Accepting Quote by Daniel Webster
“It is simple to follow the easy and familiar path of personal ambition and private gain. It is more comfortable to sit content in the easy approval of friends and of neighbours than to risk the friction and the controversy that comes with public affairs. It is easier to fall in step with the slogans of others than to march to the beat of the internal drummer - to make and stand on judgements of your own. And it far easier to accept and to stand on the past, than to fight for the answers of the future”
About This Quote
Source Speech: Congressional Address, 1840s
Choosing personal ambition and social approval over independent judgment leads to conformity and stagnation.
In simple terms: Following the crowd is easier than thinking for yourself.
Key Takeaway
Embrace independent thought despite social pressure.
Themes
conformity
individualism
ambition
public vs private
courage
Mood
reflective
serious
Type
philosophical
motivational
When to use this quote
- career decisions
- political activism
- creative projects
- personal growth
Key Concepts
philosophy
political theory
psychology
Questions to Reflect On
- What personal convictions are you compromising for approval?
- How can you balance social harmony with authenticity?
A Different Perspective
Independent thinking can be socially isolating and risky.
![“It is my ambition to be, as a private individual, abolished and voided from history, leaving it markless, no refuse save the printed books. [] It is my aim, and every effort bent, that the sum and history of my life, which in the same sentence is my obit and epitaph too, shall be them both: he…” quote by William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/83e/william-faulkner-306_aim_it-is-my-ambition-to-be-as-a-private-ind_349290.jpg)
![“Given courage and ability and a favorable set of circumstances, there is no greater way to [acquire] influence than to be free of personal ambition.” quote by Lorena Hickok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/a42/lorena-hickok-257568_ambition_given-courage-and-ability-and-a-favorabl_1135375.jpg)
