Nothing could be worse than the fear that one had given up too soon, and left one unexpended effort that might have saved the world.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of perseverance and the fear of not trying hard enough.
Jane Addams highlights the deep regret one might feel if they give up prematurely, particularly if their continued efforts could have led to significant positive outcomes. The quote urges individuals to confront their fears of failure and to continue striving for their goals, as the potential to make a meaningful impact should motivate them to persist.
In practice
In a motivational speech about resilience, I would use this quote to inspire the audience to keep trying despite challenges.
I might believe I had unusual talent if I did not know what good music was; I might enjoy half an hour's practice a day if I were busy and happy the rest of the time. You do not know what life means when all the difficulties are removed! I am simply smothered and sickened with advantages. It is like eating a sweet dessert the first thing in the morning.
America's future will be determined by the home and the school. The child becomes largely what he is taught; hence we must watch what we teach, and how we live.
Action indeed is the sole medium of expression for ethics.
I am not one of those who believe - broadly speaking - that women are better than men. We have not wrecked railroads, nor corrupted legislatures, nor done many unholy things that men have done; but then we must remember that we have not had the chance.
National events determine our ideals, as much as our ideals determine national events.
If the meanest man in the republic is deprived of his rights,then every man in the republic is deprived of his rights.
Any damage that's been done, you have to fix yourself because it needs fixing and there is nobody else to do the work. Blame may well be justified, but it's not going to move you forward in your life.
I had to will my way through that game. Sometimes, it takes more than talent or more than a 95-mile-an-hour fastball. You have to will it.
I wish for a world where everyone understands that discomfort is the price of legendary. And fear is just growth coming to get you.
I made a conscious decision not to tell anyone in my life. Now I tell people - don't tell anyone your idea until you have invested enough of yourself in it that you are not going to turn back. When a person has an idea at that conception moment it is the most vulnerable - one negative comment could knock you off course.
Live today. Remove all blame from your vocabulary. Catch yourself when you find yourself using your past history as a reason for your failure to act today, and instead say, 'I am free now to detach myself from what used to be.'
I'm going to be dead for a long time, so I have a lot to do now.
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