By the Eternal! there is a man whose form should be cast in deathless bronze and the statue placed in every college of the land. It is not book-learning young men need, nor instruction about this and that, but a stiffening of the vertebrae which will cause them to be loyal to a trust, to act promptly, concentrate their energies: do the thing-'Carry a message to Garcia!'
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Young people need strong character and action over abstract book learning.
- In plain terms
- Men need backbone and action, not just school learning.
- What can you take from it?
- Action and loyalty matter more than theory.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What matters more, book smarts or action?
- How do you build integrity?
Another view
Theory and action are both necessary for competence.
More from Elbert Hubbard
If men will not act for themselves, what will they do when the benefit of their effort is for all?
Permalink to quote #2 Have I put the matter too strongly? Possibly I have; but when all the world has gone a-slumming I wish to speak a word of sympathy for the man who succeeds-the…
Permalink to quote #3 Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted. He is wanted in every city, town and village-in e…
Permalink to quote #4
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