I would not, then, make rigid statements in regard to this point of
method. Grateful as I believe we should be for every sense of need,
this is obviously not enough. To some extent we must have in mind the
betterment which we may obtain through supplying that need. Yet I do
not think a full plan of our ultimate goal is usually desirable. In
small matters it is often possible and convenient. I plan my stay in
Europe before going there. I figure my business prospects before
forming a partnership. But in profounder affairs, I more wisely set
out from the thought of the present, and the patent need of improving
it, than from the future with its ideal perfection. Goethe's rule is a
good one:--