--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But what is opportunity to the man who…" description: "\"But what is opportunity to the man who can't use it?\" — George Eliot" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc5/george-eliot-84_men_but-what-is-opportunity-to-the-man-who-c_2134729.png" --- # But what is opportunity to the man who can't use it? ![“But what is opportunity to the man who can't use it?” quote by George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc5/george-eliot-84_men_but-what-is-opportunity-to-the-man-who-c_2134729.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc5/george-eliot-84_men_but-what-is-opportunity-to-the-man-who-c_2134729.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc5/george-eliot-84_men_but-what-is-opportunity-to-the-man-who-c_2134729.png) > “But what is opportunity to the man who can't use it?” [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Opportunity is meaningless to those unable to act on it. **In simple terms:** Opportunity needs ability to use it. Key Takeaway Develop skills to seize chances. Themes opportunity ability inequality Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - education - career advancement - entrepreneurship - policy making Key Concepts agency social mobility potential Questions to Reflect On - How can you help others become able to use opportunities? - What skills do you need to develop? A Different Perspective Systemic barriers can prevent access. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) ## Related quotes > [What is opportunity to the man who can't use it? An unfecundated egg, which the waves of time wash away into nonentity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-is-opportunity-to-the-man-who-can-t-use-it-an-unfecundated-egg/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [What is opportunity to the man who cant use it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-is-opportunity-to-the-man-who-cant-use-it/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [What is opportunity to a man who can't use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-is-opportunity-to-a-man-who-can-t-use-it/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Hitler had an unprecedented opportunity, such as no man will ever again be offered so easily, to create something entirely new. However, besides the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fritz-thyssen/hitler-had-an-unprecedented-opportunity-such-as-no-man-will-ever/) Fritz Thyssen > [Women sometimes forgive a man who forces the opportunity, but never a man who misses ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-maurice-de-talleyrand/women-sometimes-forgive-a-man-who-forces-the-opportunity-but-never-a/) [Charles Maurice de Talleyrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-maurice-de-talleyrand/) > [“There is abundance of opportunity for the man who will go with the tide, instead of trying to swim against it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everte-farnell/there-is-abundance-of-opportunity-for-the-man-who-will-go-with-the/) Everte Farnell > [So, then, to every man his chance - to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining, golden opportunity - to every man the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-wolfe/so-then-to-every-man-his-chance-to-every-man-regardless-of-his-birth/) [Thomas Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-wolfe/) > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [I just remind myself that the gifts I have, I've been given for a reason and that every day brings new opportunities to use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgit-mendler/i-just-remind-myself-that-the-gifts-i-have-i-ve-been-given-for-a/) [Bridgit Mendler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridgit-mendler/) > [I suppose it is one time when you can really use your name to raise money. 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If we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/there-is-an-ancient-indian-saying-we-do-not-inherit-the-earth-from/) [Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/) > [Personally, I think that children should be left alone, they should be given an opportunity to grow up, to become aware of themselves and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/personally-i-think-that-children-should-be-left-alone-they-should-be/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) ## More by George Eliot > [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [But the effect of her being on those around her was incalculably diffusive: for the growing good of the world is partly dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-the-effect-of-her-being-on-those-around-her-was-incalculably/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Scepticismcan never be thoroughly applied, else life would come to a standstill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/scepticismcan-never-be-thoroughly-applied-else-life-would-come-to-a/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Under every guilty secret there is hidden a brood of guilty wishes, whose unwholesome infecting life is cherished by the darkness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/under-every-guilty-secret-there-is-hidden-a-brood-of-guilty-wishes/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [The most powerful movement of feeling with a liturgy is the prayer which seeks for nothing special, but is a yearning to escape from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/the-most-powerful-movement-of-feeling-with-a-liturgy-is-the-prayer/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“Mr. Casaubon had never had a strong bodily frame, and his soul was sensitive without being enthusiastic: it was too languid to thrill out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/mr-casaubon-had-never-had-a-strong-bodily-frame-and-his-soul-was/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“... she took her husband's jokes and joviality as patiently as everything else, considering that "men would be so", and viewing the stronger sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/she-took-her-husband-s-jokes-and-joviality-as-patiently-as-everything/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [What is opportunity to the man who can't use it? An unfecundated egg, which the waves of time wash away into nonentity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/what-is-opportunity-to-the-man-who-can-t-use-it-an-unfecundated-egg/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [And, of course men know best about everything, except what women know better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/and-of-course-men-know-best-about-everything-except-what-women-know/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“But let the wise be warned against too great readiness at explanation: it multiplies the sources of mistake, lengthening the sum for reckoners sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-let-the-wise-be-warned-against-too-great-readiness-at-explanation/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [“But any one watching keenly the stealthy convergence of human lots, sees a slow preparation of effects from one life on another, which tells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/but-any-one-watching-keenly-the-stealthy-convergence-of-human-lots/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [Perspective, as its inventor remarked, is a beautiful thing. 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