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Sarahsmith
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05 Aug 2019, 4:36 pm

I dont know if I agree with the quote" If something is worth doing, it is worth doing badly."

I think I agree more with the quote, "If you are going to do something, you might as well do it right."

What are your thoughts?



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05 Aug 2019, 4:42 pm

The full and original quote is: "Anything worth doing is worth doing well, and anything worth doing well is worth being paid well to do." The attribution varies, but I'll say Samuel Gompers (1850-1924), first president of the American Federation of Labor.


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Sarahsmith
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05 Aug 2019, 5:11 pm

The version I read was if anything is worth doing it's worth doing badly. Anyhow I dont agree with that.



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05 Aug 2019, 5:17 pm

I... don't know why anyone agree with that one.



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05 Aug 2019, 5:19 pm

Sarahsmith wrote:
The version I read was if anything is worth doing it's worth doing badly. Anyhow, I don't agree with that.
Where did you read it? Whom was it attributed to? What was its context?


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Sarahsmith
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05 Aug 2019, 5:27 pm

I just did a google search of it and someone wrote an article about it. The quote was by some Christian guy. The article was basically saying how you shouldn't give up on something, just because you suck at it. If you enjoy doing it you should do it. I guess I agree with that perspective.

My brother said my guitar playing sucked. But Im still going to do it.
My old friend said my journals were boring. But Im still going to write.
I just wish I was better. Who knows I might get better with practice. These things are still special to me.



naturalplastic
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05 Aug 2019, 5:30 pm

Ive heard "anything worth doing is worth doing well".

Never heard your variant that replaces the last word the "badly".

Sounds like a deliberate spoof of the more common "well" version. Coined on purpose to bend your mind.

I agree with the well version.

But I suppose that the badly version contains some grain of truth as well if you think about it. Babe Ruth hit the most homeruns in the major leagues, but he also struck out the most. Both things because he went all out, and wasn't afraid to screw up.



kraftiekortie
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05 Aug 2019, 5:35 pm

Gilbert Keith Chesterton is the person who came up with the "badly" quote.



Sarahsmith
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05 Aug 2019, 5:43 pm

Thanks kraftie



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05 Aug 2019, 9:01 pm

If something badly needs doing, it's well worth doing, or something....

:joker:


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IstominFan
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06 Aug 2019, 10:40 am

No. I think anything worth doing is worth doing well.

Why would we want to reward failure or celebrate it? I don't think this saying rewards perseverance, rather it's opposite. If we love something, and keep at it, we can't avoid improving.



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06 Aug 2019, 11:19 am

I kinda agree with both saying. We should try to do things well but it's usually better that we do them badly than to not do them at all. However if you have learned helplessness like I do you tend to want to avoid things that are difficult cuz you rather focus your efforts on things your good at or at least things you feel you have potential to get decent in.


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