There are many things which we can afford to forget which it is yet well to learn.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Every calling is great when greatly pursued.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Every profession can be significant if one dedicates themselves fully to it.
This quote emphasizes the value of commitment and passion in any profession. Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. suggests that the greatness of a calling or job is determined not by the job itself, but by the level of dedication and effort one puts into pursuing it. It encourages individuals to fully invest in their pursuits to find fulfillment and success, regardless of the nature of the work.
Themes
CallingPursuitDedicationGreatnessProfessionMotivation
In practice
Example use cases
During a motivational speech at a career fair.
More from Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.
All quotes βOn the whole, I am on the side of the unregenerate who affirms the worth of life as an end in itself, as against the saints who deny it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Why should you row a boat race? Why endure the long months of pain in preparation for a fierce half hour that will leave you all but dead? Does anyone ask the question? Is there anyone who would not go through all the costs, and more, for the moment when anguish breaks into triumph or even for the glory of having nobly lost? Is life less than a boat race? If a man will give the blood in his body to win the one, will he spend all the might of his soul to prevail in the other?
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make facts live.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
Beware how you take away hope from another human being.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.Read
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