You are your own forerunner, and the towers you have builded are but the foundation of your giant-self. And that self too shall be a foundation. And I too am my own forerunner, for the long shadow stretching before me at sunrise shall gather under my feet at the noon hour. Yet another sunrise shall lay another shadow before me, and that also shall be gathered at another noon. Always have we been our own forerunners, and always shall we be. And all that we have gathered and shall gather shall be but seeds for fields yet unploughed. We are the fields and the ploughmen, the gatherers and the gathered.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The quote frames human existence as a continuous process of building upon oneself, where past selves form the foundation for future growth.
- In plain terms
- You are always preparing yourself for who you will become next.
- What can you take from it?
- See your past self as the base for your future self.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How has your past built your future?
- What are you building now?
Another view
The metaphor assumes linear progress, which ignores setbacks or cyclical life patterns.
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