--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: My main expertise is in the past, but if…" description: "\"My main expertise is in the past, but if I have to extrapolate into the future, I would say: no good news any time soon and an obvious exit strategy is..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/juan-cole-26631_exit_my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if_1600469.jpg" --- # My main expertise is in the past, but if I have to… ![“My main expertise is in the past, but if I have to extrapolate into the future, I would say: no good news any time soon and an obvious exit strategy is not apparent to me.” quote by Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/juan-cole-26631_exit_my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if_1600469.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/juan-cole-26631_exit_my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if_1600469.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/juan-cole-26631_exit_my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if_1600469.jpg) > “My main expertise is in the past, but if I have to extrapolate into the future, I would say: no good news any time soon and an obvious exit strategy is not apparent to me.” [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Future outlook is bleak with no clear solution; caution and realistic planning are advised. **In simple terms:** No good news soon; exit unclear. Key Takeaway Prepare for uncertainty, seek adaptable strategies. Themes future uncertainty strategy politics analysis Mood cautious pragmatic Type forecasting strategic When to use this quote - business planning - government policy - personal finance - NGO work Key Concepts risk assessment scenario planning policy analysis Questions to Reflect On - What alternative scenarios could improve outcomes? - How can resilience be built? A Different Perspective Optimism may overlook emerging opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exit Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exit-strategy/) [Expertise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expertise/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Good news](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-news/) [News](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/news/) [Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Pentagon records show that at least 8,000 members of the all-volunteer U.S. Army have deserted since the Iraq war began. Hey, at least somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/pentagon-records-show-that-at-least-8-000-members-of-the-all/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [Don't start a company unless it's an obsession and something you love. If you have an exit strategy, it's not an obsession.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/don-t-start-a-company-unless-it-s-an-obsession-and-something-you-love/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [\[To the House of Representatives before casting the only vote against allowing George W. Bush to use 'all necesary and appropriate force' in response…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-lee/to-the-house-of-representatives-before-casting-the-only-vote-against/) [Barbara Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-lee/) > [Always start at the end before you begin. Professional investors always have an exit strategy before they invest. Knowing your exit strategy is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-kiyosaki/always-start-at-the-end-before-you-begin-professional-investors/) [Robert Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-kiyosaki/) > [I really don't have much respect for the people who live their lives motivated by an exit strategy existing, being performed. There was no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-grove/i-really-don-t-have-much-respect-for-the-people-who-live-their-lives/) [Andy Grove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-grove/) > [ What is needed \[to combat terrorism\], in my view, is resolve, not retreat; courage, not concession. Rather than thinking in terms of an exit… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/what-is-needed-to-combat-terrorism-in-my-view-is-resolve-not-retreat/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [Congress and the American people have good reason to fear that we are heading toward another permanent garrison of Americans in a Balkan country…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/congress-and-the-american-people-have-good-reason-to-fear-that-we-are/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [President Obama is sending a couple hundred troops to Iraq. We spent six years trying to figure a way to get out of Iraq.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/president-obama-is-sending-a-couple-hundred-troops-to-iraq-we-spent/) [David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/) > [If we are going to commit American troops, we must be certain they have a clear mission, an achievable goal and an exit strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hughes/if-we-are-going-to-commit-american-troops-we-must-be-certain-they/) [Karen Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hughes/) > [Death is my exit strategy. I'll be doing significant customer service only as long as I live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-newmark/death-is-my-exit-strategy-i-ll-be-doing-significant-customer-service/) [Craig Newmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-newmark/) > [It is irresponsible for this Congress to not investigate the President's lack of an exit strategy, and the fraud, waste, and abuse of U.S.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-carnahan/it-is-irresponsible-for-this-congress-to-not-investigate-the/) [Russ Carnahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-carnahan/) > [If you're a Democrat and 'The New York Times' is calling for your head, you know it's time for an exit strategy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/if-you-re-a-democrat-and-the-new-york-times-is-calling-for-your-head/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [I am committed to doing customer service for Craigslist for the rest of my life. The exit strategy is death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-newmark/i-am-committed-to-doing-customer-service-for-craigslist-for-the-rest/) [Craig Newmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-newmark/) > [The entrance strategy is actually more important than the exit strategy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lampert/the-entrance-strategy-is-actually-more-important-than-the-exit/) [Edward Lampert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lampert/) > [As somebody who, in my second marriage, insisted on a prenuptial agreement, I can also testify that sometimes it is an act of love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/as-somebody-who-in-my-second-marriage-insisted-on-a-prenuptial/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) ## More by Juan Cole > [Partisan politics has no place in the classroom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/partisan-politics-has-no-place-in-the-classroom/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) > [Take the decision in early March to arrest Muqtada al-Sadr. It was made apparently without knowledge or understanding of the nature of his movement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/take-the-decision-in-early-march-to-arrest-muqtada-al-sadr-it-was/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) > [Public interest in most of the Middle East was slight at that time; the Arab-Israeli conflict was all that people were interested in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/public-interest-in-most-of-the-middle-east-was-slight-at-that-time/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) > [I speak Urdu quite a lot, too, and I read a lot of Persian.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/i-speak-urdu-quite-a-lot-too-and-i-read-a-lot-of-persian/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) > [I don't accept the argument of people like David Horowitz that the government should impose some sort of predetermined political balance on academic research.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/i-don-t-accept-the-argument-of-people-like-david-horowitz-that-the/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) > [Did you know that they introduced the 15 percent flat tax on individual and corporate income in Iraq? 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They often produce very shoddy studies and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/i-think-that-there-s-been-an-unfortunate-tendency-for-right-wing/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) > [I think it's really unfortunate that academics have been sidelined in most important policy debates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/i-think-it-s-really-unfortunate-that-academics-have-been-sidelined-in/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) > [But September 11 marked a big change in the sense that the public was suddenly interested, and as a professor at a public university…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/but-september-11-marked-a-big-change-in-the-sense-that-the-public-was/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) > [I lived in the Muslim world for 10 years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/i-lived-in-the-muslim-world-for-10-years/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) > [It's not proper for a professor to go before a class and promote one party or another. That's not academic scholarship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/it-s-not-proper-for-a-professor-to-go-before-a-class-and-promote-one/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) > [Administering another country is always a very tricky proposition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/administering-another-country-is-always-a-very-tricky-proposition/) [Juan Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) [Explore all 21 Juan Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/) ## More Exit quotes > [Pentagon records show that at least 8,000 members of the all-volunteer U.S. Army have deserted since the Iraq war began. Hey, at least somebody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tina-fey/pentagon-records-show-that-at-least-8-000-members-of-the-all/) [Tina Fey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tina-fey/) > [We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system, which we need desperately. For years Congress has required biometric entry-exit visa tracking systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-finally-complete-the-biometric-entry-exit-visa-tracking/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [I would just like to point something out to you: the exit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/green-monk/i-would-just-like-to-point-something-out-to-you-the-exit/) [Green Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/green-monk/) > [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Scotland forms a crucial part of our Armed Forces which should not be jeopardised by rushed cuts or a rush to the exit from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-hammond/scotland-forms-a-crucial-part-of-our-armed-forces-which-should-not-be/) [Philip Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-hammond/) > [We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system which we need desperately. For years Congress has required biometric entry-exit visa tracking systems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-finally-complete-the-biometric-entry-exit-visa-tracking-2/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [The exit polls suggest that after a relatively disappointing first term, Obama managed to reassemble almost all of his 2008 electorate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-podhoretz/the-exit-polls-suggest-that-after-a-relatively-disappointing-first/) [John Podhoretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-podhoretz/) > [Young women who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation and domestic trafficking face an incredible climb as they try and exit the commercial sex industry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-ellis/young-women-who-have-experienced-commercial-sexual-exploitation-and/) [Stephanie Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-ellis/) > [Our training pushes us to develop a new set of instincts: instead of reacting to danger with a fight-or-flight adrenaline rush, we're trained to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hadfield/our-training-pushes-us-to-develop-a-new-set-of-instincts-instead-of/) [Chris Hadfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hadfield/) > [Well, just remember--all your misery will be waiting for you at the door upon your exit, should you care to pick it up again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/well-just-remember-all-your-misery-will-be-waiting-for-you-at-the/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [“Every second and every minute of the clock, we are getting closer and closer to our various destinations.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/every-second-and-every-minute-of-the-clock-we-are-getting-closer-and/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I would never kill myself intentionally. I couldn't do that to my family, my friends ... But to have fate step in and give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-manning/i-would-never-kill-myself-intentionally-i-couldn-t-do-that-to-my/) [Martha Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-manning/) > [As we exit the E.U., there must be a new approach to immigration that has the consent of the British people and is managed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keir-starmer/as-we-exit-the-e-u-there-must-be-a-new-approach-to-immigration-that/) [Keir Starmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keir-starmer/) > [I have no intention of uttering my last words on the stage. Room service and a couple of depraved young women will do me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-o-toole/i-have-no-intention-of-uttering-my-last-words-on-the-stage-room/) [Peter O'Toole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-o-toole/) > [In one way an oil boom is a mighty bad thing, because it gets into your blood and almost becomes an obsession. Booms are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-sanders/in-one-way-an-oil-boom-is-a-mighty-bad-thing-because-it-gets-into/) [Sue Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-sanders/) Browse all 483 Exit quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "My main expertise is in the past, but if I have to extrapolate into the future, I would say: no good news any time soon and an obvious exit strategy is not apparent to me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Juan Cole" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if-i-have-to-extrapolate-into/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Exit" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if-i-have-to-extrapolate-into/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/juan-cole-26631_exit_my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if_1600469.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/juan-cole-26631_exit_my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if_1600469.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/92f/juan-cole-26631_exit_my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if_1600469.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“My main expertise is in the past, but if I have to extrapolate into the future, I would say: no good news…” — Juan Cole", "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": "Juan Cole", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-cole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "My main expertise is in the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if-i-have-to-extrapolate-into/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-cole/my-main-expertise-is-in-the-past-but-if-i-have-to-extrapolate-into/#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 } } ] } ```