"The vision must be followed by the venture. It is not enough to stare up the steps - we must step up the stairs"
About this Quote
Havner’s line is a polite rebuke with a preacher’s snap: inspiration is cheap until it costs you something. The first sentence sets the trap by pairing two words that sound like synonyms in motivational posters but aren’t. “Vision” is interior, private, even flattering; “venture” is public, risky, and measurable. By insisting the second must “follow” the first, Havner demotes imagination from a virtue to a draft. He’s not anti-vision; he’s anti-vision-as-alibi.
The staircase image does the heavy lifting. “Stare up the steps” is more than laziness; it’s a portrait of a certain kind of modern paralysis: the endless planning, the reverent admiration of difficulty, the way we substitute contemplation for commitment because contemplation can’t fail. Staring is safe and strangely self-soothing, a performance of seriousness without exposure. Havner’s verb choice makes it faintly accusatory: you’re not “considering” or “studying” the steps, you’re staring, stuck in a loop of awe and avoidance.
“Step up the stairs” flips the metaphor into motion and, crucially, repetition. One step won’t do; stairs demand a sequence. The context, given Havner’s career as a Christian writer and evangelist, is likely aimed at believers who confuse spiritual insight with spiritual obedience. The subtext travels well beyond religion: no matter the arena - justice, art, career, recovery - the point is the same. The distance between who you want to be and who you are is crossed only by action that can be seen.
The staircase image does the heavy lifting. “Stare up the steps” is more than laziness; it’s a portrait of a certain kind of modern paralysis: the endless planning, the reverent admiration of difficulty, the way we substitute contemplation for commitment because contemplation can’t fail. Staring is safe and strangely self-soothing, a performance of seriousness without exposure. Havner’s verb choice makes it faintly accusatory: you’re not “considering” or “studying” the steps, you’re staring, stuck in a loop of awe and avoidance.
“Step up the stairs” flips the metaphor into motion and, crucially, repetition. One step won’t do; stairs demand a sequence. The context, given Havner’s career as a Christian writer and evangelist, is likely aimed at believers who confuse spiritual insight with spiritual obedience. The subtext travels well beyond religion: no matter the arena - justice, art, career, recovery - the point is the same. The distance between who you want to be and who you are is crossed only by action that can be seen.
Quote Details
| Topic | Vision & Strategy |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
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