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'.
Individuals who were submerged in reality, merely feeling their needs, emerge from reality and perceive the causes of their needs.
Nothing is more intolerable than to have to admit to yourself your own errors.
Those who are without compassion cannot see what is seen with the eyes of compassion.
There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.
It's not all bad. Heightened self-consciousness, apartness, an inability to join in, physical shame and self-loathing—they are not all bad. Those devils have been my angels. Without them I would never have disappeared into language, literature, the mind, laughter and all the mad intensities that made and unmade me.
Every positive thing in your life represents a single unique blessing. Every negative thing in your life has the opportunity to become a double blessing. For when you turn a negative into a positive, you gain twice. You are no longer burdened with the negative situation, and in addition to that you are strengthened by a new positive force.
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