Member-only story
The Icebergs Beneath the Surfaces of Quotes
Are they in shallow waters or do they extend to great depths? It might depend on who’s looking; does it matter what the originator meant?
In her prompts for this week, Ravyne Hawke asks us to think about this quote:
“What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals.” — Zig Ziglar
When I saw that several days ago, I thought, ok, I can chew, swallow and digest that one into an essay I will have fun writing, and hopefully one that readers will find interesting.
Before expressing my thoughts about the quote, I shall explain the title and subtitle I chose. Many of you may know about Ernest Hemingway’s writing advice metaphor of the iceberg beneath the surface. Until a few days ago, I had not. My son, after finally reading my first piece of fiction, in which I felt great pride and readers have loved, phoned and the first words out of his 17-year-old know-it-all-mouth (apple not far from my sapling) were “you don’t know anything about writing fiction.” A teachable moment for us both.
Parents guide children
Stubborn mules can they each be
Teachable moments
Each has knowledge to offer
Wonderful cocreation
