71: OSWALD CHAMBERS: Mountains and valleys
Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) was a Scottish minister and teacher, most well-known for his devotional book My Utmost for His Highest.
This comic is a continuation from my Calvin Coolidge: Never Give Up comic. That was pretty popular and I had so much fun drawing the dragon and little hero that I wanted to revisit them again. And yeah yeah, I know the final dragon looks more like a T-Rex – this magical realm has dragons AND dinosaurs. I thought this was such a great message. I’m always adapting quotes that are about living a big, exciting and adventurous life and while that is all well and good, the simple fact is that life is also filled with lots of little, boring and mundane things that we deal with everyday. This stuff probably takes more dedication and perseverance to get through than the fun parts.
Thank you to Karen for submitting this quote.
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Amazing!
Very good, sir. This message was a necessary addition to your collection, and the comic illustrated it well.
Realmente aprecio tu pagina, me a ayudado en mi vida de muchas formas, mas de las que imaginas. Haces algo mas importante de lo que crees. Mucha Felicidades por todo tu exito. “El cielo es el limite, tratemos de alcanzarlo” Talvez no sea usual que mucha gente te escriba en otro idioma, mas que el ingles. Pero quise hablar en mi lengua materna, para que veas que lejos ha llegado tu trabajo y donde lo aprecian.
From Spanish:
I really appreciate your site, me to helped in my life in many ways, more than you can imagine. You do something more important than you think. Many congratulations on your success. “The sky is the limit,” (English)
From someone who speaks the language:
I really appreciate your site, it has helped me in life in much more ways than you can imagine. You do something more important than you think. Many congratulations on your success. “The sky is the limit, let’s try to reach it”. Maybe it’s not usual that people write to you in some other language more than english. But I wanted to speak in my main language, so you see how far your work has gone, and where it is appreciated.
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I agree every word of it. Many regards from argentina.
Thank you Daniel and thanks Trev and Juan for translating. A very humbling comment
And you are not the only one!
Napansin kong mas pinili ni Daniel na magsulat sa Espanyol. Naisip ko ring magsulat gamit ang sarili kong lenggwahe upang ipaalam sa iyo na ikaw ay nababasa sa maraming sulok ng mundo. Ipagpatuloy mo ang pagpukaw ng mga damdamin at pagbibigay ng inspirasyon.
From Tagalog:
I noticed Daniel preferred to write in Spanish. I thought also write with my own language to inform you that you have read in many corners of the world. Continue the arousal of emotions and providing inspiration.
Thanks Bagras and thanks again Trev for translating! It’s still hard to believe how far and wide Zen Pencils is reaching – makes me so happy!
You’re comic just always give a sense of feeling within the hearts
Another great artwork!!
Also, I was surprised to see a Filipino comment here. (Hi Bagras!)
Gav, continue inspiring us through your artwork.. They’re awesome. What’s more awesome, you are being read here in the Philippines as well.
By the way, I found a facebook site where you can grab inspiring quotes just like this. Here’s the link: http://www.facebook.com/PowerfulBookQuotes
Nice artwork Gav , to be really frank though. I think the quote is somewhat misleading. Limiting someone to an ordinary life is not a good ideology to follow in my opinion. I grew up hearing phrases such as ‘Aim for the stars’, so this one kind of felt odd. But hey, you are better in deciding things and you maybe right in using this quote.
PS : I loved the dragon and the small warrior
Krishna, I would interpret the quote and even Gavin’s interpretation that the leading up to great things are laid by ordinary tasks. In the comic, the shovelling of the stables, the sharpening of the sword, the practices, they all lead up, and are part, of being a great dragon slayer.
Similarly in our own lives, and I can speak from experience here, the lead up to getting the big job, or running a successful business, is made up of ordinary tasks like doing your accounts, studying for exams, or taking out the trash. At those times you have to muster real will power to get it done.
Well said Sachin! It’s ok to aim for the stars, as long as one realizes it is going to take a lot of hard, redundant, sometimes boring work on a day-to-day basis to get there.
What sachin said is true. However, I think the quote means, or at least, this is true also, that even great people with adventurous, exciting lives have to go through normal, boring things.
That was me, I just forgot to put my name on it.
100% agree with Sachin, that’s how I interpreted it – that extraordinary lives have a lot of ordinary in them
Sachin’s interpretation is very apt. I also think it is also very poetic to interpret the “valleys” as the times when things are not exactly going our way. How we persevere through them and what we do to overcome those circumstances, in the end, defines us, and let us surmount those “mountains”.
btw, I’m just going to call this kid “Calvin”
Thanks for bringing him back, and for this very inspiring art.
He who is faithful with little will be faithful with much.
I cannot get over how inspired I am everytime I come here. It’s all the satisfaction of watching a masterwork of film in single page. Hope a tandem print is made for this series. I would be on that like ketchup on a grill cheese sandwich.
mmmm grilled cheese, i’m gonna go eat breakfast now
Loved it! It fits great with the other quotes!!
Your work is truly powerful and inspiring. Every week I am sure to have at least two wisdom jewels to ponder and to enrich my experience. Thank you!
I really liked this one. It is true, the daily, mundane work we do that keeps the world rolling is most important and does require consistent dedication and commitment.
This one is really wonderful, it matches perfectly Coolidge quote and (in my humble opinion) balances the Owens quote.
Salamat kaayo sa paggamit sa quote nga akong gi-submit, Gav! Mangita pa nya ko ug lain.
That’s Cebuano for Thank you so much for using the quote I submitted, Gav! I’ll look for some more later.
God bless!
I like the dragon dinosaur
Wait! The dragonosaurous Rex!
Please. Dracosaurus Rex. If you’re going to use Latin, use it right.
jk
Yet another great addition to your artwork. Ever since a friend of mine recommended this website, I’ve been a huge fan. I especially like the Neil deGrasse ones but this one is so true in many different ways. Since we’re born, people tell us how special we are, how talented, that we have to dream big and that the sky’s the limit (like the Spanish speaking gent already said) but in fact, the biggest joy of all comes from day to day activities.
Keep up the good work! Greetings from Belgium
“The hardest part isn’t finding what we need to be. It’s being content with who we are.”
Ako din, Pinoy. (I’m a Filipino, too.)
And I find the quotes very inspiring, but they take on whole new levels of epicality when illustrated. It hits me more, it reminds me more.
Keep up the good work!
seems like a shinobi..!!
Thanks for the drawing, is so inspirational!!
Mi aggiungo pure io, complimenti dall’italia!
My friend and I, who both love Zenpencils, had a debate on how one should live life. While I used all your other comics about making your own legacy, or changing the world, or leaving a mark, she told me about this one, so I had to check it out. This does contradict your other drawings. I still love it though. And it does not change my stand. We should still aim for the mountains and the valleys.
I loved this so much that it inspired a blog post: http://technoyogi.com/valleys-mountains/
Zen Pencils regularly intersects with things I write about. I love sending my readers to you to help enhance my point. Keep doing what you do – I love it.
Thanks Travis