--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was funny how the old practices always…" description: "\"It was funny how the old practices always came around again. It was the rhythm of human enterprise to invent and worship some new approach, to fully re..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1be/ann-brashares-572_approach_it-was-funny-how-the-old-practices-alway_3142402.png" --- # It was funny how the old practices always came around… ![“It was funny how the old practices always came around again. It was the rhythm of human enterprise to invent and worship some new approach, to fully reject it a generation later, to realize the need for it again a generation or two after that and then hastily reinvent it as new, usually without…” quote by Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1be/ann-brashares-572_approach_it-was-funny-how-the-old-practices-alway_3142402.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1be/ann-brashares-572_approach_it-was-funny-how-the-old-practices-alway_3142402.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1be/ann-brashares-572_approach_it-was-funny-how-the-old-practices-alway_3142402.png) > “It was funny how the old practices always came around again. It was the rhythm of human enterprise to invent and worship some new approach, to fully reject it a generation later, to realize the need for it again a generation or two after that and then hastily reinvent it as new, usually without its original elegance. Scientists hated to look backward for anything.” [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human societies cyclically adopt, reject, and rediscover ideas, often losing original elegance in the process. **In simple terms:** Ideas repeat over generations, losing elegance. Key Takeaway Recognize patterns and preserve valuable insights. Themes history innovation culture repetition Mood reflective critical Type analytical philosophical When to use this quote - business strategy - policy making - education curriculum - product development Key Concepts cyclical trends loss of elegance technological progress Questions to Reflect On - How can we balance innovation with learning from history? - What mechanisms preserve original elegance? A Different Perspective New approaches may overlook past lessons, leading to repeated mistakes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approach/) [Backward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backward/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Elegance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegance/) [Enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprise/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Hastily Reinvent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hastily-reinvent-5605416/) [Hated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hated/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [New approach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-approach/) [Old Practices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-practices-5605415/) [Practice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practice/) [Realizing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realizing/) [Reinvent New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reinvent-new-3504008/) [Rejects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejects/) [Rhythm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhythm/) [Science](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/science/) [Scientist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scientist/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Worship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worship/) ## Related quotes > [Growth and fulfillment come from abandoning old practices and embracing new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/growth-and-fulfillment-come-from-abandoning-old-practices-and/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [You come first, the clothes later. Reinvent new combinations of what you already own. Be creative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/you-come-first-the-clothes-later-reinvent-new-combinations-of-what/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [I think the best artists find ways to reinvent themselves. They find new ways to tell their stories, or they find new stories to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-idk/i-think-the-best-artists-find-ways-to-reinvent-themselves-they-find/) [Jay IDK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-idk/) > [Reinvent new combinations of what you already own. Improvise. Become more creative. Not because you have to, but because you want to. Evolution is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/reinvent-new-combinations-of-what-you-already-own-improvise-become/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [I love seeing the new generation take something that we've done and reinvent it for a whole new time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-basco/i-love-seeing-the-new-generation-take-something-that-we-ve-done-and/) [Dante Basco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-basco/) > [“Time was moving backward, it seemed, and the future was mostly forgotten.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/time-was-moving-backward-it-seemed-and-the-future-was-mostly-forgotten/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [My generation came at a time when photography was advancing by leaps and bounds, creating the impulse to experiment and seek new approaches.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gjon-mili/my-generation-came-at-a-time-when-photography-was-advancing-by-leaps/) [Gjon Mili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gjon-mili/) > [I'm keen to do as little or as much reading and watching as the director may advise, and often off that you kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-law/i-m-keen-to-do-as-little-or-as-much-reading-and-watching-as-the/) [Jude Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-law/) > [Don't ever, ever quit. Recognize that stopping now, regrouping to try a new approach isn't quitting. If you quit you'll regret it forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-ruettiger/don-t-ever-ever-quit-recognize-that-stopping-now-regrouping-to-try-a/) [Rudy Ruettiger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-ruettiger/) > [Every age requires a new approach to the Qur’an for the simple reason that the Quran is made for all ages. It is our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-asad/every-age-requires-a-new-approach-to-the-qur-an-for-the-simple-reason/) [Muhammad Asad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-asad/) > [Somewhere in that 20-year period, I would assume that there will be some basically new approach that will begin to cut into it, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kilby/somewhere-in-that-20-year-period-i-would-assume-that-there-will-be/) [Jack Kilby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kilby/) > [“Our strength, in other words, has rested in our determination to reject simplistic absolutes and to redefine and revitalize a productive middle ground, relinquishing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-rodham-clinton/our-strength-in-other-words-has-rested-in-our-determination-to-reject/) [Hillary Rodham Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-rodham-clinton/) > [As we exit the E.U., there must be a new approach to immigration that has the consent of the British people and is managed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keir-starmer/as-we-exit-the-e-u-there-must-be-a-new-approach-to-immigration-that/) [Keir Starmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keir-starmer/) > [In mathematics, if I find a new approach to a problem, another mathematician might claim that he has a better, more elegant solution. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emanuel-lasker/in-mathematics-if-i-find-a-new-approach-to-a-problem-another/) [Emanuel Lasker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emanuel-lasker/) > [Making progress on longstanding challenges requires a different lens and a new approach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayanna-pressley/making-progress-on-longstanding-challenges-requires-a-different-lens/) [Ayanna Pressley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayanna-pressley/) ## More by Ann Brashares > [“Because the truth wouldn't be comforting and wouldn't bring them closer again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/because-the-truth-wouldn-t-be-comforting-and-wouldn-t-bring-them/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“It’s by living that you live more.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/it-s-by-living-that-you-live-more/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“¿Iban a sumirla en la tristeza antes de hacerla feliz? No, por favor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/iban-a-sumirla-en-la-tristeza-antes-de-hacerla-feliz-no-por-favor/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“When she made her way to the big picture window that framed the dining room table she froze. She stopped breathing. The anger was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/when-she-made-her-way-to-the-big-picture-window-that-framed-the/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“Lena remembered herself in all the old familiar things they said. She existed in her friends; there she was. All the parts of herself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/lena-remembered-herself-in-all-the-old-familiar-things-they-said-she/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Everyone is fragile. Everything beautiful is fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/everyone-is-fragile-everything-beautiful-is-fragile/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“but it was hard to give the real world much notice when he was this close.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/but-it-was-hard-to-give-the-real-world-much-notice-when-he-was-this/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“You don't have time, Len. That is the most bitter and the most beautiful piece of advice I can offer. If you don't have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/you-don-t-have-time-len-that-is-the-most-bitter-and-the-most/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“You couldn’t count on Providence for anything ever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/you-couldn-t-count-on-providence-for-anything-ever/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Gestating characters feels something like the mental equivalent of gestating a baby. In both cases, to create them you lose yourself. Or at least…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/gestating-characters-feels-something-like-the-mental-equivalent-of/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“He could take happiness from her, but could he give any?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/he-could-take-happiness-from-her-but-could-he-give-any/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [The weather turned. Her skin seemed to grow a million extra pores, and all of them opened to take in the warmth and tenderness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/the-weather-turned-her-skin-seemed-to-grow-a-million-extra-pores-and/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [She wanted him to notice her so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/she-wanted-him-to-notice-her-so-much/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“No matter how it felt to be near him, she had to keep her swollen heart in check.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/no-matter-how-it-felt-to-be-near-him-she-had-to-keep-her-swollen/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [Maybe happiness was just a matter of the little upticks- the traffic signal that said "Walk" the second you go there- and downticks- the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/maybe-happiness-was-just-a-matter-of-the-little-upticks-the-traffic/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) [Explore all 465 Ann Brashares quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) ## More Approach quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [I'm in a business where there's complete anarchy. You can't control it - you can only react to it. The control that people traditionally…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-sorrell/i-m-in-a-business-where-there-s-complete-anarchy-you-can-t-control-it/) [Martin Sorrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-sorrell/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [Ideal for the child and society in the best of times, Rudolf Steiner's brilliant process of education is critically needed and profoundly relevant now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-chilton-pearce/ideal-for-the-child-and-society-in-the-best-of-times-rudolf-steiner-s/) [Joseph Chilton Pearce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-chilton-pearce/) > [I don't have any particular method, my approach is very simple. I try to understand the emotional graph of the character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pratik-gandhi/i-don-t-have-any-particular-method-my-approach-is-very-simple-i-try/) [Pratik Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pratik-gandhi/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everything, every part that you approach has to be somehow rooted in yourself. You have to somehow root everything so that it's not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judi-dench/everything-every-part-that-you-approach-has-to-be-somehow-rooted-in/) [Judi Dench](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judi-dench/) > [Literature transforms and intensifies ordinary language, deviates systematically from everyday speech. If you approach me at a bus stop and murmur Thou still unravished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/literature-transforms-and-intensifies-ordinary-language-deviates/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The whole secret to mastering the game of golf - and this applies to the beginner as well as the pro - is to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-palmer/the-whole-secret-to-mastering-the-game-of-golf-and-this-applies-to/) [Arnold Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-palmer/) > [The essence of Christianity...is an ever-new encounter with... the God who speaks to us, who approaches us and who befriends us!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/the-essence-of-christianity-is-an-ever-new-encounter-with-the-god-who/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Like a morning dream, life becomes more and more bright the longer we live, and the reason of everything appears more clear. What has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul/like-a-morning-dream-life-becomes-more-and-more-bright-the-longer-we/) [Jean Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul/) > [What begins as a Utopian vision, always - always - ends in bloodshed. 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