--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Isn't history breaking so fast that you…" description: "\"“Isn't history breaking so fast that you have to anticipate it?”\" — Joseph McElroy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/joseph-mcelroy-12331_anticipate_isn-t-history-breaking-so-fast-that-you_332026.jpg" --- # Isn't history breaking so fast that you have to anticipate… ![“Isn't history breaking so fast that you have to anticipate it?” quote by Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/joseph-mcelroy-12331_anticipate_isn-t-history-breaking-so-fast-that-you_332026.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/joseph-mcelroy-12331_anticipate_isn-t-history-breaking-so-fast-that-you_332026.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c5/joseph-mcelroy-12331_anticipate_isn-t-history-breaking-so-fast-that-you_332026.jpg) > ““Isn't history breaking so fast that you have to anticipate it?”” [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rapid change forces us to predict future trends, but anticipation can be limited by uncertainty. **In simple terms:** Fast change demands foresight. Key Takeaway Cultivate adaptive thinking. Themes change anticipation uncertainty Mood cautious analytical Type strategic philosophical When to use this quote - business strategy - personal planning - technology adoption Key Concepts future studies cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance anticipation with flexibility? - What tools help you forecast accurately? A Different Perspective Prediction can be overconfident, leading to missteps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [History](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/history/) ## Related quotes > [“We are a day away from making history, and a history towards the breaking of tommorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/we-are-a-day-away-from-making-history-and-a-history-towards-the/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“He was breaking his fast on white wine and raw onions, in order to keep up the character of martyr, I conclude. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/he-was-breaking-his-fast-on-white-wine-and-raw-onions-in-order-to/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [More caution and perhaps more restraint are necessary in breaking a fast than in keeping it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/more-caution-and-perhaps-more-restraint-are-necessary-in-breaking-a/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [One sought not absolute truth. One sought only a spool on which to wind the thread of history without breaking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/one-sought-not-absolute-truth-one-sought-only-a-spool-on-which-to/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [“I’d never be more than a toy to him, and the men in his family had a history of breaking their toys. They just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-wylde/i-d-never-be-more-than-a-toy-to-him-and-the-men-in-his-family-had-a/) [Joanna Wylde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-wylde/) > [If you don't sow your field what harvest other than thorns and weeds can you anticipate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-don-t-sow-your-field-what-harvest-other-than-thorns-and-weeds/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-great-mistake-is-to-anticipate-the-outcome-of-the-engagement-you/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [What's interesting about art in public spaces is that the public really sort of takes over and uses it in ways that you didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresita-fernandez/what-s-interesting-about-art-in-public-spaces-is-that-the-public/) [Teresita Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresita-fernandez/) > [The very best financial presentation is one that's well thought out and anticipates any questions... answering them in advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/the-very-best-financial-presentation-is-one-that-s-well-thought-out/) [Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/) > [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The problem with merely writing so that you can be understood is that the wrong people, in advancing their agendas, are only too ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/the-problem-with-merely-writing-so-that-you-can-be-understood-is-that/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [I like to do everything you can possibly do before you go into rehearsal, because once we are in rehearsal or on the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-like-to-do-everything-you-can-possibly-do-before-you-go-into/) [Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) ## More by Joseph McElroy > [“... people hasten to get their train, and Lar's humming of course at the premise that beyond this gone-to-pieces capability they will put themselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/people-hasten-to-get-their-train-and-lar-s-humming-of-course-at-the/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“You find yourself in other people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/you-find-yourself-in-other-people/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“I see you moving and me here. Ever-moving. But sometimes moving in one place without ever leaving, yet knowing you could leave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/i-see-you-moving-and-me-here-ever-moving-but-sometimes-moving-in-one/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“Memory kept things from being over.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/memory-kept-things-from-being-over/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“... or a Buenos Aires cab's exhaust pipe? An exhaust pipe which James Mayn was once invited to screw, having asked a man on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/or-a-buenos-aires-cab-s-exhaust-pipe-an-exhaust-pipe-which-james-mayn/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“And isn't this hard when we ourselves are always at the beginning of ourselves?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/and-isn-t-this-hard-when-we-ourselves-are-always-at-the-beginning-of/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“Silence is the real crime against humanity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/silence-is-the-real-crime-against-humanity/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“And I got to stop thinking there's what was and what will be, and start thinking there's a story in between.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/and-i-got-to-stop-thinking-there-s-what-was-and-what-will-be-and/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“And what is your story? someone interrupts. 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And that this is better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/do-you-ever-feel-she-wonders-that-we-fit-into-a-large-life-that-doesn/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“I sat reading from first thing in the morning till the middle of the afternoon. I used to get a phone call twice a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/i-sat-reading-from-first-thing-in-the-morning-till-the-middle-of-the/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“Above his olive-skinned neck a Low Dark Fade they call it at the barber's school where I go for a $4.99 haircut and an experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/above-his-olive-skinned-neck-a-low-dark-fade-they-call-it-at-the/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) > [“Larry is slowly, softly almost laughing, like not quite trying to throw up, and Mayn finds history right there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mcelroy/larry-is-slowly-softly-almost-laughing-like-not-quite-trying-to-throw/) [Joseph McElroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) [Explore all 55 Joseph McElroy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mcelroy/) ## More Anticipate quotes > [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/) [Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/) > [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [I like to do everything you can possibly do before you go into rehearsal, because once we are in rehearsal or on the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-like-to-do-everything-you-can-possibly-do-before-you-go-into/) [Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/) > [The problem with merely writing so that you can be understood is that the wrong people, in advancing their agendas, are only too ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/the-problem-with-merely-writing-so-that-you-can-be-understood-is-that/) [William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/) > [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/) [Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/) > [The very best financial presentation is one that's well thought out and anticipates any questions... answering them in advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/the-very-best-financial-presentation-is-one-that-s-well-thought-out/) [Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/) > [What's interesting about art in public spaces is that the public really sort of takes over and uses it in ways that you didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresita-fernandez/what-s-interesting-about-art-in-public-spaces-is-that-the-public/) [Teresita Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresita-fernandez/) > [The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-great-mistake-is-to-anticipate-the-outcome-of-the-engagement-you/) [Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/) > [If you don't sow your field what harvest other than thorns and weeds can you anticipate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-don-t-sow-your-field-what-harvest-other-than-thorns-and-weeds/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one could possibly anticipate or plan for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determined-by-their-handling-of-one/) [Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/) > [I wish I could anticipate some of the stories and lies that will be told. It's going to be great to get everyone together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-conley/i-wish-i-could-anticipate-some-of-the-stories-and-lies-that-will-be/) Larry Conley > [The two revolutions, I mean the annual revolutions of the declination and of the centre of the Earth, are not completely equal; that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/the-two-revolutions-i-mean-the-annual-revolutions-of-the-declination/) [Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/) > [In two or three hundred years life on earth will be unimaginably beautiful, astounding. 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