Saturday, August 13, 2011

Bias for action - essential in today's Navy

No matter how full a reservoir of maxims one may possess, and no matter how good one's sentiments may be, if one has not taken advantage of every concrete opportunity to act, one's character may remain entirely unaffected for the better.  With mere good intentions, hell is proverbially paved.  A character is a completely fashioned will.

A tendency to act only becomes effectively  ingrained in us in proportion to the uninterrupted frequency with which the actions actually occur and the brain "grows" to their use.  When a resolve or a fine glow of feeling is allowed to evaporate without bearing fruit, it is worse than a chance lost; it works so as positively to hinder future resolutions and emotions from taking the normal path of discharge.

- JAMES
USNI Proceedings
Vol. 58 August, 1932 No. 354

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Captain Lambert,

JAMES speaks in the absolute, I have known a lot of good Sailors, and never knew a perfect one, but I have great faith that most dispensed the burden of their decisions in order to benefit their subordinates and peers as they were all Shipmates.

Very Respectfully,
Navyman834