If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.
Interpretation
Determination and perseverance, rather than strength, lead to great accomplishments.
In this quote, Samuel Johnson highlights the importance of determination and hard work in achieving success. He suggests that even when faced with challenges, one should not lose hope because with diligence and skill, most things are attainable. The essence of great achievements lies not in mere physical strength, but in the relentless pursuit and perseverance over time.
In practice
In a motivational speech to inspire students facing exams.
To be of no church is dangerous. Religion, of which the rewards are distant, and which is animated only by faith and hope, will glide by degrees out of the mind unless it be invigorated and reimpressed by external ordinances, by stated calls to worship, and the salutary influence of example.
He that reads and grows no wiser seldom suspects his own deficiency, but complains of hard words and obscure sentences, and asks why books are written which cannot be understood.
To let friendship die away by negligence and silence is certainly not wise. It is voluntarily to throw away one of the greatest comforts of the weary pilgrimage.
Fly-fishing may be a very pleasant amusement; but angling or float fishing I can only compare to a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other.
When any anxiety or gloom of the mind takes hold of you, make it a rule not to publish it by complaining; but exert yourselves to hide it, and by endeavoring to hide it you drive it away.
A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other.
If you're not going to be rewarded for your virtues, and instead you're going to be punished for them, then what's your motivation to continue?
We never fail when we try to do our duty, we always fail when we neglect to do it.
If you can't figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.
If I'd won every single race and got pole everywhere, that would just be boring. It would suck. Where's the fun in that?
You can never let anything distract you from your main objective. My only goal is to be great. That's all I want. That's all I ever aspire to be. Greatness is something nobody can ever take away from you, no matter what happens. So I put all my energy and focus into my craft.
Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything. Keep trying, hold on, and always, always, always believe in yourself, because if you don't, then who will, sweetie? So keep your head high, keep your chin up, and most importantly, keep smiling, because life's a beautiful thing and there's so much to smile about.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.