--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is a period in life when we go…" description: "\"There is a period in life when we go backwards as we advance.\" — Jean-Jacques Rousseau" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_advance_there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-bac_879495.png" --- # There is a period in life when we go backwards as we… ![“There is a period in life when we go backwards as we advance.” quote by Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_advance_there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-bac_879495.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_advance_there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-bac_879495.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_advance_there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-bac_879495.png) > “There is a period in life when we go backwards as we advance.” [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life sometimes requires moving backward to make forward progress. **In simple terms:** Going back can help you move forward. Key Takeaway Accept setbacks as part of growth. Themes growth paradox progress reflection learning Mood thoughtful encouraging philosophical Type educational reflective When to use this quote - career changes - skill acquisition - personal crises - creative projects Key Concepts dialectics personal development philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What past experiences helped you advance? - How can you identify productive setbacks? A Different Perspective Not all regressions lead to progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Advance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advance/) [Backwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backwards/) [Backwards Advance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/backwards-advance-1037833/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Backwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-backwards-1037832/) [Period Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/period-life-287486/) [Periods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/periods/) ## Related quotes > [“Evil is when we live life backwards”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelley-hitz/evil-is-when-we-live-life-backwards/) [Shelley Hitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelley-hitz/) > [You have to envision your life, and then go backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/you-have-to-envision-your-life-and-then-go-backwards/) [Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/) > [Someone told me something that stuck with me: 'You have to envision your life, and then go backwards.' I've been living by that motto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-mars/someone-told-me-something-that-stuck-with-me-you-have-to-envision/) [Bruno Mars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-mars/) > [I have lived my life backwards as compared to my peers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-lived-my-life-backwards-as-compared-to-my-peers/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I had to be a grown-up when I should have been a little boy, and now that I'm a grown-up my little-boyness has exploded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-cumming/i-had-to-be-a-grown-up-when-i-should-have-been-a-little-boy-and-now/) [Alan Cumming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-cumming/) > [You can understand life backwards, but you can only live life forwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-understand-life-backwards-but-you-can-only-live-life-forwards/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I have lived my life backwards as compared to my peers. Everyone did incredibly stupid things as teenagers and pre-teens. I didn't. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-joybell-c/i-have-lived-my-life-backwards-as-compared-to-my-peers-everyone-did/) [C. JoyBell C](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-joybell-c/) > [The trouble with therapy is that it makes life go backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/the-trouble-with-therapy-is-that-it-makes-life-go-backwards/) [Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/) > [There is a period of life when we go back as we advance. \[Fr., Il est un terme de la vie au-dela duquel en…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/there-is-a-period-of-life-when-we-go-back-as-we-advance-fr-il-est-un/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Sometimes the little times you don't think are anything while they're happening turn out to be what marks a whole period of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/sometimes-the-little-times-you-don-t-think-are-anything-while-they-re/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [The most important period of life is not the age of university studies, but the first one, the period from birth to the age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/the-most-important-period-of-life-is-not-the-age-of-university/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [There is a period in one's life - perhaps not longer than six months - when one lives in two worlds at once ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/there-is-a-period-in-one-s-life-perhaps-not-longer-than-six-months/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [You can't regret a whole period in your life. . . . It's part of who you are, one of your stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-fraser/you-can-t-regret-a-whole-period-in-your-life-it-s-part-of-who-you-are/) [Laura Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-fraser/) > [In my next life I want to live my life backwards. You start out dead and get that out of the way. Then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-my-next-life-i-want-to-live-my-life-backwards-you-start-out-dead/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't play the reels of your life backwards - play them forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/don-t-play-the-reels-of-your-life-backwards-play-them-forward/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) ## More by Jean-Jacques Rousseau > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Take the course opposite to custom and you will almost always do well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/take-the-course-opposite-to-custom-and-you-will-almost-always-do-well/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Everything we do not have at our birth and which we need when we are grown is given to us by education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/everything-we-do-not-have-at-our-birth-and-which-we-need-when-we-are/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The first person who, having enclosed a plot of land, took it into his head to say this is mine and found people simple…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-first-person-who-having-enclosed-a-plot-of-land-took-it-into-his/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [...in respect of riches, no citizen shall ever be wealthy enough to buy another, and none poor enough to be forced to sell himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/in-respect-of-riches-no-citizen-shall-ever-be-wealthy-enough-to-buy/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Take from the philosopher the pleasure of being heard and his desire for knowledge ceases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/take-from-the-philosopher-the-pleasure-of-being-heard-and-his-desire/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Men, in general, are not this or that, they are what they are made to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/men-in-general-are-not-this-or-that-they-are-what-they-are-made-to-be/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I would rather be a man of paradoxes than a man of prejudices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/i-would-rather-be-a-man-of-paradoxes-than-a-man-of-prejudices/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“O Fabricius! What would your great soul have thought, if to your own misfortune you had been called back to life and had seen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/o-fabricius-what-would-your-great-soul-have-thought-if-to-your-own/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“The sword wears out its sheath, as it is sometimes said. That is my story. My passions have made me live, and my passions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-sword-wears-out-its-sheath-as-it-is-sometimes-said-that-is-my/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [Whence do I get my rules of conduct? I find them in my heart. Whatever I feel to be good is good. Whatever I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/whence-do-i-get-my-rules-of-conduct-i-find-them-in-my-heart-whatever/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“If one divided all of human science into two parts - the one common to all men, the other particular to the learned -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/if-one-divided-all-of-human-science-into-two-parts-the-one-common-to/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The social compact sets up among the citizens as equality of such kind, that they all bind themselves to observe the same conditions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/the-social-compact-sets-up-among-the-citizens-as-equality-of-such/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I do not know is a phrase which becomes us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/i-do-not-know-is-a-phrase-which-becomes-us/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [“How could I become wicked, when I had nothing but examples of gentleness before my eyes, and none around me but the best people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/how-could-i-become-wicked-when-i-had-nothing-but-examples-of/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) [Explore all 518 Jean-Jacques Rousseau quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) ## More Advance quotes > [I don't think we should tell them what we're going to do in advance. Let them think. Worry. Wonder. Uncertainty is the most chilling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-a-walters/i-don-t-think-we-should-tell-them-what-we-re-going-to-do-in-advance/) [Vernon A. Walters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-a-walters/) > [It's more common than not that bipolar illness will start in the teens. One of the reasons I spend a lot of time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/it-s-more-common-than-not-that-bipolar-illness-will-start-in-the/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [The advance of science spares us from irrational dread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/the-advance-of-science-spares-us-from-irrational-dread/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [Some companies out there quote a start of production that is substantially in advance of when customers get their cars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/some-companies-out-there-quote-a-start-of-production-that-is/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [My priority in life is my whanau, followed by my work as an artist, which has blessed me with the ability to provide opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cliff-curtis/my-priority-in-life-is-my-whanau-followed-by-my-work-as-an-artist/) [Cliff Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cliff-curtis/) > [Others have said it before me. If you don't have a seat at the table, you're probably on the menu. And so it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/others-have-said-it-before-me-if-you-don-t-have-a-seat-at-the-table/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [What I have in advance are people I want to write about and a problem or problems that I see those people encountering and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/what-i-have-in-advance-are-people-i-want-to-write-about-and-a-problem/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [Error is discipline through which we advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/error-is-discipline-through-which-we-advance/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [I think it's important to earn your fan base and not just try to immediately advance to the top. If you ride to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/i-think-it-s-important-to-earn-your-fan-base-and-not-just-try-to/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [The Chinese public is deeply nationalist, which matters to China's unelected political leadership as much as U.S. nationalism does to American politicians. As China…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-chinese-public-is-deeply-nationalist-which-matters-to-china-s/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [Some might complain that nuclear disarmament is little more than a dream. But that ignores the very tangible benefits disarmament would bring for all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ban-ki-moon/some-might-complain-that-nuclear-disarmament-is-little-more-than-a/) [Ban Ki-moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ban-ki-moon/) > [Let our advance worrying become advance thinking and planning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/let-our-advance-worrying-become-advance-thinking-and-planning/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Let us not bankrupt our todays by paying interest on the regrets of yesterday and by borrowing in advance the troubles of tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-w-sockman-2/let-us-not-bankrupt-our-todays-by-paying-interest-on-the-regrets-of/) [Ralph W. Sockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-w-sockman-2/) > [In times of failing health, don't hopelessly pray for the intervention of a mythical god; wish hopefully for an advance in medical science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-fowler/in-times-of-failing-health-don-t-hopelessly-pray-for-the-intervention/) [Steve Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-fowler/) > [Clearly, unless thinking beings inevitably wipe themselves out soon after developing technology, extraterrestrial intelligence could often be millions or billions of years in advance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/clearly-unless-thinking-beings-inevitably-wipe-themselves-out-soon/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) [Browse all 263 Advance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/advance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is a period in life when we go backwards as we advance.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean-Jacques Rousseau" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-backwards-as-we-advance/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Advance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-backwards-as-we-advance/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_advance_there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-bac_879495.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_advance_there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-bac_879495.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ddc/jean-jacques-rousseau-418_advance_there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-bac_879495.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is a period in life when we go backwards as we advance.” — Jean-Jacques Rousseau", "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": "Jean-Jacques Rousseau", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is a period in life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-backwards-as-we-advance/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/there-is-a-period-in-life-when-we-go-backwards-as-we-advance/#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 } } ] } ```