Helen Keller said:
"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along not by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."
"I long to accomplish a great and noble task, but it is my chief duty to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble. The world is moved along not by the mighty shoves of its heroes, but by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker."
As a teacher, I find this quote immensely comforting. Each Friday, when my efforts from the previous week seem in vain, and I leave sometimes feeling frustrated, exhausted, and ineffective, I'm motivated by the idea behind this quote.
And it applies universally--to the mother who stays at home with her child, to the nurses tending to patients, or to the businessman trying to provide for his family. Few of us will ever experience a "mighty shove" as a hero, but we can all treat our tasks like they are great and noble, because they are.
If I succeed in nurturing the soul of ONE of my sweet students, I consider myself successful. I think that's when we're truly successful in our labors, no matter how menial or mundane they are.
1 comment:
Thanks for sharing that quote! I'm definitely going to hang that up in my house somewhere . . . can't decide on the laundry nook or over the kitchen sink =)
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