You will never stub your toe standing still. The faster you go, the more chance there is of stubbing your toe, but the more chance you have of getting somewhere.
Charles KetteringRead
My interest is in the future because I am going to spend the rest of my life there.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of focusing on the future, as it is where we will live our lives moving forward.
Charles Kettering's quote reflects a profound understanding of time and priorities. By stating that his interest lies in the future, he suggests that what we choose to focus on today will ultimately shape our lives moving forward. It encourages individuals to cultivate a forward-thinking mindset, recognizing the value of planning, dreaming, and aiming for success, as the present choices directly influence the future experiences we will have.
In practice
In a motivational speech about goal setting.
You will never stub your toe standing still. The faster you go, the more chance there is of stubbing your toe, but the more chance you have of getting somewhere.
It is the 'follow through' that makes the great difference between ultimate success and failure, because it is so easy to stop.
When I was research head of General Motors and wanted a problem solved, I'd place a table outside the meeting room with a sign: "Leave slide rules here." If I didn't do that, I'd find someone reaching for his slide rule. Then he'd be on his feet saying, "Boss, you can't do it."
A research problem is not solved by apparatus; it is solved in a man's head.
I often say that research is a way of finding out what you are going to do when you can't keep on doing what you are doing now.
People think of the inventor as a screwball, but no one ever asks the inventor what he thinks of other people.
There is nothing I can't live without. I learned this attitude when I was a child.
A child who does not play is not a child, but the man who doesn't play has lost forever the child who lived in him and who he will miss terribly.
You should not be carried away by the dictation of the mind, but the mind should be carried by your dictation.
The subconscious mind has no sense of humor and people often joke themselves into unhappy experiences.
Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others.
I always had this idea that you should never give up a happy middle in the hopes of a happy ending, because there is no such thing as a happy ending. Do you know what I mean? There is so much to lose.
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