QuoteProject
It isn't where you came from, its where you're going that counts.
Ella Fitzgerald
ShareWTF𝕏

Interpretation

What this quote means

Your background does not define your future; your goals and direction are what truly matter.

This quote by Ella Fitzgerald emphasizes the importance of looking forward rather than being held back by one's past. It suggests that regardless of where you started in life, it is your aspirations and the journey you choose that will ultimately define your success and fulfillment.

Themes

FutureMotivationAspirationSuccessJourney

In practice

Example use cases

In a motivational speech to inspire students to pursue their dreams despite their backgrounds.

More from Ella Fitzgerald

A lot of singers think all they have to do is exercise their tonsils to get ahead. They refuse to look for new ideas and new outlets, so they fall by the wayside... I'm going to try to find out the new ideas before the others do.
Ella FitzgeraldRead
Once, when we were playing at the Apollo Theater, Holiday was working a block away at the Harlem Opera House. Some of us went over between shows to catch her, and afterwards we went backstage. I did something then, and I still don't know if it was the right thing to doβ€”I asked her for her autograph.
Ella FitzgeraldRead
I've had some wonderful love affairs and some that didn't work out. I don't want to dwell on that and I don't want to put people down, but I think all the fabulous places I've been, the wonderful things that have happened for me, the great people I've met - that ought to make a story.
Ella FitzgeraldRead
Some kids in Italy call me 'Mama Jazz; I thought that was so cute. As long as they don't call me 'Grandma Jazz.'
Ella FitzgeraldRead
I'm very shy, and I shy away from people. But the moment I hit the stage, it's a different feeling I get nerve from somewhere; maybe it's because it's something I love to do.
Ella FitzgeraldRead
I stole everything I ever heard, but mostly I stole from the horns.
Ella FitzgeraldRead

Similar quotes

Go out on a limb. That's where the fruit is.
Jimmy CarterRead
I used to believe, like many people who come from poor backgrounds, that it gave me an edge, but I think that's just something we have to tell ourselves to get by sometimes. I don't believe that anymore. Children of privilege can be just as talented and clever as anybody else.
Craig FergusonRead
The world takes us at our own valuation. It believes in the man who believes in himself, but it has little use for the timid man: the one who is never certain of himself, who cannot rely on his own judgment, who craves advice from others, and is afraid to go ahead on his own account.
Orison Swett MardenRead
I think it's a sin to sit down and let your life go without making a try for it.
Ayn RandRead
When they say the sky's the limit to me that's really true
Michael JacksonRead
Failure is an event, never a person; an attitude, not an outcome; a temporary inconvenience; a stepping stone. Our response to it determines just how helpful it can be.
Zig ZiglarRead

A little wisdom, now and then

Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.