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Quote of the Day: Hold the Line,Unless You Are Facing the Wrong Way
“Nothing in the World can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination are omnipotent. The slogan “press on” has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.” — Attributed to Calvin Coolidge (Unverified).
“Never give in, never give in, never, never, never, never—in nothing, great or small, large or petty—never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.” — Winston Churchill, speech at Harrow School, Harrow, England, Oct. 29, 1941.
Two interesting quotes from Ricochet favorites. Coolidge may not have uttered this quote, but it was printed on the program for his funeral. I have seen and encountered the first quote in my own life. It is certainly true that many conflicts boil down to a question of will and dedication — who wants it more? How many movies have the hero down on the ground, with defeat staring him in the face, and then something gives him the determination to press on toward victory. Maybe they see someone they love, or something reminds them of the stakes? I think this is honestly mostly a dramatization — real heroes either resolve those doubts in a moment of thought or have already done so before their hour comes.
More to the point, developing relentless perseverance is the primary benefit of suffering. I reject the idea that suffering is a good thing, but avoiding all suffering and hardship is the source of snowflakes and whiny crybully social justice thugs. There is a path between endless agony and living in a bubble. By all means avoid suffering, but if it is the difference between success and failure, be willing to endure to achieve.
There was something bothering me about the first quote, which I think the second quote addresses. Dedication and resolve do not help if they serve a foolish or evil end. Terrorist scum can be quite persistent, after all, and our own mob of angry unemployed lefties seems to keep at things without ceasing. I’m sure Silent Cal would agree that Wilson’s persistence in implementing progressive policy and supporting the League of Nations did not help matters. So there are times when honor (morality/ethics) and good sense (rationality) tell you that you are aimed in the wrong direction. However, that is the only good reason to back down.
Otherwise, hold the line, do not surrender, do not bow down, do not give way.
This double-header Quote of the Day is brought to you by the iron will of Brett Kavanaugh, and Mitch McConnell’s resolve.
Published in Law
Awesome post, thank you!
Running on GMT in honor of Winston
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Omega, you have touched on a great truth that needs to be repeated over and over again: Intelligence and cleverness will carry you only I so far. Hard work and persistency will carry you the rest of the way.
Iron Will Brett. I like :-)
#KavanaughStrong
I hope, pray, and think that Justice K had his ‘come to Jesus’ moment. To that I say, better late than never Judge K.
I also reckon that the Leftists have deeply and truly pissed off ‘a good man.’ I suspect that he will not be in ‘the mood’ for their antics in the Supreme Court either. Could this be what winning again looks like?
P.S. Looks like the swamp may be doing some auto-draining. The FBI may even be a lesser threat to We the People than it was even just a few months ago.
I think Hyman Rickover said something very similar. Of course he may have known the Coolidge quote.
I was thinking there probably wouldn’t be a more staunch defender of the Bill of Rights than one who’s had his own rights trampled in a nomination process.
yep. one would think so. time will tell.
In other good news, I have relatives in the D.C. area who went to high school with Brett Kavanaugh; they were and I think still are pretty good friends with him. They tend towards being democrats, but were very pleased when he was nominated, and are horrified by what the dems have done to him. It will take a lot, but I think the scales are starting to fall from their eyes.
I’m also thinking, if confirmed, Justice Kavanaugh will not be the same justice he would have been when his initial confirmation hearings ended. You better than most, @simontemplar, know what being tested in the furnace does to the soul…amIright?
I don’t see how this could not have put hair on his chest. I think you are correct.
Excellent.
This seems really Buddhist. I find the frank approach to suffering without relishing in suffering to be very interesting.
I hope so too. Remember, Justice Kennedy suggested Kavanaugh, who’s more of a middle-of-the-roader and a product of the swamp. There are Kavanaugh decisions on 9/11 security issues vs. the individual that question his present Bill of Rights philosophy. Unlike many Republican appointed justices, he might “grow” in the correct way like Thomas.
I was very surprised at his 9/27 opening statement…didn’t know he had it in him but very glad he did. If confirmed, hope he continues the path he’s begun. I expect he’ll be closely scrutinized.
Nietzsche said something along the lines of , that which doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. Hope it applies here.
So very, very true. Thank you for this post @OmegaPaladin.
To put it mildly.
Off topic but I have never believed this to be true.
Well, then can we say that what doesn’t kill us will at least make us better, somehow, if not exactly stronger? Because if it doesn’t, then what is the point?
Sure. I’ll give you makes us better.