Thank God, I have my work, but instead of earning money by it, I need money to be able to work; that is the difficulty. I think there are no signs in my work that indicate that I shall fail. And I am not a person who works slowly or tamely. Drawing becomes a passion with me, and I throw myself into it more and more. I do not have great plans for the future; if for a moment I feel rising within me the desire for a life without care, for prosperity, each time I go fondly back to the trouble and the cares, to a life full of hardship, and think: It is better so; I learn more from it, and make progress. This is not the road on which one perishes. I only hope the trouble and the cares will not become unbearable, and I have confidence I shall succeed in earning enough to keep myself, not in luxury, but as one who eats his bread in the sweat of his brow.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Van Gogh notes the irony of needing money to work rather than earning it from work, yet finds meaning and progress in the hardship itself. He accepts a life of labor over comfort, confident in his passion and ability to sustain himself through art.
- In plain terms
- He finds purpose in hard work even when it does not pay well.
- What can you take from it?
- Accept hardship as a path to progress and self-sufficiency.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Is comfort ever worth the risk of stagnation?
- How do you define success in your work?
Another view
It assumes hardship always leads to growth, which is not guaranteed.
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