Life must be lived and curiosity kept alive. One must never, for whatever reason, turn his back on life.
Eleanor RooseveltRead
Do the things that interest you and do them with all your heart. Don't be concerned about whether people are watching you or criticizing you. The chances are that they aren't paying any attention to you. It's your attention to yourself that is so stultifying. But you have to disregard yourself as completely as possible. If you fail the first time then you'll just have to try harder the second time. After all, there's no real reason why you should fail. Just stop thinking about yourself.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Focus on your passions and pursue them wholeheartedly without worrying about others' opinions.
Eleanor Roosevelt emphasizes the importance of engaging in activities that genuinely interest you, urging individuals to act with full commitment and disregard the judgments of others. She highlights that often, people are not as focused on you as you might think, and that self-doubt and overthinking can be debilitating. Instead, she encourages resilience, suggesting that if one encounters failure, it should be seen as an opportunity to try again with renewed determination.
Themes
PassionSelflessDeterminationResilienceAttention
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about pursuing one's dreams and passions.
More from Eleanor Roosevelt
All quotes →Great minds discuss ideas; average minds discuss events; small minds discuss people.
Eleanor RooseveltRead
You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.
Eleanor RooseveltRead
Our children should learn the general framework of their government and then they should know where they come in contact with the government, where it touches their daily lives and where their influence is exerted on the government. It must not be a distant thing, someone else's business, but they must see how every cog in the wheel of a democracy is important and bears its share of responsibility for the smooth running of the entire machine.
Eleanor RooseveltRead
It takes courage to love, but pain through love is the purifying fire which those who love generously know.
Eleanor RooseveltRead
I believe that anyone can conquer fear by doing the things he fears to do.
Eleanor RooseveltRead
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