"The execution of any thing considerable implies in the first place previous persevering meditation"
About this Quote
Godwin argues that to carry out anything of real weight, the first and most essential step is sustained, deliberate thought. Not a passing reflection, but persevering meditation: the patient work of clarifying ends, examining means, testing motives, and resisting the glamour of haste. Significance demands preparation. If action is the body, reflection is the skeleton that gives it shape and strength.
The phrasing reveals two priorities. First, previous: the thinking must come before the attempt. Second, persevering: the thought must be steady, revisited, and refined. A single burst of inspiration rarely survives contact with reality; only ideas tempered by repeated scrutiny prove durable in execution. This view pushes back against the lure of improvisation and the romance of sudden genius. It treats cognition as craft.
The line sits naturally within Godwins Enlightenment confidence in reason. In works like An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, he contended that social improvement rests on education, free inquiry, and the disciplined exercise of private judgment. Living through the upheavals of the 1790s, he distrusted impulsive upheaval, arguing for change guided by careful examination rather than passion. Persevering meditation serves a moral function here: it filters self-interest, exposes hidden costs, and aligns action with impartial benevolence.
Applied broadly, the claim covers public policy, artistic creation, and everyday ethics. A reform that alters lives, a novel that reshapes sensibility, or a hard personal decision all benefit from the same rhythm: think long, revise, then act with clarity. The outcome is not paralysis but potency. The more rigorous the prior meditation, the cleaner and more coherent the execution. Godwin reminds us that meaningful achievement is not the child of frenzy but the offspring of patience, reason, and a will trained to examine itself before it moves.
The phrasing reveals two priorities. First, previous: the thinking must come before the attempt. Second, persevering: the thought must be steady, revisited, and refined. A single burst of inspiration rarely survives contact with reality; only ideas tempered by repeated scrutiny prove durable in execution. This view pushes back against the lure of improvisation and the romance of sudden genius. It treats cognition as craft.
The line sits naturally within Godwins Enlightenment confidence in reason. In works like An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, he contended that social improvement rests on education, free inquiry, and the disciplined exercise of private judgment. Living through the upheavals of the 1790s, he distrusted impulsive upheaval, arguing for change guided by careful examination rather than passion. Persevering meditation serves a moral function here: it filters self-interest, exposes hidden costs, and aligns action with impartial benevolence.
Applied broadly, the claim covers public policy, artistic creation, and everyday ethics. A reform that alters lives, a novel that reshapes sensibility, or a hard personal decision all benefit from the same rhythm: think long, revise, then act with clarity. The outcome is not paralysis but potency. The more rigorous the prior meditation, the cleaner and more coherent the execution. Godwin reminds us that meaningful achievement is not the child of frenzy but the offspring of patience, reason, and a will trained to examine itself before it moves.
Quote Details
| Topic | Perseverance |
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