Maxim 459
Sentences, The Moral Sayings of Publius Syrus, a Roman Slave
Source: Letters of Thomas Jefferson
“A man's power and intelligence are limited. He who wants to do everything will never do anything.”
Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Working
Context: A man's power and intelligence are limited. He who wants to do everything will never do anything. Only too well do we know those people of uncertain ability who say: "I could be a great musician."..."Business would be easy for me."..."I could surely make success in politics." We may be certain that they will always be amateur musicians, failures in business, and beaten politicians. Napoleon held that the art of war consisted of making oneself strongest at a certain point; in life we must choose a point of attack and concentrate our forces there. The choice of a career must not be left to chance.
“He never knows whether they want him for what he can do for them now — or will do for them later.”
"Frank Sinatra Has a Cold" (Esquire, April 1966)
Source: The Life of the Mind (1978), "Thinking".
“He who truly knows has no occasion to shout.”
Source: How to Win Friends and Influence People
“Blessed, unquestionably, is he who has it in his power to do evil, yet does it not.”
Fifth Day, Novel XLII (trans. W. K. Kelly)
L'Heptaméron (1558)
“He who thinks always of the Lord, which way can evil come to him?”
[Holy Mother, Prabuddha Bharatha, 92, Advaita Ashrama, 1969]
