Solitude is not the same as loneliness. Solitude is a solitary boat floating in a sea of possible companions.
Robert FulghumRead
The grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. The grass is greenest where it is watered.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True happiness and fulfillment come from nurturing what you have rather than seeking something perceived as better.
This quote emphasizes the importance of appreciating and caring for what one already possesses instead of longing for what others have. It suggests that many times, we believe that others are better off or that new opportunities will bring greater happiness, but in reality, fulfillment comes from tending to our own lives and relationships, much like watering grass to make it thrive.
Themes
GratitudeContentmentAppreciationPerspectiveNurturing
In practice
Example use cases
In a conversation about contentment, one might say, 'Remember, the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence.'
More from Robert Fulghum
All quotes βIf dandelions were rare and fragile, people would knock themselves out to pay $14.95 a plant, raise them by hand in greenhouses, and form dandelion societies and all that. But, they are everywhere and don't need us and kind of do what they please. So we call them weeds and murder them at every opportunity
Robert FulghumRead
Weβre all a little weird. And life is a little weird. And when we find someone whose weirdness is compatible with ours, we join up with them and fall into mutually satisfying weirdness β and call it love β true love.
Robert FulghumRead
Peace is not something you wish for, it's something you make
Robert FulghumRead
Doing a straight-forward, clear-cut task that has a beginning and an end balances out the complexity-without-end that often vexes the rest of my life. Sacred simplicity.
Robert FulghumRead
The grass is not, in fact, always greener on the other side of the fence. No, not at all. Fences have nothing to do with it. The grass is greenest where it is watered. When crossing over fences, carry water with you and tend the grass wherever you may be.
Robert FulghumRead
Similar quotes
People who are not enjoying their lives in the present have lust for life in the future. Lust for life is always in the future. It is a postponement. They are saying, 'We cannot enjoy today so we will enjoy tomorrow.' They are saying, 'Right this moment we cannot celebrate, so let there be a tomorrow so that we can celebrate.'
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The less passion there is, the better we work. The calmer we are the better for us and the more the amount of work we can do.
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Sometimes the simplest and best use of our will is to drop it all and just walk out from under everything that is covering us, even if only for an hour or soβjust walk out from under the webs we've spun, the tasks we've assumed, the problems we have to solve. They'll be there when we get back, and maybe some of them will fall apart without our worry to hold them up.
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When I was a kid, nobody told me I was good-looking. I wish they had. I would've had a better time.
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Every duty is a charge, but the charge of oneself is the root of all others.
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It is surprising to notice that even from the earliest age, man finds the greatest satisfaction in feeling independent. The exalting feeling of being sufficient to oneself comes as a revelation.
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