In 1931, when poet T.S. Eliot wrote this line in the preface to “Transit of Venus,” a collection of poems by poet Harry Crosby, he was likely pulling from Crosby’s past as both a World War I veteran and an artist. Eliot continued the line above by reflecting that “one has to be a very great poet to justify such perilous adventures.” It suggests that the road to reach our full capability can be perilous, but if we are strong enough to continue pushing forward into new and unknown territory, we’ll be rewarded with personal greatness.