Footsteps3

6. UPWARD AND ONWARD
':Albert, you and I are
descended from a line of ancestors,
the men and women of which
have acted their parts well and
shown that upward and onward
was evidently the motto they acted
on, as their illustrious deeds tell. "
(1874)
"Upward and onward!" Imua! is the common Hawaiian expression
meaning moving forward not only quantitatively but qualitatively
as well-always striving to be better. The same idea is
expressed by the Japanese term kaizen or continuously improving.
What the Queen was trying to persuade Cousin Albert to
act upon was the long tradition of excellence which enabled their
ancestors to succeed. This theme of excelling occurs again and
again in her writings. So, our modern day concern for things like
quality assurance is totally consistent with the Queen's views on
the matter.
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