“If things are ever to move upward, some one must take the first step, and assume the risk of it. No one who is not willing to try charity, to try non-resistance as the saint is always willing, can tell whether these methods will or will not succeed.”
Lectures XIV and XV, "The Value of Saintliness"
1900s, The Varieties of Religious Experience (1902)
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William James246
American philosopher, psychologist, and pragmatist 1842–1910Related quotes
“There is always room for improvement in our lives. Are we willing to try?! Are we going to try?!”
Mohammed Alkobaisi (1970) Iraqi Islamic scholar
Understanding Islam, "Morals and Ethics" http://vod.dmi.ae/media/96716/Ep_03_Morals_and_Ethics Dubai Media
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
2015, Young African Leaders Initiative Presidential Summit Town Hall speech (August 2015)
Context: And the one thing I’ve learned, both in my personal life and in my political life, is that if you want more authority, then you also have to be more responsible. You can’t wear the crown if you can’t bear the cross. […] So my attitude is, if you want to participate then you have to recognize that you have broader responsibilities. […] And that is part of leadership. That’s true, by the way, for you individually as well. You have to be willing to take some risks and do some hard things in order to be a leader. A leader is not just a name, a title, and privileges and perks.
Joseph Beuys (1921–1986) German visual artist
1970's, Every Man an Artist: Talks at Documenta 5', 1972
P. L. Travers (1899–1996) Australian-British novelist, actress and journalist
"The World of the Hero" (1976)
“The world cracks open for those willing to take a risk.”
Frances Mayes (1940) American university professor and writer
Source: A Year in the World: Journeys of a Passionate Traveller
Ezra Pound (1885–1972) American Imagist poet and critic
As quoted after his arrest for treason; see Treason: the story of disloyalty and betrayal in American history http://books.google.com/books?id=lXZKAAAAMAAJ&q=%E2%80%9CIf+a+man+isn%27t+willing+to+take+some+risk+for+his+opinions,+either+his+opinions+are+no+good+or+he%27s+no+good%E2%80%9D&dq=%E2%80%9CIf+a+man+isn%27t+willing+to+take+some+risk+for+his+opinions,+either+his+opinions+are+no+good+or+he%27s+no+good%E2%80%9D&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RgacUteRAZDYoATC1IDYCg&ved=0CDcQ6AEwAjgU by Nathaniel Weyl (1950), p. 400
Adolph Gottlieb (1903–1974) American artist
1950s, Conversations With Artists, 1957