Our chief defect is that we are more given to talking about things than to doing them.
Jawaharlal NehruRead
Great causes and little men go ill together.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Ambitious goals are often undermined by those who lack vision or capability.
Jawaharlal Nehru's quote suggests a disconnect between significant ambitions or societal goals and the individuals who may pursue them. It implies that great causes require capable and visionary individuals, and when these grand objectives are taken on by those who are not equipped or motivated, the outcome is likely to be disappointing or ineffective.
Themes
Great CausesLittle MenAmbitionPotentialLeadership
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used to motivate young leaders in a seminar about social change.
More from Jawaharlal Nehru
All quotes βIndia has known the innocence and insouciance of childhood, the passion and abandon of youth, and the ripe wisdom of maturity that comes from long experience of pain and pleasure; and over and over a gain she has renewed her childhood and youth and age
Jawaharlal NehruRead
Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism; the way you play it is free will.
Jawaharlal NehruRead
Crises and deadlocks when they occur have at least this advantage, that they force us to think.
Jawaharlal NehruRead
What we really are matters more than what other people think of us.
Jawaharlal NehruRead
Loyal and efficient work in a great cause, even though it may not be immediately recognized, ultimately bears fruit.
Jawaharlal NehruRead
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