Great thoughts speak only to the thoughtful mind. Great actions speak to all mankind. -Theodore Roosevelt
Action. Every time. We are defined by the things we do. Did I give my all every day?
You should want to be thoughtful. You should want to have great thoughts. But what is the purpose if you are not going to do anything with it?
I heard a story once of Joseph II. He was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1765-1790. The emperor was known as one of the great Enlightenment Monarchs. He was full of ideals and desired to rule for the good of all the people. And yet, he wanted the inscription on his tombstone to read, “Here lies Joseph II, who failed in all he undertook.” Imagine if we knew nothing of this man, except what was written on his tombstone. We would shake our heads in amazement at this colossal waste of a life.
During Joseph II’s reign, a notable American was travelling Europe. I am not sure if the two ever met, but if Benjamin Franklin could have delivered the following quote to the emperor, it might have changed his life: “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.”
No one will ever remember the person whose head was always in the clouds and never did anything with those lofty thoughts. We were not meant to be static, but dynamic. We must dare to be actors in this great saga called life.
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The Virtue of Courage
Do you have the heart to forge ahead? Can you keep going even though your body and your mind wants you to stop? There are those who bend underneath the pressure, and then there are those who have the fortitude to continue standing. The heart of courage, a chief virtue of the soul.
TonyFine.blog 