My parents are both college professors, and it made me want to question authority, standards and traditions.
Maya LinRead
Nothing is ever guaranteed, and all that came before doesn't predicate what you might do next.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes that past experiences do not determine future actions, highlighting the importance of personal agency.
Maya Lin's quote serves as a powerful reminder that uncertainty is inherent in life and that oneβs previous successes or failures do not dictate future outcomes. It encourages individuals to take bold actions regardless of their past, implying that the future is open to change and new possibilities. This perspective fosters a sense of empowerment and inspiration, urging people to define their path rather than be limited by their histories.
Themes
MotivationFutureAgencyChangePossibility
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire someone who is contemplating a career change after a previous setback.
More from Maya Lin
All quotes βI try to give people a different way of looking at their surroundings. That's art to me.
Maya LinRead
How we are using up our home, how we are living and polluting the planet is frightening. It was evident when I was a child. It's more evident now.
Maya LinRead
Sometimes you have to stop thinking. Sometimes you shut down completely. I think that's true in any creative field.
Maya LinRead
A lot of my works deal with a passage, which is about time. I don't see anything that I do as a static object in space. It has to exist as a journey in time.
Maya LinRead
When I was building the Vietnam Memorial, I never once asked the veterans what it was like in the war, because from my point of view, you don't pry into other people's business.
Maya LinRead
Similar quotes
'VERY WELL,' I SAID ANGRILY, 'START THE MAN, AND I'LL START THE SAME DAY FOR SOME OTHER NEWSPAPER AND BEAT HIM.'
Nellie BlyRead
We need to get women to the point where they aren't apologizing. Its time to take ownership in our success.
Tory BurchRead
We need to steer clear of this poverty of ambition, where people want to drive fancy cars and wear nice clothes and live in nice apartments but don't want to work hard to accomplish these things. Everyone should try to realize their full potential.
Barack ObamaRead
Bunkum and tummyrot! You'll never get anywhere if you go about what-iffing like that. Would Columbus have discovered America if he'd said 'What if I sink on the way over? What if I meet pirates? What if I never come back?' He wouldn't even have started.
Roald DahlRead
You don't make progress by standing on the sidelines, whimpering and complaining. You make progress by implementing ideas.
Shirley ChisholmRead
If your determination is fixed, I do not counsel you to despair. Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance.
Samuel JohnsonRead