Don't keep forever on the public road, going only where others have gone and following one after the other like a flock of sheep. Leave the beaten track occasionally and dive into the woods.
Alexander Graham BellRead
When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote emphasizes the importance of recognizing new opportunities rather than fixating on lost ones.
Alexander Graham Bell's quote reflects a common human tendency to dwell on missed opportunities or past failures, leading to a lack of awareness of the new possibilities that arise. It serves as a reminder to shift our focus from what we have lost to what we can gain, encouraging a more positive and proactive outlook towards change.
Themes
OpportunityChangeFocusPerspectiveGrowth
In practice
Example use cases
In a motivational speech about resilience, one might quote this to inspire listeners to embrace change.
More from Alexander Graham Bell
All quotes →Concentrate all your thoughts upon the work at hand. The sun's rays do not burn until brought to a focus.
Alexander Graham BellRead
You cannot force ideas. Successful ideas are the result of slow growth. Ideas do not reach perfection in a day, no matter how much study is put upon them.
Alexander Graham BellRead
A man, as a general rule, owes very little to what he is born with - a man is what he makes of himself.
Alexander Graham BellRead
America is a country of inventors, and the greatest of inventors are the newspaper men.
Alexander Graham BellRead
There cannot be mental atrophy in any person who continues to observe, to remember what he observes, and to seek answers for his unceasing hows and whys about things.
Alexander Graham BellRead
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I thank God that I've lived long enough to see what I have seen, and I pray that people will continue to do better. We are doing better, it may not seem so, but there was a time when people were lynched in the middle of the street and it was not against the law. We are doing better, but we have so much more to do.
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Those who can't imagine change reveal the deficits of their imaginations, not the difficulty of change.
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If no one ever broke the rules, then we'd never advance.
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Only the phoenix rises and does not descend. And everything changes. And nothing is truly lost.
Neil GaimanRead