--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a weakly mortal is to do anything in…" description: "\"If a weakly mortal is to do anything in the world besides eat the bread thereof, there must be a determined subordination of the whole nature to the on..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/beatrice-webb-31977_aim_if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in_3000413.png" --- # If a weakly mortal is to do anything in the world besides… ![“If a weakly mortal is to do anything in the world besides eat the bread thereof, there must be a determined subordination of the whole nature to the one aim no trifling with time, which is passing, with strength which is only too limited.” quote by Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/beatrice-webb-31977_aim_if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in_3000413.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/beatrice-webb-31977_aim_if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in_3000413.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/beatrice-webb-31977_aim_if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in_3000413.png) > “If a weakly mortal is to do anything in the world besides eat the bread thereof, there must be a determined subordination of the whole nature to the one aim no trifling with time, which is passing, with strength which is only too limited.” [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Achieving any meaningful work requires subordinating all aspects of life to a single, time‑bound purpose. **In simple terms:** Dedicate everything to one important goal. Key Takeaway Prioritize and manage time rigorously. Themes purpose time management discipline efficiency Mood determined focused pragmatic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - project management - academic research - entrepreneurship - personal development Key Concepts goal setting resource allocation human limits Questions to Reflect On - What is your most important aim? - How do you balance other responsibilities? A Different Perspective Human capacity is finite; over‑commitment can cause burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bread/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Demise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/demise/) [Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determined/) [Mortal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mortal/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Subordination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/subordination/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [Life is too wonderful, too full, too short and strength too limited to contain its wonder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-draper/life-is-too-wonderful-too-full-too-short-and-strength-too-limited-to/) [Ruth Draper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-draper/) > [Time is short, my strength is limited, the office is a horror, the apartment is noisy, and if a pleasant, straightforward life is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/time-is-short-my-strength-is-limited-the-office-is-a-horror-the/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [We are not utopians, we do not “dream” of dispensing at once with all administration, with all subordination. These anarchist dreams, based upon incomprehension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-are-not-utopians-we-do-not-dream-of-dispensing-at-once-with-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ["All government in essence," says Emerson, "is tyranny." It matters not whether it is government by divine right or majority rule. In every instance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-goldman/all-government-in-essence-says-emerson-is-tyranny-it-matters-not/) [Emma Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-goldman/) > [It may be that a second wave of the sexual revolution might at last accomplish its aim of freeing half the race from its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-millett/it-may-be-that-a-second-wave-of-the-sexual-revolution-might-at-last/) [Kate Millett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-millett/) > [As a feminist, I consider the female pronoun to be an honorific, a term that conveys respect. Respect is due to women as members…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-jeffreys/as-a-feminist-i-consider-the-female-pronoun-to-be-an-honorific-a-term/) [Sheila Jeffreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-jeffreys/) > [To deny one's self, to take up the cross, denotes something immeasurably grander than self-imposed penance or rigid conformity to a Divine statute. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-c-lorimer/to-deny-one-s-self-to-take-up-the-cross-denotes-something/) [George C. Lorimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-c-lorimer/) > [Islam has a total organization of life that is completely different from ours; it embraces simply everything,...There is a very marked subordination of woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/islam-has-a-total-organization-of-life-that-is-completely-different/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [The trade of advertising is now so near to perfection that it is not easy to propose any improvement. But as every art ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-trade-of-advertising-is-now-so-near-to-perfection-that-it-is-not/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Any group of people that has been subordinate absorbs the idea of our own subordination, and that it is natural, and comes to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/any-group-of-people-that-has-been-subordinate-absorbs-the-idea-of-our/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [Its foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-h-stephens/its-foundations-are-laid-its-cornerstone-rests-upon-the-great-truth/) [Alexander H. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-h-stephens/) > [our republican ideas cannot be consistently carried out while women are excluded from any share in the government. ... Any class of human beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-m-child/our-republican-ideas-cannot-be-consistently-carried-out-while-women/) [Lydia M. Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-m-child/) > [The ultimate binding element in the medieval order was subordination to the divine will and its earthly representatives, notably the pope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-babbitt/the-ultimate-binding-element-in-the-medieval-order-was-subordination/) [Irving Babbitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-babbitt/) > [The idea of freedom can never be disassociated from real Prussia. The real Prussian spirit means a synthesis between restraint and freedom, between voluntary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-von-tresckow/the-idea-of-freedom-can-never-be-disassociated-from-real-prussia-the/) [Henning von Tresckow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-von-tresckow/) > [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) ## More by Beatrice Webb > [It would be curious to discover who it is to whom one writes in a diary. Possibly to some mysterious personification of one's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/it-would-be-curious-to-discover-who-it-is-to-whom-one-writes-in-a/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [. . . if I had been a man, self-respect, family pressure and the public opinion of my class would have pushed me into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/if-i-had-been-a-man-self-respect-family-pressure-and-the-public/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [Renunciation - that is the great fact we all, individuals and classes, have to learn. In trying to avoid it we bring misery to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/renunciation-that-is-the-great-fact-we-all-individuals-and-classes/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [The interruptions of the telephone seem to us to waste half the life of the ordinary American engaged in public or private business; he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/the-interruptions-of-the-telephone-seem-to-us-to-waste-half-the-life/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [the possession of wealth, and especially the inheritance of wealth, seems almost invariably to sterilize genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/the-possession-of-wealth-and-especially-the-inheritance-of-wealth/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [If I ever felt inclined to be timid as I was going into a room hill of people, I would say to myself, "You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/if-i-ever-felt-inclined-to-be-timid-as-i-was-going-into-a-room-hill/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [All along the line, physically, mentally, morally, alcohol is a weakening and deadening force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/all-along-the-line-physically-mentally-morally-alcohol-is-a-weakening/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [The middle man governs, however extreme may seem to be the men who sit on the Front Bench, in their reactionary or revolutionary opinions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/the-middle-man-governs-however-extreme-may-seem-to-be-the-men-who-sit/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [At present I feel like a caged animal, bound up by the luxury, comfort and respectability of my position. I can't get the training…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/at-present-i-feel-like-a-caged-animal-bound-up-by-the-luxury-comfort/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [Beneath the surface of our daily life, in the personal history of many of us, there runs a continuous controversy between an Ego that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/beneath-the-surface-of-our-daily-life-in-the-personal-history-of-many/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [Are all Cabinets congeries of little autocrats with a super-autocrat presiding over them?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/are-all-cabinets-congeries-of-little-autocrats-with-a-super-autocrat/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [Harris had the egotistical dogmatism of the self-made man who had painfully educated himself without contact with superior brains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/harris-had-the-egotistical-dogmatism-of-the-self-made-man-who-had/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [we have not been impressed with any attribute of the Senate other than its appearance and manners. We have heard the best speakers: they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/we-have-not-been-impressed-with-any-attribute-of-the-senate-other/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [Nature still obstinately refuses to co-operate by making the rich people innately superior to the poor people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/nature-still-obstinately-refuses-to-co-operate-by-making-the-rich/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) > [That part of the Englishman's nature which has found gratification in religion is now drifting into political life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/that-part-of-the-englishman-s-nature-which-has-found-gratification-in/) [Beatrice Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) [Explore all 16 Beatrice Webb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/) ## More Aim quotes > [If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/if-you-aim-at-nothing-you-will-hit-it-every-time/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The Christian man must aim at that complete obedience to God in which life finds its highest happiness, its greatest good, its perfect consummation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-barclay/the-christian-man-must-aim-at-that-complete-obedience-to-god-in-which/) [William Barclay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-barclay/) > [ He \[an earnest young reporter\] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-paterson/he-an-earnest-young-reporter-seemed-to-share-the-view-of-many/) [Katherine Paterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-paterson/) > [In Bosnia, little children shot in the head by a guy who thinks it's okay to aim his gun at a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-amanpour/in-bosnia-little-children-shot-in-the-head-by-a-guy-who-thinks-it-s/) [Christiane Amanpour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-amanpour/) > [Design certainly has a cosmetic, aesthetic aim. It always aims at making things beautiful. But relevance is just as important. I often say, 'If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yves-behar/design-certainly-has-a-cosmetic-aesthetic-aim-it-always-aims-at/) [Yves Behar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yves-behar/) > [My aim was to make money for the bank. You lose track of the amounts involved when you are engaged in this kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-kerviel/my-aim-was-to-make-money-for-the-bank-you-lose-track-of-the-amounts/) [Jerome Kerviel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-kerviel/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [My main aim has always been to do good quality films with roles that have some substance. With Power and Beauty there were loads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-henstridge/my-main-aim-has-always-been-to-do-good-quality-films-with-roles-that/) [Natasha Henstridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-henstridge/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [My aim is to be counted among the top players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babar-azam/my-aim-is-to-be-counted-among-the-top-players/) [Babar Azam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/babar-azam/) > [The single aim of my life is that every child is: free to be a child, free to grow and develop, free to eat,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kailash-satyarthi/the-single-aim-of-my-life-is-that-every-child-is-free-to-be-a-child/) [Kailash Satyarthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kailash-satyarthi/) > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Prescribing hard work for the soft, or easy work for the hardy, is generally nonsense. What is always needed in any aim is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/prescribing-hard-work-for-the-soft-or-easy-work-for-the-hardy-is/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) Browse all 3,047 Aim quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If a weakly mortal is to do anything in the world besides eat the bread thereof, there must be a determined subordination of the whole nature to the one aim no trifling with time, which is passing, with strength which is only too limited.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Beatrice Webb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in-the-world-besides-eat-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aim" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in-the-world-besides-eat-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/beatrice-webb-31977_aim_if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in_3000413.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/beatrice-webb-31977_aim_if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in_3000413.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1b1/beatrice-webb-31977_aim_if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in_3000413.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If a weakly mortal is to do anything in the world besides eat the bread thereof, there must be a determined…” — Beatrice Webb", "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": "Beatrice Webb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-webb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If a weakly mortal is to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in-the-world-besides-eat-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-webb/if-a-weakly-mortal-is-to-do-anything-in-the-world-besides-eat-the/#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 } } ] } ```