“So much of our time is preparation, so much is routine, and so much retrospect, that the path of each man's genius contracts itself to a very few hours”
What does that quote, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, mean?
2007-03-21 11:48:52 · 7 answers · asked by nicki2400 2 in Education & Reference ➔ Quotations
in all the time we spend worrying and planning and doing the everyday routine, the few hours of our lives spent doing something out of the ordinary produce the very genius of a man. one who clouds his mind with worry and strife; hate and routine, will never know his full potiential. if one were to spend more time on thoughts and recreation, imagine the things we could accomplish and understand!
btw Emerson is my favie!
2007-03-21 13:24:34 · answer #1 · answered by candi b 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We spend a lot of time getting ready, and doing our routine and looking in the past that there isn't much time left for genius.
I think it's some editorialism on time management. I think Emerson was looking to say that you need to focus on your genius to let it grow. And if we spent more time on it, imagine the possibilities.
2007-03-21 11:58:04 · answer #2 · answered by Modus Operandi 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We spend so much time preparing to be great or not branching out into other things that we might be great at, that the distance between the possiblities of what we can do in comparison with what we are doing gets wider every hour.
2007-03-21 12:43:56 · answer #3 · answered by sheep_are_taking_over 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It means that we keep putting being a genius aside by doing all this other stuff that by the time we get to it we only spend a little time on it.
2007-03-21 12:21:45 · answer #4 · answered by Kiss 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My guess:
We spend a lot of time preparing for things. We spend a lot of time on auto pilot. We spend a lot of time reminiscing about the past. Therefore, we spent precious little time in the present...in our own brilliance.
2007-03-21 11:57:53 · answer #5 · answered by Marina D 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
People spend so much of their time doing mundane things that there's no time left for free thinking.
2007-03-21 11:58:18 · answer #6 · answered by charliecizarny 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
that genius is hard to come by and requires focus and determination
2007-03-21 11:56:32 · answer #7 · answered by TedRoy 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋