Go forward with joyful confidence.
George EliotRead
Each thought is a nail that is driven In structures that cannot decay; And the mansion at last will be given To us as we build it each day.
Interpretation
Our thoughts shape our lives, contributing to our personal development over time.
The quote by George Eliot emphasizes that our thoughts are foundational elements in building our lives, similar to how nails contribute to constructing a house. Each thought we have, whether positive or negative, contributes to the overall structure of our reality, which we continually build with every passing day. The idea is that by consciously choosing our thoughts, we can create a life that reflects our aspirations and values.
In practice
In a motivational speech about personal growth, this quote can illustrate how our daily thoughts contribute to our long-term achievements.
Go forward with joyful confidence.
You must love your work, and not be always looking over the edge of it, wanting your play to begin. And the other is, you must not be ashamed of your work, and think it would be more honorable to you to be doing something else. You must have a pride in your own work and in learning to do it well.
She thought it was part of the hardship of her life that there was laid upon her the burthen of larger wants than others seemed to feel β that she had to endure this wide hopeless yearning for that something, whatever it was, that was greatest and best on this earth.
Life seems to go on without effort when I am filled with music.
I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music. It seems to infuse strength into my limbs and ideas into my brain. Life seems to go on without effort, when I am filled with music.
Our dead are never dead to us until we have forgotten them: they can be injured by us, they can be wounded; they know all our penitence, all our aching sense that their place is empty, all the kisses we bestow on the smallest relic of their presence.
We have all made mistakes in this life. How we learn from our mistakes is the measure of who we are.
A military man can scarcely pride himself on having 'smitten a sleeping enemy'; it is more a matter of shame, simply, for the one smitten. I would rather you made your appraisal after seeing what the enemy does, since it is certain that, angered and outraged, he will soon launch a determined counterattack.
There are stars whose radiance is visible on Earth though they have long been extinct. There are people whose brilliance continues to light the world even though they are no longer among the living. These lights are particularly bright when the night is dark. They light the way for humankind.
We are often attracted to the wrong things, whether it be money, fame, or approval.
The more time goes on, the closer I am to the ground. I've been exposed to so many issues and people living under different pressures. It's helped me realize that a lot of glamorous things that people prioritize really don't matter.
Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself.
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