"Action is greater than writing. A good man is a nobler object of contemplation than a great author. There are but two things worth living for: to do what is worthy of being written; and to write what is worthy of being read"
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The lines set a clear hierarchy of value: deeds outrank words, and character outranks literary brilliance. Action is greater than writing because action alters the world; it feeds, heals, builds, and reforms. A good man is a nobler object of contemplation than a great author because moral excellence is not performative skill but the steady, lived practice of integrity. Yet writing is not dismissed. The closing claim draws the circle complete: there are two worthy pursuits, to live a life that deserves remembrance and to craft words that deserve attention. One calls for courage and usefulness; the other calls for clarity and truth. Together they reject idle talk and empty show.
The sentiment resonates with an old American ideal, often phrased by Benjamin Franklin as either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. Ross Perot built his public identity on that same ethic. A Naval officer turned salesman turned entrepreneur, he founded EDS by focusing on meticulous execution, then carried a similar spirit into politics. His 1992 presidential run criticized business-as-usual rhetoric, argued for measurable results, and tried to make fiscal policy graspable with charts and plain speech. He embodied the suspicion that eloquence without delivery is a kind of vanity, while quiet competence can be a civic good.
At the same time, the pairing of action and authorship refuses a false choice. A society needs both reformers and recorders, builders and witnesses. Deeds without memory fade; writings without deeds ring hollow. The admonition therefore becomes a test for our priorities. Do our projects create real benefit beyond our own reputations? Do our words earn attention by clarifying reality, preserving hard-won lessons, and inspiring better conduct? The answer, Perot suggests, should be visible not in grand declarations but in outcomes and in the kind of person one becomes through the effort.
The sentiment resonates with an old American ideal, often phrased by Benjamin Franklin as either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. Ross Perot built his public identity on that same ethic. A Naval officer turned salesman turned entrepreneur, he founded EDS by focusing on meticulous execution, then carried a similar spirit into politics. His 1992 presidential run criticized business-as-usual rhetoric, argued for measurable results, and tried to make fiscal policy graspable with charts and plain speech. He embodied the suspicion that eloquence without delivery is a kind of vanity, while quiet competence can be a civic good.
At the same time, the pairing of action and authorship refuses a false choice. A society needs both reformers and recorders, builders and witnesses. Deeds without memory fade; writings without deeds ring hollow. The admonition therefore becomes a test for our priorities. Do our projects create real benefit beyond our own reputations? Do our words earn attention by clarifying reality, preserving hard-won lessons, and inspiring better conduct? The answer, Perot suggests, should be visible not in grand declarations but in outcomes and in the kind of person one becomes through the effort.
Quote Details
| Topic | Meaning of Life |
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