I. Writer and programmer Simon Sarris on the value of effort:
"If you make lists of lofty goals, it can be easy to leave them to accumulate, as happens sometimes, into a mountain of to-do's and notes and half-forgotten plans. Dreaming alone is seductive, even a little sweet, since it lacks the pain of trying. So it feels proper to prize attempts more than dreams. You should have ideals, but you cannot only love an idealized future, you must cultivate a love of effort, too. If you really want something, then the soul must make demands of the body."
Source: Efforts and Goals and Joy
II. Henry David Thoreau on being effective, not merely efficient:
"It is not enough to be industrious; so are the ants. What are you industrious about?"
Source: Letter to H.G.O. Blake (November 16, 1857)