#so

It's because I haven't courage,' said Samuel. 'I could never quite take the responsibility. When the Lord God did not call my name, I might have called his name - but I did not. There you have the difference between greatness and mediocrity. It's not an uncommon disease. But it's nice for a mediocre man to know that greatness must be the loneliest state in the world.' 'I'd think there are degrees of greatness,' Adam said. 'I don't think so,' said Samuel. 'That would be like saying there is a little bigness. No. I believe when you come to that responsibility the hugeness and you are alone to make your choice. On one side you have warmth and companionship and sweet understanding, and on the other - cold, lonely greatness. There you make your choice. I'm glad I chose mediocrity, but how am I to say what reward might have come with the other? None of my children will be great either, except perhaps Tom. He's suffering over the choosing right now. It's a painful thing to watch. And somewhere in me I want him to say yes. Isn't that strange? A father to want his son condemned to greatness! What selfishness that must be. ↗

— John Steinbeck

#father #greatness #john-steinbeck #mediocrity #son

It [is] that courage that Africa most desperately needs. ↗

— Barack Obama

#society #courage

The problems of today's youth were no longer a Sunday supplement, or a news broadcast, or anything so remote and intangible. They were suddenly become a dirty, shivering boy, who told us that in this world we had built for him with our sweat and our blood, he was not only tired of living, but so unscared of dying that he did it daily, sometimes for recreation. ↗

— Spider Robinson

#despondency #drugs #social-problems #youth #death

God abandons only those who abandon themselves, and whoever has the courage to shut up his sorrow within his own heart is stronger to fight against it than he who complains. ↗

— George Sand

#god #sorrow #strength #courage

Two turtle doves will show thee Where my cold ashes lie And sadly murmuring tell thee How in tears I did die ↗

— Nikolai Gogol

#crying #dead-souls #death #doves #loneliness

Sometimes it seems that we are successful only because we have not tried hard enough for our best. We do the hard thing, and one day we succeed, and many things are made plain to us. ↗

— Maude Adams

#best #day #enough #hard #hard thing

There is no avoidance in delay. ↗

— Aeschylus

#avoidance #courage #delay #resolve #courage

It would be so nice to be wanted by someone with the courage to get his hat or stay as he damn pleased, and who gave her credit for the same. Someone who didn't worry about her. ↗

— Thomas Harris

#pleased #someone #wanted #worry #courage

This is not about you,” reminded the inneru. I know… thought Andy. It’s about all the people in the Land of Oomaldee. It is about the King, Mermin, Alden, Marta, Hans and everyone I’ve come to love here. “You don’t usually think about others first,” replied his inneru. Maybe this is my chance to change that. ↗

— L.R.W. Lee

#lrwlee #change

The first time I asked the man in the mirror to change me, he made me worse . I asked him again a few months later, the glass shattered into millions of pieces and scratched my face. I guess ü gotta' be happy with who ü r. ↗

— Tristyn Lippingwell

#change