---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For more than twenty years he [Blanchard]…"
description: "\"For more than twenty years he [Blanchard] toiled on through the most fatiguing paths of literary composition, mostly in periodicals, often anonymously;..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/samuel-laman-blanchard-25787_chance_for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard_393277.jpg"
---

#  For more than twenty years he \[Blanchard\] toiled on…

![“For more than twenty years he &#91;Blanchard&#93; toiled on through the most fatiguing paths of literary composition, mostly in periodicals, often anonymously; pleasing and lightly instructing thousands, but gaining none of the prizes, whether of weighty reputation or popular renown, which more fortunate…” quote by Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/samuel-laman-blanchard-25787_chance_for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard_393277.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/samuel-laman-blanchard-25787_chance_for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard_393277.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/samuel-laman-blanchard-25787_chance_for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard_393277.jpg)

> “For more than twenty years he \[Blanchard\] toiled on through the most fatiguing paths of literary composition, mostly in periodicals, often anonymously; pleasing and lightly instructing thousands, but gaining none of the prizes, whether of weighty reputation or popular renown, which more fortunate chances, or more pretending modes of investing talent, have given in our day to men of half his merits.”

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

## About This Quote

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

He worked tirelessly for decades in anonymous literary work, pleasing many but never receiving major recognition or fame.

**In simple terms:** Hard work without fame.

Key Takeaway

Value effort over accolades.

Themes

perseverance literary work anonymity

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

observational criticalical

When to use this quote

- journalism
- freelance writing
- creative pursuits
- career development

Key Concepts

recognition talent literary market

Questions to Reflect On

- Do you prioritize recognition or personal satisfaction?
- How can unseen work be valued?

A Different Perspective

Success often depends on networking and visibility, not just merit.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Prize](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prize/) [Reputation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reputation/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/)

## Related quotes

> [Habits of literary composition are perfectly familiar to me. One of the rarest of all the intellectual accomplishments that a man can possess is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilkie-collins/habits-of-literary-composition-are-perfectly-familiar-to-me-one-of/)

[Wilkie Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilkie-collins/)

> [SATIRE, n. An obsolete kind of literary composition in which the vices and follies of the author's enemies were expounded with imperfect tenderness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/satire-n-an-obsolete-kind-of-literary-composition-in-which-the-vices-2/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [Of all the species of literary composition, perhaps biography is the most delightful. The attention concentrated on one individual gives a unity to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hall/of-all-the-species-of-literary-composition-perhaps-biography-is-the/)

[Robert Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-hall/)

> [In literary composition a well-chosen quotation lights up the page like a fine engraving...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-francis-henry-king/in-literary-composition-a-well-chosen-quotation-lights-up-the-page/)

William Francis Henry King

> [As any competent student of literary composition knows, the more natural and casual a voice sounds in print, the more likely it is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-murray/as-any-competent-student-of-literary-composition-knows-the-more/)

[Albert Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-murray/)

> [“A writer discovers what he knows as he knows it, i.e., as he makes it. No artist writes in order to objectify an “idea”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-sorrentino/a-writer-discovers-what-he-knows-as-he-knows-it-i-e-as-he-makes-it-no/)

[Gilbert Sorrentino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-sorrentino/)

> [“Sometimes I think that creativity is a matter of seeing, or stumbling over, unobvious similarities between things—like composing a fresh metaphor, but on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/sometimes-i-think-that-creativity-is-a-matter-of-seeing-or-stumbling/)

[David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/)

> [I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-am-an-ordinary-man-who-worked-hard-to-develop-the-talent-i-was-given/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [You can improve your talent, but your talent is a given, a mysterious constant. You must make it the best of its kind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/you-can-improve-your-talent-but-your-talent-is-a-given-a-mysterious/)

[Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/)

> [I once believed that I possessed creative talent, but I have given up this idea; a woman must not desire to compose — there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-schumann/i-once-believed-that-i-possessed-creative-talent-but-i-have-given-up/)

[Clara Schumann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clara-schumann/)

> [I just wonder where I was when the talent was being given out, like George Benson, Kenny Burrell, Eric Clapton... oh, there's many more!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-b-king/i-just-wonder-where-i-was-when-the-talent-was-being-given-out-like/)

[B. B. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-b-king/)

> [I feel like if we're blessed enough to be given talent, to be given an opportunity, then why not take that opportunity and make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-rowland/i-feel-like-if-we-re-blessed-enough-to-be-given-talent-to-be-given-an/)

[Kelly Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-rowland/)

> [I was given talent, and if you are given it, it is your obligation to use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/i-was-given-talent-and-if-you-are-given-it-it-is-your-obligation-to/)

[Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/)

> [I am an ordinary man who worked hard to develop the talent I was given. I believed in myself, and I believe in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/i-am-an-ordinary-man-who-worked-hard-to-develop-the-talent-i-was/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [“I believe my using the talent He's given me is His will for my life. Why else would He have bothered giving it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dawn-crandall/i-believe-my-using-the-talent-he-s-given-me-is-his-will-for-my-life/)

[Dawn Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dawn-crandall/)

## More by Samuel Laman Blanchard

> [As success converts treason into legitimacy, so belief converts fiction into fact, and "nothing is but what is not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/as-success-converts-treason-into-legitimacy-so-belief-converts/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [Of all the many and (thanks to a free press) the ever-multiplying blessings attendant upon the "glorious constitution" of literature, not the least precious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/of-all-the-many-and-thanks-to-a-free-press-the-ever-multiplying/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [How often does it happen that an obscure line finds its way into a periodical... is requoted in every book that comes out during…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/how-often-does-it-happen-that-an-obscure-line-finds-its-way-into-a/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [Perhaps the author cited is one of those, who, shunning the practice of the world, have taught the world to shun return! whose poetry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/perhaps-the-author-cited-is-one-of-those-who-shunning-the-practice-of/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [So, in our wisdom and fair justice we go on - "Giving to dust that is a little gilt, More laud than gold e'er…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/so-in-our-wisdom-and-fair-justice-we-go-on-giving-to-dust-that-is-a/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [For the author there is nothing but his pen, till that and life are worn to the stump: and then, with good fortune, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/for-the-author-there-is-nothing-but-his-pen-till-that-and-life-are/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [What if two negatives make an affirmative ...does it follow that two nobodies shall be some body?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/what-if-two-negatives-make-an-affirmative-does-it-follow-that-two/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [We feel bound to be punctual and conscientious with those we are indifferent about; while we can afford at any time, on the frostiest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/we-feel-bound-to-be-punctual-and-conscientious-with-those-we-are/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [The scarcity of truth is atoned for by the abundance of affidavits; if a rumor be impugned, its veracity is easily strengthened by additional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/the-scarcity-of-truth-is-atoned-for-by-the-abundance-of-affidavits-if/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [The ancient gentleman who has seen the world, who is profoundly experienced, and much too deep to be the dupe of an age so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/the-ancient-gentleman-who-has-seen-the-world-who-is-profoundly/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [Man will take anything you like, except warning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/man-will-take-anything-you-like-except-warning/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [Give me to live with Love alone And let the world go dine and dress; For Love hath lowly haunts... If life's a flower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/give-me-to-live-with-love-alone-and-let-the-world-go-dine-and-dress/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [Pleasures lie thickest where no pleasures seem: There's not a leaf that falls upon the ground But holds some joy of silence or of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/pleasures-lie-thickest-where-no-pleasures-seem-there-s-not-a-leaf/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [It is surely one of the strangest of our propensities to mark out those we love best for the worst usage; yet we do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/it-is-surely-one-of-the-strangest-of-our-propensities-to-mark-out/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

> [When the error is universal, it is supposed to end. The adoption of the foundling establishes its consanguinity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/when-the-error-is-universal-it-is-supposed-to-end-the-adoption-of-the/)

[Samuel Laman Blanchard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

[Explore all 22 Samuel Laman Blanchard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/)

## More Chance quotes

> [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/)

[Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/)

> [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/)

[Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/)

> [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/)

[Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/)

> [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/)

[Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/)

> [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/)

[Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/)

[Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/)

> [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/)

Alejandro Taubas

> [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/)

[Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/)

> [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/)

[Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/)

> [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/)

[Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/)

> [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/)

[Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/)

[Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "For more than twenty years he [Blanchard] toiled on through the most fatiguing paths of literary composition, mostly in periodicals, often anonymously; pleasing and lightly instructing thousands, but gaining none of the prizes, whether of weighty reputation or popular renown, which more fortunate chances, or more pretending modes of investing talent, have given in our day to men of half his merits.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Samuel Laman Blanchard"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard-toiled-on-through-the-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Chance"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard-toiled-on-through-the-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/samuel-laman-blanchard-25787_chance_for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard_393277.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/samuel-laman-blanchard-25787_chance_for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard_393277.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58f/samuel-laman-blanchard-25787_chance_for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard_393277.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“For more than twenty years he [Blanchard] toiled on through the most fatiguing paths of literary…” — Samuel Laman Blanchard",
                "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": "Samuel Laman Blanchard",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-laman-blanchard/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "For more than twenty years he...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard-toiled-on-through-the-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-laman-blanchard/for-more-than-twenty-years-he-blanchard-toiled-on-through-the-most/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
