--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Let us strive the more earnestly…" description: "\"Let us strive the more earnestly therefore to lengthen out our span of life-- life that is poured out like water and falls as the leaf-- if not by acti..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/pliny-the-younger-15981_action_let-us-strive-the-more-earnestly-therefo_989229.jpg" --- # Let us strive the more earnestly therefore to lengthen out… ![“Let us strive the more earnestly therefore to lengthen out our span of life-- life that is poured out like water and falls as the leaf-- if not by action (the means to which lie in another's power), yet in any case by study and research; and since it is not granted us to live long, let us transmit…” quote by Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/pliny-the-younger-15981_action_let-us-strive-the-more-earnestly-therefo_989229.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/pliny-the-younger-15981_action_let-us-strive-the-more-earnestly-therefo_989229.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d6/pliny-the-younger-15981_action_let-us-strive-the-more-earnestly-therefo_989229.jpg) > “Let us strive the more earnestly therefore to lengthen out our span of life-- life that is poured out like water and falls as the leaf-- if not by action (the means to which lie in another's power), yet in any case by study and research; and since it is not granted us to live long, let us transmit to posterity some memorial that we have at least lived.” [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is brief; we should extend its impact through study, research, and lasting contributions. **In simple terms:** Make life meaningful through learning and legacy. Key Takeaway Seek lasting impact. Themes legacy knowledge mortality Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - academic pursuits - scientific research - artistic creation - community service Key Concepts humanism education Questions to Reflect On - What legacy do you wish to leave? - How can study enrich your life? A Different Perspective May pressure over‑achievement. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Memorial](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memorial/) [Research](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/research/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) ## Related quotes > [Do what you may, strive as earnestly as you can, live as excellently as you please, make what sacrifices you choose, be as eminent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/do-what-you-may-strive-as-earnestly-as-you-can-live-as-excellently-as/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [If you can put a guy behind the plate that can hit in the middle of the order, it's just obviously gonna lengthen your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buster-posey/if-you-can-put-a-guy-behind-the-plate-that-can-hit-in-the-middle-of/) [Buster Posey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buster-posey/) > [It is good To lengthen to the last a sunny mood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/it-is-good-to-lengthen-to-the-last-a-sunny-mood/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [I teach my sighs to lengthen into songs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/i-teach-my-sighs-to-lengthen-into-songs/) [Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/) > [“I want to lengthen, not shorten, my attention span, and most of the material splendors of the twenty-first century bully me in the opposite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillip-connors/i-want-to-lengthen-not-shorten-my-attention-span-and-most-of-the/) Phillip Connors > [We must lengthen our stride and must do it now because we over ate and feel fat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/we-must-lengthen-our-stride-and-must-do-it-now-because-we-over-ate/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [I hope that having my life and having an education will lengthen my career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-watson/i-hope-that-having-my-life-and-having-an-education-will-lengthen-my/) [Emma Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-watson/) > [To lengthen thy life, lessen thy meals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/to-lengthen-thy-life-lessen-thy-meals/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [We've learned how to lengthen life, but we don't know how to deepen it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vance-havner/we-ve-learned-how-to-lengthen-life-but-we-don-t-know-how-to-deepen-it/) [Vance Havner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vance-havner/) > [But stories somehow lengthen when begun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-byron/but-stories-somehow-lengthen-when-begun/) [Lord Byron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-byron/) > [“There’s nothing but what’s bearable as long as a man can work,” he said to himself; “the natur o’ things doesn’t change, though it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-s-nothing-but-what-s-bearable-as-long-as-a-man-can-work-he-said/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Lengthen your stride/go the extra mile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-w-kimball/lengthen-your-stride-go-the-extra-mile/) [Spencer W. Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [Wander a whole summer if you can. Thousands of God's blessings will search you and soak you as if you were a sponge, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/wander-a-whole-summer-if-you-can-thousands-of-god-s-blessings-will/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [Wander a whole summer if you can. Time will not be taken from the sum of life. Instead of shortening, it will definitely lengthen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-muir/wander-a-whole-summer-if-you-can-time-will-not-be-taken-from-the-sum/) [John Muir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-muir/) > [To save time is to lengthen life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-adler/to-save-time-is-to-lengthen-life/) [Alfred Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-adler/) ## More by Pliny the Younger > [It is difficult to retain what you may have learned unless you should practice it. -Difficile est tenere quae acceperis nisi exerceas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/it-is-difficult-to-retain-what-you-may-have-learned-unless-you-should/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [Perhaps you will ask whether I can raise these three millions without difficulty. Well, nearly all my capital is invested in land, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/perhaps-you-will-ask-whether-i-can-raise-these-three-millions-without/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [Too much polishing weakens rather than improves a work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/too-much-polishing-weakens-rather-than-improves-a-work/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [Never do a thing concerning the rectitude of which you are in doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/never-do-a-thing-concerning-the-rectitude-of-which-you-are-in-doubt/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [They enhance the value of their favors by the words with which they are accompanied.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/they-enhance-the-value-of-their-favors-by-the-words-with-which-they/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [Everyone must be given something he can grasp and recognize as his own idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/everyone-must-be-given-something-he-can-grasp-and-recognize-as-his/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [There is no book so bad that it is not profitable in some part. -Nullus est liber tam malus ut non aliqua parte prosit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/there-is-no-book-so-bad-that-it-is-not-profitable-in-some-part-nullus/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [Objects which are usually the motives of our travels by land and by sea are often overlooked and neglected if they lie under our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/objects-which-are-usually-the-motives-of-our-travels-by-land-and-by/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [ “\[Pliny the Elder\] used to say that “no book was so bad but some good might be got out of it.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/pliny-the-elder-used-to-say-that-no-book-was-so-bad-but-some-good/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [Literature is both my joy and my comfort: it can add to every happiness and there is no sorrow it cannot console.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/literature-is-both-my-joy-and-my-comfort-it-can-add-to-every/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [“nulla dies sine linea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/nulla-dies-sine-linea/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [“The smallest evil if neglected, will reach the greatest proportions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/the-smallest-evil-if-neglected-will-reach-the-greatest-proportions/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [“Glory ought to be the consequence, not the motive, of our actions; and although it happen not to attend the worthy deed, yet it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/glory-ought-to-be-the-consequence-not-the-motive-of-our-actions-and/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [The highest of characters is his who is as ready to pardon the moral errors of mankind as if he were every day guilty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/the-highest-of-characters-is-his-who-is-as-ready-to-pardon-the-moral/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) > [And as in men's bodies, so in government, that disease is most serious which proceeds from the head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pliny-the-younger/and-as-in-men-s-bodies-so-in-government-that-disease-is-most-serious/) [Pliny the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) [Explore all 40 Pliny the Younger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pliny-the-younger/) ## More Action quotes > [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/) [Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/) [William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/) > [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/) [Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/) > [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/) [Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/) [Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/) > [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/) [Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/) [Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. 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