Undertake not what you cannot perform, but be careful to keep your promise. — Alexander Dumas
—What lingers after this line?
Accountability and Responsibility
This quote stresses the importance of only committing to tasks or promises that you are sure you can fulfill. It highlights the need for self-awareness regarding one's abilities and limits.
The Value of Integrity
Dumas emphasizes the significance of integrity and keeping one's word. Once a promise is made, it becomes a matter of honor to fulfill it, thus demonstrating trustworthiness.
Prudence in Decision Making
The quote advises careful consideration before undertaking any task or making a promise. It encourages thinking before acting, ensuring that you are capable of delivering what you commit to.
Consequences of Broken Promises
Implicitly, the quote warns of the negative consequences of failing to keep a promise. Breaking one’s word can lead to the loss of trust and damaged relationships.
Alexander Dumas and Honor
As a French writer from the 19th century, Alexander Dumas often dealt with themes of honor, loyalty, and personal responsibility in his works, such as 'The Three Musketeers.' This quote is in line with his belief in the value of personal integrity.
Recommended Reading
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
One-minute reflection
What's one small action this suggests?
Related Quotes
6 selectedIf you can't see yourself working with someone for life, don't work with them for a day. — Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant
Naval Ravikant’s line compresses a demanding hiring philosophy into a single test: treat every collaboration as the beginning of a long relationship. If you wouldn’t want to compound time, trust, and responsibility with...
Read full interpretation →The man who chases two rabbits catches neither. Pick one path, commit to the friction, and stop looking for a shortcut that doesn't exist. Mastery requires the courage to be bored. — Confucius
Confucius
The image of chasing two rabbits captures a plain truth: when your effort is split, neither target gets enough sustained force to be caught. Even if you run faster, the zigzagging between goals wastes energy and time, an...
Read full interpretation →Courage is the daily practice of showing up for what matters. — Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison
Toni Morrison’s line shifts courage away from grand, cinematic heroics and into the realm of repetition. Rather than a single decisive moment, courage becomes something you rehearse—like a craft—through ordinary choices...
Read full interpretation →Breathe, decide, and move — momentum begins the moment you commit. — John Steinbeck
John Steinbeck
Steinbeck’s line treats momentum not as something you find, but something you generate. The key phrase is “the moment you commit,” which reframes progress as an internal decision rather than an external condition.
Read full interpretation →Turn curiosity into commitment and watch possibility take form — Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Tagore frames curiosity as a beginning rather than a destination: it’s the spark that makes us look twice, ask one more question, or imagine an alternative to the familiar. In this sense, curiosity is a gentle unrest—a f...
Read full interpretation →The bravest thing you can do is finish what you begin with love. — Alice Walker
Alice Walker
Alice Walker’s line quietly overturns the usual image of courage as a single dramatic act. Instead, she points to a slower, less visible valor: seeing something through after the initial rush of affection and inspiration...
Read full interpretation →More From Author
More from Alexander Dumas →