“Many things difficult to design prove easy to performance.”
Samuel Johnson book The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia
Source: The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia (1759), Chapter 26
Salon.com Letters http://www.salon.com/books/letters/2003/08/26/chuck/index.html. Response by Palahniuk to Laura Miller's review. (2003-08-26)
“Many things difficult to design prove easy to performance.”
Samuel Johnson book The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia
Source: The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia (1759), Chapter 26
“To understand is difficult; to act is easy.”
Sun Yat-sen (1866–1925) Chinese physician, politician and revolutionary
As quoted in Great Britain and the East, Vol. 61, Issues 1727-1742 (1944), p. 19 https://books.google.com/books?id=94AyAQAAIAAJ&q=%22To+understand+is+difficult;+to+act+is+easy%22&dq=%22To+understand+is+difficult;+to+act+is+easy%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiey5eF27fXAhWMHpQKHS3JCYAQ6AEILDAB
André Maurois (1885–1967) French writer
Un Art de Vivre (The Art of Living) (1939), The Art of Thinking
“The one who acts without knowledge, destroys and ruins more than he rectifies.”
Muhammad al-Taqi (811–835) ninth of the Twelve Imams of Twelver Shi'ism
Majlisi, Bihārul Anwār, vol.78, p. 364
Regarding Knowledge & Wisdom, General
Harold Geneen (1910–1997) American businessman
Managing, Chapter Six (Leadership), p. 89.
“For some men, the stronger their desire, the more difficult it is for them to act.”
Gustave Flaubert book Sentimental Education
Pt. 2, Ch. 3
Sentimental Education (1869)
Context: For some men, the stronger their desire, the more difficult it is for them to act. They are hampered by mistrust of themselves, daunted by the fear of giving offence; besides, deep feelings of affection are like respectable women; they are afraid of being found out and they go through life with downcast eyes.
“Books choose their authors; the act of creation is not entirely a rational and conscious one.”
Salman Rushdie (1947) British Indian novelist and essayist