--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When your main game’s over, you can…" description: "\"“When your main game’s over, you can always move your chessboard elsewhere.”\" — Margaret Atwood" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ab/margaret-atwood-40_game_when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-alway_3183684.jpg" --- # When your main game’s over, you can always move your… ![“When your main game’s over, you can always move your chessboard elsewhere.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ab/margaret-atwood-40_game_when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-alway_3183684.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ab/margaret-atwood-40_game_when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-alway_3183684.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ab/margaret-atwood-40_game_when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-alway_3183684.jpg) > ““When your main game’s over, you can always move your chessboard elsewhere.”” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When a career ends, you can redirect your skills to new fields, like moving a chessboard to a new position. **In simple terms:** After one chapter ends, start another elsewhere. Key Takeaway Leverage past experience to explore new opportunities. Themes career transition resilience strategy Mood optimistic determined Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - job change - entrepreneurship - career counseling - skill workshops Key Concepts skill transfer reinvention planning Questions to Reflect On - What new “board” will you move to? - How can past lessons guide future moves? A Different Perspective Changing fields can be daunting without clear direction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chessboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chessboard-612514/) [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Game Chessboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game-chessboard-5844508/) [Main](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main/) [Main Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/main-game-5844509/) ## Related quotes > [“The god inside the man glanced at Aly. "This is your chessboard, I believe, my dear." Aly beamed at him. "So it is. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamora-pierce/the-god-inside-the-man-glanced-at-aly-this-is-your-chessboard-i/) [Tamora Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamora-pierce/) > [Via the squares on the chessboard, the Indians explain the movement of time and the age, the higher influences which control the world and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/via-the-squares-on-the-chessboard-the-indians-explain-the-movement-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Like looking down on a lubricious chess set, isn't it? The king moves in tiny steps, with no direction, like a drunkard trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/like-looking-down-on-a-lubricious-chess-set-isn-t-it-the-king-moves/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [“...when they are gone, it will be use staring across a chessboard at each other. And when I best you, I will make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-black/when-they-are-gone-it-will-be-use-staring-across-a-chessboard-at-each/) [Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-black/) > [Like MCs, each chess player has his own style: how he likes to open, when he likes to attack. Just like we face off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gza/like-mcs-each-chess-player-has-his-own-style-how-he-likes-to-open/) [Gza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gza/) > [The isolated Pawn casts gloom over the entire chessboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aron-nimzowitsch/the-isolated-pawn-casts-gloom-over-the-entire-chessboard/) [Aron Nimzowitsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aron-nimzowitsch/) > [On the chessboard, if nowhere else, justice does triumph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-chernev/on-the-chessboard-if-nowhere-else-justice-does-triumph/) [Irving Chernev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-chernev/) > [Discovered check is the dive bomber of the Chessboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reuben-fine/discovered-check-is-the-dive-bomber-of-the-chessboard/) [Reuben Fine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reuben-fine/) > [An isolated pawn spreads gloom all over the chessboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savielly-tartakower/an-isolated-pawn-spreads-gloom-all-over-the-chessboard/) [Savielly Tartakower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savielly-tartakower/) > [All that matters on the Chessboard is good moves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-fischer/all-that-matters-on-the-chessboard-is-good-moves/) [Bobby Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-fischer/) > [“Pichushkin was picked up the next day and taken in for questioning. During the search of his flat, police discovered a chessboard. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-j-parker/pichushkin-was-picked-up-the-next-day-and-taken-in-for-questioning/) [R.J. Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-j-parker/) > [I ask people what piece they are on the chessboard. And some people say 'I'm the king' or 'I'm the knight.' And then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rza/i-ask-people-what-piece-they-are-on-the-chessboard-and-some-people/) [RZA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rza/) > [“The world sometimes seems a chessboard where the pieces move themselves. I'm never sure what square to go to. Yet it can't be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alasdair-gray/the-world-sometimes-seems-a-chessboard-where-the-pieces-move/) [Alasdair Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alasdair-gray/) > [The center of the chessboard is a magnet, which pulls to itself all the pieces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashot-nadanian/the-center-of-the-chessboard-is-a-magnet-which-pulls-to-itself-all/) [Ashot Nadanian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashot-nadanian/) > [You may knock your opponent down with the chessboard, but that does not prove that you are the better player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-lowrance/you-may-knock-your-opponent-down-with-the-chessboard-but-that-does/) [Marc Lowrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-lowrance/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Game quotes > [Raised by game where niggas ain't phased by fame. Come to the crib, get banged, they take your chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/common/raised-by-game-where-niggas-ain-t-phased-by-fame-come-to-the-crib-get/) [Common](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/common/) > [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/) [Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/) > [I've been lucky enough to, for the most part, surround myself with a lot of people who are more talented than me and who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/i-ve-been-lucky-enough-to-for-the-most-part-surround-myself-with-a/) [Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/) > [It's no wonder Pep is one of the best coaches in the world. When I knew I could work with him I was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ederson/it-s-no-wonder-pep-is-one-of-the-best-coaches-in-the-world-when-i/) [Ederson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ederson/) > [I loved the game so much that even though our playing field was muddy and we had many trees on it, I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-clemente/i-loved-the-game-so-much-that-even-though-our-playing-field-was-muddy/) [Roberto Clemente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-clemente/) > [I've always been very hard on myself, and I never want to get to a point where I'm like, 'Alright, I'm kicking butt,' but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-sauerbrunn/i-ve-always-been-very-hard-on-myself-and-i-never-want-to-get-to-a/) [Becky Sauerbrunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-sauerbrunn/) > [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/) [Gene Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-scott/) > [Windmills and solar cells are carbon-free sources of electricity. But they are costly. If you've been investing in those, give it up. That game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-fisher/windmills-and-solar-cells-are-carbon-free-sources-of-electricity-but/) [Kenneth Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-fisher/) > [Often in my game as an actor, someone else pays for your travel and there's nothing like being able to lie flat on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ioan-gruffudd/often-in-my-game-as-an-actor-someone-else-pays-for-your-travel-and/) [Ioan Gruffudd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ioan-gruffudd/) > [Look at music for what it's worth around the world and not just America. In other countries, people are still buying CDs and going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/look-at-music-for-what-it-s-worth-around-the-world-and-not-just/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [With the Capital One Bowl, the average fan might think whoopty do. But if you are a team member, you win that game and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-herbstreit/with-the-capital-one-bowl-the-average-fan-might-think-whoopty-do-but/) [Kirk Herbstreit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-herbstreit/) > [I remember throughout middle school and high school how excited my mom, sister and I would be when a UNC game was on TV.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-barnes/i-remember-throughout-middle-school-and-high-school-how-excited-my/) [Harrison Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-barnes/) > [Obviously, I want to win, but at the same time, at the end of the day, it's a game and that's what I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-rendon/obviously-i-want-to-win-but-at-the-same-time-at-the-end-of-the-day-it/) [Anthony Rendon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-rendon/) > [It's more than a game. It's an institution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hughes/it-s-more-than-a-game-it-s-an-institution/) [Thomas Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hughes/) > [There are things you can do in training like learn from the manager and talk with team-mates, but it's the game that tests you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-burke/there-are-things-you-can-do-in-training-like-learn-from-the-manager/) [Oliver Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-burke/) [Browse all 13,309 Game quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When your main game’s over, you can always move your chessboard elsewhere.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Atwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-always-move-your-chessboard/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Game" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-always-move-your-chessboard/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ab/margaret-atwood-40_game_when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-alway_3183684.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ab/margaret-atwood-40_game_when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-alway_3183684.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ab/margaret-atwood-40_game_when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-alway_3183684.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When your main game’s over, you can always move your chessboard elsewhere.” — Margaret Atwood", "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": "Margaret Atwood", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When your main game’s over, you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-always-move-your-chessboard/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-your-main-game-s-over-you-can-always-move-your-chessboard/#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 } } ] } ```