--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We should be most careful about…" description: "\"We should be most careful about retreating from the specific challenge of our age. We should be reluctant to turn our back upon the frontier of this ep..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-a-michener-1627_age_we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreati_2822575.jpg" --- # We should be most careful about retreating from the… ![“We should be most careful about retreating from the specific challenge of our age. We should be reluctant to turn our back upon the frontier of this epoch... We cannot be indifferent to space, because the grand slow march of our intelligence has brought us, in our generation, to a point from which…” quote by James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-a-michener-1627_age_we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreati_2822575.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-a-michener-1627_age_we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreati_2822575.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-a-michener-1627_age_we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreati_2822575.jpg) > “We should be most careful about retreating from the specific challenge of our age. We should be reluctant to turn our back upon the frontier of this epoch... We cannot be indifferent to space, because the grand slow march of our intelligence has brought us, in our generation, to a point from which we can explore and understand and utilize it. To turn back now would be to deny our history, our capabilities.” [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We must not retreat from the challenges of our era, especially space, as it reflects our progress and potential. **In simple terms:** Don’t abandon space challenges; they define our growth. Key Takeaway Embrace space exploration. Themes exploration future humanity Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - space policy - education - career planning Key Concepts philosophy technology Questions to Reflect On - What would you sacrifice to pursue space? - How can society prioritize long‑term goals? A Different Perspective Space efforts face funding and political hurdles. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Age Reluctant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age-reluctant-3601258/) [Capability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/capability/) [Careful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careful/) [Careful Retreating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/careful-retreating-3601257/) [Challenges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/challenges/) [Deny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deny/) [Epoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epoch/) [Frontier Epoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frontier-epoch-3601260/) [Frontiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frontiers/) [Generations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generations/) [Indifferent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indifferent/) [March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/march/) [Our generation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/our-generation/) [Reluctant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reluctant/) [Retreating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retreating/) [Retreating Specific](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retreating-specific-3601259/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Turns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/turns/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“We're not retreating." (Illyria) (Spike) "It's so much easier if you just tell yourself you're strategically heading in the opposite direction of those that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-lynch/we-re-not-retreating-illyria-spike-it-s-so-much-easier-if-you-just/) [Brian Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-lynch/) > [“I found a note he'd left behind entitled 'Ciao': One just keeps saying, 'No...No...No...' Head bowed, hat in hand, A cringing, cunning little step…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-leyner/i-found-a-note-he-d-left-behind-entitled-ciao-one-just-keeps-saying/) [Mark Leyner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-leyner/) > [Snow pursued by the wind is not wholly unlike a retreating army. In the open field it ranges itself in ranks and battalions; where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/snow-pursued-by-the-wind-is-not-wholly-unlike-a-retreating-army-in/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [“It was enough to make me feel like retreating into some wooded or snowy clime, where only the most determined photographers or Mary-hunters might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-altebrando/it-was-enough-to-make-me-feel-like-retreating-into-some-wooded-or/) [Tara Altebrando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-altebrando/) > [Retreat, hell! We're not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-p-smith/retreat-hell-we-re-not-retreating-we-re-just-advancing-in-a-different/) [Oliver P. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-p-smith/) > [I think my hair is French. It's been retreating for years. . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-sutter/i-think-my-hair-is-french-it-s-been-retreating-for-years/) [Rick Sutter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-sutter/) > [“American civilization isn’t advancing as fast as our military is. The only problem is we should be retreating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/american-civilization-isn-t-advancing-as-fast-as-our-military-is-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more or retreating into less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-growing-into-more-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If a band or artist isn't tweeting or writing posts on Facebook every day, there can be this kind of mystique built about them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washed-out/if-a-band-or-artist-isn-t-tweeting-or-writing-posts-on-facebook-every/) [Washed Out](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washed-out/) > [“I wonder: instead of retreating and hiding, instead of pining for the way it was, what if I accept the way it is? This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-kidd-taylor/i-wonder-instead-of-retreating-and-hiding-instead-of-pining-for-the/) [Ann Kidd Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-kidd-taylor/) > [“We are marching in a compact group along a precipitous and difficult path, firmly holding each other by the hand. We are surrounded on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-ilyich-lenin/we-are-marching-in-a-compact-group-along-a-precipitous-and-difficult/) [Vladimir Ilyich Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-ilyich-lenin/) > [“Everyone needs to escape sometimes, and retreating into somebody else's fantasy isn't nearly as satisfying as slipping into your own.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/everyone-needs-to-escape-sometimes-and-retreating-into-somebody-else/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [“The dark might be dark, but at least we don’t have to look at ourselves when we’re standing in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-dark-might-be-dark-but-at-least-we-don-t-have-to-look-at/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“You’re an English major, aren't you?” “Hey!” Immediately retreating, Keith swatted at him with a dishcloth. “Leave my brain alone. It’s resting.” “Sorry, sorry.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-haldeman-time/you-re-an-english-major-aren-t-you-hey-immediately-retreating-keith/) [Matthew Haldeman-Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-haldeman-time/) ## More by James A. Michener > [ “\[Very rich people\] with brains make a great effort to hold on to every penny they have while preaching to the general population that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/very-rich-people-with-brains-make-a-great-effort-to-hold-on-to-every/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [A writer can make a fortune in America, but he can't make a living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/a-writer-can-make-a-fortune-in-america-but-he-can-t-make-a-living/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [As a writer I have persisted in my uncertainty, alternating between novels which could charitably be considered literature and world reporting which by another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/as-a-writer-i-have-persisted-in-my-uncertainty-alternating-between/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [ . . . Luddites were those frenzied traditionalists of the early 19th century who toured \[England\] wrecking new weaving machines on the theory that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/luddites-were-those-frenzied-traditionalists-of-the-early-19th/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [I am terrified of restrictive religious doctrine, having learned from history that when men who adhere to any form of it are in control,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/i-am-terrified-of-restrictive-religious-doctrine-having-learned-from/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“This is not a promise, this is not threat, it's just the way it's gonna be!!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/this-is-not-a-promise-this-is-not-threat-it-s-just-the-way-it-s-gonna/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“We went into the night and for the first time in my life I saw the stars hanging low over the desert, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/we-went-into-the-night-and-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-saw-the/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [The rules seem to be these: If you have written a successful novel, everyone invites you to write short stories. If you have written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/the-rules-seem-to-be-these-if-you-have-written-a-successful-novel/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“A Roman came to Rabbi Gimzo the Water Carrier, and asked, "What is this study of the law that you Jews engage in?" and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/a-roman-came-to-rabbi-gimzo-the-water-carrier-and-asked-what-is-this/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [If you reject the food, ignore the customs, fear the religion and avoid the people, you might better stay home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/if-you-reject-the-food-ignore-the-customs-fear-the-religion-and-avoid/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [I think the crucial thing in the writing career is to find what you want to do and how you fit in. What somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/i-think-the-crucial-thing-in-the-writing-career-is-to-find-what-you/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [“The chance emergence of the was nothing. Remember this. But its persistence and patient accumulation of stature were everything. Only by relentless effort did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/the-chance-emergence-of-the-was-nothing-remember-this-but-its/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [During my lifetime I have met dozens of writers and photographers in dozens of different countries. But I have encountered no one who could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/during-my-lifetime-i-have-met-dozens-of-writers-and-photographers-in/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [My work as a naval officer in World War II enabled me to serve on 49 different South Pacific islands so that I came…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/my-work-as-a-naval-officer-in-world-war-ii-enabled-me-to-serve-on-49/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) > [The sense of belonging is one of the great gifts men get in battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/the-sense-of-belonging-is-one-of-the-great-gifts-men-get-in-battle/) [James A. Michener](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) [Explore all 220 James A. Michener quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We should be most careful about retreating from the specific challenge of our age. We should be reluctant to turn our back upon the frontier of this epoch... We cannot be indifferent to space, because the grand slow march of our intelligence has brought us, in our generation, to a point from which we can explore and understand and utilize it. To turn back now would be to deny our history, our capabilities.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James A. Michener" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreating-from-the-specific/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreating-from-the-specific/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-a-michener-1627_age_we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreati_2822575.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-a-michener-1627_age_we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreati_2822575.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/30a/james-a-michener-1627_age_we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreati_2822575.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We should be most careful about retreating from the specific challenge of our age. We should be reluctant to…” — James A. Michener", "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": "James A. Michener", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-michener/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We should be most careful about...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreating-from-the-specific/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-michener/we-should-be-most-careful-about-retreating-from-the-specific/#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 } } ] } ```