--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All direction is but re-direction; it…" description: "\"All direction is but re-direction; it shifts the activities already going on into another channel. Unless one is cognizant of the energies which are al..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/john-dewey-545_activity_all-direction-is-but-re-direction-it-shi_1764660.png" --- # All direction is but re-direction; it shifts the… ![“All direction is but re-direction; it shifts the activities already going on into another channel. Unless one is cognizant of the energies which are already in operation, one's attempts at direction will almost surely go amiss.” quote by John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/john-dewey-545_activity_all-direction-is-but-re-direction-it-shi_1764660.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/john-dewey-545_activity_all-direction-is-but-re-direction-it-shi_1764660.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/593/john-dewey-545_activity_all-direction-is-but-re-direction-it-shi_1764660.png) > “All direction is but re-direction; it shifts the activities already going on into another channel. Unless one is cognizant of the energies which are already in operation, one's attempts at direction will almost surely go amiss.” [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Effective guidance requires awareness of existing forces; redirecting without that insight leads to failure. **In simple terms:** Know current forces before trying to change them. Key Takeaway Observe before directing. Themes leadership awareness adaptation Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - project management - team leadership - personal change - policy planning Key Concepts systems thinking energy dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can you identify hidden forces before acting? - What signs show a current effort is already in motion? A Different Perspective If underlying dynamics are misunderstood, redirection may create new problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/direction/) [Energy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/energy/) ## Related quotes > [If you have a clear mind . . . you won't have to search for direction. Direction will come to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-jackson/if-you-have-a-clear-mind-you-won-t-have-to-search-for-direction/) [Phil Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-jackson/) > [I went my direction, my direction is whatever I want to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-rowland/i-went-my-direction-my-direction-is-whatever-i-want-to-go/) [Kelly Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-rowland/) > [There are four directions: North, South, East, and West. We are going in the fifth direction, which is the direction of stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-taylor/there-are-four-directions-north-south-east-and-west-we-are-going-in/) [Sean Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-taylor/) > [The parts of a machine work with a maximum of cooperativeness for a common result, but they do not form a community. If, however,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-parts-of-a-machine-work-with-a-maximum-of-cooperativeness-for-a/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Beings who are born not only unaware of, but quite indifferent to, the aims and habits of the social group have to be rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/beings-who-are-born-not-only-unaware-of-but-quite-indifferent-to-the/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Personality must be educated, and personality cannot be educated by confining its operations to technical and specialized things, or to the less important relationships…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/personality-must-be-educated-and-personality-cannot-be-educated-by/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [In a world that has so largely engaged in a mad and often brutally harsh race for material gain by means of ruthless competition,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/in-a-world-that-has-so-largely-engaged-in-a-mad-and-often-brutally/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Since education is not a means to living, but is identical with the operation of living a life which is fruitful and inherently significant,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/since-education-is-not-a-means-to-living-but-is-identical-with-the/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [“Plants are not cognizant. When we cut a leaf, we assume that the plant is suffering. But that's our own anthropomorphism about what's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-chamovitz/plants-are-not-cognizant-when-we-cut-a-leaf-we-assume-that-the-plant/) [Daniel Chamovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-chamovitz/) > [We were told, no, you don't do. There was this high standard of morals and a sense of responsibility. That didn't mean that everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-c-driskell/we-were-told-no-you-don-t-do-there-was-this-high-standard-of-morals/) [David C. Driskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-c-driskell/) > [As we all become increasingly reliant on social networking websites and new technologies to stay connected, it's important to remain cognizant of how private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bennet/as-we-all-become-increasingly-reliant-on-social-networking-websites/) [Michael Bennet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bennet/) > [You've got to be very cognizant of the correlation between social media links and business because they don't always correlate as highly as people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/you-ve-got-to-be-very-cognizant-of-the-correlation-between-social/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [When one wants to become cognizant of the color and the texture of the soil, one does not get a ladder; one gets a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/djuna-barnes/when-one-wants-to-become-cognizant-of-the-color-and-the-texture-of/) [Djuna Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/djuna-barnes/) > [I feel blessed to be able to do these events. As I travel around, I'm fully cognizant that there are a lot of people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-mcdonough/i-feel-blessed-to-be-able-to-do-these-events-as-i-travel-around-i-m/) Sean McDonough > [We have to be cognizant of the fact that they've had foreign fighters coming to volunteer for them, foreign money, foreign weapons, so we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-have-to-be-cognizant-of-the-fact-that-they-ve-had-foreign-fighters/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) ## More by John Dewey > [“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-deepest-urge-in-human-nature-is-the-desire-to-be-important/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [“Empirically, things are poignant, tragic, beautiful, humorous, settled, disturbed, comfortable, annoying, barren, harsh, consoling, splendid, fearful; are such immediately and in their own right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/empirically-things-are-poignant-tragic-beautiful-humorous-settled/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [A good aim surveys the present state of experience of pupils, and forming a tentative plan of treatment, keeps the plan constantly in view…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-good-aim-surveys-the-present-state-of-experience-of-pupils-and/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Experiences in order to be educative must lead out into an expanding world of subject matter, a subject matter of facts or information and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/experiences-in-order-to-be-educative-must-lead-out-into-an-expanding/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [A tribe, let us say, is warlike. The successes for which it strives, the achievements upon which it sets store, are connected with fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/a-tribe-let-us-say-is-warlike-the-successes-for-which-it-strives-the/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [The phrase "think for one's self" is a pleonasm. Unless one does it for one's self, it isn't thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/the-phrase-think-for-one-s-self-is-a-pleonasm-unless-one-does-it-for/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Doctrine that eliminates or even obscures the function of choice of values and enlistment of desires and emotions in behalf of those chosen weakens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/doctrine-that-eliminates-or-even-obscures-the-function-of-choice-of/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [There is no such thing as educational value in the abstract. The notion that some subjects and methods and that acquaintance with certain facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/there-is-no-such-thing-as-educational-value-in-the-abstract-the/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Men live in a community in virtue of the things which they have in common; and communication is the way in which they come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/men-live-in-a-community-in-virtue-of-the-things-which-they-have-in/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [We can have facts without thinking but we cannot have thinking without facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/we-can-have-facts-without-thinking-but-we-cannot-have-thinking/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [But progress in knowledge has made us aware of the superficiality of Plato's lumping of individuals and their original powers into a few sharply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/but-progress-in-knowledge-has-made-us-aware-of-the-superficiality-of/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Even the alleged benefits of war, so far as more than alleged, spring from the fact that conflict of peoples at least enforces intercourse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/even-the-alleged-benefits-of-war-so-far-as-more-than-alleged-spring/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [“When the organization called soul is free, moving and operative, initial as well as terminal, it is spirit. Qualities are both static, substantial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/when-the-organization-called-soul-is-free-moving-and-operative/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Since in reality there is nothing to which growth is relative save more growth, there is nothing to which education is subordinate save more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/since-in-reality-there-is-nothing-to-which-growth-is-relative-save/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [Creative thinking will improve as we relate the new fact to the old and all facts to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/creative-thinking-will-improve-as-we-relate-the-new-fact-to-the-old/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) [Explore all 486 John Dewey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) ## More Activity quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [There were books everywhere in my house. Books were very present. I just loved books. I never understood reading as anything but a pleasurable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lucas/there-were-books-everywhere-in-my-house-books-were-very-present-i/) [Lisa Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lucas/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [For the longest time, neuroscientists were forced to be passive observers of brain activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gero-miesenbock/for-the-longest-time-neuroscientists-were-forced-to-be-passive/) Gero Miesenbock > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Once an activity has been socialized, it is impossible to point out, by concrete example, how men in a free market could better conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/once-an-activity-has-been-socialized-it-is-impossible-to-point-out-by/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have to consider everything I eat; I consider every activity I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/i-have-to-consider-everything-i-eat-i-consider-every-activity-i-do/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) Browse all 3,263 Activity quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "All direction is but re-direction; it shifts the activities already going on into another channel. 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