202211021054 Yearn for the vast and endless sea

If you want to build a ship, don’t drum up the men to gather wood, divide the work, and give orders. Instead, teach them to yearn for the vast and endless sea.

— Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

This quote is a modern rendition that has been morphed over time from Saint-Exupéry's 1948 work Citadelle.¹

One will weave the canvas; another will fell a tree by the light of his ax. Yet another will forge nails, and there will be others who observe the stars to learn how to navigate. And yet all will be as one. Building a boat isn’t about weaving canvas, forging nails, or reading the sky. It’s about giving a shared taste for the sea, by the light of which you will see nothing contradictory but rather a community of love.

This quote has to do with 202411302328 Intrinsic vs extrinsic motivation as well as the alignment of groups of people. de Saint-Exupéry suggests that groups of people should be organized through a vision (202203231647 Leading from vision) for some future and shared desires. This will ensure that people continue to work toward the spirit of the goal instead of only understanding some small local and ultimately not important piece of the puzzle.