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If you are leaping a ravine, the moment of takeoff is a bad time to be considering alternative strategies.
John Cleese
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Interpretation

What this quote means

Taking decisive action is crucial when facing challenges.

This quote by John Cleese emphasizes the importance of commitment and focus when undertaking significant risks or challenges. At the moment of taking action, such as 'leaping a ravine', it's vital to concentrate on the task at hand rather than overthinking or reconsidering one's choices, as this can lead to doubt and failure.

Themes

DecisivenessFocusRiskActionCommitment

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech to encourage a team before a big game.

More from John Cleese

If I can get you to laugh with me, you like me better, which makes you open to my ideas
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Because, as we all know, it’s easier to do trivial things that are urgent than it is to do important things that are not urgent, like thinking. And it’s also easier to do little things we know we can do than to start on big things that we’re not so sure about.
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In Britain, girls seem to be either bright or attractive. In America, that's not the case. They're both.
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I used to desire many, many things, but now I have just one desire, and that's to get rid of all my other desires.
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When the target audience is American teenage kids, you can have problems. My generation prized really fine acting and writing. Sometimes you have to go back to the basic principles which underpin great visual comedy.
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Well, the only way I can get a leading-man role is if I write it.
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