--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing is very strong: strong enough to…" description: "\"Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man's best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/anonymous-1_ambition_nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to_2088292.jpg" --- # Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a… ![“Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man's best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, in drumming of fingers and kicking of…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/anonymous-1_ambition_nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to_2088292.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/anonymous-1_ambition_nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to_2088292.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/anonymous-1_ambition_nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to_2088292.jpg) > “Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man's best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, in drumming of fingers and kicking of heels, in whistling tunes that he does not like, or in the long, dim labyrinth of reveries that have not even lust or ambition to give them a relish, but which, once chance association has started them, the creature is took weak and fuddled to shake off.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mind distracted by trivial, unfulfilling curiosities weakens a person and drains their best years. **In simple terms:** Trivial distractions weaken us. Key Takeaway Guard against idle mental habits. Themes focus self‑discipline mindfulness Mood reflective concerned Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - work - creative projects - personal relationships - learning - health routines Key Concepts psychology attention habit formation Questions to Reflect On - What mental habits consume your time? - How can you replace them with purposeful activities? A Different Perspective Even small distractions can accumulate, eroding purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Association](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/association/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Creatures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creatures/) [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Drumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drumming/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Fingers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fingers/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Gratification](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gratification/) [Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half/) [Heels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heels/) [Kicking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kicking/) [Labyrinth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labyrinth/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Lust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lust/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Over it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/over-it/) [Reverie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reverie/) [Shakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shakes/) [Sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sin/) [Stealing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stealing/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Strong enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong-enough/) [Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweet/) [Took Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/took-weak-2075759/) [Tunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tunes/) [Very strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/very-strong/) [Weak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak/) [Weak Fuddled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weak-fuddled-4114693/) [Whistling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whistling/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [“The strong took from the weak, only the weak believed otherwise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/the-strong-took-from-the-weak-only-the-weak-believed-otherwise/) [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) > [But ice-crunching and loud gum-chewing, together with drumming on tables, and whistling the same tune 70 times in succession, because they indicate an indifference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/but-ice-crunching-and-loud-gum-chewing-together-with-drumming-on/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [Most of us, no matter what we say, are walking in the dark, whistling in the dark. Nobody knows what is going to happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-of-us-no-matter-what-we-say-are-walking-in-the-dark-whistling-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember this, boy. All dwarfs may be bastards, yet not all bastards need be dwarfs." And with that he turned and sauntered back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/remember-this-boy-all-dwarfs-may-be-bastards-yet-not-all-bastards/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When your action is gone, and all thats left is motionlessness, Ill be there, whistling.¨](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-your-action-is-gone-and-all-thats-left-is-motionlessness-ill-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Its no use whistling. I can see the bubbles coming out of ur ass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-no-use-whistling-i-can-see-the-bubbles-coming-out-of-ur-ass/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The life I really want to live, only exists in my daydreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-life-i-really-want-to-live-only-exists-in-my-daydreams/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Night is longer than day for those who dream and day is longer than night for those who make their dreams come true. Good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/night-is-longer-than-day-for-those-who-dream-and-day-is-longer-than/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She was a living reverie for me: the mere sight of her sparked an almost infinite range of fantasy, from Greek to Gothic, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/she-was-a-living-reverie-for-me-the-mere-sight-of-her-sparked-an/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [How could the human mind progress, while tormented with frightful phantoms, and guided by men, interested in perpetuating its ignorance and fears? Man has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/how-could-the-human-mind-progress-while-tormented-with-frightful/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We all have our 'good old days' tucked away inside our hearts, and we return to them in daydreams like cats to favorite armchairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-all-have-our-good-old-days-tucked-away-inside-our-hearts-and-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One June evening, when the orchards were pink-blossomed again, when the frogs were singing silverly sweet in the marshes about the head of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-june-evening-when-the-orchards-were-pink-blossomed-again-when-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It was still quiet in the house, and not a sound was heard from outside, either. Were it not for this silence, my reverie…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-was-still-quiet-in-the-house-and-not-a-sound-was-heard-from/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A vision without action is a daydream. An action without vision is a nightmare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-vision-without-action-is-a-daydream-an-action-without-vision-is-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wonder why life is like a labyrinth..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wonder-why-life-is-like-a-labyrinth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Ambition quotes > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [One needs more than ambition and talent to make a success of anything, really. There must be love and a vocation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/one-needs-more-than-ambition-and-talent-to-make-a-success-of-anything/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [A man's worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-s-worth-is-no-greater-than-the-worth-of-his-ambitions/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm hungry and ambitious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julen-lopetegui/i-m-hungry-and-ambitious/) [Julen Lopetegui](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julen-lopetegui/) > [“I was ambitious and desperate to direct my first film, so I capitulated and blew it. Never again. Never fucking again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ferguson/i-was-ambitious-and-desperate-to-direct-my-first-film-so-i/) [Craig Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ferguson/) > [I was always attracted most to joining City, and I am pleased to be at such a good club with such a big ambition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edin-dzeko/i-was-always-attracted-most-to-joining-city-and-i-am-pleased-to-be-at/) [Edin Dzeko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edin-dzeko/) > [Work towards your goal and dont watch the post size,its either they hate,or like you.there is no room for both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-buabeng/work-towards-your-goal-and-dont-watch-the-post-size-its-either-they/) [Isaac Buabeng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-buabeng/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I almost never have a plan for myself... I'm not ambitious in that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-plimpton/i-almost-never-have-a-plan-for-myself-i-m-not-ambitious-in-that-way/) [Martha Plimpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-plimpton/) > [I play for high stakes and given an audience - there is no act too daring or too noble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/i-play-for-high-stakes-and-given-an-audience-there-is-no-act-too/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [There's nothing worse than a leader who lacks ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-nothing-worse-than-a-leader-who-lacks-ambition/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If i can't even protect my captain's dream, then whatever ambition i have is nothing but talk..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoro/if-i-can-t-even-protect-my-captain-s-dream-then-whatever-ambition-i/) [Zoro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoro/) > [It may seem unattainable but if you put actions, your heart and your mind into it, you will prevail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/it-may-seem-unattainable-but-if-you-put-actions-your-heart-and-your/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [Obligation is what's leading us to toward successful, and what keeps us moving towards the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wazim-shaw/obligation-is-what-s-leading-us-to-toward-successful-and-what-keeps/) [Wazim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wazim-shaw/) [Browse all 4,601 Ambition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man's best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary flickering of the mind over it knows not what and knows not why, in the gratification of curiosities so feeble that the man is only half aware of them, in drumming of fingers and kicking of heels, in whistling tunes that he does not like, or in the long, dim labyrinth of reveries that have not even lust or ambition to give them a relish, but which, once chance association has started them, the creature is took weak and fuddled to shake off.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to-steal-away-a-man-s-best-years/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ambition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to-steal-away-a-man-s-best-years/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/anonymous-1_ambition_nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to_2088292.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/anonymous-1_ambition_nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to_2088292.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e44/anonymous-1_ambition_nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to_2088292.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Nothing is very strong: strong enough to steal away a man's best years not in sweet sins but in a dreary…” — Anonymous", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Nothing is very strong: strong enough...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to-steal-away-a-man-s-best-years/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-is-very-strong-strong-enough-to-steal-away-a-man-s-best-years/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```