"The galleries are full of critics.
They play no ball.
They make no mistakes because they attempt nothing.
Down in the arena are the doers.
They make mistakes because they try many things.
The person who makes no mistakes lacks boldness
And the spirit of adventure.
They are the ones who never try anything.
They are the brake on the wheel of progress.
And yet it cannot be truly said they make no mistakes,
Because their biggest mistake is the very fact they try nothing,
And do nothing,
Except criticize those who do things."
General David M. Shoup, United States Marine Corp, graduate of DePauw University (Greencastle, Indiana)
5 comments:
I'm making the (maybe false) assumption that this is a commentary on the scism between Root and Balko after the LPIN/KY convention. Seems fitting that you are quoting someone from Balko's home town.
I definitely agree, it's easy to sling criticism from the sidelines when you have no skin in the game.
That said, I have to say that Root's response to the criticism comes off a bit whiny. Balko was basically criticising Savage and question whether Root should be on his show, not really anything against Root himself. Root's response was as if he had been personally attacked.
I really like both Balko and Root, and don't want to take sides. I think that they are both acting a bit inappropriately though.
John
John: Your assumption is wrong. The timing of my quote is coincidental. By the way, Balko is a doer, as is Root, and I believe both are playing an important role in the libertarian movement.
Almost as bad as critics are the "IMA GONNA DOERS"
I think this is great, Mark! Being a doer requires the ability to accept a lot of criticism... and sometimes to fire back in defense of what it is you are doing.
Unfortunately sometimes that means that doers fighting for the same purpose will develop a distaste for each other. We see that in this nation all the way back to our Founding Fathers, even.
If you are looking at Root and Balko, it happens. sometimes leaders in the party will disagree about what is best for the future. And a lot of different things will work with a lot of different people. We must be mindful of this, as well as the numerous differences within different regions even within Indiana, before we start telling others that they need to do things a certain way.
Overall, great quote, Mark, and thanks for sharing!
Ryan L.
That IS a great quote, Mark!
--
Timothy J. Maguire
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