“Only Those Who Will Risk Going Too Far Can Possibly Find Out How Far One Can Go”

Only those who will risk going too far can possible find out how far one can go. In this quote, T. S. Eliot asserts that only someone who is willing to push the boundaries can see what his potential is. If you want to know how much you can achieve, you have to be willing to push beyond your limits.

This is a quote for all people, including yours truly, who often want to play it safe. Who don’t want to push ourselves beyond our limits. Of course, pushing yourself too far too much can be unhealthy. But at a certain point, everyone must be willing to go beyond what they think their limit is.

We cannot learn and we cannot grow without pain and struggle. If you do not challenge yourself with struggles, or push yourself beyond what you think you can do, you disintegrate. It is like exercising or lifting weights. You do something that pushes or breaks you down, because in the long run, it will build you up stronger.

Also, what you think your limit is, is not actually your limit. In fact, your limits are often just a state of mind. You do not truly know how far you can go until you have forced yourself to work through an uncomfortable situation. Even if uncomfortable situations arise that are mainly negative experiences, remember this. You can use the uncomfortable situations you face as an opportunity to be stronger next time.

Look at anyone through history who has achieved great things. Whether an athlete, scientist, politician, writer or philosopher, they all at some point pushed themselves in a way that others would think is too far. Sometimes that actually did have problems, with Vincent Van Gough and Friedrich Nietzsche being examples. But very often, their willingness to “go too far” is why we still remember them and their achievements today.

Only those who will risk going too far can possible find out how far one can go. If you want to make your mark on the world, or just expand the possibilities of what you can do, you have to be willing to go too far.