--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've lived long enough to have learned…" description: "\"I've lived long enough to have learned, the closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned.\" — Billy Joel" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/billy-joel-1000_burned_i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-t_879748.png" --- # I've lived long enough to have learned, the closer you get… ![“I've lived long enough to have learned, the closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned.” quote by Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/billy-joel-1000_burned_i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-t_879748.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/billy-joel-1000_burned_i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-t_879748.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/billy-joel-1000_burned_i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-t_879748.png) > “I've lived long enough to have learned, the closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned.” [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Close to danger increases risk of harm; experience teaches caution. **In simple terms:** Fire proximity leads to burns. Key Takeaway Respect boundaries to avoid harm. Themes experience danger learning Mood cautious reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career choices - relationship boundaries - personal safety Key Concepts risk consequence wisdom Questions to Reflect On - How do you gauge when to approach or retreat? - What lessons have you learned from past 'fires'? A Different Perspective Avoiding risk can limit growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) ## Related quotes > [“Some people obsess about prolonging their life, but there are many who have lived long enough to have learned one can live without it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hammond/some-people-obsess-about-prolonging-their-life-but-there-are-many-who/) [George Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hammond/) > [“Max had long since learned that problems never go away: they just change faces.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-b-griffith/max-had-long-since-learned-that-problems-never-go-away-they-just/) B.B. Griffith > [The mind unlearns with difficulty what it has long learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-mind-unlearns-with-difficulty-what-it-has-long-learned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've wanted to make movies for so long. I learned most of what I know from director commentaries and behind the scenes featurettes and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-strauss-schulson/i-ve-wanted-to-make-movies-for-so-long-i-learned-most-of-what-i-know/) [Todd Strauss-Schulson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-strauss-schulson/) > [And it is long since I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-hamilton/and-it-is-long-since-i-have-learned-to-hold-popular-opinion-of-no/) [Alexander Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-hamilton/) > [“I believe that it’s okay to make a costly mistake in life as long as you learned a priceless lesson.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-n-joy/i-believe-that-it-s-okay-to-make-a-costly-mistake-in-life-as-long-as/) [E.N. Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-n-joy/) > [“The lover I am; it befits me to burn; but what is the reason for your weeping and burning? The candle replied: ‘Oh my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-lover-i-am-it-befits-me-to-burn-but-what-is-the-reason-for-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It could get them all burned.” Then he adds in a whisper, almost to himself, “But the fire can be tempting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ee/it-could-get-them-all-burned-then-he-adds-in-a-whisper-almost-to/) [Susan Ee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ee/) > [“I've been burned already, and yet here I am again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/i-ve-been-burned-already-and-yet-here-i-am-again/) [E.L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james/) > [I saw greatness in John and he lived up to it. I also saw a tremendous competitor who loved to win. John is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-davis/i-saw-greatness-in-john-and-he-lived-up-to-it-i-also-saw-a-tremendous/) [Al Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-davis/) > [A great sadness welled up in Magnus at the sight of him. It was human to age and die, and Jem stood outside that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/a-great-sadness-welled-up-in-magnus-at-the-sight-of-him-it-was-human/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [And I, the former mystic, was thinking: Yes, man is stronger, greater than God. When Adam and Eve deceived You, You chased them from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/and-i-the-former-mystic-was-thinking-yes-man-is-stronger-greater-than/) [Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/) > [“To carry a secret is to play with fire. Try to pass it on and you'd risk hurting someone else. Hold on to it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thorne/to-carry-a-secret-is-to-play-with-fire-try-to-pass-it-on-and-you-d/) [Emily Thorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thorne/) > [When you have lived as long as I have, the div replied, you find that cruelty and benevolence are but shades of the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/when-you-have-lived-as-long-as-i-have-the-div-replied-you-find-that/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) ## More by Billy Joel > [Everybody is different. Some writers can write reams of great books and then J. D. Salinger wrote just a few. Beethoven wrote nine symphonies.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/everybody-is-different-some-writers-can-write-reams-of-great-books/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Only the good die young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/only-the-good-die-young/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [In a way, we are magicians. We are alchemists, sorcerers and wizards. We are a very strange bunch. But there is great fun in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/in-a-way-we-are-magicians-we-are-alchemists-sorcerers-and-wizards-we/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I don't want some pretty face to tell me pretty lies, all I want is someone to believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-don-t-want-some-pretty-face-to-tell-me-pretty-lies-all-i-want-is/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I've always said about 50% of what happens at a concert has to do with the audience. If you play for a dead audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-ve-always-said-about-50-of-what-happens-at-a-concert-has-to-do-with/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [She's the quiet type who's into heavy metal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/she-s-the-quiet-type-who-s-into-heavy-metal/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Rock and roll just used to be for kicks, now a days it's politics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/rock-and-roll-just-used-to-be-for-kicks-now-a-days-it-s-politics/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Don't make music for some vast, unseen audience or market or ratings share or even for something as tangible as money. Though it's crucial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/don-t-make-music-for-some-vast-unseen-audience-or-market-or-ratings/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [Usually when I'm writing, I try to write fairly quickly. If a song sits around too long, it starts to take on a stink.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/usually-when-i-m-writing-i-try-to-write-fairly-quickly-if-a-song-sits/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [My daughter sent me on a mission to get as many autographs as possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/my-daughter-sent-me-on-a-mission-to-get-as-many-autographs-as-possible/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [ I was listening to stuff and I realized that I've had a lot of different lives. You know the theory \[that says\] every seven… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-was-listening-to-stuff-and-i-realized-that-i-ve-had-a-lot-of/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [If you said good-bye to me tonight, There would still be music left to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/if-you-said-good-bye-to-me-tonight-there-would-still-be-music-left-to/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [If I need a cause for celebration, Or a comfort I can use to ease my mind, I rely on my imagination, And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/if-i-need-a-cause-for-celebration-or-a-comfort-i-can-use-to-ease-my/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [I'm carrying the weight of all the useless junk and modern man accumulates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-m-carrying-the-weight-of-all-the-useless-junk-and-modern-man/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) > [What will it take for you to believe in me, the way that I believe in you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/what-will-it-take-for-you-to-believe-in-me-the-way-that-i-believe-in/) [Billy Joel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) [Explore all 311 Billy Joel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/) ## More Burned quotes > [“my stomach turned and burned with the acid of failure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-ames/my-stomach-turned-and-burned-with-the-acid-of-failure/) Heidi Ames > [These mercenaries, I swear by God, those who are still in Washington, they have sent their troops to be burned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/these-mercenaries-i-swear-by-god-those-who-are-still-in-washington/) [Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/) > [Men feared witches and burned women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-d-brandeis/men-feared-witches-and-burned-women/) [Louis D. Brandeis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-d-brandeis/) > [“I knew I didn't have much of a chance of getting away from that swarm of fae piranha, but it was an infinitely larger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-knew-i-didn-t-have-much-of-a-chance-of-getting-away-from-that-swarm/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [Truth is error burned up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-o-brown/truth-is-error-burned-up/) [Norman O. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-o-brown/) > [I know I have I have sliced , burned ,bruised wriped at](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slowly-fading/i-know-i-have-i-have-sliced-burned-bruised-wriped-at/) Slowly\_fading > [years ago we would have been burned for this. Now what I am suggesting is that we've advanced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/years-ago-we-would-have-been-burned-for-this-now-what-i-am-suggesting/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [The life of men and women is so cheap and property is so sacred. There are so many of us for one job it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-schneiderman/the-life-of-men-and-women-is-so-cheap-and-property-is-so-sacred-there/) [Rose Schneiderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-schneiderman/) > [Promoting the use of sustainable and renewable rainforest products can help to stop rainforest devastation. The rainforests are much more valuable alive than cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/promoting-the-use-of-sustainable-and-renewable-rainforest-products/) [Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/) > [I would be a traitor to these poor burned bodies if I came here to talk good fellowship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-schneiderman/i-would-be-a-traitor-to-these-poor-burned-bodies-if-i-came-here-to/) [Rose Schneiderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-schneiderman/) > [I checked out all types of tobacco trying to find one that would be easiest to live with, I ended up using pipe tobacco.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-strathairn/i-checked-out-all-types-of-tobacco-trying-to-find-one-that-would-be/) [David Strathairn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-strathairn/) > [“Looks delicious," he lied. "A mite crispy along the edges - but then, I like it that way." Incredulous eyes met his own. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-anne-warren/looks-delicious-he-lied-a-mite-crispy-along-the-edges-but-then-i-like/) [Tracy Anne Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-anne-warren/) > [Most calves used by the dairy industry have their horns BURNED or GOUGED out of their heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/most-calves-used-by-the-dairy-industry-have-their-horns-burned-or/) [Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/) > [ \[General Curtis\] LeMay recognized that what he was doing would be thought immoral if his side has lost. But what makes it immoral if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcnamara/general-curtis-lemay-recognized-that-what-he-was-doing-would-be/) [Robert McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcnamara/) > [If you are burned, you are naturally anxious to see what your face looks like as soon as they take the bandages off. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-carreras/if-you-are-burned-you-are-naturally-anxious-to-see-what-your-face/) [Jose Carreras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-carreras/) Browse all 1,079 Burned quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've lived long enough to have learned, the closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Billy Joel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-the-closer-you-get-to-the-fire/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Burned" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-the-closer-you-get-to-the-fire/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/billy-joel-1000_burned_i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-t_879748.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/billy-joel-1000_burned_i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-t_879748.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bb4/billy-joel-1000_burned_i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-t_879748.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've lived long enough to have learned, the closer you get to the fire, the more you get burned.” — Billy Joel", "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": "Billy Joel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-joel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've lived long enough to have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-the-closer-you-get-to-the-fire/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-joel/i-ve-lived-long-enough-to-have-learned-the-closer-you-get-to-the-fire/#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 } } ] } ```