Topic
Strength in this collection is almost always distinguished from force. Johnson's great-works-performed-by-perseverance-not-strength is the methodological statement: what looks like strength from the outside is usually sustained application over time. Nietzsche's what-does-not-kill-me appears here as it does throughout the collection — a claim about transformation rather than endurance. Edison on one-more-time gives strength a numerical expression: greatness is the willingness to try again when the rational argument for stopping is strongest. King's a-man-can't-ride-your-back-unless-it's-bent applies strength to political dignity: structural oppression depends on the cooperation of the oppressed. La Rochefoucauld's we-resist-passions-more-from-their-weakness-than-our-strength is the deflating counter: most of what passes for self-discipline is not virtue but diminished desire. Publilius Syrus on anger renewing the strength of love is the most emotionally specific entry: intensity regenerates what routine has worn smooth.