Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.
Confucius (551–479 BC) was a Chinese teacher and civil servant whose teachings on duty, family and government shaped Chinese thought for more than two thousand years. He wrote no book himself; the Analects are a collection of his sayings compiled by his students after his death.
About this theme: Motivation
Motivation is the youngest idea in this collection — it enters use as a psychological term only in the twentieth century. Older writers describe the same thing with a different vocabulary: will, duty, habit. That difference in words hides a difference in assumption. Motivation is understood as a state that comes and goes; habit as something built regardless of the state.
More by Confucius
More on Motivation
- However many holy words you read, however many you speak, what good will they do you if you do not act upon them?— Buddha
- Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.— Albert Einstein
- Obstacles cannot crush me; every obstacle yields to stern resolve.— Leonardo da Vinci
- It always seems impossible until it's done.— Nelson Mandela
- No one knows what he can do till he tries.— Publilius Syrus