“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” -Theodore Roosevelt
Let’s face it, Theodore Roosevelt might have been the burliest man in history. For God’s sake, the guy was shot at close range, suffered a flesh wound, and still managed to continue his presidential speech with the bullet still in his body — the guy knew what he was talking about. “The Man in the Arena” is one of my favorite quotes, and the video above is a great visual addition to inspiring words. Have a good weekend folks!
Written March 30th, 1973, a letter by Mr. E.B. White in response to a man who had lost his faith in humanity:
Dear Mr. Nadeau:
As long as there is one upright man, as long as there is one compassionate woman, the contagion may spread and the scene is not desolate. Hope is the thing that is left to us, in a bad time. I shall get up Sunday morning and wind the clock, as a contribution to order and steadfastness.
Sailors have an expression about the weather: they say, the weather is a great bluffer. I guess the same is true of our human society — things can look dark, then a break shows in the clouds, and all is changed, sometimes rather suddenly. It is quite obvious that the human race has made a queer mess of life on this planet. But as a people we probably harbor seeds of goodness that have lain for a long time waiting to sprout when the conditions are right. Man’s curiosity, his relentlessness, his inventiveness, his ingenuity have led him into deep trouble. We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out.
Hang on to your hat. Hang on to your hope. And wind the clock, for tomorrow is another day.
Sincerely,
E. B. White
via BrainPicker
We can only hope that these same traits will enable him to claw his way out – love this line. Have a good weekend folks!
“No matter where you were 5 years ago, I hope that today you are closer to your dreams. I know that everything hasn’t gone exactly the way you planned, it hasn’t for me either. But our job isn’t to plan. Our job includes 3 responsibilities: 1. To dream 2. To believe that dream is attainable 3. To work hard everyday towards that dream. Let God handle the rest.”
J. Cole has successfully made it into the top 20 list for the wealthiest artists that exist at the moment. Dream, believe, work hard, and let God.