Do the work, build something good
Justin Duke in Business as authorship:
If you find yourself in the fortunate position to build one of these things — to improve the world and in so doing tell people things that you can’t phrase in words — I implore you to do it. It will not be easy; it will be worth it.
Perhaps because I stand at the threshold of middle age, but this post is the most impactful thing I have read in years.
The quotes from Saunders and Caro had me in tears. All three excerpts (the third coming from none other than Steinbeck himself) combine perfectly to illustrate the point, which I believe transcends even Justin's message:
Do your life's work.
Build something of value.
We live in a world overflowing with the cheap and worthless and mass produced. A world where work is reduced to hours on a clock. A world in which we've wasted Lyndon Johnson's gift on the meaningless.
Is it any wonder we feel despondent and detached?
Be it business, politics or art. Do the work and build something good in the world.