---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have a right to experiment with your…"
description: "\"“You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too rigid a pattern. You came out..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/anais-nin-288_change_you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your_248508.png"
---

#  You have a right to experiment with your life. You will…

![“You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too rigid a pattern. You came out of an education and are supposed to know your vocation. Your vocation is fixed, and maybe ten years later you find you are not a teacher anymore or…” quote by Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/anais-nin-288_change_you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your_248508.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/anais-nin-288_change_you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your_248508.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/anais-nin-288_change_you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your_248508.png)

> ““You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too rigid a pattern. You came out of an education and are supposed to know your vocation. Your vocation is fixed, and maybe ten years later you find you are not a teacher anymore or you're not a painter anymore. It may happen. It has happened. I mean Gauguin decided at a certain point he wasn't a banker anymore; he was a painter. And so he walked away from banking. I think we have a right to change course. But society is the one that keeps demanding that we fit in and not disturb things. They would like you to fit in right away so that things work now.””

[Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Life is a series of experiments; mistakes are natural and can guide us toward new vocations.

**In simple terms:** We can change our path despite societal pressure.

Key Takeaway

Embrace change and learn from errors.

Themes

self‑discovery career societal expectations

Mood

reflective inspired

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career transition
- creative pursuits
- personal growth
- educational choices

Key Concepts

identity flexibility risk‑taking

Questions to Reflect On

- What fear holds you back from changing direction?
- How can you turn mistakes into learning opportunities?

A Different Perspective

Society often rewards conformity, making change risky.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growth/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mistakes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistakes/) [Social norms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-norms/) [Vocation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vocation/)

## Related quotes

> [“Question: I am interested in so many things, and I have a terrible fear because my mother keeps telling me that I'm just going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/question-i-am-interested-in-so-many-things-and-i-have-a-terrible-fear/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [My vocation, at last I have found it; my vocation is love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-of-lisieux/my-vocation-at-last-i-have-found-it-my-vocation-is-love/)

[Therese of Lisieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-of-lisieux/)

> [Many people mistake our work for our vocation. Our vocation is the love of Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/many-people-mistake-our-work-for-our-vocation-our-vocation-is-the/)

[Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/)

> [If you want to be a writer, you should go into the largest library you can find and stand there contemplating the books that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/if-you-want-to-be-a-writer-you-should-go-into-the-largest-library-you/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [You will know your vocation by the joy that it brings you. You will know. You will know when it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-day/you-will-know-your-vocation-by-the-joy-that-it-brings-you-you-will/)

[Dorothy Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-day/)

> [You need not see what someone is doing to know if it is his vocation, you have only to watch his eyes: a cook…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden/you-need-not-see-what-someone-is-doing-to-know-if-it-is-his-vocation/)

[W. H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden/)

> [The middle class in America is at a tipping point. It will not last another generation if we don't boldly change course now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-middle-class-in-america-is-at-a-tipping-point-it-will-not-last/)

[Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/)

> [“Only a book is enough to change the course of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/only-a-book-is-enough-to-change-the-course-of-your-life/)

[Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/)

> [It is true that sometimes things may not happen as we expect them. We may have to change our course of action or even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-joseph-benziger/it-is-true-that-sometimes-things-may-not-happen-as-we-expect-them-we/)

[T Joseph Benziger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-joseph-benziger/)

> [You cannot change the course of events, but you can change your attitude, and what really matters is the attitude and not the mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/you-cannot-change-the-course-of-events-but-you-can-change-your/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [We can't go back and change decisions you took, but we can take decisions that can change the course of out future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isai-solis-garcia/we-can-t-go-back-and-change-decisions-you-took-but-we-can-take/)

Isai Solis Garcia

> [“Over the years I’ve learned that a surefooted and confident mapmaker does not a swift traveler make. I stumble and fall, and I constantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bren-brown/over-the-years-i-ve-learned-that-a-surefooted-and-confident-mapmaker/)

[Brené Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bren-brown/)

> [There are times when I wish I could go back and change the course of my life. Make different choices...But the past cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/there-are-times-when-i-wish-i-could-go-back-and-change-the-course-of/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [If The World Does Not Change Course, We Risk Self-Destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamed-elbaradei/if-the-world-does-not-change-course-we-risk-self-destruction/)

[Mohamed ElBaradei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamed-elbaradei/)

> [There is no one who can change My course or affect My conduct to the slightest extent. I am the Master over all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/there-is-no-one-who-can-change-my-course-or-affect-my-conduct-to-the/)

[Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/)

## More by Anaïs Nin

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [“…For love it is never the same. What goes on inside is never the same just like this music which changes every instant. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/for-love-it-is-never-the-same-what-goes-on-inside-is-never-the-same/)

[Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I have so strong a sense of creation, of tomorrow, that I cannot get drunk, knowing I will be less alive, less well, less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-have-so-strong-a-sense-of-creation-of-tomorrow-that-i-cannot-get/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [We don't have a language for the senses. Feelings are images, sensations are like musical sounds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/we-don-t-have-a-language-for-the-senses-feelings-are-images/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Strange, isn't it, that no chemical will give a human being the iridescence that illusions have given them? Give me your hat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/strange-isn-t-it-that-no-chemical-will-give-a-human-being-the/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [The personal, if it is deep enough, becomes universal, mythical, symbolic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-personal-if-it-is-deep-enough-becomes-universal-mythical-symbolic/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Introspection is a devouring monster. You have to feed it with much material, much experience, many people, many places, many loves, many creations, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/introspection-is-a-devouring-monster-you-have-to-feed-it-with-much/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [In each studio there is a human being dressed in the full regalia of his myth fearing to expore a vulnerable opening, spreading not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/in-each-studio-there-is-a-human-being-dressed-in-the-full-regalia-of/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I don't mind working, holding my ground intellectually, artistically; but as a woman, oh, God, as a woman I want to be dominated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-don-t-mind-working-holding-my-ground-intellectually-artistically/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [“Laughter and tears are not separate experiences, with intervals of rest: they rush out together and it is like walking with a sword between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/laughter-and-tears-are-not-separate-experiences-with-intervals-of/)

[Anaïs Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [The basis of insincerity is the idealized image we hold of ourselves and wish to impose on others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-basis-of-insincerity-is-the-idealized-image-we-hold-of-ourselves/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I write emotional algebra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-write-emotional-algebra/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [The role of the writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say. Most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/the-role-of-the-writer-is-not-to-say-what-we-can-all-say-but-what-we/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [I say quotations are literary. They are good only when dealing with ideas, not with experience. Experience should be pure, unique.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-say-quotations-are-literary-they-are-good-only-when-dealing-with/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

[Explore all 715 Anaïs Nin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

## More Change quotes

> [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/)

[Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/)

> [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/)

Phil Hogan

> [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/)

[William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/)

> [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/)

[Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/)

> [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/)

[Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/)

> [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/)

[Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/)

> [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/)

[Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/)

[Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/)

> [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/)

[Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/)

[Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think there was too rigid a pattern. You came out of an education and are supposed to know your vocation. Your vocation is fixed, and maybe ten years later you find you are not a teacher anymore or you're not a painter anymore. It may happen. It has happened. I mean Gauguin decided at a certain point he wasn't a banker anymore; he was a painter. And so he walked away from banking. I think we have a right to change course. But society is the one that keeps demanding that we fit in and not disturb things. They would like you to fit in right away so that things work now.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anaïs Nin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your-life-you-will-make-mistakes/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Change"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your-life-you-will-make-mistakes/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/anais-nin-288_change_you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your_248508.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/anais-nin-288_change_you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your_248508.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3d4/anais-nin-288_change_you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your_248508.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“You have a right to experiment with your life. You will make mistakes. And they are right too. No, I think…” — Anaïs Nin",
                "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": "Anaïs Nin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“You have a right to experiment...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your-life-you-will-make-mistakes/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/you-have-a-right-to-experiment-with-your-life-you-will-make-mistakes/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
