Admire as much as you can; most people do not admire enough.
Mediocrity in its simple signification I do not despise at all. And one certainly does not rise above the mark by despising what is mediocre. In my opinion one must begin at least by having some respect for the mediocre and know that it means something, and that it is only reached with great difficulty.
--Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890), January 1874, letter to Theo Van Gogh [his younger brother, who was supporting him], published in Letters to Theo
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