertise. It suggests that true quality arises from careful choices, learned experiences, and an ongoing pursuit of excellence beyond just meeting basic needs.
Themes
QualityIntentionEffortSkillCraftsmanship
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be shared during a workshop on improving work standards.
More from John Ruskin
All quotes →In health of mind and body, men should see with their own eyes, hear and speak without trumpets, walk on their feet, not on wheels, and work and war with their arms, not with engine-beams, nor rifles warranted to kill twenty men at a shot before you can see them.
John RuskinRead
You talk of the scythe of Time, and the tooth of Time: I tell you, Time is scytheless and toothless; it is we who gnaw like the worm - we who smite like the scythe. It is ourselves who abolish - ourselves who consume: we are the mildew, and the flame.
John RuskinRead
To be able to ask a question clearly is two-thirds of the way to getting it answered.
John RuskinRead
See that your children be taught, not only the labors of the earth, but the loveliness of it.
John RuskinRead
A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money.
John RuskinRead
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