There are many things which we can afford to forget which it is yet well to learn.
The riders in a race do not stop when they reach the goal. There is a little finishing canter before coming to a standstill. There is time to hear the kind voices of friends and say to oneself, The work is done.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Achieving a goal is just a part of the journey; it's essential to take a moment to appreciate your accomplishment.
This quote emphasizes that reaching a goal doesn't mean the journey is over; instead, it's important to take a moment to reflect on our achievements and appreciate the support of those around us. The imagery of a 'finishing canter' suggests a graceful transition from the hustle of competition to a more relaxed state of acknowledgment, encouraging individuals to savor their accomplishments before coming to a complete stop.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
In a graduation speech, one might say this quote to inspire graduates to appreciate their journey and the support they've received.
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.
If you don't know what you want, you will probably never get it.
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?
The main part of intellectual education is not the acquisition of facts, but learning how to make facts live.
Beware how you take away hope from another human being.
Similar quotes
Life is filled with detours and dead ends, trials and challenges of every kind. Each of us has likely had times when distress, anguish, and despair almost consumed us.
I wanted to write a book that talked about the emotions of children, which is the rainbow. We all have moods. We talk about being blue when we're sad, and being yellow when we're cowards, and when we're mad, we're red.
I'm the kind of person who needs to feel like everything happens for a reason. When you date a guy and it goes badly, that's horrible. But if you can write a song about it, then it was worth it.
At twenty life was like wrestling an octopus. Every moment mattered. At thirty it was a walk in the country. Most of the time your mind was somewhere else. By the time you got to seventy, it was probably like watching snooker on the telly.
I never got the chance to meet Linda Brown; there were several times we were supposed to meet or be on the same stage together, but life gets in the way, and it never happened.
It is the most powerful creation to have life growing inside of you. There is no bigger gift.