There's always failure. And there's always disappointment. And there's always loss. But the secret is learning from the loss, and realizing that none of those holes are vacuums.
Interpretation
Failure and disappointment are inevitable in life, but we can learn from them to grow.
In this quote, Michael J. Fox acknowledges that experiencing failure, disappointment, and loss is a universal part of life. Rather than viewing these negative experiences as voids that consume us, Fox encourages us to learn from our setbacks and understand that they can lead to personal growth and resilience. The idea is that these 'holes' in our lives are filled with lessons and opportunities for development, allowing us to move forward with greater wisdom.
In practice
During a motivational speech to inspire students after a series of setbacks.
I find as long as I acknowledge the truth of something, then that's it. I know what it is and then I can operate. But if I overestimate the downside of something or the challenge of something and I get too obsessed about the difficulty of it, then I don't leave enough room to be open to the upside, the possibility.
My whole life, meeting people is like a blind date, because I feel like they've already seen the video on me.
There are no moments you have frozen in amber. It's moving, it's changing, so appreciate what's good about right now and be ready for what's next.
Certainly people have a lot tougher situations than I've had to deal with. But I will say we are all dying from the moment we are born. This is not just rehearsal.
I'm a dad, I'm a husband, I'm an activist, I'm a writer and I'm just a student of the world.
The laughs mean more to me than the adoration. If two girls walk up to me and one says 'you're cute', I'll say 'thank you', but I appreciate it much more when the other one says 'you make me laugh so much'.
It's one thing for a man not to know, not to have learned; it's another not to be able to live by what one does know.
Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.
I don't have the strength or wisdom to get through a single day without guidance and grace from God.
My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living.
His priority did not seem to be to teach them what he knew, but rather to impress upon them that nothing, not even... knowledge, was foolproof.
To know, is to know that you know nothing. That is the meaning of true knowledge. When you say something, say what you know. When you don't know something, say you don't know. That is knowledge.
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