Thursday, October 29, 2020

boldness has genius, power and magic








This may sound too simple, but is great in consequence. Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation), there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one's favour all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamt would have come his way. I learned a deep respect for one of Goethe's couplets:
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!*


~William Hutchison Murray

Scottish mountaineer and writer



*The "Goethe couplet" referred to here is from an extremely loose translation of Goethe's Faust

 lines 214-30 



photo: (c) Bruce Behnke 2014