Man is able, and has the duty, to reach the furthest point on the road he has chosen. Only by means of hope can we attain what is beyond hope.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of human agency and hope in pursuing one's goals.
Nikos Kazantzakis suggests that humans have both the capability and responsibility to strive towards their chosen path. The idea that hope is essential in achieving our aspirations beyond what we currently see implies that it acts as a guiding force that enables us to pursue lofty goals, pushing the boundaries of what we believe is possible.
In practice
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about pursuing dreams.
A weak soul does not have the endurance to resist the flesh for very long. It grows heavy, becomes flesh itself, and the contest ends. But among responsible men, men who keep their eyes riveted day and night upon the Supreme Duty, the conflict between flesh and spirit breaks out mercilessly and may last until death.
This, I thought, is how great visionaries and poets see everything- as if for the first time. Each morning they see a new world before their eyes; they do not really see it, they create it.
What happiness this is: to fly, skimming over the earth just as we do in our dreams! Life has become a dream. Can this be the meaning of paradise?
I collect my tools: sight, smell, touch, taste, hearing, intellect. Night has fallen.
The dual substance of Christ - the yearning, so human, so superhuman, of man to attain God. [...] has always been a deep inscrutable mystery to me. [...] My principle anguish and source of all my joys and sorrows from my youth onward has been the incessant, merciless battle between the spirit and the flesh. [...] And my soul is the arena where these two armies have clashed and met.
I fight to embrace the entire circle of human activity to the full extent of my ability.
I could always hit. I learned to hit with a broomstick and a ball of tape and I could always get that bat on the ball.
I'm always focussed on the actual work, and I think that's a much more succinct way to describe what you care about than any speech I could ever make.
I have always liked running, so it wasn't particularly difficult to make it a habit. All you need is a pair of running shoes and you can do it anywhere. It does not require anybody to do it with, and so I found the sport perfectly fits me as a person who tends to be independent and individualistic.
Gird up your loins for the task that now lies ahead. I had asked you for men, money and materials. I have got them in generous measure. Now I demand more of you. Men, money and materials cannot by themselves bring victory or freedom. We must have the motive-power that will inspire us to brave deeds and heroic exploits.
You've got to be able to think on your own; you've got to be creative. You can't be willing to take a backseat.
If you want to get in shape, go to the #β gym every single day, change your clothes and take a shower. If you can do that every single day for a month, pretty soon you'll start doing something while you're there.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.