You're allowed to move at a pace that lasts. Burning out fast isn't ahead of anyone; it's just off the road sooner.

The thought behind it

The guilt was borrowed. This line gives it back and lets you keep the thing you were quietly ashamed of wanting. In The Long Game the reward is real but late, and the only skill on offer is staying. Read it again for “pace”. That is the point at which observation turns into a decision.