--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It had long since come to my attention…" description: "\"It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to thing..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/leonardo-da-vinci-330_accomplishment_it-had-long-since-come-to-my-attention-t_1745603.jpg" --- # It had long since come to my attention that people of… ![“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” quote by Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/leonardo-da-vinci-330_accomplishment_it-had-long-since-come-to-my-attention-t_1745603.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/leonardo-da-vinci-330_accomplishment_it-had-long-since-come-to-my-attention-t_1745603.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c1d/leonardo-da-vinci-330_accomplishment_it-had-long-since-come-to-my-attention-t_1745603.jpg) > “It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. They went out and happened to things.” [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Accomplished people actively shape events rather than passively waiting for them. **In simple terms:** Successful people act, not wait. Key Takeaway Take initiative, create opportunities. Themes initiative action achievement proactivity leadership Mood determined optimistic Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - entrepreneurship - personal projects - community organizing Key Concepts self‑efficacy agency determinism Questions to Reflect On - What can you do today to influence your goals? - How does taking initiative change outcomes? A Different Perspective Passive waiting limits impact; action may involve risk. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) [Activism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activism/) [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Determination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determination/) [Enterprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enterprise/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) ## Related quotes > [I was that hyperactive when I was growing up, I rarely sat still to watch sport. I was always out there 'doing.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-campbell/i-was-that-hyperactive-when-i-was-growing-up-i-rarely-sat-still-to/) [Luke Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-campbell/) > [I've photographed just about everyone in the world. But what I hope to do is photograph people of accomplishment, not celebrity, and help define…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-avedon/i-ve-photographed-just-about-everyone-in-the-world-but-what-i-hope-to/) [Richard Avedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-avedon/) > [Marriage is not just for special people, it's for everyone. Accomplishment is not set aside for the chosen few, it's meant for EVERYONE. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola-http-wwwamoreloveforlifecom/marriage-is-not-just-for-special-people-it-s-for-everyone/) Kemmy Nola Http://wwwamoreloveforlifecom > [“It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them.  They went out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-dandridge/it-had-long-since-come-to-my-attention-that-people-of-accomplishment/) [Doug Dandridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-dandridge/) > [“In the last few months, she'd had a lot of time to consider the state of mankind, and she'd decided that people actually had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/in-the-last-few-months-she-d-had-a-lot-of-time-to-consider-the-state/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [My writing is a product of how I would interact with things that have happened to me or things that have not happened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupi-kaur/my-writing-is-a-product-of-how-i-would-interact-with-things-that-have/) [Rupi Kaur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupi-kaur/) > [“Some things don't cange no mattered what's happened. even things that fade with time and distance aren't really ever lost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennifer-albin/some-things-don-t-cange-no-mattered-what-s-happened-even-things-that/) [Gennifer Albin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennifer-albin/) > [“I've never really planned my life or set out to live. I happened; things happened to me. It's so with everyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/i-ve-never-really-planned-my-life-or-set-out-to-live-i-happened/) [H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/) > [There was a man. And it happened--as such things often so happen--that this man we went back into his days that were gone. Again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-bell-wright/there-was-a-man-and-it-happened-as-such-things-often-so-happen-that/) [Harold Bell Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-bell-wright/) > [In order to move on in our lives, sometimes we have to accept that we might never understand what has happened, some things are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-order-to-move-on-in-our-lives-sometimes-we-have-to-accept-that-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So, you could often say things are terrible and that accounts for what happened, or things are really bright, and that accounts for what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cass-sunstein/so-you-could-often-say-things-are-terrible-and-that-accounts-for-what/) [Cass Sunstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cass-sunstein/) > [Fear was about possibilities. Not things that happened. Things that might.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-grant/fear-was-about-possibilities-not-things-that-happened-things-that/) [Michael Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-grant/) > [I can finally see that all the terrible parts of my life, the embarrassing parts, the incidents I wanted to pretend never happened, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-lawson/i-can-finally-see-that-all-the-terrible-parts-of-my-life-the/) [Jenny Lawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-lawson/) > [“Here the first of the things that happened, happened. The first of the things important enough to notice and to remember afterward, among a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornell-woolrich/here-the-first-of-the-things-that-happened-happened-the-first-of-the/) [Cornell Woolrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornell-woolrich/) > [So many things happened between us. Things I don't even want to repeat, but there's also many great memories...some bad, some sweet...but those are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-many-things-happened-between-us-things-i-don-t-even-want-to-repeat/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Leonardo da Vinci > [The evil which does me no harm is like the good which in no wise avails me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/the-evil-which-does-me-no-harm-is-like-the-good-which-in-no-wise/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [A painter should begin every canvas with a wash of black, because all things in nature are dark except where exposed by the light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/a-painter-should-begin-every-canvas-with-a-wash-of-black-because-all/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Nothing can be love or hated unless it is first known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/nothing-can-be-love-or-hated-unless-it-is-first-known/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [An arch consists of two weaknesses which, leaning one against the other, make a strength.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/an-arch-consists-of-two-weaknesses-which-leaning-one-against-the/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [But to me all sciences seem vain and full of error that are not born of experience, mother of all certainty, and do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/but-to-me-all-sciences-seem-vain-and-full-of-error-that-are-not-born/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [“Time stays long enough for those who use it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/time-stays-long-enough-for-those-who-use-it/) [Leonardo Da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [It is ordained that to the ambitious, who derive no satisfaction from the gifts of life and the beauty of the world, life shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/it-is-ordained-that-to-the-ambitious-who-derive-no-satisfaction-from/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Be a mirror, absorb everything around you and still remain the same](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/be-a-mirror-absorb-everything-around-you-and-still-remain-the-same/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Your brain is much better than you think; just use it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/your-brain-is-much-better-than-you-think-just-use-it/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Necessity is a guardian in Nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/necessity-is-a-guardian-in-nature/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Human subtlety will never devise an invention more beautiful, more simple or more direct than does nature because in her inventions nothing is lacking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/human-subtlety-will-never-devise-an-invention-more-beautiful-more/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [People reveal themselves completely only when they are thrown out of the customary conditions of their life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/people-reveal-themselves-completely-only-when-they-are-thrown-out-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [To be a winner you must want to win but must know of the chance of losing and must not fear of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/to-be-a-winner-you-must-want-to-win-but-must-know-of-the-chance-of/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Nature is so delightful and abundant in its variations that among trees of the same kind there would not be found one which nearly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/nature-is-so-delightful-and-abundant-in-its-variations-that-among/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) > [Wisdom is the daughter of experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-da-vinci/wisdom-is-the-daughter-of-experience/) [Leonardo da Vinci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) [Explore all 664 Leonardo da Vinci quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-da-vinci/) ## More Accomplishment quotes > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue it - and the more we seem to acquire it - the more we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-aquilina/humility-is-an-elusive-virtue-the-more-we-pursue-it-and-the-more-we/) [Mike Aquilina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-aquilina/) > [I'm not always right, but I learn from my mistakes and make it a productive experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kolhoff/i-m-not-always-right-but-i-learn-from-my-mistakes-and-make-it-a/) [Carson Kolhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kolhoff/) > [Suffering in life can uncover untold depths of character and unknown strength for service. People who go through life unscathed by sorrow and untouched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/suffering-in-life-can-uncover-untold-depths-of-character-and-unknown/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-limit-to-the-amount-of-good-you-can-do-if-you-don-t-care/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Research is the live heart of the scientific life ... Greatness of position, respect for past accomplishments, the Nobel Prize itself -- none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/research-is-the-live-heart-of-the-scientific-life-greatness-of/) [Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/) > [“One man accomplishment Is another mans failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-sargent/one-man-accomplishment-is-another-mans-failure/) Anthony Sargent > [I expected college to feel like a major accomplishment. I walked across the stage, eight months pregnant with my almost seven-year-old daughter watching in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-expected-college-to-feel-like-a-major-accomplishment-i-walked/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [Our purpose on this earth is not one single event, an accomplishment we can check off a list. There is no test. No passing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/our-purpose-on-this-earth-is-not-one-single-event-an-accomplishment/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/an-untrained-or-uneducated-marine-deployed-to-the-combat-zone-is-a/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) [Browse all 1,598 Accomplishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It had long since come to my attention that people of accomplishment rarely sat back and let things happen to them. 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