I came across this quote recently and it set me wondering.
“Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative there is always one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too.
All sorts of things occur to help one that would otherwise never have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favour all manner of incidents and meetings and material assistance which no man would have believed would have come his way. I learnt a deep respect for one of Goethe’s couplets
Whatever you can do or dream you can, begin it.
Boldness has genius, power and magic in it!”
It’s from The Scottish Himalayan Expedition by W H Murray (1913 – 1996), a mountaineer and writer whom I had vaguely heard of, I think – and seems to be quite well known. According to Wikipedia the quote from Goethe is a very loose translation.
As I thought about it the Nike strapline “Just Do It!” leapt into my mind. Notionally the two seem to be on a par - the common idea being that you must stop thinking and launch yourself. But not so fast. Almost half a century separates the Nike (1988) from from the Murray quote (1951) and we might see the two as expressions of their respective times. What Murray is saying is that once you have committed to a course of action then there will be helping hands. Fortune favours the prepared mind, in a sense. There may be a long period of preparation before you embark on the project itself but once you have assessed the risks and put your doubts to one side you will have the wind at your back. There are two stages: commitment and then action.
The Nike quote on the other hand is very much of our modern times. It makes no distinction between commitment and action. It is a celebration of the impulsive. There is plenty about its provenance on the internet for those who study these things but what interests me is that Nike apparently sees it as a philosophy promoting athleticism and self-confidence. I read it as a slogan by a company trying to sell you stuff. It’s not athleticism that they are celebrating but consumption. Just buy it! The last thing they want is for you to start reflecting on the nature of your impulse.
Murray was philosophising full stop while Nike is dressing up advertising as philosophy. I can’t help seeing that as a sign of the times.
Now here’s a nice contemplative photo of mine to calm us down.
Leaf: Olympus OM1; Delta400@800; DDX