Accomplish Quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson
“In whatever you choose to do, do it because it's hard, not because it's easy. Math and physics and astrophysics are hard. For every hard thing you accomplish, fewer other people are out there doing the same thing as you. That's what doing something hard means. And in the limit of this, everyone beats a path to your door because you're the only one around who understands the impossible concept or who solves the unsolvable problem.”
About This Quote
Source Talk: TEDx, 2016
Choosing challenging pursuits builds unique expertise; rarity of effort creates opportunities to solve problems others cannot.
In simple terms: Do hard things to become irreplaceable.
Key Takeaway
Embrace difficulty for distinction.
Themes
hard work
expertise
uniqueness
Mood
motivational
challenging
Type
advice
philosophical
When to use this quote
- research careers
- skill mastery
- innovation challenges
Key Concepts
epistemology
motivation
Questions to Reflect On
- What hard goal will set you apart?
- How do you sustain motivation through difficulty?
A Different Perspective
Hard paths can cause burnout if not balanced.
![“They [scientists of centuries past] call on God only from the lonely and precarious edge of incomprehension. Where they feel certain about their explanations, however, God gets hardly a mention.” quote by Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/0b0/neil-degrasse-tyson-143_century_they-scientists-of-centuries-past-call-o_12921.jpg)
![“[The Community's] crosses and trials give me confidence. But I derive my hope above all, and most especially, from our utter incapacity, for it is always upon nothingness that God is pleased to rear His works. If at any day we accomplish some good here, the glory will certainly be His alone, since…” quote by Theodore Guerin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/2b8/theodore-guerin-54729_accomplish_the-community-s-crosses-and-trials-give_7176.jpg)
