Roger, liftoff, and the clock is started.
Alan ShepardRead
Whether you are an astronomer or a life scientist, geophysicist, or a pilot, you've got to be there because you believe you are good in your field, and you can contribute, not because you are going to get a lot of fame or whatever when you get back.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Dedication to one's profession should stem from passion and belief in one's contributions rather than the desire for fame.
In this quote, Alan Shepard emphasizes the importance of intrinsic motivation in pursuing a profession. He suggests that true fulfillment comes from a genuine belief in one's skills and the desire to make a meaningful contribution to the field, rather than seeking external recognition or fame. This perspective highlights the value of passion and purpose in all professions, encouraging individuals to focus on their impact rather than accolades.
Themes
MotivationPassionContributionSuccessDedication
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech at a conference, this quote can inspire attendees to pursue careers driven by passion.
More from Alan Shepard
All quotes →The excitement really didn't start to build until the trailer - which was carrying me, with a space suit with ventilation and all that sort of stuff - pulled up to the launch pad.
Alan ShepardRead
It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a government contract.
Alan ShepardRead
I think all of us certainly believed the statistics which said that probably 88% chance of mission success and maybe 96% chance of survival. And we were willing to take those odds.
Alan ShepardRead
When I first looked back at the Earth, standing on the Moon I cried
Alan ShepardRead
I think the sense of family and family achievement, plus the discipline which I received there from that one-room school were really very helpful in what I did later on.
Alan ShepardRead
Similar quotes
If I like a thing, it just sticks after once reading it or hearing it.
Abraham LincolnRead
Hath any wounded thee with injuries? Meet them with patience. Hasty words rankle the wound; soft language dresses it.
Francis QuarlesRead
They were small, brightly coloured, happy little creatures who secreted some of the nastiest toxins in the world, which is why the job of looking after the large vivarium where they happily passed their days was given to first-year students, on the basis that if they got things wrong there wouldn't be too much education wasted.
Terry PratchettRead
When words are both true and kind, they can change the world.
Gautama BuddhaRead
A person reveals his character by nothing so clearly as the joke he resents.
Georg C. LichtenbergRead
When you have indulged a lust, your wing drops off; you become lame, abandoned by a fantasy. …People fancy they are enjoying themselves, but they are really tearing out their wings for the sake of an illusion.
RumiRead