--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As it was, I realized choosing the study…" description: "\"As it was, I realized choosing the study of Chinese literature as my life's work was probably a mistake.\" — Eric Allin Cornell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/eric-allin-cornell-26880_books_as-it-was-i-realized-choosing-the-study_1093139.png" --- # As it was, I realized choosing the study of Chinese… ![“As it was, I realized choosing the study of Chinese literature as my life's work was probably a mistake.” quote by Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/eric-allin-cornell-26880_books_as-it-was-i-realized-choosing-the-study_1093139.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/eric-allin-cornell-26880_books_as-it-was-i-realized-choosing-the-study_1093139.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0b5/eric-allin-cornell-26880_books_as-it-was-i-realized-choosing-the-study_1093139.png) > “As it was, I realized choosing the study of Chinese literature as my life's work was probably a mistake.” [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Choosing Chinese literature as a career may feel like a mistake, highlighting doubts about one’s path. **In simple terms:** Career doubts arise from choices. Key Takeaway Reevaluate your passion and goals. Themes career identity regret Mood reflective uncertain Type motivational cautionary When to use this quote - career counseling - personal development - academic research Key Concepts self‑assessment academic choice Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of Chinese literature still inspire you? - How can you integrate your skills into a new direction? A Different Perspective Regret can be a catalyst for growth if redirected. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Chinese Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese-literature-1052510/) [Choosing Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choosing-study-2836861/) [Education](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/education/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [I realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-realized/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Literature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature/) [Literature Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/literature-life/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Realized Choosing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realized-choosing-2836862/) [Study](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/study/) ## Related quotes > [My works are Chinese literature, which is part of world literature. They show the life of Chinese people as well as the country's unique…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/my-works-are-chinese-literature-which-is-part-of-world-literature/) [Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/) > [“I have taken a different approach. One that I hope is more easily accessible to the reader’s emotional imagination, though less analytically systematic. 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Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [“Charlie, you know where I am, don't you? All right, Charlie, this isn't literature. This is life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/charlie-you-know-where-i-am-don-t-you-all-right-charlie-this-isn-t/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“In literature, as in Life, one is often astonished by what is chosen by others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-malraux/in-literature-as-in-life-one-is-often-astonished-by-what-is-chosen-by/) [Andre Malraux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-malraux/) > [“Literary criticism, as I attempt to practice it, is in the first place 'literary', which is to say personal and passionate. It is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bloom/literary-criticism-as-i-attempt-to-practice-it-is-in-the-first-place/) [Harold Bloom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bloom/) > [“You might like that one. But I’ll tell you the same thing I tell my students when they complain about the depressing nature of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/you-might-like-that-one-but-i-ll-tell-you-the-same-thing-i-tell-my/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [In literature and in life we ultimately pursue, not conclusions, but beginnings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-tanenhaus/in-literature-and-in-life-we-ultimately-pursue-not-conclusions-but/) [Sam Tanenhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-tanenhaus/) > [Life without literature is a life reduced to penury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-h-abrams/life-without-literature-is-a-life-reduced-to-penury/) [M. H. Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-h-abrams/) > [Without literature, life is hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/without-literature-life-is-hell/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [Books should confuse. Literature abhors the typical. Literature flows to the particular, the mundane, the greasiness of paper, the taste of warm beer, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/books-should-confuse-literature-abhors-the-typical-literature-flows/) [Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/) ## More by Eric Allin Cornell > [The 1970s, the decade of my teenage years, was a transitional period in American youth culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/the-1970s-the-decade-of-my-teenage-years-was-a-transitional-period-in/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [My father was a professor of civil engineering at MIT, and my mother taught high school English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/my-father-was-a-professor-of-civil-engineering-at-mit-and-my-mother/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [After a semester or so, my infatuation with computers burnt out as quickly as it had begun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/after-a-semester-or-so-my-infatuation-with-computers-burnt-out-as/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [Between rounds of speed chess I read enough of a programming manual to teach myself to write programs on the school's DEC mainframe in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/between-rounds-of-speed-chess-i-read-enough-of-a-programming-manual/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [I certainly remember building model rockets. 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For example... Losing an arm is more an inconvenience than a catastrophe. Things could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/keep-everything-in-perspective-if-you-wish-to-be-happy-for-example/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [Conversely, I came to realize that being good at something is hardly a reason to avoid doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/conversely-i-came-to-realize-that-being-good-at-something-is-hardly-a/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [Most of my teachers probably found I made less trouble if they let me read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/most-of-my-teachers-probably-found-i-made-less-trouble-if-they-let-me/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) > [My fellow students there were very smart, but the really novel thing was that they actually seemed to put a lot of effort into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-allin-cornell/my-fellow-students-there-were-very-smart-but-the-really-novel-thing/) [Eric Allin Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) [Explore all 21 Eric Allin Cornell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-allin-cornell/) ## More Books 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/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. 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