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About this quote

What does it mean?
Important matters should never be controlled by trivial concerns.
In plain terms
Don’t let minor things dictate major decisions.
What can you take from it?
Prioritize core values over superficial issues.

Where it applies

  • leadership
  • personal finance

Putting it to work

  • set clear criteria for decisions
  • filter out noise

Questions to consider

  • How can we spot when a small issue matters?
  • What safeguards keep focus on the essential?

Another view

Minor details sometimes reveal hidden importance.

More from Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

  1. There are two things children should get from their parents: roots and wings.

    Permalink to quote #142
  2. To be pleased with one's limits is a wretched state.

    Permalink to quote #144
  3. The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities; but to know someone here and there who thinks and feels with us, and though distant, …

    Permalink to quote #141

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