“It is always well for the man to go the moment his work is done and not outstay the Mother’s welcome. They are fortunate who get that release or wise enough, like Garibaldi, to take it. Not altogether happy is their lot who, like Napoleon or Mazzini, outstay the lease of their appointed greatness.”
— Sri Aurobindo
History remembers Giuseppe Garibaldi as a patriot who played a critical role in the freedom and unification of Italy. He was an honest man who could connect with the masses and was flexible enough to work the system to get results. For instance, he chose to sacrifice his republican principles that failed to free Italy from foreign rule in exchange for nationalistic ones by handing his territories of Naples and Sicily to Victor Immanuel for the unification of Italy.
His compatriot Giuseppe Mazzini, whose teachings also influenced Garibaldi, wasn’t like that. He was an idealist, unwilling to accept anything less than a perfect outcome. Yes, his work spurred people and governments to work for the cause of a free and united Italy. But it was far less influential than Garibaldi in the goal of unifying Italy. Mazzini died a tired and sorrowful man.
In effect, one could say that Mazzini outstayed his usefulness while Garibaldi chose to walk away while he was still a respectable figure.
Even today, business owners, politicians, and sportspeople refuse to make way for younger talent or compromise on their ideals, even when they can’t deliver results. In fact, the obsession to prove that they’ve still got it makes them do disastrous things. And those disasters are often the only events that history remembers.
No idea, belief, or group is worth latching your identity to. When you feel your contributions are no longer useful or you’re not welcome anymore, it’s better to walk away than to get pushed out the door.
Leave when people are asking “Why?”, rather than “When?”