--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here is a hero who did nothing but shake…" description: "\"Here is a hero who did nothing but shake the tree as soon as the fruit was ripe. Does this seem to be too small a thing to you? Then take a good look a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/friedrich-nietzsche-15_doe_here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake_210843.jpg" --- # Here is a hero who did nothing but shake the tree as soon… ![“Here is a hero who did nothing but shake the tree as soon as the fruit was ripe. Does this seem to be too small a thing to you? Then take a good look at the tree he shook.” quote by Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/friedrich-nietzsche-15_doe_here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake_210843.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/friedrich-nietzsche-15_doe_here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake_210843.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/friedrich-nietzsche-15_doe_here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake_210843.jpg) > “Here is a hero who did nothing but shake the tree as soon as the fruit was ripe. Does this seem to be too small a thing to you? Then take a good look at the tree he shook.” [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Small actions can have large impact; shaking a tree early can yield fruit before it ripens. **In simple terms:** Early effort can bring early rewards. Key Takeaway Act early to create opportunities. Themes initiative timing impact Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career moves - creative projects - personal goals Key Concepts philosophy cause and effect proactivity Questions to Reflect On - When is it better to wait? - What risks does early action pose? A Different Perspective Early action may miss full development of the fruit. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Fruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hero/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [Trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trees/) ## Related quotes > [“If I wished to shake this tree with my hands, I should not be able to do so. But the wind, which we do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/if-i-wished-to-shake-this-tree-with-my-hands-i-should-not-be-able-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Fruit falls when you shake the tree. You have to keep making things happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandi-l-bates/fruit-falls-when-you-shake-the-tree-you-have-to-keep-making-things/) [Brandi L. Bates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandi-l-bates/) > [“We'll shake, we'll shake the tree of dreams, That solitary tree of dreams In the centre of the verdant field.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shusaku-endo/we-ll-shake-we-ll-shake-the-tree-of-dreams-that-solitary-tree-of/) [Shusaku Endo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shusaku-endo/) > [Sometimes you have to shake the tree in order to make things happen. And if that has a political cost, I will take it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-yulin-cruz/sometimes-you-have-to-shake-the-tree-in-order-to-make-things-happen/) [Carmen Yulin Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-yulin-cruz/) > [“Turbulence does not shake a tree with strong roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/turbulence-does-not-shake-a-tree-with-strong-roots/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Shake the tree of life itself and bring down fruits unheard of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arlington-robinson/shake-the-tree-of-life-itself-and-bring-down-fruits-unheard-of/) [Edwin Arlington Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arlington-robinson/) > [“Ya gotta shake the tree to get the peach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-streich/ya-gotta-shake-the-tree-to-get-the-peach/) Luke Streich > [“Shake the tree. See what falls down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sa-larsson/shake-the-tree-see-what-falls-down/) [Åsa Larsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sa-larsson/) > [I think that if you shake the tree, you ought to be around when the fruit falls to pick it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cassatt/i-think-that-if-you-shake-the-tree-you-ought-to-be-around-when-the/) [Mary Cassatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cassatt/) > [You're the cutest thing that I ever did see I really love your peaches, wanna shake your tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-miller/you-re-the-cutest-thing-that-i-ever-did-see-i-really-love-your/) [Steve Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-miller/) > [“Some people expect things to fall into their lap. Oh, they might work a bit for it. I'll just shake this tree, and if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/some-people-expect-things-to-fall-into-their-lap-oh-they-might-work-a/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [What is happening to me happens to all fruits that grow ripe. It is the honey in my veins that makes my blood thicker,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-happening-to-me-happens-to-all-fruits-that-grow-ripe-it-is/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“The corners of his lips picked up. "You really didn't know I've been following you for the last five weeks?" Yeah, please feel free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-morgan/the-corners-of-his-lips-picked-up-you-really-didn-t-know-i-ve-been/) [Elizabeth Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-morgan/) > [“Trying not to care she was heartbroken over a guy who wasn’t fit to breathe the same air as she did. Frustration raced along…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-ashby/trying-not-to-care-she-was-heartbroken-over-a-guy-who-wasn-t-fit-to/) [Amanda Ashby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-ashby/) > [“Knock her dead, my man." "Oh no." Xcor shook his head."That shan't be necessary. This one I like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/knock-her-dead-my-man-oh-no-xcor-shook-his-head-that-shan-t-be/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) ## More by Friedrich Nietzsche > [Animals know nothing of themselves, and they also know nothing of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/animals-know-nothing-of-themselves-and-they-also-know-nothing-of-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Every select man strives instinctively for a citadel and a privacy, where he is FREE from the crowd, the many, the majority-- where he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/every-select-man-strives-instinctively-for-a-citadel-and-a-privacy/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“It breaks my heart. Better than your words, your eye tells me all your peril. You are not yet free, you still search for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-breaks-my-heart-better-than-your-words-your-eye-tells-me-all-your/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“79. A soul which knows that it is loved, but does not itself love, betrays its sediment: its dregs come up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/79-a-soul-which-knows-that-it-is-loved-but-does-not-itself-love/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [We deceive ourselves when giving respect to the person for whom we have surrendered ourselves, when we respectively expect them to be as we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-deceive-ourselves-when-giving-respect-to-the-person-for-whom-we/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“The great periods of our life occur when we gain the courage to rechristen what is bad about us as what is best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-great-periods-of-our-life-occur-when-we-gain-the-courage-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“What is life? Life - that is: continually shedding something that wants to die. Life - that is: being cruel and inexorable against everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-is-life-life-that-is-continually-shedding-something-that-wants/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“he does not wear a twitching, mobile, human face, but rather a mask, as it were, with its features in dignified equilibrium; he does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-does-not-wear-a-twitching-mobile-human-face-but-rather-a-mask-as/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Chastity is a virtue with some, but with many it is almost a vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/chastity-is-a-virtue-with-some-but-with-many-it-is-almost-a-vice/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The earth is like the breasts of a woman: useful as well as pleasing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-earth-is-like-the-breasts-of-a-woman-useful-as-well-as-pleasing/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [“Of all that is written I love only what a man has written in his own blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/of-all-that-is-written-i-love-only-what-a-man-has-written-in-his-own/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [No shepherd and one herd! Everybody wants the same, everybody is the same: whoever feels different goes voluntarily into a madhouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/no-shepherd-and-one-herd-everybody-wants-the-same-everybody-is-the/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Pain makes hens and poets cackle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/pain-makes-hens-and-poets-cackle/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) [Explore all 3,486 Friedrich Nietzsche quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) ## More Doe quotes > [So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self- satisfied; in fact, he can easily become dangerous, as it does not take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/so-the-fool-as-distinct-from-the-scoundrel-is-completely-self/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I cannot forbid a person to marry several wives, for it does not contradict Scripture. MARTIN LUTHER, letter to Chancellor Gregory Brück, January 13,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-de-la-bruyere/i-cannot-forbid-a-person-to-marry-several-wives-for-it-does-not/) [Jean de la Bruyere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-de-la-bruyere/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/) [Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/) > [He's a fool that marries; but he's a greater fool that does not marry a fool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wycherley/he-s-a-fool-that-marries-but-he-s-a-greater-fool-that-does-not-marry/) [William Wycherley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wycherley/) > [Nothing old is ever reborn but neither does it totally disappear. And that which has once been born, will always reappear in a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvar-aalto/nothing-old-is-ever-reborn-but-neither-does-it-totally-disappear-and/) [Alvar Aalto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvar-aalto/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [ If the State does not acquire supremacy over \[vast private\] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy-over-vast-private-enterprises/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [If Wall Street crashes, does Main Street follow? Not necessarily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/if-wall-street-crashes-does-main-street-follow-not-necessarily/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) Browse all 25,574 Doe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Here is a hero who did nothing but shake the tree as soon as the fruit was ripe. Does this seem to be too small a thing to you? Then take a good look at the tree he shook.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Friedrich Nietzsche" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake-the-tree-as-soon-as-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake-the-tree-as-soon-as-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/friedrich-nietzsche-15_doe_here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake_210843.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/friedrich-nietzsche-15_doe_here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake_210843.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/216/friedrich-nietzsche-15_doe_here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake_210843.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Here is a hero who did nothing but shake the tree as soon as the fruit was ripe. Does this seem to be too…” — Friedrich Nietzsche", "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": "Friedrich Nietzsche", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Here is a hero who did...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake-the-tree-as-soon-as-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/here-is-a-hero-who-did-nothing-but-shake-the-tree-as-soon-as-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 } } ] } ```