Business Quote by Patrick O'Brian
“Touch and away, Jack?’ asked Stephen. ‘Touch and away? Do you not recall that I have important business there? Enquiries of the very first interest?’ To do with our enterprise? To do with this voyage?’ Perhaps not quite directly.”
About This Quote
Source Novel: Master and Commander by Patrick O'Brian, 1969
A character questions the value of a seemingly trivial task amid larger, urgent matters, highlighting tension between duty and distraction
In simple terms: Small tasks can feel insignificant when bigger goals dominate
Key Takeaway
Balance focus on both minor and major responsibilities
Themes
duty
distraction
priority
focus
Mood
tense
reflective
Type
literary
dialogue
When to use this quote
- naval missions
- business negotiations
- daily chores
- strategic planning
Key Concepts
military life
personal responsibility
time management
Questions to Reflect On
- How do you decide which tasks deserve immediate attention?
- When does a small task become essential?
A Different Perspective
Overemphasis on minutiae can stall progress on critical objectives
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)