והנה כך היא המדה באדם, כשהוא עושה פעולות ואינו בא בהן למטרתו מתחלש לבבו אבל כשיודע שכל פעולה תקרבהו למטרתו אלא שלפי רממות המטרה צריך הוא ריבוי פעולות, לבבו מתאמץ להוסיף בעבודתו.
This is the nature of humanity - when we make efforts and do not achieve our aim, we loses heart. But when one knows that every act draws them nearer to their goal, even if the lofty nature of that goal necessitates many steps, their heart takes courage and redoubles its labor.
Rav Kook was the first Chief Rabbi of Israel, and in this text, he’s talking about prayer, but I think the sentiment he’s expressing is universal: He’s talking about “the power of hope,” as Mrs. Obama puts it. And this isn’t a pollyanna-ish, pie in the sky kind of hope, but a hard-won kind of hope that requires us to pick ourselves up after falling, as the verse from Proverbs notes.