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August 22nd, 1999. "Success." "To succeed in the world, we do everything we can to appear successful. ... [or translated differently] To establish oneself in the world, one does all one can to seem established there already." (Rochefoucauld, Maxim 56.) Young men worship the "bitch-goddess success." We spend most all of our life pursuing her and only a few succeed in catching her. This goddess demands exclusive worship, and thus, other life pursuits are often left, much to our regret in later life. So, too, this exclusive pursuit can leave us morally flabby. But her power wanes as age progresses, as men become little fit to woo her: "Men of age object to much, consult too long, adventure too little, repent too soon, and seldom drive business home to the full period but content themselves with a mediocrity of success." (Francis Bacon.) [Top] [Archives] [To Blupete's Essays] [Thoughts & Quotes of blupete] [Home] Peter Landry August, 1999 (2019)