“Most men waste their lives in beginnings.”Luc de Vauvenargues · Reflecții și maxime · 1746 · maxima 130
Life is wasted in perpetual preparation, without transitioning to action.
Vauvenargues highlights a habit that wastes life: constantly starting new projects without finishing them. People get excited about ideas, make plans, but stay stuck in the starting phase. It is like always reading the first pages of books without ever reaching the end. Someone who buys sports equipment but never goes to the gym lives exactly this kind of waste.
Why it matters It warns us not to confuse intentions with actions and to focus on completion, not just on beginnings.