We The Few . . .
I found an interesting web page with its content below, as various people phrase a common thought in various ways. Here’s the thought:
“I’ve done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing”
How would I put this? How about:
“We the few, who have done so much for so long with so little, now attempt the impossible — with nothing.”
I’d change “I” to “we” to broaden appeal and to appeal to power. One person is important, more people more important. The em dash is really called forhere. You don’t want a rolling sentence to roll over a point of emphasis.
I’m still thinking about how to incorporate the “ungrateful” element in many of the sentences below. That word traces back to a complete thought by Konstantin Jireček. He said:
“We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful. We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing.”
Hmm. Maybe:
“We, the poorly led and thankless, who have done so much for so long with so little, now attempt the impossible — with nothing.”
Better? How would you rewrite this? Please leave your sentence in the comment box.
TEXT OF LINKED PAGE BELOW
Variations of this thought: I’ve done so much, with so little, for so long, that now I can do anything with nothing.
- We the unwilling working for the ungrateful are doing the impossible.
We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing…. - We, the unwilling, led by the unknowing, are doing the impossible for the ungrateful.
We have done so much, for so long, with so little, we are now qualified to do anything with nothing…. - We the unwilling, led by the ungrateful, are doing the impossible.
We’ve done so much, for so long, with so little, that we are now qualified to do something with nothing…. - We the unwilling led by the unknowing are doing the impossible for the ungrateful.
We have done so much with so little for so long that we are now capable of doing practically anything with virtually nothing…. - I wish I could have stayed one more year or two. There was so much I wanted to see and to do and to have done to me.
— Apu Nahassapeemapetilan, “Much Apu About Nothing… - So little done–so much to do. — Cecil John Rhodes {Founder of the Rhodes Scholarships}, 1902
- So little done, so much to do. — Alexander Graham Bell (last words)
- So many worlds, so much to do, So little done, such things to be.
— Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892) — In Memoriam, lxxiii, Stanza 1… - So much time, and so little to do. — Willie Wonka
