"There is only one thing for us to do, and that is to do our level best right where we are every day of our lives; To use our best judgment, and then to trust the rest to that Power which holds the forces of the universe in his hands"
About this Quote
Marden’s sentence is a self-help creed dressed in Victorian Sunday clothes: radical agency on the front end, cosmic outsourcing on the back. The first clause lands like a discipline manual for the modern worker - “right where we are,” “every day,” no glamour, no excuses, no waiting for a better stage. It’s ambition stripped of romance and rerouted into routine. In the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, when industrial life was reorganizing time itself into shifts, schedules, and measurable output, that insistence on daily, local effort isn’t just moral advice; it’s a way to make the churn feel purposeful.
Then comes the pivot: “use our best judgment, and then to trust the rest.” The phrase “best judgment” flatters the reader’s rationality while quietly admitting its limits. Marden isn’t offering certainty; he’s offering a coping mechanism for uncertainty. You do the work, you decide as well as you can, and you stop spiraling over outcomes you can’t control. That’s anxiety management before the language of anxiety management.
The final move - “that Power which holds the forces of the universe in his hands” - reveals the era’s favorite fusion: hustle plus providence. It sanctifies effort and softens failure. If success follows, your diligence looks divinely endorsed; if it doesn’t, you’re buffered by the idea that the universe wasn’t yours to micromanage. The subtext is permission: strive hard without the corrosive need to be omnipotent. That balance is why the quote still scans today, even as “Power” might be reread as faith, fate, or simply probability.
Then comes the pivot: “use our best judgment, and then to trust the rest.” The phrase “best judgment” flatters the reader’s rationality while quietly admitting its limits. Marden isn’t offering certainty; he’s offering a coping mechanism for uncertainty. You do the work, you decide as well as you can, and you stop spiraling over outcomes you can’t control. That’s anxiety management before the language of anxiety management.
The final move - “that Power which holds the forces of the universe in his hands” - reveals the era’s favorite fusion: hustle plus providence. It sanctifies effort and softens failure. If success follows, your diligence looks divinely endorsed; if it doesn’t, you’re buffered by the idea that the universe wasn’t yours to micromanage. The subtext is permission: strive hard without the corrosive need to be omnipotent. That balance is why the quote still scans today, even as “Power” might be reread as faith, fate, or simply probability.
Quote Details
| Topic | Faith |
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