Quixotic Quests

“Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes is one of the most influential books ever written. This book follows the journey of Don Quixote, an intrepid knight, who travels across the countryside to “defend the helpless and destroy the wicked.” In the process, he charges at windmills which he believes are giants, wears a basin that he believes is an enchanted helmet, and much more.

The main issue with Don Quixote’s journey is that the era of knights is long past. And the world looks at him like he is crazy.

So, was he intrepid or quixotic?

The definition of Quixotic is “exceedingly idealistic; unrealistic and impractical.”

The definition of Intrepid is “extremely brave and showing no fear of dangerous situations”

What makes answering that question so difficult is that typically the line that is drawn between something being intrepid or quixotic is gray, or non-existent.

The same person can be described as both intrepid and quixotic.

The world may view someone as quixotic until they prove they are intrepid.

Let’s use an example. The businessperson whose first 3 companies failed, and the 4th one was a raging success is defined as an intrepid individual, who kept going despite all of the failures. On the other hand, the individual whose first 3 companies failed, and chooses not to give it a try on the 4th one is defined as a failure who should have never tried in the first place.

The world will call you quixotic until you are right, so keep going.