They lose, in aimless
loitering, whole golden hours which they ought to fill with quick
activities. They seem to have no true appreciation of the value of
time, or of their own accountability for its precious moments. They
live conscientiously, it may be, but they have no strong constraining
sense of duty impelling them to ever larger and fuller achievement.
They have a work to do, but there is no hurry for it; there is plenty
of time in which to do it.
It is quite safe to say that the majority of people do not get into
their life half the achievement that was possible to them when they
began to live, simply because they have never learned to work swiftly,
and under pressure of great motives.
There can be no doubt that we are required to make the most possible of
our life. Mr. Longfellow once gave to his pupils, as a motto, this:
"Live up to the best that is in you." To do this, we must not only
develop our talents to the utmost power and capacity of which they are
susceptible, but we must also use these talents to the accomplishment
of the largest and best results they are capable of producing. In
order to reach this standard, we must never lose a day, nor even an
hour, and we must put into every day and every hour all that is
possible of activity and usefulness.
Dreaming through days and years, however brilliantly one may dream, can
never satisfy the demands of the responsibility which inheres
essentially in every soul that is born into the world.
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