Those who attain any excellence, commonly spend life in one pursuit; for excellence is not often gained upon easier terms.
Interpretation
Achieving excellence requires dedication to a singular pursuit, as it is rarely attained without hard work.
This quote by Samuel Johnson emphasizes that those who achieve excellence typically do so by focusing their efforts on a specific goal or pursuit. It suggests that success is not simply handed to individuals; instead, it demands perseverance, commitment, and the willingness to navigate challenges along the way, highlighting that true excellence is often the result of sustained effort rather than a series of easy wins.
In practice
In a motivational speech to a group of students about the importance of focus on their goals.
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.
The secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes.
What are the five products you want to focus on? Get rid of the rest, because they’re dragging you down. They’re turning you into Microsoft. They’re causing you to turn out products that are adequate but not great.
In the end, when it's over, all that matters is what you've done.
How great are the dangers I face to win a good name in Athens.
As quickly as it started, our business model evaporated. But while Traf-O-Data was technically a business failure, the understanding of microprocessors we absorbed was crucial to our future success.
He who would accomplish little must sacrifice little; he who would achieve much must sacrifice much; he who would attain highly must sacrifice greatly.
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