Strong men greet war, tempest, hard times. They wish, as Pindar said, to tread the floors of hell, with necessities as hard as iron.
Interpretation
This quote highlights the strength and resilience of individuals who face adversity with bravery and resolve.
Ralph Waldo Emerson's quote emphasizes the idea that true strength is revealed in times of hardship and conflict. It portrays courageous individuals as those who confront challenges head-on, desiring to endure even the most difficult circumstances with a steadfast spirit, akin to walking through hell but equipped with the resilience and tools necessary to survive and thrive.
In practice
In a motivational speech about overcoming challenges, one could reference this quote to inspire listeners.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
We've had enough of exhortations to be silent! Cry out with a hundred thousand tongues. I see that the world is rotten because of silence.
I'm looking to no man walking this earth for approval of what I'm doing.
I still suffer terribly from stage fright. I get sick with fear. Not every night, but at the beginning and on occasion - not necessarily when I'm expecting it. You just have to cope with it - take it on the chin and work through it, trying to use the adrenalin to perform.
For the kids out there that are worried about what the future holds, especially the LGBTQI+ kids, our brothers and sisters that came before us didn't fight for nothing. Trust me: we will only move forward, but you need to put your fear aside and find the strength to believe that.
I think it is selfish for me to try to frame Me Too as something that I own. It is bigger than me and bigger than Alyssa Milano. Neither one of us should be centered in this work. This is about survivors.
I carry with me many scars, but I also carry with me moments that would not have happened if I had not dared to go beyond my limits
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