We rate ability in men by what they finish, not by what they attempt

We rate ability in men by what they finish, not by what they attempt

Could swell the soul to rage, or kindle soft desire.

Could swell the soul to rage, or kindle soft desire.

The carpenter is not the best who makes more chips than all the rest.

The carpenter is not the best who makes more chips than all the rest.

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the read more

The difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world's problems.

Life has been compared to a race, but the allusion improves by observing, that the most swift are usually the read more

Life has been compared to a race, but the allusion improves by observing, that the most swift are usually the least manageable and the most likely to stray from the course. Great abilities have always been less serviceable to the possessors than moderate ones.

The abilities of man must fall short on one side or the other, like too scanty a blanket when you read more

The abilities of man must fall short on one side or the other, like too scanty a blanket when you are abed. If you pull it upon your shoulders, your feet are left bare; if you thrust it down to your feet, your shoulders are uncovered.

The world is like a board with holes in it, and the square men
have got into the round read more

The world is like a board with holes in it, and the square men
have got into the round holes, and the round into the square.

The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.

The wind and the waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.

Ability is the art of getting credit for all the home runs somebody else hits.

Ability is the art of getting credit for all the home runs somebody else hits.