I must continue to follow the path I take now. If I do nothing, if I study nothing, if I cease searching, then, woe is me, I am lost. That is how I look at it - keep going, keep going come what may. But what is your final goal, you may ask. That goal will become clearer, will emerge slowly but surely, much as the rough draught turns into a sketch, and the sketch into a painting through the serious work done on it, through the elaboration of the original vague idea and through the consolidation of the first fleeting and passing thought.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Van Gogh says he must keep working to avoid being lost. He believes his goal will become clear through steady, serious effort over time.
- In plain terms
- He knows he must keep working to find his way, and his path will get clearer through time.
- What can you take from it?
- Continue your path and let the goal reveal itself through work.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What happens if you stop working?
- How does work clarify vision?
Another view
It assumes persistence alone leads to clarity without guidance or feedback.
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