--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People often say that it is easier to…" description: "\"People often say that it is easier to predict the way things are going to be 10 to 20 years in the future than to predict how it is going to be 3 years..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/mark-zuckerberg-858_easier_people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-pr_2481862.jpg" --- # People often say that it is easier to predict the way… ![“People often say that it is easier to predict the way things are going to be 10 to 20 years in the future than to predict how it is going to be 3 years from now.” quote by Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/mark-zuckerberg-858_easier_people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-pr_2481862.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/mark-zuckerberg-858_easier_people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-pr_2481862.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/mark-zuckerberg-858_easier_people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-pr_2481862.jpg) > “People often say that it is easier to predict the way things are going to be 10 to 20 years in the future than to predict how it is going to be 3 years from now.” [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Predicting long‑term trends is easier than near‑term because distant futures smooth out short‑term volatility. **In simple terms:** Long‑term forecasts are smoother than short‑term ones. Key Takeaway Focus on adaptable strategies. Themes forecasting uncertainty planning Mood cautious analytical Type strategic insightful When to use this quote - business strategy - investment decisions - product roadmaps - policy making Key Concepts macro‑economics behavioral bias trend analysis Questions to Reflect On - How can you build flexibility into plans? - What signals indicate a shift in short‑term dynamics? A Different Perspective Near‑term events can be chaotic and defy patterns. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Prediction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prediction/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“You couldn’t predict what was going to happen for one simple reason: people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-sheridan/you-couldn-t-predict-what-was-going-to-happen-for-one-simple-reason/) [Sara Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-sheridan/) > [You don't need to predict the future. Just choose a future -- a good future, a useful future -- and make the kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/you-don-t-need-to-predict-the-future-just-choose-a-future-a-good/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [It's easier to invent the future than to predict it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/it-s-easier-to-invent-the-future-than-to-predict-it/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [As for the future, you can never predict it, so I don't even think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raashi-khanna/as-for-the-future-you-can-never-predict-it-so-i-don-t-even-think/) [Raashi Khanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raashi-khanna/) > [We humans can look deep into future and predict what will happen, but then turn around and do nothing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-gilbert/we-humans-can-look-deep-into-future-and-predict-what-will-happen-but/) [Daniel Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-gilbert/) > [We must prepare students for a future we can neither describe nor predict.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-warlick/we-must-prepare-students-for-a-future-we-can-neither-describe-nor/) [David Warlick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-warlick/) > [I can never predict what's going to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-ferry/i-can-never-predict-what-s-going-to-happen/) [Bryan Ferry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-ferry/) > [You can never predict what's going to be successful, so you have to do the one you really love, and I picked 'Mad Men.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-hendricks/you-can-never-predict-what-s-going-to-be-successful-so-you-have-to-do/) [Christina Hendricks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-hendricks/) > [You can't predict what someone else is going to do and when someone else is going to leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-connelly/you-can-t-predict-what-someone-else-is-going-to-do-and-when-someone/) [Jennifer Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-connelly/) > [I'm more surprised than anyone that 'Spamalot's done so well. You can never predict what's going to be a hit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-idle/i-m-more-surprised-than-anyone-that-spamalot-s-done-so-well-you-can/) [Eric Idle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-idle/) > [You can't predict a show, that is the damndest thing, you can't predict if a show is going to work or not until it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-spelling/you-can-t-predict-a-show-that-is-the-damndest-thing-you-can-t-predict/) [Aaron Spelling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-spelling/) > [I like a book better if I can't predict what's going to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudy-rucker/i-like-a-book-better-if-i-can-t-predict-what-s-going-to-happen/) [Rudy Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudy-rucker/) > [With football, you can never predict what's going to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-silva/with-football-you-can-never-predict-what-s-going-to-happen/) [David Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-silva/) > [You never know: there is a lot of movement in football. You can never predict where you're going to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angel-di-maria/you-never-know-there-is-a-lot-of-movement-in-football-you-can-never/) [Angel Di Maria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angel-di-maria/) > [All depends really on what kinds of assumptions you make. When you're forecasting things that will be happening 50 to 100 years in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-harris/all-depends-really-on-what-kinds-of-assumptions-you-make-when-you-re/) [Richard Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-harris/) ## More by Mark Zuckerberg > [First up is Kirkland. They keep everything open and allow indexes in their Apache configuration, so a little w-get magic is all that's necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/first-up-is-kirkland-they-keep-everything-open-and-allow-indexes-in/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [I think there's confusion around what the point of social networks is. A lot of different companies characterized as social networks have different goals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/i-think-there-s-confusion-around-what-the-point-of-social-networks-is/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Facebook is inherently viral. There are lots of sites that include a contact importer, and for lots of them it doesn't really make sense.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/facebook-is-inherently-viral-there-are-lots-of-sites-that-include-a/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Thanks to all of these efforts, our business is doing really well, and we're on track to create a nice self-sustaining business, and because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/thanks-to-all-of-these-efforts-our-business-is-doing-really-well-and/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Frankly, I think that the news industry is critically important because it points out things and surfaces truths that can often be uncomfortable. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/frankly-i-think-that-the-news-industry-is-critically-important/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [The biggest risk is not taking any risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/the-biggest-risk-is-not-taking-any-risk/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [The truth is she has a nice face. I need to do something to take my mind off her. Easy enough, except I need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/the-truth-is-she-has-a-nice-face-i-need-to-do-something-to-take-my/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [If you look at the history of our country over the last 100 years, there have been periods where science and research have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/if-you-look-at-the-history-of-our-country-over-the-last-100-years/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [It is really important for us that people understand what the strategy is and that the real approach is to make everything social, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/it-is-really-important-for-us-that-people-understand-what-the/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Our strategy is very horizontal. We're trying to build a social layer for everything. Basically we're trying to make it so that every app…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/our-strategy-is-very-horizontal-we-re-trying-to-build-a-social-layer/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [When most people ask about a business growing, what they really mean is growing revenue, not just growing the number of people using a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/when-most-people-ask-about-a-business-growing-what-they-really-mean/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [The community - more than two billion people use our products, and we get that, with that, a lot of people are using that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/the-community-more-than-two-billion-people-use-our-products-and-we/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Once you have a product that you are happy with, you the need to centralize things to continue growth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/once-you-have-a-product-that-you-are-happy-with-you-the-need-to/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [At Facebook, we’re inspired by technologies that have revolutionized how people spread and consume information. We often talk about inventions like the printing press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/at-facebook-we-re-inspired-by-technologies-that-have-revolutionized/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) > [Openness fundamentally affects a lot of the core institutions in society - the media, the economy, how people relate to the government and just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/openness-fundamentally-affects-a-lot-of-the-core-institutions-in/) [Mark Zuckerberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) [Explore all 348 Mark Zuckerberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/) ## More Easier quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [I think hair gel was invented to make it easier to identify assholes from a distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-think-hair-gel-was-invented-to-make-it-easier-to-identify-assholes/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [It is easier to say you're mad, rather than admitting you're hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easier-to-say-you-re-mad-rather-than-admitting-you-re-hurt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Nothing is easier than yesterday's solutions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-sperry/nothing-is-easier-than-yesterday-s-solutions/) Roger Sperry > [When you have a cavity in your tooth and you let it get worse, eventually you have to get a root canal. If you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/when-you-have-a-cavity-in-your-tooth-and-you-let-it-get-worse/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [It's funny, everything is so much easier when you do it yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carine-roitfeld/it-s-funny-everything-is-so-much-easier-when-you-do-it-yourself/) [Carine Roitfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carine-roitfeld/) > [It is easier to perceive error than to find truth, for the former lies on the surface and is easily seen, while the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/it-is-easier-to-perceive-error-than-to-find-truth-for-the-former-lies/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I'm truly, 100% guided by the characters and my Muse. If one of the characters suddenly decided to do something very different, I'd just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/i-m-truly-100-guided-by-the-characters-and-my-muse-if-one-of-the/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“it is easier to do a job right than to explain why you didnt”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-buren/it-is-easier-to-do-a-job-right-than-to-explain-why-you-didnt/) [Martin Van Buren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-buren/) > [“Often we find it easier to think our way around things rather than to feel our way through them:”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/often-we-find-it-easier-to-think-our-way-around-things-rather-than-to/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [I know it is easier said than done, but you have to find a way to surround yourself with positivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michaela-deprince/i-know-it-is-easier-said-than-done-but-you-have-to-find-a-way-to/) [Michaela DePrince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michaela-deprince/) > [God puts you where God needs you. You are where you are supposed to be. The job you are doing may not be any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-kushner/god-puts-you-where-god-needs-you-you-are-where-you-are-supposed-to-be/) [Lawrence Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-kushner/) Browse all 5,480 Easier quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People often say that it is easier to predict the way things are going to be 10 to 20 years in the future than to predict how it is going to be 3 years from now.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mark Zuckerberg" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-predict-the-way-things-are/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Easier" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-predict-the-way-things-are/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/mark-zuckerberg-858_easier_people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-pr_2481862.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/mark-zuckerberg-858_easier_people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-pr_2481862.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e9/mark-zuckerberg-858_easier_people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-pr_2481862.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People often say that it is easier to predict the way things are going to be 10 to 20 years in the future…” — Mark Zuckerberg", "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": "Mark Zuckerberg", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-zuckerberg/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "People often say that it is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-predict-the-way-things-are/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-zuckerberg/people-often-say-that-it-is-easier-to-predict-the-way-things-are/#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 } } ] } ```