Greetings from Russell's Remnant:
For want of a nail, a shoe was lost, This famous legend and rhyme are based on the demise
For want of a shoe, a horse was lost, of England's King Richard III, whose defeat at the Battle
For want of a horse, a battle was lost, of Bosworth Field in 1485 has been immortalized by
For want of a battle, a kingdom was lost, Shakespeare's famous line: "A horse! A horse! My kingdom
And all for the want of a horseshoe nail. for a horse! (From: The Book of Virtues by Wm. J. Bennett)
We live in an era when people do not care about their work or their promise to do a job. Workmen promise to finish a job by a certain time, friends promise to call at a certain time, and even family members promise to do certain things at a certain time - but they often do not do what they promised to do on time. This seems to be such a small indiscretion, but they do not factor in that even though what they promised was just a small thing, if not performed as promised, it can have grave consequences. Failure to perform even small acts can have catastrophic effects. It's not the size of the work that is important, but the fact that it is performed. Others may be basing much larger things on your doing a very small act. Often, when failure to perform is pointed out to guilty parties, they try to trivialize their failure.
Disciples are warned against such actions. Let us not be the cause of another's failure because we did not perform a small act correctly and on time. The following comments come from D.K. and Morya.
Mere scale does not matter, for greatness and smallness are essentially relative. TCF 64
The success of all large undertakings is based on the little things, the minor tasks faithfully fulfilled. DNA 614
Success or failure lies largely in the hands of the NGWS. EP2 114
The less evolved the disciple and worker, the larger the number of trials and the greater the number of errors. EOH 332
Learn to do the right thing as you see it irrespective of the opinion of the earth's greatest and most quoted. An aspirant must depend upon himself and his own conclusions. Here is where so many fail. They do not do the very best they know. They leave undone certain things or fail to speak the word when needed. In these unaccomplished details the big failures are seen. There are no trifles in the life of the disciple - an unspoken word or unfulfilled action may prove the factor which is holding a man from initiation. The quality which produces the greatest number of failures in the work is cowardice. TWM 586
Occult data is read and noted and familiar instructions are skipped and overlooked. We, who work with aspirants, smile often at the foolishness and lack of judgment evinced by those we teach. TWM 467
Precision is needed throughout the world. AUM 169
The sign of an "eagle eye" is to notice the minutest changes, since on them depends the vibration of the whole. Simple attentiveness will permit one to advance many steps. Develop the "eagle eye." HIE 35
A speck of dust can stop an entire wheel. Evil must not be permitted to spread unimpeded. HE 86
Education should begin with the minutest sensations because people like to say, "Let me fight a giant, but spare me from catching fleas." Yet giants are rare - fleas are innumerable. The venom carried by the giant is less than that of the flea. Furthermore, the appearance of the giant evokes unusual courage; yet courage is necessary against flies and fleas; and usually people suffer from flies rather than from giants. HE 283
Small specks of daily dust burden the heart most of all. HE 184
Precise progression binds the smallest with the greatest. HE 90
The smallest is visible to the great eye. HE 159
People erroneously believe that details are insignificant on the path. HE 138
Out of an insignificant worm grows a most dreadful dragon. AUM 247
The stones of which the foundation is composed must be used with the most exact perspective of the entire structure; a breach in them can wreck the entire building. The process of planting the seed must be looked upon as the potential of all the following consequences. FW3 229
The most perfect machine can be stopped by the smallest stone. FW2 73
Small worms may succeed in boring through a very strong tree. FW2 69
Evil seeks to undermine through minute entities. Disintegration begins with the smallest. FW1 141
Where is the mite that can turn the lever of events. It is not necessary to seek a mountain of Good, it may appear as a grain of sand. One should not seek shelter from a black cloud only. Calamity creeps in more easily than the smallest worm. In all circumstances it is necessary to apply small measurements also. There is a small line between burns and pleasant warmth. FW1 95
Help in the small and in the great. You know not which is the drop that filled the cup to the brim. HIE 234
In selecting coworkers pay attention to details during small actions. Determine his nature by surrounding him with habits of small actions. Small actions which saturate the whole life best denote the nature of a man - from them grow the large ones. We do not place much trust in chance achievement. MG2 206
He who can be watchful in small thoughts can rule great decisions. Our enemies are small annoying flies, but can be the forerunners of giants. AY 368
Attentiveness can be tested by placing an object in a new place. Develop the eagle eye and notice the minutest changes since on them depends the vibration of the whole. AY 377
Even the greatest crimes have been generated by the smallest thoughts. AY 350
One must learn to destroy bacteria. Rust stops the wheel. AY 295
Do not tolerate a rusty anchor. MG2 225