--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The biggest mistake we make is trying to…" description: "\"The biggest mistake we make is trying to square the way we feel about something today with the way we felt about it yesterday. You shouldn’t even bothe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/malcolm-gladwell-348_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to_1836222.png" --- # The biggest mistake we make is trying to square the way we… ![“The biggest mistake we make is trying to square the way we feel about something today with the way we felt about it yesterday. You shouldn’t even bother doing it. You should just figure out the way you feel today and if it happens to comply with what you thought before, fine. If it contradicts it…” quote by Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/malcolm-gladwell-348_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to_1836222.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/malcolm-gladwell-348_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to_1836222.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/malcolm-gladwell-348_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to_1836222.png) > “The biggest mistake we make is trying to square the way we feel about something today with the way we felt about it yesterday. You shouldn’t even bother doing it. You should just figure out the way you feel today and if it happens to comply with what you thought before, fine. If it contradicts it, whatever. Life goes on.” [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emotions change daily; trying to match past feelings with present ones is futile. Accept today’s feeling, compare later if needed, and keep moving forward. **In simple terms:** Feelings shift; don’t force consistency. Key Takeaway Accept current emotions, then act. Themes psychology self‑awareness growth Mood reflective calm Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal decision‑making - relationship management - stress reduction Key Concepts mindfulness temporal perspective Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor today’s feelings without being trapped by yesterday’s expectations? - What habits help you stay present? A Different Perspective Emotions are fluid; rigid comparison can cause unnecessary stress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Biggest mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-mistake/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yesterday/) ## Related quotes > [To live is to be someone else. Feeling is impossible if we feel today as we felt yesterday: to feel today the same thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-live-is-to-be-someone-else-feeling-is-impossible-if-we-feel-today/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [To feel today what one felt yesterday isn't to feel - it's to remember today what was felt yesterday, to be today's living corpse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-feel-today-what-one-felt-yesterday-isn-t-to-feel-it-s-to-remember/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“This happiness that I feel today might not have been possible without the pain I felt yesterday.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-dale/this-happiness-that-i-feel-today-might-not-have-been-possible-without/) Veronica Dale > [“To live is to be other. It’s not even possible to feel, if one feels today what he felt yesterday. To feel today what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-live-is-to-be-other-it-s-not-even-possible-to-feel-if-one-feels/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Remember how it felt yesterday? What you saw me do?” I snorted and grinned. “Man, do I ever. I remembered twice last night and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/missy-welsh/remember-how-it-felt-yesterday-what-you-saw-me-do-i-snorted-and/) [Missy Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/missy-welsh/) > [“And it's also clear that what I felt yesterday, that stupid "dissolving in the universe", if you take it to its limit, is death.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/and-it-s-also-clear-that-what-i-felt-yesterday-that-stupid-dissolving/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [It's about staying ahead of what happened yesterday. When you just in your mind think...nothing's going to stop me. I don't care how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanya-richards-ross/it-s-about-staying-ahead-of-what-happened-yesterday-when-you-just-in/) [Sanya Richards-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanya-richards-ross/) > [If it wasnt for the pain I felt yesterday, I would not be the person I am today!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-show/if-it-wasnt-for-the-pain-i-felt-yesterday-i-would-not-be-the-person-i/) Jo Show > [I reserve the right to evolve. What I think and feel today is subject to revision tomorrow,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-overmire/i-reserve-the-right-to-evolve-what-i-think-and-feel-today-is-subject/) [Laurence Overmire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-overmire/) > [Im in charge of how I feel, and today Im choosing happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlescliq/im-in-charge-of-how-i-feel-and-today-im-choosing-happiness/) [Charlescliq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlescliq/) > [No matter how you feel today, get up, dress up and show up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-how-you-feel-today-get-up-dress-up-and-show-up/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am in charge of how I feel, and today I choose happiness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-in-charge-of-how-i-feel-and-today-i-choose-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel in today's time, you are truly successful if a meme is based on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanya-malhotra/i-feel-in-today-s-time-you-are-truly-successful-if-a-meme-is-based-on/) [Sanya Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanya-malhotra/) > [I don't really regret much. I know there are things that I've done that have been wrong, and wish I could do over again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-tebow/i-don-t-really-regret-much-i-know-there-are-things-that-i-ve-done/) [Tim Tebow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-tebow/) > [I am in charge of how I feel and today I am choosing happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-am-in-charge-of-how-i-feel-and-today-i-am-choosing-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Malcolm Gladwell > [When I go to my health club, and it's in the basement, you have to take the elevator down. And this drives me crazy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/when-i-go-to-my-health-club-and-it-s-in-the-basement-you-have-to-take/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The tipping point is that magic moment when an idea, trend, or social behavior crosses a threshold, tips, and spreads like wildfire.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-tipping-point-is-that-magic-moment-when-an-idea-trend-or-social/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“The scholars who research happiness suggest that more money stops making people happier at a family income of around seventy-five thousand dollars a year.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-scholars-who-research-happiness-suggest-that-more-money-stops/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [We need to be clear when we venerate entrepreneurs what we are venerating.They are not moral leaders. If they were moral leaders, they wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/we-need-to-be-clear-when-we-venerate-entrepreneurs-what-we-are/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Some people look like they sound better than they actually sound, because they look confident and have good posture," once musician, a veteran of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/some-people-look-like-they-sound-better-than-they-actually-sound/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [A handicap is like trying to race and you have a ten pound weight stuck to your waist. That is a handicap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/a-handicap-is-like-trying-to-race-and-you-have-a-ten-pound-weight/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“neighborhood was filled with engineers from Hewlett-Packard, then as now one of”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/neighborhood-was-filled-with-engineers-from-hewlett-packard-then-as/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“People are ruined by challenged economic lives. But they are ruined by wealth as well because they lose their ambition and they lose their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-ruined-by-challenged-economic-lives-but-they-are-ruined-by/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The single most important thing a city can do is provide a community where interesting, smart people want to live with their families.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-single-most-important-thing-a-city-can-do-is-provide-a-community/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [ \[Norden\] said, with the Mark 15 Norden bombsight, he could drop a bomb into a pickle barrel at 20,000 feet. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/norden-said-with-the-mark-15-norden-bombsight-he-could-drop-a-bomb/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The willingness to be self-critical in England is much greater than the willingness to be self-critical in America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-willingness-to-be-self-critical-in-england-is-much-greater-than/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The conventional explanation for Jewish success, of course, is that Jews come from a literate, intellectual culture. They are famously "the people of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-conventional-explanation-for-jewish-success-of-course-is-that/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“An archway to one side leads to a church, the Madonna del Carmine—Our Lady of Mount Carmine. Narrow”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/an-archway-to-one-side-leads-to-a-church-the-madonna-del-carmine-our/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [People are experience-rich and theory-poor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/people-are-experience-rich-and-theory-poor/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Most psychologists believe that nature—genetics—accounts for about half of the reason why we tend to act the way we do. His point is simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/most-psychologists-believe-that-nature-genetics-accounts-for-about/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) [Explore all 647 Malcolm Gladwell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) ## More Biggest mistake quotes > [The biggest mistake girls make is thinking the guy who hurt them once wont do it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-biggest-mistake-girls-make-is-thinking-the-guy-who-hurt-them-once/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The biggest mistake I see with people who are new to CrossFit is trying to advance too quickly. Just because you can do a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mat-fraser/the-biggest-mistake-i-see-with-people-who-are-new-to-crossfit-is/) [Mat Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mat-fraser/) > [If you leave the one you love angry,without saying I Love You, or Goodbye, It could be the most biggest mistake of your life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joy-stewart/if-you-leave-the-one-you-love-angry-without-saying-i-love-you-or/) Joy Stewart > [My biggest mistake is love you and take you for granted. I'll regret it forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-biggest-mistake-is-love-you-and-take-you-for-granted-i-ll-regret/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The biggest mistake people make when trying to be authentic is just that: they try. They see these role models of what an "authentic"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vironika-tugaleva/the-biggest-mistake-people-make-when-trying-to-be-authentic-is-just/) [Vironika Tugaleva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vironika-tugaleva/) > [I had a couple of agents, but then I went on my own. I thought I could negotiate my own deals and it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-grobbelaar/i-had-a-couple-of-agents-but-then-i-went-on-my-own-i-thought-i-could/) [Bruce Grobbelaar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-grobbelaar/) > [The biggest mistake I've seen people make with their careers is, when they're good, after two or three years - and they happen to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-a-schwarzman/the-biggest-mistake-i-ve-seen-people-make-with-their-careers-is-when/) [Stephen A. Schwarzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-a-schwarzman/) > [The press keep asking me, 'What was your biggest mistake?' But if I had made a big mistake, they'd all be writing about it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/the-press-keep-asking-me-what-was-your-biggest-mistake-but-if-i-had/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/) > [The galleries are full of critics. They play no ball, they fight no fights. They make no mistakes because they attempt nothing. Down in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-m-shoup/the-galleries-are-full-of-critics-they-play-no-ball-they-fight-no/) [David M. Shoup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-m-shoup/) > [“I’m sorry, babe. I’m sorry I hurt you. I was stupid. I fucked up. I thought I was doing you a favor by keeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-abel/i-m-sorry-babe-i-m-sorry-i-hurt-you-i-was-stupid-i-fucked-up-i/) [E.M. Abel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-abel/) > [“The biggest mistake we commit in life is to think that others will get affected by our action and we shall leave some effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/himmilicious/the-biggest-mistake-we-commit-in-life-is-to-think-that-others-will/) Himmilicious > [“At the beginning of the semester, when you asked who I loved the most, an image of my mother popped in my head. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brianne/at-the-beginning-of-the-semester-when-you-asked-who-i-loved-the-most/) [Sarah Brianne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brianne/) > [“Truly Falling In Love With you is not one of the greatest mistake of my Life but Trusting you madly is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kashi-khan/truly-falling-in-love-with-you-is-not-one-of-the-greatest-mistake-of/) Kashi khan > [I thought doing reality TV would be the greatest success of my life or the biggest mistake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethenny-frankel/i-thought-doing-reality-tv-would-be-the-greatest-success-of-my-life/) [Bethenny Frankel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethenny-frankel/) > [Is that your ex? No, that's the biggest mistake of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-martin/is-that-your-ex-no-that-s-the-biggest-mistake-of-my-life/) [Brandon Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-martin/) [Browse all 337 Biggest mistake quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/biggest-mistake/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The biggest mistake we make is trying to square the way we feel about something today with the way we felt about it yesterday. You shouldn’t even bother doing it. You should just figure out the way you feel today and if it happens to comply with what you thought before, fine. If it contradicts it, whatever. Life goes on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Malcolm Gladwell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to-square-the-way-we-feel-about/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Biggest mistake" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to-square-the-way-we-feel-about/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/malcolm-gladwell-348_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to_1836222.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/malcolm-gladwell-348_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to_1836222.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dd7/malcolm-gladwell-348_biggest-mistake_the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to_1836222.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The biggest mistake we make is trying to square the way we feel about something today with the way we felt…” — Malcolm Gladwell", "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": "Malcolm Gladwell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The biggest mistake we make is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to-square-the-way-we-feel-about/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/the-biggest-mistake-we-make-is-trying-to-square-the-way-we-feel-about/#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 } } ] } ```