--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: From that day to this, I have made it a…" description: "\"“From that day to this, I have made it a rule to throw into the wastebasket all the problems that I can no longer do anything about.”\" — Dale Carnegie" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/dale-carnegie-382_wastebasket_from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-r_3179080.jpg" --- # From that day to this, I have made it a rule to throw into… ![“From that day to this, I have made it a rule to throw into the wastebasket all the problems that I can no longer do anything about.” quote by Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/dale-carnegie-382_wastebasket_from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-r_3179080.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/dale-carnegie-382_wastebasket_from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-r_3179080.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/dale-carnegie-382_wastebasket_from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-r_3179080.jpg) > ““From that day to this, I have made it a rule to throw into the wastebasket all the problems that I can no longer do anything about.”” [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He advises discarding problems beyond one’s control, focusing energy on actionable issues. **In simple terms:** Let go of unchangeable problems, act on what you can. Key Takeaway Release unmanageable worries to free mental resources. Themes stress management focus acceptance productivity mindset Mood reflective calm Type self‑help motivational When to use this quote - personal development - mental health - decision making - team leadership Key Concepts cognitive reframing emotional regulation problem solving Questions to Reflect On - What issues can you realistically influence? - How do you decide when to let go? A Different Perspective Ignoring some problems may cause neglect of hidden risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I don't like to play favorites, and I do try to spread the ball around. But there's an old rule: You throw to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-manning/i-don-t-like-to-play-favorites-and-i-do-try-to-spread-the-ball-around/) [Peyton Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-manning/) > [If someone gives me a to-do list, I say 'thank you, this is nice.' One needs things to throw in the wastebasket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-lagerfeld/if-someone-gives-me-a-to-do-list-i-say-thank-you-this-is-nice-one/) [Karl Lagerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-lagerfeld/) > [“Einstein used to say, ‘It’s not that I’m smarter, it’s just that I stay with problems longer.’ Yogis”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-swami/einstein-used-to-say-it-s-not-that-i-m-smarter-it-s-just-that-i-stay/) [Om Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-swami/) > [My success wasn't so much due to intelligence, but the fact that I stuck with problems longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/my-success-wasn-t-so-much-due-to-intelligence-but-the-fact-that-i/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Crying only makes your problems last longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvonne-woon/crying-only-makes-your-problems-last-longer/) [Yvonne Woon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvonne-woon/) > [Its not that I'm so smart,its just that I stay with problems longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chin-chin-2/its-not-that-i-m-so-smart-its-just-that-i-stay-with-problems-longer/) Chin Chin > [Its not that I'm so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/its-not-that-i-m-so-smart-it-s-just-that-i-stay-with-problems-longer/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“It’s not that I’m so smart,” he would say, “it’s just that I stay with problems longer.”   The”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kennedy/it-s-not-that-i-m-so-smart-he-would-say-it-s-just-that-i-stay-with/) [Alexander Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kennedy/) > [“It’s not that I’m so smart, it’s just that I stay with problems longer. —ALBERT EINSTEIN1”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-johnston/it-s-not-that-i-m-so-smart-it-s-just-that-i-stay-with-problems-longer/) [Peter H. Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-johnston/) > [Happiness is a very small desk and a very big wastebasket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/happiness-is-a-very-small-desk-and-a-very-big-wastebasket/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [Someone once threw me a small, brown, hairy kiwi fruit, and I threw a wastebasket over it until it was dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/someone-once-threw-me-a-small-brown-hairy-kiwi-fruit-and-i-threw-a/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [Next to the dog, the wastebasket is your best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/next-to-the-dog-the-wastebasket-is-your-best-friend/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Photographers undervalue the use of a wastebasket in their pursuit of fine photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-steiner/photographers-undervalue-the-use-of-a-wastebasket-in-their-pursuit-of/) [Ralph Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-steiner/) > [The most important tool of the theoretical physicist is his wastebasket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-important-tool-of-the-theoretical-physicist-is-his/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“The past is in the wastebasket.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-thomas/the-past-is-in-the-wastebasket/) [Abigail Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-thomas/) ## More by Dale Carnegie > [“When dealing with people, remember you are not dealing with creatures of logic, but with creatures bristling with prejudice and motivated by pride and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/when-dealing-with-people-remember-you-are-not-dealing-with-creatures/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [I deal with the obvious. I present, reiterate, and glorify the obvious - because the obvious is what people need to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/i-deal-with-the-obvious-i-present-reiterate-and-glorify-the-obvious/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [You can make more friends in two months by becoming more interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/you-can-make-more-friends-in-two-months-by-becoming-more-interested/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“The man who goes farthest is generally the one who is willing to do and dare. The sure-thing boat never gets far from shore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/the-man-who-goes-farthest-is-generally-the-one-who-is-willing-to-do/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [“Apply the blacksmith's homely principle when you are speaking. If you feel deeply about your subject you will be able to think of little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/apply-the-blacksmith-s-homely-principle-when-you-are-speaking-if-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/one-of-the-most-tragic-things-i-know-about-human-nature-is-that-all/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [If you can't sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there worrying. It's the worry that gets you, not the lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-can-t-sleep-then-get-up-and-do-something-instead-of-lying/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [I realize now that people are not thinking about you and me or caring what is said about us. They are thinking about themselves-before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/i-realize-now-that-people-are-not-thinking-about-you-and-me-or-caring/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Those convinced against their will are of the same opinion still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/those-convinced-against-their-will-are-of-the-same-opinion-still/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Each nation feels superior to other nations. That breeds patriotism - and wars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/each-nation-feels-superior-to-other-nations-that-breeds-patriotism/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [We are gods in the chrysalis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/we-are-gods-in-the-chrysalis/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [If you want to know how to make people shun you and laugh at you behind your back and even despise you, here is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-want-to-know-how-to-make-people-shun-you-and-laugh-at-you/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [So if you aspire to be a good conversationali st, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/so-if-you-aspire-to-be-a-good-conversationali-st-be-an-attentive/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [...Be grateful for what you have to be thankful for instead of complaining about the little things that annoy you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/be-grateful-for-what-you-have-to-be-thankful-for-instead-of/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Don't be afraid of enemies who attack you. Be afraid of the friends who flatter you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/don-t-be-afraid-of-enemies-who-attack-you-be-afraid-of-the-friends/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) [Explore all 592 Dale Carnegie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) ## More Wastebasket quotes > [“The past is in the wastebasket.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-thomas/the-past-is-in-the-wastebasket/) [Abigail Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-thomas/) > [The most important tool of the theoretical physicist is his wastebasket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-most-important-tool-of-the-theoretical-physicist-is-his/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Photographers undervalue the use of a wastebasket in their pursuit of fine photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-steiner/photographers-undervalue-the-use-of-a-wastebasket-in-their-pursuit-of/) [Ralph Steiner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-steiner/) > [Next to the dog, the wastebasket is your best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-c-forbes/next-to-the-dog-the-wastebasket-is-your-best-friend/) [B. C. Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-c-forbes/) > [Someone once threw me a small, brown, hairy kiwi fruit, and I threw a wastebasket over it until it was dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/someone-once-threw-me-a-small-brown-hairy-kiwi-fruit-and-i-threw-a/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [Happiness is a very small desk and a very big wastebasket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/happiness-is-a-very-small-desk-and-a-very-big-wastebasket/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [You know you’re writing well when you're throwing good stuff into the wastebasket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/you-know-you-re-writing-well-when-you-re-throwing-good-stuff-into-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [The wastebasket is a writer's best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/the-wastebasket-is-a-writer-s-best-friend/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [I know as a writer how valuable a tool is the wastebasket. Perhaps God throws away many experiments before He finds the right expression.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/i-know-as-a-writer-how-valuable-a-tool-is-the-wastebasket-perhaps-god/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [I found a discarded textbook on calculus in a wastebasket and read it from cover to cover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-pople/i-found-a-discarded-textbook-on-calculus-in-a-wastebasket-and-read-it/) [John Pople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-pople/) > [Small wastebasket liners, $1.17 ... tall wastebasket liners, $2.29 ... garbage can liners, $3.98 ... I think I just spent $7.44 buying something I'm going to throw away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-guisewite/small-wastebasket-liners-1-17-tall-wastebasket-liners-2-29-garbage/) [Cathy Guisewite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-guisewite/) > [The physicist's greatest tool is his wastebasket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/the-physicist-s-greatest-tool-is-his-wastebasket/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [A ratio of failures is built into the process of writing. The wastebasket has evolved for a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-ratio-of-failures-is-built-into-the-process-of-writing-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [A ratio of failures is built into the process of writing. The wastebasket has evolved for a reason. Think of it as the altar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/a-ratio-of-failures-is-built-into-the-process-of-writing-the-2/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“A few years before, it had taken her three days to dispose of the Easter chick she had found dead on the sawdust in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/a-few-years-before-it-had-taken-her-three-days-to-dispose-of-the/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) Browse all 22 Wastebasket quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“From that day to this, I have made it a rule to throw into the wastebasket all the problems that I can no longer do anything about.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dale Carnegie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-rule-to-throw-into-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Wastebasket" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-rule-to-throw-into-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/dale-carnegie-382_wastebasket_from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-r_3179080.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/dale-carnegie-382_wastebasket_from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-r_3179080.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/302/dale-carnegie-382_wastebasket_from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-r_3179080.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“From that day to this, I have made it a rule to throw into the wastebasket all the problems that I can no…” — Dale Carnegie", "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": "Dale Carnegie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“From that day to this, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-rule-to-throw-into-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/from-that-day-to-this-i-have-made-it-a-rule-to-throw-into-the/#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 } } ] } ```