The only people who see the whole picture,' he murmured, 'are the ones who step out of the frame.
Interpretation
To gain a true understanding, one must step back and view situations from a broader perspective.
This quote suggests that often, those who are too close to a situation miss the larger context or the entirety of what is happening. By metaphorically stepping out of the frame, individuals can gain clearer insights and a more comprehensive understanding of their circumstances, enabling better decision-making and greater awareness.
In practice
In a presentation about strategic planning, you might use this quote to emphasize the importance of a broad viewpoint.
I've been fascinated by Machiavelli since I was very young. I've always felt that he had a bad rap from history, and that he was actually a person quite unlike what we now think of as Machiavellian. He was a republican. He disliked totalitarian government.
Killing people because you don't like their ideas - it's a bad thing.
faith without doubt is addiction
I am clearly vulnerable to these more passionate and volatile unstable relationships. I am trying to not be so vulnerable.
In India, as elsewhere in our darkening world, religion is the poison in the blood. Where religion intervenes, mere innocence is no excuse. Yet we go on skating around this issue, speaking of religion in the fashionable language of 'respect.' What is there to respect in any of this, or in any of the crimes now being committed almost daily around the world in religion's dreaded name?
Reality is a question of perspective; the further you get from the past, the more concrete and plausible it seems - but as you approach the present, it inevitably seems more and more incredible.
Do not grow old, no matter how long you live. Never cease to stand like curious children before the Great Mystery into which we were born.
It is important for you to know who you are and who you may become. It is more important than what you do, even as vital as your work is and will be.
Only great and general battles can produce great results
Of all the things a man may do, sleep probably contributes most to keeping him sane. It puts brackets about each day. If you do something foolish or painful today, you get irritated if somebody mentions it, today. If it happened yesterday, though, you can nod or chuckle, as the case may be. You've crossed through nothingness or dream to another island in Time.
Self-absorption in all its forms kills empathy, let alone compassion. When we focus on ourselves, our world contracts as our problems and preoccupations loom large. But when we focus on others, our world expands. Our own problems drift to the periphery of the mind and so seem smaller, and we increase our capacity for connection - or compassionate action.
Don't fool yourself that you are going to have it all. You are not. Psychologically, having it all is not even a valid concept. The marvelous thing about human beings is that we are perpetually reaching for the stars. The more we have, the more we want. And for this reason, we never have it all.
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