--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I went blind at 13, I realized that…" description: "\"When I went blind at 13, I realized that I wasn't going to be a good baseball or basketball player like I enjoyed before. It forced me to look beyond t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/erik-weihenmayer-24419_ball-player_when-i-went-blind-at-13-i-realized-that_1310973.png" --- # When I went blind at 13, I realized that I wasn't going to… ![“When I went blind at 13, I realized that I wasn't going to be a good baseball or basketball player like I enjoyed before. It forced me to look beyond the obvious, to things that I could still do well.” quote by Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/erik-weihenmayer-24419_ball-player_when-i-went-blind-at-13-i-realized-that_1310973.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/erik-weihenmayer-24419_ball-player_when-i-went-blind-at-13-i-realized-that_1310973.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/664/erik-weihenmayer-24419_ball-player_when-i-went-blind-at-13-i-realized-that_1310973.png) > “When I went blind at 13, I realized that I wasn't going to be a good baseball or basketball player like I enjoyed before. It forced me to look beyond the obvious, to things that I could still do well.” [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Losing sight forced him to discover alternative strengths, showing that setbacks can reveal hidden abilities. **In simple terms:** Disabilities can uncover new talents. Key Takeaway Seek opportunities in adversity. Themes resilience adaptation self‑discovery Mood inspirational hopeful Type motivational self‑help When to use this quote - sports - education - career transitions - creative projects Key Concepts neuroplasticity growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - What talents could you develop if a limitation arose? - How can you reframe a loss as a gain? A Different Perspective Not all setbacks lead to positive outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baseball/) [Basketball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball/) [Basketball player](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-player/) [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Good baseball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-baseball/) ## Related quotes > [Right about when I turned 13, I realized that women could be jockeys, from my travels to the racetrack with my dad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chantal-sutherland/right-about-when-i-turned-13-i-realized-that-women-could-be-jockeys/) [Chantal Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chantal-sutherland/) > [I saw a guy wearing a "What Would Jesus Do?" bracelet and a Lance Armstrong bracelet, and he went up to this blind kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-tosh/i-saw-a-guy-wearing-a-what-would-jesus-do-bracelet-and-a-lance/) [Daniel Tosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-tosh/) > [Milton, when he went blind, declared that he could now begin the real work of his life. Similarly, with the merciless passage of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-scott/milton-when-he-went-blind-declared-that-he-could-now-begin-the-real/) [Doug Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-scott/) > [“I flipped through their visions, left my number in their sleep. But no one called back. I called all night, called for years, called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agha-shahid-ali/i-flipped-through-their-visions-left-my-number-in-their-sleep-but-no/) [Agha Shahid Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agha-shahid-ali/) > [I adopted two children, then I got eye disease and five rounds of surgery. I went blind in one eye, then the other eye,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-patrick-shanley/i-adopted-two-children-then-i-got-eye-disease-and-five-rounds-of/) [John Patrick Shanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-patrick-shanley/) > [“For Mum, life was fundamentally hell. You went blind, you got raped, people forgot your birthday, Nixon got elected, your husband fled with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/for-mum-life-was-fundamentally-hell-you-went-blind-you-got-raped/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [I've gotten really hot since you went blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-ve-gotten-really-hot-since-you-went-blind/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Just as I had always feared your precious words they disappeared into my mind as I went blind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-dare/just-as-i-had-always-feared-your-precious-words-they-disappeared-into/) Douglas Dare > [If all my friends went blind.. I wonder who would see me~](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-solomon/if-all-my-friends-went-blind-i-wonder-who-would-see-me/) [Shaquille Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-solomon/) > [“Of course: because it was in one of the camps that he went blind. They had performed some failed experiment on his eyes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-irving/of-course-because-it-was-in-one-of-the-camps-that-he-went-blind-they/) [John Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-irving/) > [“I went on a blind date—with a descendent of Helen Keller.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-went-on-a-blind-date-with-a-descendent-of-helen-keller/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Poetry is what Milton saw when he went blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-marquis/poetry-is-what-milton-saw-when-he-went-blind/) [Don Marquis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-marquis/) > [If I was a simple man, Would we still walk hand in hand? And if I suddenly went blind, Would you still look in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-green/if-i-was-a-simple-man-would-we-still-walk-hand-in-hand-and-if-i/) [Dallas Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-green/) > [I went on a blind date yesterday. Her name was :.::](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-went-on-a-blind-date-yesterday-her-name-was/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If the whole world suddenly went blind, how many people would still see your beauty? Focus within. Be beautiful on the inside too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-the-whole-world-suddenly-went-blind-how-many-people-would-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Erik Weihenmayer > [What a thrill to be able to say that you had a contribution in the life of someone - a young person, perhaps, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/what-a-thrill-to-be-able-to-say-that-you-had-a-contribution-in-the/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [Success is not just the crowning moment, the spiking of the ball in the end zone or the raising of the flag on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/success-is-not-just-the-crowning-moment-the-spiking-of-the-ball-in/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [It's kind of too movie-like to say, "When I started climbing, I knew I wanted to climb Everest some day." Instead, I just started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/it-s-kind-of-too-movie-like-to-say-when-i-started-climbing-i-knew-i/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [The key is to really have tremendously high expectations and to teach kids how to be self sufficient and confident and give them the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/the-key-is-to-really-have-tremendously-high-expectations-and-to-teach/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [Society imposes low expectations of those who have disabilities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/society-imposes-low-expectations-of-those-who-have-disabilities/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [Maybe people, maybe the world writes things off as impossible a little too quickly, when they really aren't - when they just haven't reached…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/maybe-people-maybe-the-world-writes-things-off-as-impossible-a-little/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [There is a very blurry line between the things we can't do and the things that we can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/there-is-a-very-blurry-line-between-the-things-we-can-t-do-and-the/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [Confidence without skill is just emptiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/confidence-without-skill-is-just-emptiness/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [I decided to become a teacher because I thought it would be a great career where I could wear different hats. You're an academic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/i-decided-to-become-a-teacher-because-i-thought-it-would-be-a-great/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [People have the inner resources to become anything they want to be. Challenge just becomes the vehicle for tapping into those inner resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/people-have-the-inner-resources-to-become-anything-they-want-to-be/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [You don't just deal with adversity. You use it to propel you forward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/you-don-t-just-deal-with-adversity-you-use-it-to-propel-you-forward/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [You can't have self confidence without some real skills that enable you to be successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/you-can-t-have-self-confidence-without-some-real-skills-that-enable/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [The truth is that adversity is a part of most days. Whether you are ultimately weakened or strengthened by each event, or the accumulation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/the-truth-is-that-adversity-is-a-part-of-most-days-whether-you-are/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [It is exciting to kind of figure things out in yourself and then use other people to help you figure things out so you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/it-is-exciting-to-kind-of-figure-things-out-in-yourself-and-then-use/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) > [When I'm following someone, I'm listening to a bear bell strapped to their packs. When I'm leading on a climb, like on a rock,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-weihenmayer/when-i-m-following-someone-i-m-listening-to-a-bear-bell-strapped-to/) [Erik Weihenmayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) [Explore all 24 Erik Weihenmayer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-weihenmayer/) ## More Ball player quotes > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [There is no doubt in my mind and I know in my time, there will be a Canadian basketball player playing for Toronto Raptors, 100%](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/there-is-no-doubt-in-my-mind-and-i-know-in-my-time-there-will-be-a/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [I have friends in other industries but if I am training for a wrestling match, I would turn to the best wrestler to train,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-aries/i-have-friends-in-other-industries-but-if-i-am-training-for-a/) [Austin Aries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-aries/) > [And I want to do it the right way, like everybody else, not just a famous figurehead that gets a job because he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/and-i-want-to-do-it-the-right-way-like-everybody-else-not-just-a/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) > [I competed every day as a professional football player... You've got to like competing. That's how your team gets better, when you have competition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herm-edwards/i-competed-every-day-as-a-professional-football-player-you-ve-got-to/) [Herm Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herm-edwards/) > [“I can’t wait to knock you up and have a whole team of little baseball players around this place!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-sterling/i-can-t-wait-to-knock-you-up-and-have-a-whole-team-of-little-baseball/) [J. Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-sterling/) > [MOST AMAZING FOOTBALL PLAYER IN THE ENTIRE WORLD && IN REAL MADRID](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-amazing-football-player-in-the-entire-world-in-real-madrid/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My older brothers were both basketball players so I just grew up around the gym.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brook-lopez/my-older-brothers-were-both-basketball-players-so-i-just-grew-up/) [Brook Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brook-lopez/) > [I'm a basketball player, so I want to do whatever I've got to do to be on the floor and I'm prepared for that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrese-haliburton/i-m-a-basketball-player-so-i-want-to-do-whatever-i-ve-got-to-do-to-be/) [Tyrese Haliburton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrese-haliburton/) > [“Seeing yourself in print is such an amazing concept: you can get so much attention without having to actually show up somewhere. While others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeing-yourself-in-print-is-such-an-amazing-concept-you-can-get-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People say baseball players should go out and have fun. No way. To me, baseball is pressure, I always feel it. This is work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-eckersley/people-say-baseball-players-should-go-out-and-have-fun-no-way-to-me/) [Dennis Eckersley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-eckersley/) > [Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-trudeau/canada-is-a-country-whose-main-exports-are-hockey-players-and-cold/) [Pierre Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-trudeau/) > [“The great thing about baseball players, from the point of view of personal hygiene, is how seldom they break a sweat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lewis/the-great-thing-about-baseball-players-from-the-point-of-view-of/) [Michael Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lewis/) > [A lot of scouts and people are enamored with athleticism and youth. So they take that any day over mature, high-quality basketball players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-brogdon/a-lot-of-scouts-and-people-are-enamored-with-athleticism-and-youth-so/) [Malcolm Brogdon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-brogdon/) > [I'm a baseball player. I've done this my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-sale/i-m-a-baseball-player-i-ve-done-this-my-whole-life/) [Chris Sale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-sale/) Browse all 1,395 Ball player quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "When I went blind at 13, I realized that I wasn't going to be a good baseball or basketball player like I enjoyed before. 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