Give all thou canst; high Heaven rejects the lore Of nicely calculated less or more.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The quote urges giving everything you can, warning that heaven rejects overly calculated, limited efforts.
- In plain terms
- Give your all; precise, limited actions are rejected.
- What can you take from it?
- Offer wholehearted effort rather than cautious calculations.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What does 'high Heaven' represent?
- When is calculation beneficial?
Another view
No concrete evidence supports heavenly rejection.
More from William Wordsworth
The feather, whence the pen Was shaped that traced the lives of these good men, Dropped from an Angel's wing.
Permalink to quote #191 In modern business it is not the crook who is to be feared most, it is the honest man who doesn't know what he is doing.
Permalink to quote #193 Habit rules the unreflecting herd.
Permalink to quote #190
Related quotes
'Racism is not an excuse to not do the best you can.'
Arthur AsheArthur Ashe quote #1 I heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended. So who…
Holy Prophet MuhammadHoly Prophet Muhammad quote #20 The chief difference between words and deeds is that words are always intended for men for their approbation, but deeds can be done only for God.
Leo TolstoyLeo Tolstoy quote #126