Billions of words get spoken every day. Millions of them get recorded in video, in audio clips, and in transcripts, but many more get forgotten about entirely. While some really profound messages may get lost in those forgotten words, the prose that is kept often contains lines that will stop you in your tracks and force you to reflect on your own outlook and approach to life, such as those that make us think about loyalty.
Some of the people that speak them become famous, either through the words themselves or through the deeds they perform in pursuit of the implementation of the things they say.
“It is the fight alone that pleases us, not the victory” – Blaise Pascal
You may not have heard of Blaise Pascal, but you can be sure his work has shaped your life. He lived in France between 1623 and 1662, and during his mere 39 years, he achieved many things.
As a mathematician, Pascal invented an early calculator dubbed the pascaline. He also invented several theories, including Pascal’s triangle, probability theory, and cycloids. As a physicist, he made huge strides forward with fluid dynamics and helped to prove the existence of vacuums.
Perhaps his most famous invention of all was an accident. While researching the possibilities of a perpetual motion machine, Pascal created the roulette wheel. He very quickly saw its potential as a casino game and it eventually made its way across the gaming establishment of France. Today, there are many different variants of Pascal’s game, including ones with rules that are dubbed “European” and “American” that are enjoyed by millions of players in online casinos. While there are differences between them, they all use the Frenchman’s wheel design from several hundred years ago.
Although Pascal is credited with many different quotes over his lifetime, his one about the “fight” pleasing us and not the “victory” is the one that best sums up his life. He spent several decades “fighting” for new inventions and was never satisfied when he emerged victorious from any of them.
Pascal is not alone in this. We can see the same in business people, athletes, and creatives. They’re never satisfied with their previous creations as they’re always pushing for something new.
“…you don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow. Life is a crazy ride, and nothing is guaranteed.” – Eminem
Eminem is widely quoted in saying something in a very similar vein to Einstein, despite the pair having widely different biographies and professions. Of all of Eminem’s song lyrics and other statements, this is one of his most famous, so much so you can find a wide range of products that have these words printed on them.
Life is not guaranteed and none of us can truly be certain of what exactly will happen tomorrow, even if we have a good idea of what to expect. Eminem’s quote gives us pause to think about the choices we make today and to consider whether we can do something more meaningful with our time.
“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow…” – Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein is one of the most famous minds of the 20th century. The German-born scientist found himself the citizen of many countries over the years but eventually settled in the United States of America before his death in 1955.
During his lifetime, Einstein won the Nobel Prize in Physics and defined many other important theories, though he is perhaps most famous for creating the equation E = mc2, part of his theory of relativity.
It’s not entirely certain that Einstein did utter these famous words, nor some of the other quotes that are attributed to him. Nonetheless, it’s a great line that can really help you to put life into perspective.
It can be hard when the pressures of life and the expectations of our loved ones and society as a whole can leave us feeling overwhelmed about what we want to achieve in the future. Other times, it can be easier to get caught up in living for the moment, sacrificing a better future for enjoyment today. If we take the quote to heart, we should try to learn from our mistakes, but not dwell on them; enjoy what is happening right now, but not forego what is important; and have a plan for the future, but not be blinkered into focusing on it entirely.
