--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seems to me that a man who can think…" description: "\"It seems to me that a man who can think straight along for forty-seven years without changing a single idea ought to be kept in a cabinet as a curiosit..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/jean-webster-7791_cabinets_it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think_1139817.jpg" --- # It seems to me that a man who can think straight along for… ![“It seems to me that a man who can think straight along for forty-seven years without changing a single idea ought to be kept in a cabinet as a curiosity.” quote by Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/jean-webster-7791_cabinets_it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think_1139817.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/jean-webster-7791_cabinets_it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think_1139817.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/jean-webster-7791_cabinets_it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think_1139817.jpg) > “It seems to me that a man who can think straight along for forty-seven years without changing a single idea ought to be kept in a cabinet as a curiosity.” [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mind that never changes over decades becomes a static curiosity, lacking growth or adaptability. **In simple terms:** Unchanging ideas become museum pieces. Key Takeaway Encourage intellectual flexibility and lifelong learning. Themes stagnation curiosity intellectual growth novelty Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career development - education - personal growth - creative pursuits Key Concepts rigidity cabinet curiosity longevity Questions to Reflect On - What ideas have you held unchanged? - How can you challenge long‑standing beliefs? A Different Perspective Even long-lived ideas need renewal to stay relevant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Curiosity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/curiosity/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“We're so concerned with the idea of what we ought to be that we fail to take into account the things that make us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/we-re-so-concerned-with-the-idea-of-what-we-ought-to-be-that-we-fail/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [I've always believed that if you support reform or you support a particular idea that you ought to fund that idea first and not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-bush/i-ve-always-believed-that-if-you-support-reform-or-you-support-a/) [Jeb Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-bush/) > [When you lose the power to laugh, you lose your power to think straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-lawrence/when-you-lose-the-power-to-laugh-you-lose-your-power-to-think-straight/) [Jerome Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-lawrence/) > [You can't think straight?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-pickler/you-can-t-think-straight/) [Kellie Pickler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-pickler/) > [Now I'm starting, relatively, to think straight again. I live one day at a time, one hour at a time. What makes it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-yates/now-i-m-starting-relatively-to-think-straight-again-i-live-one-day-at/) [Paula Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-yates/) > [I like people who tell you what they think straight away instead of going around in circles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petr-cech/i-like-people-who-tell-you-what-they-think-straight-away-instead-of/) [Petr Cech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petr-cech/) > [“I’m so in love with him I can’t even think straight. Which is fine since obviously I’m not straight. And neither is he.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-reisz/i-m-so-in-love-with-him-i-can-t-even-think-straight-which-is-fine/) [Tiffany Reisz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-reisz/) > [Sometimes it takes a whole tankful of fuel before you can think straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-it-takes-a-whole-tankful-of-fuel-before-you-can-think/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [And first and foremost, think straight, trust the quiet inner voice that tells you what to do. You hold your life in your hands,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/and-first-and-foremost-think-straight-trust-the-quiet-inner-voice/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [If you're lucky, you don't think in a straight line.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/if-you-re-lucky-you-don-t-think-in-a-straight-line/) [Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/) > [The world is made of Circles And we think in straight Lines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/the-world-is-made-of-circles-and-we-think-in-straight-lines/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [When I feel some type of way, I can't think straight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-tracy/when-i-feel-some-type-of-way-i-can-t-think-straight/) [Lil Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-tracy/) > [“I can't think straight when you 're this close.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/i-can-t-think-straight-when-you-re-this-close/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [“The Word of God I think of as a straight edge, which shows up our own crookedness. We can't really tell how crooked our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-elliot/the-word-of-god-i-think-of-as-a-straight-edge-which-shows-up-our-own/) [Elisabeth Elliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-elliot/) > [“You make it hard to think straight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-carmack/you-make-it-hard-to-think-straight/) [Cora Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-carmack/) ## More by Jean Webster > [“It isn't the big troubles in life that require character. Anybody can rise to a crisis and face a crushing tragedy with courage, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/it-isn-t-the-big-troubles-in-life-that-require-character-anybody-can/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [“Please be thinking about me. I'm quite lonely and I want to be thought about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/please-be-thinking-about-me-i-m-quite-lonely-and-i-want-to-be-thought/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [Half of the time I don't know what they're talking about; their jokes seem to relate to a past that everyone but me has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/half-of-the-time-i-don-t-know-what-they-re-talking-about-their-jokes/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [... in spite of being happier than I ever dreamed I could be, I'm also soberer. The fear that something may happen to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/in-spite-of-being-happier-than-i-ever-dreamed-i-could-be-i-m-also/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [“Do you want to know something? I have three pairs of kid gloves. I've had kid mittens before from the Christmas tree, but never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/do-you-want-to-know-something-i-have-three-pairs-of-kid-gloves-i-ve/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [“I don't believe it pays to be a great author.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-don-t-believe-it-pays-to-be-a-great-author/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [“Examinations are even entertaining, if you know the right answers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/examinations-are-even-entertaining-if-you-know-the-right-answers/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [“Her eyes wandered back to the campus again, and she suddenly grew sober as the thought swept over her that in a few weeks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/her-eyes-wandered-back-to-the-campus-again-and-she-suddenly-grew/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [I think that the most necessary quality for any person to have is imagination. It makes people able to put themselves in other people's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-think-that-the-most-necessary-quality-for-any-person-to-have-is/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [I went to bed last night utterly dejected; I thought I was never going to amount to anything, and that you had thrown away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/i-went-to-bed-last-night-utterly-dejected-i-thought-i-was-never-going/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [“One does not miss what one has never had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/one-does-not-miss-what-one-has-never-had/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [“You remember that illuminated text over the dining-room door--"The Lord Will Provide." We've painted it out, and covered the spot with rabbits. It's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/you-remember-that-illuminated-text-over-the-dining-room-door-the-lord/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [“The bitterness of wearing your enemies' cast-off clothes eats into your soul. If I wore silk stockings for the rest of my life, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/the-bitterness-of-wearing-your-enemies-cast-off-clothes-eats-into/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [The world is full of happiness, and plenty to go round, if you are only willing to take the kind that comes your way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/the-world-is-full-of-happiness-and-plenty-to-go-round-if-you-are-only/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) > [This is your heart.Keep it locked until the chap turns up who has the key.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/this-is-your-heart-keep-it-locked-until-the-chap-turns-up-who-has-the/) [Jean Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) [Explore all 79 Jean Webster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/) ## More Cabinets quotes > [Your head's like mine, like all our heads; big enough to contain every god and devil there ever was. Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [Every person of any rank in the left, from voter on up to cabinet member to elected official in the Democrat Party, has contempt.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/every-person-of-any-rank-in-the-left-from-voter-on-up-to-cabinet/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I can hardly wait until Donald Trump announces his celebrity cabinet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/i-can-hardly-wait-until-donald-trump-announces-his-celebrity-cabinet/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [ \[Footnote:\] Pliny the Elder described a Whale called "Balaena or Whirlpool, which is so long and broad as to take up more in length… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/footnote-pliny-the-elder-described-a-whale-called-balaena-or/) [Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/) > [Well, we're just a couple of weeks from new President Barack Obama being sworn in. And he's been very busy naming a lot of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/well-we-re-just-a-couple-of-weeks-from-new-president-barack-obama/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [Some pretty senior young individuals in and around the Cabinet should share the responsibility for talking up an election and referring publicly on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-winnick/some-pretty-senior-young-individuals-in-and-around-the-cabinet-should/) David Winnick > [Nobody wants me as a Cabinet Minister and they are perfectly right. I am an agitator, not an administrator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-astor/nobody-wants-me-as-a-cabinet-minister-and-they-are-perfectly-right-i/) [Nancy Astor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-astor/) > [I find myself in a new and strange position here: President, cabinet, Gen. Scott, and all deferring to me. By some strange operation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-b-mcclellan/i-find-myself-in-a-new-and-strange-position-here-president-cabinet/) [George B. McClellan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-b-mcclellan/) > [I worry about the lack of experience that Rex Tillerson has had on the diplomatic front and, frankly, I think that's true for many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/i-worry-about-the-lack-of-experience-that-rex-tillerson-has-had-on/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [Fletch then kisses me on the forehead before opening the cabinet under the coffeemaker to grab placemats and napkins. Retrieving these items is his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-lancaster/fletch-then-kisses-me-on-the-forehead-before-opening-the-cabinet/) [Jen Lancaster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-lancaster/) > [Every cabinet minister gets a mission statement from the Prime Minister.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-mulroney/every-cabinet-minister-gets-a-mission-statement-from-the-prime/) [Brian Mulroney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-mulroney/) > [Lillian Gish thought that there should be a cabinet position for the arts and I think she was right. I think she was right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-wray/lillian-gish-thought-that-there-should-be-a-cabinet-position-for-the/) [Fay Wray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-wray/) > [First of all, Donald Trump cabinet or - I call it the 3-G cabinet, Goldman, generals and gazillionaires. And I think it's one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-mccaskill/first-of-all-donald-trump-cabinet-or-i-call-it-the-3-g-cabinet/) [Claire McCaskill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-mccaskill/) > [In a sense, Open City is a kind of Wunderkammer, one of those little rooms assembled with bric-a-brac by Renaissance scholars. I don't mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teju-cole/in-a-sense-open-city-is-a-kind-of-wunderkammer-one-of-those-little/) [Teju Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teju-cole/) > [A man who is ill-adjusted to the world is always on the verge of finding himself. One who is adjusted to the world never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/a-man-who-is-ill-adjusted-to-the-world-is-always-on-the-verge-of/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) Browse all 308 Cabinets quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It seems to me that a man who can think straight along for forty-seven years without changing a single idea ought to be kept in a cabinet as a curiosity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jean Webster" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think-straight-along-for-forty/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cabinets" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think-straight-along-for-forty/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/jean-webster-7791_cabinets_it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think_1139817.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/jean-webster-7791_cabinets_it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think_1139817.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f4e/jean-webster-7791_cabinets_it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think_1139817.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It seems to me that a man who can think straight along for forty-seven years without changing a single idea…” — Jean Webster", "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 Webster", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-webster/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It seems to me that a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think-straight-along-for-forty/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-webster/it-seems-to-me-that-a-man-who-can-think-straight-along-for-forty/#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 } } ] } ```