Saturday, January 30, 2010

I sometimes wonder why . . .

. . . I continue to pursue things that are beyond me.

Some call this reaching nobility. Others call it stupidity (the inability to see how inferior you are and hence the blind trying). And still others reserve judgement: it is what it is; it is reaching.

When I was a kid, I collected quotations on punched index cards in this little blue book. One of them said: "A man's reach should exceed his grasp; else what's a heaven for?" That quotation from Goethe gave me hope, even back then when I didn't really need help believing I could do what I wanted to do in life and beyond.

Now, I sit here thinking Is it enough to reach? Maybe the upward direction is all one needs?

5 comments:

whirligigdaisy said...

You too, huh? I thought only I wondered. I'm so overwhelmed. My husband says to think about the direction you're going more than your position at the present time. Yeah, easier said than done. And sometimes, neither of them look good.

literaqueen said...

Wait-- I thought that quote was Browning (Rabbi ben Ezra was the poem). Did he quote Goethe? Or did Goethe quote Browning? Or were they both plagiarizing?

whirligigdaisy said...

Miss you writing here Olive. No pressure :)

Olive Kite said...

LITERAQUEEN, I do believe you are correct, which means I need to dig out my quotation book from the past and revise!

:-)

Thanks.

Olive Kite said...

WHIRLIGIGDAISY, I posted. For you. :-)