If I had not some strength of will I would make a first class drunkard.
Ernest ShackletonRead
I do not know what 'moss' stands for in the proverb , but if it stood for useful knowledge... I gathered more moss by rolling than I ever did at school.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the value of experiential learning over formal education.
Ernest Shackleton reflects on the idea that practical experiences, symbolized by 'gathering moss', provide valuable knowledge that surpasses what is learned in a traditional classroom. This suggests that engaging with the world and learning through doing can yield richer insights and skills than theoretical education alone.
In practice
In a workshop on personal development, this quote can inspire participants to value hands-on experiences.
If I had not some strength of will I would make a first class drunkard.
Now my eyes are turned from the South to the North, and I want to lead one more Expedition. This will be the last... to the North Pole.
I have often marveled at the thin line which separates success from failure.
(Was he talking about a polar expedition, or marriage?) -Jorge Men Wanted: For hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.
After months of want and hunger, we suddenly found ourselves able to have meals fit for the gods, and with appetites the gods might have envied.
A man must shape himself to a new mark directly the old one goes to ground.
No one has a prosperity so high and firm that two or three words can't dishearten it.
When you expand your awareness, seemingly random events will be seen to fit into a larger purpose.
The purpose of the guru is not to weaken your will. It is to teach you secrets of developing your inner power, until you can stand unshaken amidst the crash of breaking worlds.
Call on your Lord when your heart is brittle, that is a time when it's in pieces and the Light of Allah can fill the gaps. That is why Allāh is with the broken hearted.
Probably the hardest question I get asked is, 'How do I choose between passion and practicality?' I can't answer that. I had to do both. I was passionate about pursuing a career in financial services. But I was also passionate about feeding my child.
Of all human lamentations, without doubt, the most common is if only I had known. But we can't know, and so days of death and fire so often begin no differently than those of love and warmth.
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