“Everywhere in life, the true question is not what we gain, but what we do.”

—  Thomas Carlyle

Essays. Goethe's Helena.
1830s, Sir Walter Scott (1838)

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "Everywhere in life, the true question is not what we gain, but what we do." by Thomas Carlyle?
Thomas Carlyle photo
Thomas Carlyle 481
Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian… 1795–1881

Related quotes

Anatoly Kudryavitsky photo

“What shall we do
after we learn what we'll do:
that is the question.”

Anatoly Kudryavitsky (1954) a Russian/Irish novelist, poet, literary translator and magazine editor

Poems, Shadow of Time (2005)

“To get at the meaning of a statement the logical positivist asks, "What would the world be like if it were true?" The operationist asks, "What would we have to do to come to believe it?" For the pragmatist the question is, "What would we do if did believe it?"”

Abraham Kaplan (1918–1993) American philosopher

Source: "The Conduct of Inquiry", p. 43.

Confucius photo

“To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.”

Confucius (-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher

As quoted in Walden (1854) by Henry David Thoreau, Ch. 1
Attributed

Nicolaus Copernicus photo

“To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.”

Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) Renaissance mathematician, Polish astronomer, physician

Confucius, as quoted in Walden (1854) by Henry David Thoreau, Ch. 1
Misattributed

Henry David Thoreau photo

“Confucius said, "To know that we know what we know, and that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.”

Henry David Thoreau book Walden ou la vie dans les bois

Source: Walden

Ted Malloch photo

“And the first question for a leader is: "Who do we intend to be?" not “What are we going to do?””

Ted Malloch (1952) American businessman

Source: Doing Virtuous Business (Thomas Nelson, 2011), p. 61.

“If the war goes on-and it will, it will-what else can we do but go on? It is the same question forever, what else can we do? If they fight, we will fight with them. And does it matter after all who wins? Was that ever really the question? Will God ask that question, in the end?”

Michael Shaara book The Killer Angels

General Robert E. Lee, Part IV, CH 5: Longsteet, p.360
The Killer Angels (1974)

Dorothy Canfield Fisher photo

“If we would give, just once, the same amount of reflection to what we want out of life that we give to the question of what to do with a two weeks’ vacation, we would be startled at our false standards and the aimless procession of our busy days.”

Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879–1958) American author and social activist
Bhakti Tirtha Swami photo

“We should ask three basic questions of any system we encounter. The first question is, “If I am perfect at this practice, what can I expect to achieve?” Once you have heard the answer to this question, you may decide that you do not care to proceed any further, or you may find that the goal is exactly what you have always wanted. The second question is, “What are the means for attaining the goal?” The answer to this question enables you to decide whether you are willing to pay the price to get there. The third question to ask is, “Who has already reached the goal and how do they live their lives?” We should carefully scrutinize those who have supposedly reached the goal to discover their true situation in life. If we feel aligned with the answers to all three questions, then we can “go for it.””

Bhakti Tirtha Swami (1950–2005) American Hindu writer

If we do not, then we should look somewhere else.
Source: Books, Spiritual Warrior, Volume III: Solace for the Heart in Difficult Times (Hari-Nama Press, 2000), Chapter 8 - How To Strengthen Ourselves

“A belief is a question we have put aside so we can get on with what we believe we have to do.”

James Richardson (1950) American poet

#100
Vectors: Aphorisms and Ten Second Essays (2001)

Related topics