“… things in motion sooner catch the eye
Than what not stirs.” (Troilus and Cressida, act 3, sc. 3)
Tips for Use. In a corporate settings, advertising agency, political caucus, committee or all the above, use it to justify the need for visible action, especially with the concurrence of the media. Ulysses’ observation, though undoubtedly true lends itself to a double interpretation. “To catch the eye” is the first and foremost principle of the society of the spectacle, which we happen to live in. We are beyond “things in motion sooner catching the eye than what not stirs.” We are at the “only things in motion catch the eye”, with obvious consequences. Motion, as a whole, does not require reasoning. And only by unreasoning the society of the spectacle can enslave its members. Even a cursory observation of the most popular TV channels (worldwide) would confirm this regrettable (though inevitable) truth.
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Of course, if you acquire the book “Your Daily Shakespeare” (click on “The book” in the menu), you will not only enjoy it but you will find it very useful. The quote in this post and more than ten thousand others will lead you to find the words that perfectly strengthen your argument(s). After all Shakespeare wrote them, I simply extracted, structured and compiled them so as to make Shakespeare both useful in your life endeavors and very “user friendly” as they say. And if you wish I will even sign the book. But this is the extreme extent of any “sales” effort, call or solicitation.
In the Play. Ulysses appeals to Achilles’ vanity, to his envy of Ajax and to his desire for emulation. Ajax is ‘what moves’ and gets more attention from the Greeks
Image sources: http://etc.usf.edu/clipart/6000/6043/locomotive_1.htm