--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If a can opener no longer has the…" description: "\"If a can opener no longer has the capacity to open cans, what is it?\" — Alan Hirsch" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/alan-hirsch-8667_cans_if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capaci_791213.png" --- # If a can opener no longer has the capacity to open cans… ![“If a can opener no longer has the capacity to open cans, what is it?” quote by Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/alan-hirsch-8667_cans_if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capaci_791213.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/alan-hirsch-8667_cans_if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capaci_791213.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/alan-hirsch-8667_cans_if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capaci_791213.png) > “If a can opener no longer has the capacity to open cans, what is it?” [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If a tool loses its intended function, its identity becomes questionable, prompting redefinition. **In simple terms:** A broken tool loses its purpose. Key Takeaway Redefine purpose when function fails. Themes functionality identity adaptation Mood inquisitive practical Type philosophical creative When to use this quote - product design - career pivots - skill repurposing Key Concepts Tool theory semantic shift Questions to Reflect On - What new purpose can a broken tool serve? - How do you adapt when your role changes? A Different Perspective The tool may still have value in new contexts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Ministry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ministry/) [Opener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opener/) ## Related quotes > [A home opener is always exciting, no matter if it's home or on the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yogi-berra/a-home-opener-is-always-exciting-no-matter-if-it-s-home-or-on-the-road/) [Yogi Berra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yogi-berra/) > [Music is the can-opener of the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/music-is-the-can-opener-of-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“A brick could be used as a bottle opener. Just don’t smash down too hard, or you’ll shatter the bottle. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-as-a-bottle-opener-just-don-t-smash-down-too/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Be an opener of doors for such as come after thee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/be-an-opener-of-doors-for-such-as-come-after-thee/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I got a garage door opener. It can't close. Just open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-got-a-garage-door-opener-it-can-t-close-just-open/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [The job satisfaction that an opener gets no other batsman gets.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-shastri/the-job-satisfaction-that-an-opener-gets-no-other-batsman-gets/) [Ravi Shastri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-shastri/) > [It's opener, out there, in the wide, open air.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/it-s-opener-out-there-in-the-wide-open-air/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [“Garage door openers mysteriously not working are a clue to electromagnetic interference (EMI) issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/garage-door-openers-mysteriously-not-working-are-a-clue-to/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [“Oh my gosh! Somebody get a can opener! I've got a god stuck in my head!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oh-my-gosh-somebody-get-a-can-opener-i-ve-got-a-god-stuck-in-my-head/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Oh no." I said panic rising in my chest. "No, no, no, Somebody get a can opener. I've got a god in my head!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/oh-no-i-said-panic-rising-in-my-chest-no-no-no-somebody-get-a-can/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [How the hell do I know why there were Nazis? I don't know how the can-opener works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/how-the-hell-do-i-know-why-there-were-nazis-i-don-t-know-how-the-can/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [Being an opener is easy because fans aren't expecting anything. However, when you go up there and blow their minds and they flip out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ripp/being-an-opener-is-easy-because-fans-aren-t-expecting-anything/) [Andrew Ripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ripp/) > [Be an opener of doors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/be-an-opener-of-doors/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Pain is not a punishment, it is an eye opener.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan/pain-is-not-a-punishment-it-is-an-eye-opener/) [Joan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan/) > [“Obedience is the opener of eyes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/obedience-is-the-opener-of-eyes/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) ## More by Alan Hirsch > [If we are going to make the change from community to communitas, and not just end up with an unsustainable adrenaline-junkie culture, we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/if-we-are-going-to-make-the-change-from-community-to-communitas-and/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [Because we believe that somewhere in the nest of paradigms contained in the phrase "missional church" lies nothing less that the future viability of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/because-we-believe-that-somewhere-in-the-nest-of-paradigms-contained/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [A retreatist spirituality is not a spirituality that can, or will, transform the world in Jesus's name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/a-retreatist-spirituality-is-not-a-spirituality-that-can-or-will/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [Go among the people. Don't assume you know what church looks like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/go-among-the-people-don-t-assume-you-know-what-church-looks-like/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [“I have come to believe that the major threat to the viability of our faith is that of consumerism. This”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/i-have-come-to-believe-that-the-major-threat-to-the-viability-of-our/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [Christianity is an adventure of the spirit or it is not Christianity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/christianity-is-an-adventure-of-the-spirit-or-it-is-not-christianity/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [The fact is that if Jesus's future kingdom is secure, those who trust in its coming will enact it now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/the-fact-is-that-if-jesus-s-future-kingdom-is-secure-those-who-trust/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [Those of us with too much invested in the way things are will never embrace the revolutionary cause required for wholesale change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/those-of-us-with-too-much-invested-in-the-way-things-are-will-never/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [“All apostolic ministry in some sense involves this return to the founding message as well as purpose. The missional task that follows is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/all-apostolic-ministry-in-some-sense-involves-this-return-to-the/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [Every Christian is a sent one. There is no such thing as an unsent Christian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/every-christian-is-a-sent-one-there-is-no-such-thing-as-an-unsent/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [Heroes are important not only because they symbolize what we believe to be important, but because they also convey universal truths about personal self-discovery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/heroes-are-important-not-only-because-they-symbolize-what-we-believe/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [There's no such thing as an unsent Christian. You have already been SENT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/there-s-no-such-thing-as-an-unsent-christian-you-have-already-been/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [It's not so much that the church has a mission, it's that the mission of God has a church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/it-s-not-so-much-that-the-church-has-a-mission-it-s-that-the-mission/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [Being the church that Jesus intended means that we must participate in God’s eternal purposes for his world. Renewal means more than reinventing ourselves;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/being-the-church-that-jesus-intended-means-that-we-must-participate/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) > [“How did we ever get to believe that faithfulness involved simply retaining past forms and thinking? With the Creator God as our Father, how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/how-did-we-ever-get-to-believe-that-faithfulness-involved-simply/) [Alan Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) [Explore all 79 Alan Hirsch quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/) ## More Cans quotes > [“Nearly one whole wall was dedicated to cans, but there was so much variety, according to the different labels. Most were too faded or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kagawa/nearly-one-whole-wall-was-dedicated-to-cans-but-there-was-so-much/) [Julie Kagawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kagawa/) > [I'm the breadwinner. I kill the spiders. Actually I don't kill them. I put them in a plastic bag and take them outside. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teri-hatcher/i-m-the-breadwinner-i-kill-the-spiders-actually-i-don-t-kill-them-i/) [Teri Hatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teri-hatcher/) > [In the United States, under 3 percent of municipal food waste - so that's the food scraps that goes into people's garbage cans -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/in-the-united-states-under-3-percent-of-municipal-food-waste-so-that/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [In L.A., I worked as a bagger at a Ralphs for about two weeks. And I said, 'I just can't do that.' Not that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-hansen/in-l-a-i-worked-as-a-bagger-at-a-ralphs-for-about-two-weeks-and-i/) [Ryan Hansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-hansen/) > [Red-hot songs were born on the black streets of Baltimore, where I delivered five-gallon cans of kerosene and ten-pound bags of coal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-leiber/red-hot-songs-were-born-on-the-black-streets-of-baltimore-where-i/) [Jerry Leiber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-leiber/) > [I live out of cans a lot. But I try to indulge only in healthy canned food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-yoakam/i-live-out-of-cans-a-lot-but-i-try-to-indulge-only-in-healthy-canned/) [Dwight Yoakam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-yoakam/) > [Success comes in cans, not cants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/success-comes-in-cans-not-cants/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The path of civilization is paved with tin cans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elbert-hubbard/the-path-of-civilization-is-paved-with-tin-cans/) [Elbert Hubbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elbert-hubbard/) > [If you want to keep your side dishes warmer than room temperature, consider buying a small steam table for the home, with the Sterno…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-want-to-keep-your-side-dishes-warmer-than-room-temperature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I mean, if cans can be recycled, why not spirits?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marla-gibbs/i-mean-if-cans-can-be-recycled-why-not-spirits/) [Marla Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marla-gibbs/) > [“What kind of heart does one have to have in order to be able to get rid of these, without regret, as if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-marciano/what-kind-of-heart-does-one-have-to-have-in-order-to-be-able-to-get/) [Francesca Marciano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-marciano/) > [Men don't like eating out of cans. And I don't like eating out of cans too much, either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aretha-franklin/men-don-t-like-eating-out-of-cans-and-i-don-t-like-eating-out-of-cans/) [Aretha Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aretha-franklin/) > [Oh, it's just a trash can. Chill out." (Marco) BAM! BAM! BAM! "Okay, so it's four trash cans," (Marco) " BAM! BAM! BAM! "Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/oh-it-s-just-a-trash-can-chill-out-marco-bam-bam-bam-okay-so-it-s/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [I'd stand on the side of the road when I was just a little girl singing on trash cans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-elliott/i-d-stand-on-the-side-of-the-road-when-i-was-just-a-little-girl/) Missy Elliott > [I paint on the ground. I paint with sticks, with big paint cans, and whatever else falls in it. Basically, what I'm doing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-grieco/i-paint-on-the-ground-i-paint-with-sticks-with-big-paint-cans-and/) [Richard Grieco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-grieco/) Browse all 48 Cans quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If a can opener no longer has the capacity to open cans, what is it?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Hirsch" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capacity-to-open-cans-what-is-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cans" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capacity-to-open-cans-what-is-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/alan-hirsch-8667_cans_if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capaci_791213.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/alan-hirsch-8667_cans_if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capaci_791213.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/alan-hirsch-8667_cans_if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capaci_791213.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If a can opener no longer has the capacity to open cans, what is it?” — Alan Hirsch", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Hirsch", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-hirsch/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If a can opener no longer...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capacity-to-open-cans-what-is-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-hirsch/if-a-can-opener-no-longer-has-the-capacity-to-open-cans-what-is-it/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```