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210 quotes, page 6 of 7Starting again
After redundancy, a move to a new country, an illness, a mistake or a long gap. A second start is still a start.
We say who really said each one, and where the credit is uncertain we tell you. Every card is ours to share.
“Where one door shuts, another opens.”
Miguel de Cervantes, Don Quixote (1605)
Spend more time looking for the open door than staring at the shut one.
“Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.”
Dante Alighieri, Inferno, Canto 1 (Longfellow translation)
Losing your way in midlife is so common that the greatest Italian poem starts with it.
“Thence we came forth to rebehold the stars.”
Dante Alighieri, Inferno, Canto 34 (Longfellow translation)
There is a way out of the worst stretch. Many people you work with have walked it.
“We must cultivate our garden.”
Voltaire, Candide (1759)
After a big upheaval, focus on what is in front of you: today's shift, today's tasks.
“A magic dwells in each beginning, and it protects us and helps us to live.”
Hermann Hesse, Stages (1941), translated
Notice the good parts of a first week: new faces, new skills, a clean slate.
“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
Attributed to Thomas Edison. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
The application you nearly did not send could be the one that gets the call.
“When a man says yes, his chi says yes also.”
Chinua Achebe, Things Fall Apart (1958). An Igbo saying; the chi is a personal spirit.
Decide you are going back to work, and the steps start to line up behind that yes.
“It's hard to beat a person who never gives up.”
Attributed to Babe Ruth. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Employers remember the candidate who applied twice and kept improving.
“Champions keep playing until they get it right.”
Billie Jean King, as widely quoted
A failed assessment is a practice run. Book the resit.
“When we no longer know which way to go we have come to our real journey.”
Wendell Berry, The Real Work (1983)
Not knowing what comes next after redundancy can be where real choices start.
“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
Mary Oliver, The Summer Day (1990)
A forced break is a chance to ask whether you want the same job again, or something new.
“Great works are performed not by strength, but by perseverance.”
Samuel Johnson, Rasselas (1759)
Learning a trade late is a long haul. Steady effort beats bursts of energy.
“Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving.”
Albert Einstein, letter to his son Eduard (1930)
Between jobs, keep a routine: up at the same time, applications before lunch.
“Living well is the best revenge.”
George Herbert, Outlandish Proverbs (1640)
Sacked unfairly? The best answer is a good job elsewhere and a good life.
“He that lives in hope danceth without music.”
George Herbert, Outlandish Proverbs (1640)
A bit of hope makes the long bus ride to a new job feel shorter.
“Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.”
Robert Browning, Rabbi Ben Ezra (1864)
Your best working years can come after fifty. Plenty of supervisors and owners started late.
“Say not the struggle nought availeth.”
Arthur Hugh Clough, Say Not the Struggle Nought Availeth (1849). 'Nought availeth' means 'achieves nothing'.
All that effort on the job hunt is not wasted, even before the offer comes.
“Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.”
Philip Larkin, The Trees (1967)
Every spring the trees start over. So can you, at any age.
“Nothing is so painful to the human mind as a great and sudden change.”
Mary Shelley, Frankenstein (1818)
If a sudden redundancy hits hard, that is normal. Give yourself a few days before big decisions.
“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.”
Publilius Syrus, Sentences
Team leaders show their worth in the bad weeks, not the easy ones.
“Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie.”
William Shakespeare, All's Well That Ends Well
Nobody else will write your CV. Sit down tonight and do it.
“There are far, far better things ahead than any we leave behind.”
Attributed to C. S. Lewis. Widely attributed; the original source has not been traced.
Leaving a job you loved hurts. The next one can still be better.
“There is no bad weather, only bad clothing.”
Norwegian saying (Det finnes ikke darlig vaer, bare darlige klaer)
New to outdoor work? Good boots and layers make the first winter bearable.
“Nothing ever becomes real till it is experienced.”
John Keats, letter to George and Georgiana Keats (1819)
You will not know if a trade suits you until you try it. Ask for a trial shift.
“The first pancake is always lumpy.”
Russian proverb (Pervyi blin komom)
Your first week in a new job will have a few lumpy moments. That is normal; the next ones come out better.
“Falling down is no disgrace, but staying down is.”
German proverb (Hinfallen ist keine Schande, aber liegen bleiben)
Lost a job, failed a test, had a bad interview? Get up, dust off and go again. That is the only part that counts.
“After rain, fine weather.”
French proverb (Apres la pluie, le beau temps)
A run of rejections does not last for ever. Keep applying; the next season of your working life can be brighter.
“There is no ill that does not come for some good.”
Spanish proverb (No hay mal que por bien no venga)
Being made redundant can be the push into a better trade. Look for what the change makes possible.
“The old man at the frontier lost his horse; who could tell it was not a blessing?”
Chinese proverb (Sai weng shi ma, yan zhi fei fu)
The job you did not get may leave you free for the one that suits you far better. Do not judge a setback too soon.
“If the old does not go, the new will not come.”
Chinese proverb (Jiu de bu qu, xin de bu lai)
Leaving a job you have outgrown is hard. But the new role cannot arrive while you are holding the door shut.
Other sections
- Work and keeping going (559)
- Stoic calm (316)
- An open mind (366)
- Starting a business (299)
- For leaders (218)
- Working with people (214)
- Mindset and habits (339)
- Safety and health (219)
- Starting again (210)
- Pride in the job (185)
- True stories of people who started small