---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a line from Dante that says…"
description: "\"There is a line from Dante that says, \"The arrow seen before cometh less rudely.\" President John F. Kennedy put one aspect of the same thought into one..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/jeffrey-r-holland-1190_arrows_there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the_2686456.jpg"
---

#  There is a line from Dante that says, "The arrow seen…

![“There is a line from Dante that says, &quot;The arrow seen before cometh less rudely.&quot; President John F. Kennedy put one aspect of the same thought into one of his state of the union messages this way: &quot;The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.&quot; The Boy Scouts say it best of all: &quot;Be…” quote by Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/jeffrey-r-holland-1190_arrows_there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the_2686456.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/jeffrey-r-holland-1190_arrows_there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the_2686456.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/jeffrey-r-holland-1190_arrows_there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the_2686456.jpg)

> “There is a line from Dante that says, "The arrow seen before cometh less rudely." President John F. Kennedy put one aspect of the same thought into one of his state of the union messages this way: "The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining." The Boy Scouts say it best of all: "Be prepared." That isn't just cracker-barrel wisdom with us; it is theology. "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear." (D&amp;C 38:30)”

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Preparedness, both practical and spiritual, reduces fear and enables effective response to challenges.

**In simple terms:** Being ready lessens fear and improves action.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate readiness in all areas.

Themes

faith preparedness resilience

Mood

encouraging motivational

Type

spiritual practical

When to use this quote

- emergency planning
- personal health
- spiritual study

Key Concepts

theology practical wisdom self‑reliance

Questions to Reflect On

- What steps can you take today to be more prepared?
- How does preparedness influence your confidence?

A Different Perspective

May seem overly religious to secular audiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arrows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrows/) [Aspect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aspect/) [Barrels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barrels/) [Be prepared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/be-prepared/) [Boy scout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boy-scout/) [Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boys/) [Crackers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crackers/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lines/) [Messages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/messages/) [Prepared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prepared/) [Prepared Isn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prepared-isn-1259057/) [Prepared Ye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prepared-ye-2623048/) [President](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president/) [President john f kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/president-john-f-kennedy-148811/) [Roof](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roof/) [Says Arrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/says-arrow-2623047/) [Scouts Say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scouts-say-2623049/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [Theology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theology/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unions/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/)

## Related quotes

> [If it can be prepared for, it isn't the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-alejandro-king/if-it-can-be-prepared-for-it-isn-t-the-worst/)

[John Alejandro King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-alejandro-king/)

> [ President \[John F.\] Kennedy, after the Bay of Pigs, said to Turner Catledge of The New York Times: I wish you had written more,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-shields/president-john-f-kennedy-after-the-bay-of-pigs-said-to-turner/)

[Mark Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-shields/)

> [When my father began to work with President John. F.Kennedy, we moved to Washington, D.C. I was fortunate in my pre-adolescent years, as my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/queen-noor-of-jordan/when-my-father-began-to-work-with-president-john-f-kennedy-we-moved/)

[Queen Noor of Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/queen-noor-of-jordan/)

> [If Lee Harvey Oswald had nothing to do with President Kennedy's assassination and was framed…this otherwise independent and defiant would-be revolutionary, who disliked taking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-bugliosi/if-lee-harvey-oswald-had-nothing-to-do-with-president-kennedy-s/)

[Vincent Bugliosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-bugliosi/)

> [President John F. Kennedy died at approximately 1:00 CST today, here in Dallas. He died of a gunshot wound to the brain. I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-kilduff/president-john-f-kennedy-died-at-approximately-1-00-cst-today-here-in/)

[Malcolm Kilduff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-kilduff/)

> [ I'm gonna say that I have followed every presidential campaign since the campaign of President \[John F.\] Kennedy in 1960. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/i-m-gonna-say-that-i-have-followed-every-presidential-campaign-since/)

[John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/)

> [Growing up I used to ... one of my heroes growing up was President John F. Kennedy. And I actually have a memory box…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/growing-up-i-used-to-one-of-my-heroes-growing-up-was-president-john-f/)

[Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/)

> [The white cracker who wrote the National Anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word "free" to a note so high nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-white-cracker-who-wrote-the-national-anthem-knew-what-he-was/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [I'm a Gemini, so there's two people in me. Straight up. There's the nerd who is totally zoned out in the studio, EQ-ing this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-eazy/i-m-a-gemini-so-there-s-two-people-in-me-straight-up-there-s-the-nerd/)

[G-Eazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-eazy/)

> [“I bought a box of animal crackers, and it said on it, ‘Do not eat if seal is broken.’ So I opened up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bathroom-readers-institute/i-bought-a-box-of-animal-crackers-and-it-said-on-it-do-not-eat-if/)

[Bathroom Readers' Institute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bathroom-readers-institute/)

> [I bought a box of animal crackers, but there was nothing inside. They'd eaten each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-tomlin/i-bought-a-box-of-animal-crackers-but-there-was-nothing-inside-they-d/)

[Lily Tomlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-tomlin/)

> [Shrimp crackers are actually exactly what I was eating when I got the call that I was going to play Shang-Chi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simu-liu/shrimp-crackers-are-actually-exactly-what-i-was-eating-when-i-got-the/)

[Simu Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simu-liu/)

> [My mother wanted me to go to church to meet women. That's wrong, ain't it? 'Praise the Lord! Hey, how ya doing? Nice dress.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-hutcherson/my-mother-wanted-me-to-go-to-church-to-meet-women-that-s-wrong-ain-t/)

[Warren Hutcherson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-hutcherson/)

> [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [Be nonviolent only with those who are nonviolent to you. And when you can bring me a nonviolent racist, bring me a nonviolent segregationist,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/be-nonviolent-only-with-those-who-are-nonviolent-to-you-and-when-you/)

[Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/)

## More by Jeffrey R. Holland

> [The ability of the gospel to unite us on common strengths and common truths is one of the great miracles . . . of the gospel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-ability-of-the-gospel-to-unite-us-on-common-strengths-and-common/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [The world around us is an increasingly hostile and sinful place. Occasionally that splashes onto us, and perhaps, in the case of a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-world-around-us-is-an-increasingly-hostile-and-sinful-place/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [“The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-past-is-to-be-learned-from-but-not-lived-in-we-look-back-to-claim/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [I know we can each do something, however small that act may seem to be. We can pay an honest tithe and give our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/i-know-we-can-each-do-something-however-small-that-act-may-seem-to-be/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [“All but a prophetic few must go about God's work in very quiet, very unspectacular ways. And as you labor to know Him, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/all-but-a-prophetic-few-must-go-about-god-s-work-in-very-quiet-very/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [We are infinitely more than our limitations and afflictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/we-are-infinitely-more-than-our-limitations-and-afflictions/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [“Imperfect people are all God has ever had to work with. This must be terribly frustrating to Him, but He deals with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/imperfect-people-are-all-god-has-ever-had-to-work-with-this-must-be/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [The work of a mother is hard, too often unheralded work. Please know that it is worth it then, now, and forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-work-of-a-mother-is-hard-too-often-unheralded-work-please-know/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/the-size-of-your-faith-or-the-degree-of-your-knowledge-is-not-the/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [I ask for a stonger and more devoted voice... a voice for good, a voice for the gospel, a voice for God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/i-ask-for-a-stonger-and-more-devoted-voice-a-voice-for-good-a-voice/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Brothers and sisters, this is a divine work in process, with the manifestations and blessings of it abounding in every direction, so please don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/brothers-and-sisters-this-is-a-divine-work-in-process-with-the/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [We are making our appearance on the stage of mortality in the greatest dispensation of the gospel ever given to mankind, and we need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/we-are-making-our-appearance-on-the-stage-of-mortality-in-the/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/sadly-enough-my-young-friends-it-is-a-characteristic-of-our-age-that/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Teach your children that many of the blessings of the Church are available to them because you and they give tithes and offerings to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/teach-your-children-that-many-of-the-blessings-of-the-church-are/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

> [Our children take their flight into the future with our thrust and with our aim. And even as we anxiously watch that arrow in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/our-children-take-their-flight-into-the-future-with-our-thrust-and/)

[Jeffrey R. Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

[Explore all 276 Jeffrey R. Holland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/)

## More Arrows quotes

> [With the arrival of electric technology, man has extended, or set outside himself, a live model of the central nervous system itself. To the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/with-the-arrival-of-electric-technology-man-has-extended-or-set/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [Pure essence, and pure matter, and the two joined into one were shot forth without flaw, like three bright arrows from a three-string bow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/pure-essence-and-pure-matter-and-the-two-joined-into-one-were-shot/)

[Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/)

> [I did archery when I was in high school. In our gym class we had two weeks of archery, and I remember taking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barrowman/i-did-archery-when-i-was-in-high-school-in-our-gym-class-we-had-two/)

[John Barrowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barrowman/)

> [Game of Thrones. I'm all about it. I watch Arrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-r-mcqueen/game-of-thrones-i-m-all-about-it-i-watch-arrow/)

[Steven R. McQueen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-r-mcqueen/)

> [I have shot mine arrow o'er the house And hurt my brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-have-shot-mine-arrow-o-er-the-house-and-hurt-my-brother/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [I had a map on my wall that had a circle around Lubbock and then giant arrows pointing toward New York City and Los…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-corbin/i-had-a-map-on-my-wall-that-had-a-circle-around-lubbock-and-then/)

[Barry Corbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-corbin/)

> [An arrow may fly through the air and leave no trace; but an ill thought leaves a trail like a serpent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-mackay/an-arrow-may-fly-through-the-air-and-leave-no-trace-but-an-ill/)

[Charles Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-mackay/)

> [If you shoot an arrow and it goes real high... Hooray for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorian-corey/if-you-shoot-an-arrow-and-it-goes-real-high-hooray-for-you/)

[Dorian Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorian-corey/)

> [Our present time is indeed a criticizing and critical time, hovering between the wish, and the inability to believe. Our complaints are like arrows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-temple/our-present-time-is-indeed-a-criticizing-and-critical-time-hovering/)

[William Temple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-temple/)

> [You took a poison arrow and you aimed it at my heart. It's heavy and it's bitter, and it's tearing me apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/you-took-a-poison-arrow-and-you-aimed-it-at-my-heart-it-s-heavy-and/)

[Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/)

> [How long the thick dark clouds can prevent the truth from shining? The truth is an arrow that can pass through any shield!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/how-long-the-thick-dark-clouds-can-prevent-the-truth-from-shining-the/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“Vasic said the words on Aden’s tongue. “The Arrows expect mercy from no one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/vasic-said-the-words-on-aden-s-tongue-the-arrows-expect-mercy-from-no/)

[Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/)

> [Follow your arrow / Wherever it points,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kacey-musgraves/follow-your-arrow-wherever-it-points/)

[Kacey Musgraves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kacey-musgraves/)

> [If the errors of my life have profited me one great truth it is this: believe. Believe in your destiny and the star from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/if-the-errors-of-my-life-have-profited-me-one-great-truth-it-is-this/)

[Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/)

> [Philosophy alone makes the mind invincible, and places us out of the reach of fortune, so that all her arrows fall short of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/philosophy-alone-makes-the-mind-invincible-and-places-us-out-of-the/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

[Browse all 481 Arrows quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrows/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is a line from Dante that says, \"The arrow seen before cometh less rudely.\" President John F. Kennedy put one aspect of the same thought into one of his state of the union messages this way: \"The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.\" The Boy Scouts say it best of all: \"Be prepared.\" That isn't just cracker-barrel wisdom with us; it is theology. \"If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.\" (D&C 38:30)",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeffrey R. Holland"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the-arrow-seen-before-cometh/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arrows"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the-arrow-seen-before-cometh/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/jeffrey-r-holland-1190_arrows_there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the_2686456.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/jeffrey-r-holland-1190_arrows_there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the_2686456.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/790/jeffrey-r-holland-1190_arrows_there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the_2686456.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is a line from Dante that says, \"The arrow seen before cometh less rudely.\" President John F. Kennedy…” — Jeffrey R. Holland",
                "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": "Jeffrey R. Holland",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-r-holland/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There is a line from Dante...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the-arrow-seen-before-cometh/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-r-holland/there-is-a-line-from-dante-that-says-the-arrow-seen-before-cometh/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
