"You must elect your work; you shall..." - Quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson
You must elect your work; you shall take what your brains can, and drop all the rest. Only so can that amount of vital force accumulate which can make the step from knowing to doing. No matter how much faculty of idle seeing a man has, the step from knowing to doing is rarely taken. It is a step out of a chalk circle of imbecility into fruitfulness.
More by Ralph Waldo Emerson
More on Action
“If we think that we can secure our country by just talking tough without acting tough and smart, then we will misunderstand this moment and miss its opportunities. If we think that we can use the same partisan playbook where we just challenge our opponent's patriotism to win an election, then the American people will lose. The times are too serious for this kind of politics.”
“Far better than emasculation would be the bravery of those who use physical force. Far better than cowardice would be meeting one's death fighting.”
“Why should I stay at the bottom of a well, when a strong rope is in my hand?”
More on Work
“I think the growth industry of the future in this country and the world will soon be the continuing education of adults. ...I think the educated person of the future is somebody who realizes the need to continue to learn. That is the new definition and it is going to change the world we live in and work in.”
“This human struggle and scramble for office, for a way to live without work, will finally test the strength of our institutions.”
“One-third of the people in the United States promote, while the other two-thirds provide.”