Favorite Inspirational Quotes

Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

Theodore Roosevelt

Roosevelt was a man that lived large.  He had both glorious triumphs and ignominious defeats.  But you sure can’t say that he live in the gray twilight.

However, I think many of us do live in that gray twilight.  It seems that in going through our daily routines, the grayness just seeps in.  It’s too easy to get caught up in the dullness of the job that is hated and crashing on the couch at night in front of the boob tube.  Every day is the same and this is what leads to the gray twilight.  No glorious highs or depressing failures.  Life just becomes dull routine.  Maybe I’m more aware of it these days.

If your only goal is to get through the day and the week, so that you can get to the weekend, I think that is the gray twilight.  This is especially true if you spend the weekend in only pursuing beer and TV.  I have talked here before of those called the “porch people” locally.  These are people who get their government checks (yes, for many of them, this is the truth) and then sit on their porches drinking beer, smoking cigarettes, and watching the world go by.  Talk about the gray twilight.

However, I don’t think all of us can live as large as Roosevelt did or many of the other great figures of history and present day.  But we must be careful not to slip into the gray twilight, to forget our dreams and passions. We must continue to try things, risking failure, and we must continue to grow and learn.

What are you passionate about?  If you say, “Getting a good night’s sleep”, it just might be time to rethink, or better yet, rediscover your passions.  Find some part of it you can add to your life now.  Bring the passion back.  Try new things.  Face the failures and embrace the triumphs.  Add pizzazz to your life once again.

Tags: Theodore Roosevelt