INSPIRING TRUE STORIES

Pick One Chair, and Sit On It; Pick Two, and Fall Between Them

The 20th-century version of “Pick a niche and commit to it.” Was Pavarotti ahead of his time?

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“Now I think whether it’s laying bricks, writing a book — whatever we choose — we should give ourselves to it. Commitment, that’s the key. Choose one chair.”

— Luciano Pavarotti

As a young man — a fresh graduate from teachers' college — Luciano Pavarotti had one choice: Continue pursuing his teaching career or return to his one true passion — opera singing. He had two chairs before him to pick from. Uncertain about his choice, Luciano went to his father, Fernando, with one burning question:

“Shall I be a teacher or a singer?”

The answer he received led to the first step that changed the course of his life forever.

“Luciano,”

Father Fernando said earnestly to his son,

“if you try to sit on two chairs, you will fall between them. For life, you must choose one chair.”