kittenpile
“It is only possible to succeed at
second-rate pursuits - like
becoming a millionaire or a prime
minister, winning a war, seducing
beautiful women, flying through
the stratosphere or landing on the
moon. First-rate pursuits -
involving, as they must, trying to
understand what life is about and
trying to convey that
understanding - inevitably result
in a sense of failure. A Napoleon, a
Churchill, a Roosevelt can feel
themselves to be successful, but
never a Socrates, a Pascal, a Blake.
Understanding is for ever
unattainable. Therein lies the
inevitability of failure in
embarking upon its quest, which
is none the less the only one
worthy of serious attention.” —Malcolm Muggeridge, via Sebastian Horsley
second-rate pursuits - like
becoming a millionaire or a prime
minister, winning a war, seducing
beautiful women, flying through
the stratosphere or landing on the
moon. First-rate pursuits -
involving, as they must, trying to
understand what life is about and
trying to convey that
understanding - inevitably result
in a sense of failure. A Napoleon, a
Churchill, a Roosevelt can feel
themselves to be successful, but
never a Socrates, a Pascal, a Blake.
Understanding is for ever
unattainable. Therein lies the
inevitability of failure in
embarking upon its quest, which
is none the less the only one
worthy of serious attention.” —Malcolm Muggeridge, via Sebastian Horsley
