--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Instead of looking at life as a narrowing…" description: "\"Instead of looking at life as a narrowing funnel, we can see it ever widening to choose the things we want to do, to take the wisdom we've learned and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/liz-carpenter-37716_life_instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowin_202303.png" --- # Instead of looking at life as a narrowing funnel, we can… ![“Instead of looking at life as a narrowing funnel, we can see it ever widening to choose the things we want to do, to take the wisdom we've learned and create something.” quote by Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/liz-carpenter-37716_life_instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowin_202303.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/liz-carpenter-37716_life_instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowin_202303.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/liz-carpenter-37716_life_instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowin_202303.png) > “Instead of looking at life as a narrowing funnel, we can see it ever widening to choose the things we want to do, to take the wisdom we've learned and create something.” [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reframes life as expanding rather than narrowing, encouraging proactive choice and creative application of wisdom. **In simple terms:** Life expands with choices. Key Takeaway Embrace possibilities. Themes growth choice creativity Mood optimistic motivational Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - creative projects Key Concepts self‑actualization optimism Questions to Reflect On - What choices can you make today? - How do you turn wisdom into action? A Different Perspective Optimism may ignore structural constraints. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Widening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/widening/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [“With each passing moment, an infinity of potentialities become just one reality, your life narrowing with each tick of the clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-davis/with-each-passing-moment-an-infinity-of-potentialities-become-just/) [Shawn Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-davis/) > [My goal as a theologian is to move beyond the acquisition of knowledge to its application in real life: in a word, I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-vanhoozer/my-goal-as-a-theologian-is-to-move-beyond-the-acquisition-of/) [Kevin Vanhoozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-vanhoozer/) > [When you want wisdom and insight as badly as you want to breathe, it is then you shall have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/when-you-want-wisdom-and-insight-as-badly-as-you-want-to-breathe-it/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [“People need no advice, they want wisdom-based entertainment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/people-need-no-advice-they-want-wisdom-based-entertainment/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Look into yourself, Think about what you will need in the long run and not what you think you want now. #wisdom!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hopal-green/look-into-yourself-think-about-what-you-will-need-in-the-long-run-and/) [Hopal Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hopal-green/) > [What we want to do is make sure they're not totally kept from what's going on in the world. We don't want to seclude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-kendrick/what-we-want-to-do-is-make-sure-they-re-not-totally-kept-from-what-s/) [Alex Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-kendrick/) > [It is in the interest of Americans to find out what those wanting to be president think about a wide range of challenges and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-n-haass/it-is-in-the-interest-of-americans-to-find-out-what-those-wanting-to/) [Richard N. Haass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-n-haass/) > [The wise want love; and those who love want wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/percy-bysshe-shelley/the-wise-want-love-and-those-who-love-want-wisdom/) [Percy Bysshe Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/percy-bysshe-shelley/) > [God has already done everything He's going to do. The ball is now in your court. If you want success, if you want wisdom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/god-has-already-done-everything-he-s-going-to-do-the-ball-is-now-in/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [“Want wisdom? Laugh at yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-bishop/want-wisdom-laugh-at-yourself/) Maggie Bishop > [“You want the light shine on you or you want to be the light itself? You want to get wisdom from a wise man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-want-the-light-shine-on-you-or-you-want-to-be-the-light-itself/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Winners will take what they know and share it with others. The lips of the righteous feed many: but fools die for want of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/winners-will-take-what-they-know-and-share-it-with-others-the-lips-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/culture-is-the-widening-of-the-mind-and-of-the-spirit/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [Widening a garment or making it larger is not understanding the real curves of a plus size women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-nell-tipton/widening-a-garment-or-making-it-larger-is-not-understanding-the-real/) [Ashley Nell Tipton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-nell-tipton/) > [Regardless of how you interpret the facts, you have to come to the conclusion that inequality is widening in the US and in almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reich/regardless-of-how-you-interpret-the-facts-you-have-to-come-to-the/) [Robert Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reich/) ## More by Liz Carpenter > [I am Woman, here me roar...of is that my vacuum cleaner?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/i-am-woman-here-me-roar-of-is-that-my-vacuum-cleaner/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [Laughter heals, gives solace, and is life enhancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/laughter-heals-gives-solace-and-is-life-enhancing/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [How to get a job: Speak up and show some life about you. Almost anyone who can give you a decent job these days…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/how-to-get-a-job-speak-up-and-show-some-life-about-you-almost-anyone/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [I have worked all my life, wanted to work all my life, needed to work all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/i-have-worked-all-my-life-wanted-to-work-all-my-life-needed-to-work/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [Anybody against women, against the ERA, should never be voted into office again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/anybody-against-women-against-the-era-should-never-be-voted-into/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [What a lot we lost when we stopped writing letters. You can't reread a phone call.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/what-a-lot-we-lost-when-we-stopped-writing-letters-you-can-t-reread-a/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [If we can't turn the world around we can at least bolster the victims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/if-we-can-t-turn-the-world-around-we-can-at-least-bolster-the-victims/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [Charge hell with a bucket of water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/charge-hell-with-a-bucket-of-water/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [I learned in my four decades in Washington that one person can make a difference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/i-learned-in-my-four-decades-in-washington-that-one-person-can-make-a/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [A major advantage of age is learning to accept people without passing judgment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/a-major-advantage-of-age-is-learning-to-accept-people-without-passing/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) > [What's the trick? There are three of them: A sense of real purpose, a sense of humor, and a sense of constant curiosity. Keep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/what-s-the-trick-there-are-three-of-them-a-sense-of-real-purpose-a/) [Liz Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) [Explore all 12 Liz Carpenter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Instead of looking at life as a narrowing funnel, we can see it ever widening to choose the things we want to do, to take the wisdom we've learned and create something.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Liz Carpenter" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowing-funnel-we-can-see-it-ever/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowing-funnel-we-can-see-it-ever/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/liz-carpenter-37716_life_instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowin_202303.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/liz-carpenter-37716_life_instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowin_202303.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5de/liz-carpenter-37716_life_instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowin_202303.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Instead of looking at life as a narrowing funnel, we can see it ever widening to choose the things we want…” — Liz Carpenter", "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": "Liz Carpenter", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carpenter/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Instead of looking at life as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowing-funnel-we-can-see-it-ever/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carpenter/instead-of-looking-at-life-as-a-narrowing-funnel-we-can-see-it-ever/#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 } } ] } ```