I have had many troubles, but the worst of them never came.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Garfield reflects that past troubles were bearable compared to what might have happened.
- In plain terms
- The worst possible troubles never actually happened to him.
- What can you take from it?
- Gratitude comes from recognizing avoided misfortunes.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you measure your own hardships?
- What if things had gone worse?
Another view
It minimizes actual suffering by comparing it to hypothetical worse cases.
More from James A. Garfield
I am trying to do two things: dare to be a radical and not a fool, which is a matter of no small difficulty.
Permalink to quote #43 I mean to make myself a man, and if I succeed in that, I shall succeed in everything else.
Permalink to quote #45 History is philosophy teaching by example, and also warning; its two eyes are geography and chronology.
Permalink to quote #42
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