“It was very dark; but in the murky sky there were masses of cloud which shone with a lurid light, like monstrous heaps of copper that had been heated in a furnace, and were growing cold.”
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About this quote
Ask yourself: did you let momentum die while pretending you were prepared? Stop making excuses. Take the practical steps now to stoke the fire or accept the consequence.
When to use it
- Use the line when a project that once had momentum is stalling: call the team out, name the problem, and assign clear next steps.
- Post it as a blunt reminder in your personal journal when you've been procrastinating: note what cooled down and list three concrete actions to relight it.
- Say it to yourself before a planning session: identify where the heat has gone and prioritize repairs over polite conversation.
- Reference it in a performance review to push for accountability: pinpoint the cooling points and set measurable deadlines to restore momentum.