--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is like a public performance on the…" description: "\"Life is like a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the intrument as you go along\" — E. M. Forster" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/e-m-forster-1118_education_life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the_2278871.png" --- # Life is like a public performance on the violin, in which… ![“Life is like a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the intrument as you go along” quote by E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/e-m-forster-1118_education_life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the_2278871.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/e-m-forster-1118_education_life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the_2278871.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/e-m-forster-1118_education_life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the_2278871.png) > “Life is like a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the intrument as you go along” [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life requires learning while performing, adapting skill as circumstances unfold. **In simple terms:** Learn while doing. Key Takeaway Embrace continual learning. Themes growth adaptation performance Mood reflective motivational Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - learning a new job - public speaking - musical practice - improving relationships Key Concepts skill acquisition public life improvisation Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle mistakes in real time? - What can you practice to improve confidence? A Different Perspective Skill gaps may cause anxiety and mistakes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Learn Intrument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learn-intrument-5311191/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life is like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-like/) [Music making](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music-making/) [Performance Violin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performance-violin-3615396/) [Performances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/performances/) [Public Performance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-performance-3220770/) [Violin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violin/) [Violin Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violin-learn-3615395/) ## Related quotes > [Life is a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the instrument as you go along.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/life-is-a-public-performance-on-the-violin-in-which-you-must-learn/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [“Life' wrote a friend of mine, 'is a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the instrument as you go along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster-2/life-wrote-a-friend-of-mine-is-a-public-performance-on-the-violin-in/) [E.M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster-2/) > [An entertainer should in his public performance keep himself out of any controversy, political or otherwise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-smith/an-entertainer-should-in-his-public-performance-keep-himself-out-of/) [Kate Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-smith/) > [My last public performance for money was in 1967. For free, it was 1972, with the exception of two little one-shot, one-song things. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/my-last-public-performance-for-money-was-in-1967-for-free-it-was-1972/) [Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/) > [It was pleasant to wake up in Florence, to open the eyes upon a bright bare room, with a floor of red tiles which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/it-was-pleasant-to-wake-up-in-florence-to-open-the-eyes-upon-a-bright/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Life is like boxing in many unsettling respects. But boxing is only like boxing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/life-is-like-boxing-in-many-unsettling-respects-but-boxing-is-only/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Life is like a bicycle; keep moving on to maintain balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/life-is-like-a-bicycle-keep-moving-on-to-maintain-balance/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [He who learns the rules of wisdom, without conforming to them in his life, is like a man who labored in his fields, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-who-learns-the-rules-of-wisdom-without-conforming-to-them-in-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is like a butterfly. You can chase, or you can let it come to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-brown/life-is-like-a-butterfly-you-can-chase-or-you-can-let-it-come-to-you/) [Ruth Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-brown/) > [I wake up in the morning, put on my face. The one that's going to get me through another day. Doesn't really matter...how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avril-lavigne/i-wake-up-in-the-morning-put-on-my-face-the-one-that-s-going-to-get/) [Avril Lavigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avril-lavigne/) > [Life is like walking through snow: every step shows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-like-walking-through-snow-every-step-shows/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is like a game where you seek to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of achieving your goals. You get better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-dalio/life-is-like-a-game-where-you-seek-to-overcome-the-obstacles-that/) [Ray Dalio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-dalio/) > [Life is like the dice that, falling, still show a different face. So life, though it remains the same, is always presenting different aspects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-sanchez/life-is-like-the-dice-that-falling-still-show-a-different-face-so/) [Alexis Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-sanchez/) > [But people who think they can project themselves into deafness are mistaken because you can't. And I'm not talking about imagining what a deaf…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-masur/but-people-who-think-they-can-project-themselves-into-deafness-are/) [Richard Masur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-masur/) > [What would your life be like if your body were your friend and ally?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-northrup/what-would-your-life-be-like-if-your-body-were-your-friend-and-ally/) [Christiane Northrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-northrup/) ## More by E. M. Forster > [Do not be proud of your inconsistency. It is a pity, it is a pity that we should be equipped like this. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/do-not-be-proud-of-your-inconsistency-it-is-a-pity-it-is-a-pity-that/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Reverence is fatal to literature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/reverence-is-fatal-to-literature/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [This element of surprise or mystery - the detective element as it is sometimes rather emptily called - is of great importance in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/this-element-of-surprise-or-mystery-the-detective-element-as-it-is/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [It is so difficult - at least, I find it difficult - to understand people who speak the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/it-is-so-difficult-at-least-i-find-it-difficult-to-understand-people/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Railway termini are our gates to the glorious and the unknown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/railway-termini-are-our-gates-to-the-glorious-and-the-unknown/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Ah, but you see, I didn't want to be fair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/ah-but-you-see-i-didn-t-want-to-be-fair/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [The final test for a novel will be our affection for it, as it is the test of our friends, and of anything else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/the-final-test-for-a-novel-will-be-our-affection-for-it-as-it-is-the/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [America is rather like life. You can usually find in it what you look for It will probably be interesting, and it is sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/america-is-rather-like-life-you-can-usually-find-in-it-what-you-look/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [A critic has no right to the narrowness which is the frequent prerogative of the creative artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/a-critic-has-no-right-to-the-narrowness-which-is-the-frequent/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [All men are equal — all men, that is to say, who possess umbrellas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/all-men-are-equal-all-men-that-is-to-say-who-possess-umbrellas/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Before the civil war, Pottibakia was a normal member of the Comity of Nations. She erected tariff walls, broke treaties, persecuted minorities, obstructed at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/before-the-civil-war-pottibakia-was-a-normal-member-of-the-comity-of/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Chess is a forcing house where the fruits of character can ripen more fully than in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/chess-is-a-forcing-house-where-the-fruits-of-character-can-ripen-more/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [I distrust Great Men... I believe in aristocracy, though... Its members are to be found in all nations and classes, and all through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/i-distrust-great-men-i-believe-in-aristocracy-though-its-members-are/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [Liking one person is an extra reason for liking another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/liking-one-person-is-an-extra-reason-for-liking-another/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) > [We are not concerned with the very poor. They are unthinkable, and only to be approached by the statistician or the poet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/we-are-not-concerned-with-the-very-poor-they-are-unthinkable-and-only/) [E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) [Explore all 287 E. M. Forster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/) ## More Education quotes > [I put myself in the student's place and remember the frustrations, doubts, determination, and desires I felt when I was going through the initial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-martinez/i-put-myself-in-the-student-s-place-and-remember-the-frustrations/) [Ted Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-martinez/) > [“In school you are taught to obey and not to think straight for your own good. Otherwise the world would be full of millionaires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mwanandeke-kindembo/in-school-you-are-taught-to-obey-and-not-to-think-straight-for-your/) [Mwanandeke Kindembo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mwanandeke-kindembo/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [There's no authoritarian structure at Reed College, but the education is conservative. So what you have is a lot of students who are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-miller/there-s-no-authoritarian-structure-at-reed-college-but-the-education/) [Donald Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-miller/) > [“What's the best thing about being in college? Good teachers. They inspire you, they entertain you, and you end up learning a ton even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/what-s-the-best-thing-about-being-in-college-good-teachers-they/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If one has not a head of steel it will burst; if he has not within it a brain of liquid quicksilver, he will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioannes-amos-commenius/if-one-has-not-a-head-of-steel-it-will-burst-if-he-has-not-within-it/) [Ioannes Amos Commenius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioannes-amos-commenius/) > [“let us not teach / what we have learned badly / and not profited by”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-hilda-doolittle/let-us-not-teach-what-we-have-learned-badly-and-not-profited-by/) [H.D. (Hilda Doolittle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-hilda-doolittle/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I only began to enjoy studying after I got through the educational system and became a so-called member of society. If something interested me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-only-began-to-enjoy-studying-after-i-got-through-the-educational/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you had made the acquiring of ignorance the study of your life, you could not have graduated with higher honor than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/if-you-had-made-the-acquiring-of-ignorance-the-study-of-your-life-you/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [How wonderful it would be, I thought, if only we could practice the teachings of the Buddha as he really taught them from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/how-wonderful-it-would-be-i-thought-if-only-we-could-practice-the/) [Dzogchen Ponlop Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dzogchen-ponlop-rinpoche/) > [English teachers tend to put more thought in the books than the author did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/english-teachers-tend-to-put-more-thought-in-the-books-than-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When will society, like a mother, take care of all her children?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace-mann/when-will-society-like-a-mother-take-care-of-all-her-children/) [Horace Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace-mann/) [Browse all 37,666 Education quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life is like a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the intrument as you go along", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "E. M. Forster" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the-violin-in-which-you-must/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Education" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the-violin-in-which-you-must/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/e-m-forster-1118_education_life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the_2278871.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/e-m-forster-1118_education_life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the_2278871.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c25/e-m-forster-1118_education_life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the_2278871.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life is like a public performance on the violin, in which you must learn the intrument as you go along” — E. M. Forster", "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": "E. M. Forster", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life is like a public performance...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the-violin-in-which-you-must/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/life-is-like-a-public-performance-on-the-violin-in-which-you-must/#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 } } ] } ```