Big Enough Plans

“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work…”  Daniel Burnham

Daniel Burnham was considered the greatest architect the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. However his early years were less than stellar. He failed admissions tests for both Harvard and Yale, and was defeated in his short run at politics. Refusing to let these past failures hold him down, he went on to carve out a spectacular career in architecture. He held many positions during his lifetime, including two-time president of the American Institute of Architects. When he died in 1912, his firm - D.H. Burnham and Co - was the largest in the world.

His approach to life is best summarized in his own words, “Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will not die, but long after we are gone be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistence. Remember that our sons and our grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty.”

“Make no small plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood…” How well put! The best is normally way beyond what most consider achievable. Or feasible. Or prudent. But feasible, prudent dreams and aspirations seldom have enough magic in them to keep us awake at night. Or get us out of bed in the morning.