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Meaning
The quote says that reaching a goal often requires aiming slightly beyond it. It also suggests that forces or limitations can pull effort downward, so a bit of extra ambition may be necessary to succeed.
When It Was Said
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Who It Was Said To
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Historical Context
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Source
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Original Language & Translation
Originally said in English.
Did They Really Say It?
Listed as attributed, with no source found on Wikiquote.
Did You Know?
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About Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
American poet and educator
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was an American poet and educator. He became one of the best-known literary figures of 19th-century New England, and is remembered for poems such as "Paul Revere's Ride," The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He also made a notable contribution as a translator, becoming the first American to complete a translation of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. He is associated with the fireside poets, a group whose work reached a wide domestic audience in its time.
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