--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is this great big blackboard, and on…" description: "\"Life is this great big blackboard, and on it you write all the things that you do.\" — Elizabeth Edwards" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/elizabeth-edwards-3857_bigs_life-is-this-great-big-blackboard-and-on_3102748.png" --- # Life is this great big blackboard, and on it you write all… ![“Life is this great big blackboard, and on it you write all the things that you do.” quote by Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/elizabeth-edwards-3857_bigs_life-is-this-great-big-blackboard-and-on_3102748.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/elizabeth-edwards-3857_bigs_life-is-this-great-big-blackboard-and-on_3102748.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee9/elizabeth-edwards-3857_bigs_life-is-this-great-big-blackboard-and-on_3102748.png) > “Life is this great big blackboard, and on it you write all the things that you do.” [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) ## 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 canvas where our actions become the marks we leave behind. **In simple terms:** Our deeds shape our life story. Key Takeaway Act with purpose to create a meaningful legacy. Themes life agency responsibility Mood inspirational motivational Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - career decisions - volunteering - daily habits Key Concepts self‑determination legacy mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What mark do you want to leave? - How can small actions build a larger purpose? A Different Perspective People may feel overwhelmed by the pressure to act meaningfully. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big Blackboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-blackboard-5385361/) [Bigs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bigs/) [Blackboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackboard/) [Blackboard Write](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blackboard-write-5385362/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-great/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Write Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/write-things/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I want my whole life to be a great work of art, not just my art. 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It was my job to put away the chairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-yulin-cruz/when-i-was-in-school-i-was-too-short-to-erase-the-blackboard-it-was/) [Carmen Yulin Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-yulin-cruz/) > [I am not fully forgiven until I allow God to write his new dream for my life on the blackboard of my mind. ..…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-h-schuller/i-am-not-fully-forgiven-until-i-allow-god-to-write-his-new-dream-for/) [Robert H. Schuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-h-schuller/) > [Clouds are poems, and the most moving poems linger on the blackboard so long, written in cursive so lovely, they also exist inside our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-beattie/clouds-are-poems-and-the-most-moving-poems-linger-on-the-blackboard/) [Ann Beattie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-beattie/) > [I was trouble - and always in trouble. Aged eight I still couldn't read. In fact, I was dyslexic and short-sighted. Despite sitting at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-was-trouble-and-always-in-trouble-aged-eight-i-still-couldn-t-read/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [It is still an unending source of surprise for me how a few scribbles on a blackboard or on a piece of paper can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-ulam/it-is-still-an-unending-source-of-surprise-for-me-how-a-few-scribbles/) [Stanislaw Ulam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-ulam/) ## More by Elizabeth Edwards > [Every parent has gone through a period when their child wasn't so happy with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/every-parent-has-gone-through-a-period-when-their-child-wasn-t-so/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [If I had lost a leg, I would tell them, instead of a boy, no one would ever ask me if I was 'over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/if-i-had-lost-a-leg-i-would-tell-them-instead-of-a-boy-no-one-would/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [A lot of sad stories in a row - that wears on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/a-lot-of-sad-stories-in-a-row-that-wears-on-you/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [Resilience is accepting your new reality, even if it's less good than the one you had before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/resilience-is-accepting-your-new-reality-even-if-it-s-less-good-than/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [The military is already sexually integrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/the-military-is-already-sexually-integrated/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [I was a 16-year-old girl at one point, so of course I wrote poetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/i-was-a-16-year-old-girl-at-one-point-so-of-course-i-wrote-poetry/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [Sometimes you get politicians who dig their feet into the sand and aren't willing to listen to another voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/sometimes-you-get-politicians-who-dig-their-feet-into-the-sand-and/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [I have three living children for whom this is a father who I want them to love and on whom they're going to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/i-have-three-living-children-for-whom-this-is-a-father-who-i-want/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [I think that it is our intention to deny cancer any control over us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/i-think-that-it-is-our-intention-to-deny-cancer-any-control-over-us/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [I love children, love spending time with them; I love getting things for them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/i-love-children-love-spending-time-with-them-i-love-getting-things/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [You have to have enough respect for other human beings to leave their lives alone. If you admire that life, build it for yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/you-have-to-have-enough-respect-for-other-human-beings-to-leave-their/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [She stood in the storm, and when the wind did not blow her way, she adjusted her sails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/she-stood-in-the-storm-and-when-the-wind-did-not-blow-her-way-she/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [I can't turn on the television without seeing me, or open the newspaper without seeing me and, honestly, I'm sick to death of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/i-can-t-turn-on-the-television-without-seeing-me-or-open-the/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [The way campaign funds are distributed are all a matter of record.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/the-way-campaign-funds-are-distributed-are-all-a-matter-of-record/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) > [Brave people are the firemen who run into the burning building. That's brave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-edwards/brave-people-are-the-firemen-who-run-into-the-burning-building-that-s/) [Elizabeth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) [Explore all 120 Elizabeth Edwards quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-edwards/) ## More Bigs quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [It is said that history turns on small hinges. A human career, too, results from an accumulating series of decisions about large and small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/it-is-said-that-history-turns-on-small-hinges-a-human-career-too/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [I'm a true believer in prayer, a big believer in prayer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-jackson/i-m-a-true-believer-in-prayer-a-big-believer-in-prayer/) [Janet Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-jackson/) > [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/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [The only regret I have in my career, is my managers wanted a big payday, and I wanted four or five more fights before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-cooney/the-only-regret-i-have-in-my-career-is-my-managers-wanted-a-big/) [Gerry Cooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-cooney/) > [It goes to show you how we in the press so often miss the big stories that are right under our noses. There is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-goes-to-show-you-how-we-in-the-press-so-often-miss-the-big-stories/) [Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/) > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I didn't get how big it was until I went home, turned on the television and saw it on all the news, and later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/i-didn-t-get-how-big-it-was-until-i-went-home-turned-on-the/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Since I was a little child, my nose - I think it's too big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celine-dion/since-i-was-a-little-child-my-nose-i-think-it-s-too-big/) [Celine Dion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celine-dion/) > [People forget that there is a big difference between coercion and persuasion. 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