--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A holiday gives one a chance to look…" description: "\"A holiday gives one a chance to look backward and forward; to reset oneself by an inner compass.\" — May Sarton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/may-sarton-897_chance_a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-bac_2396518.jpg" --- # A holiday gives one a chance to look backward and forward… ![“A holiday gives one a chance to look backward and forward; to reset oneself by an inner compass.” quote by May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/may-sarton-897_chance_a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-bac_2396518.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/may-sarton-897_chance_a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-bac_2396518.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/may-sarton-897_chance_a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-bac_2396518.jpg) > “A holiday gives one a chance to look backward and forward; to reset oneself by an inner compass.” [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Holidays provide a pause to reflect on past experiences and set future intentions, acting as an internal guide for personal renewal. **In simple terms:** Time off helps us reflect and reset. Key Takeaway Use holidays to evaluate and realign personal goals. Themes reflection renewal time introspection growth Mood hopeful reflective inspirational Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - vacation planning - career transitions - personal development - spiritual practice Key Concepts mindfulness goal setting life balance Questions to Reflect On - How can everyday moments serve the same purpose? - What practices sustain the holiday’s insight year-round? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on holidays may delay continuous growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Compass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compass/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Environmental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environmental/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/holiday/) [Inner Compass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-compass-790903/) [Look Backward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/look-backward-268798/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself/) [Oneself Inner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oneself-inner-720396/) [Reset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reset/) [Reset Oneself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reset-oneself-5987671/) [Vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacation/) ## Related quotes > [Your gut is your inner compass. Whenever you have to consult with other people for an answer, you're headed in the wrong direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/your-gut-is-your-inner-compass-whenever-you-have-to-consult-with/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [I would step into a place of being lined up with a sense of purpose and my inner compass, and everything was going in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-mattea/i-would-step-into-a-place-of-being-lined-up-with-a-sense-of-purpose/) [Kathy Mattea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-mattea/) > [Your gut is your inner compass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/your-gut-is-your-inner-compass/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“You are at the start of a magnificent journey and know not where it will take you, but you feel compelled and more trusting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/padma-aon-prakasha/you-are-at-the-start-of-a-magnificent-journey-and-know-not-where-it/) [Padma Aon Prakasha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/padma-aon-prakasha/) > [But by fighting the difficulties in which one finds oneself, an inner strength develops from within our heart, which improves in life's fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/but-by-fighting-the-difficulties-in-which-one-finds-oneself-an-inner/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Empathy is the capacity to think and feel oneself into the inner life of another person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinz-kohut/empathy-is-the-capacity-to-think-and-feel-oneself-into-the-inner-life-2/) [Heinz Kohut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinz-kohut/) > [“Empathy is the capacity to think and feel oneself into the inner life of another person. It has both emotional and cognitive aspects, involving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqui-stedmon/empathy-is-the-capacity-to-think-and-feel-oneself-into-the-inner-life/) [Jacqui Stedmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqui-stedmon/) > [Homeless shelters, child hunger, and child suffering have become normalized in the richest nation on earth. It's time to reset our moral compass and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-wright-edelman/homeless-shelters-child-hunger-and-child-suffering-have-become/) [Marian Wright Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-wright-edelman/) > [“Since learning the truth, his inner compass had spun off course, swinging wildly, like a needle around a magnet or one of those volley…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-easton/since-learning-the-truth-his-inner-compass-had-spun-off-course/) [Eli Easton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-easton/) > [“Never row upstream and fight the currents of life, or passively wait for the tides to change. To get to your destination, calibrate your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/never-row-upstream-and-fight-the-currents-of-life-or-passively-wait/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [“Always lost, always striking out in the wrong direction, always going around in circles. You have suffered from a life-long inability to orient yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/always-lost-always-striking-out-in-the-wrong-direction-always-going/) [Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/) > [“The arguments today will be a memory tomorrow, but our work will stand the test of time when we trust ourselves enough to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-erzfeld/the-arguments-today-will-be-a-memory-tomorrow-but-our-work-will-stand/) [Chris Erzfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-erzfeld/) > [Every time you consider a job, you have to check in with your inner compass and say, ‘Does this fit in with how I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/every-time-you-consider-a-job-you-have-to-check-in-with-your-inner/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [I think it's so important as an actor that you hang on to your own inner compass, because so many people want to guide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-ryan/i-think-it-s-so-important-as-an-actor-that-you-hang-on-to-your-own/) [Michelle Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-ryan/) > [“Passion gives you direction. It serves as an inner compass that links you to action.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/passion-gives-you-direction-it-serves-as-an-inner-compass-that-links/) [Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/) ## More by May Sarton > [“I felt pain like an assault, The old pain again When the world thrusts itself inside, When we have to take in the outside,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-felt-pain-like-an-assault-the-old-pain-again-when-the-world-thrusts/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Most people have to talk so they won't hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/most-people-have-to-talk-so-they-won-t-hear/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [People who cannot feel punish those who do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/people-who-cannot-feel-punish-those-who-do/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [This suspension of one's own reality, this being entirely alone in a strange city (at times I wondered if I had lost the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/this-suspension-of-one-s-own-reality-this-being-entirely-alone-in-a/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [One must think like a hero to behave like a merely decent human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/one-must-think-like-a-hero-to-behave-like-a-merely-decent-human-being/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Real joy is becoming exceedingly rare among artists of any kind. And I have an idea that those who can and do communicate it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/real-joy-is-becoming-exceedingly-rare-among-artists-of-any-kind-and-i/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [For to be desperate is to discover strength. / We die of comfort and by conflict live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/for-to-be-desperate-is-to-discover-strength-we-die-of-comfort-and-by/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [“I see you with that shell Held to your sensitive abstracted ear, Hunting the ocean’s rumor till you hear it well, Until you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-see-you-with-that-shell-held-to-your-sensitive-abstracted-ear/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [There is a wilder solitude in winter When every sense is pricked alive and keen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/there-is-a-wilder-solitude-in-winter-when-every-sense-is-pricked/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I long for the bulbs to arrive, for the early autumn chores are melancholy, but the planting of bulbs is the work of hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-long-for-the-bulbs-to-arrive-for-the-early-autumn-chores-are/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Why is it that people who cannot show feeling presume that that is a strength and not a weakness?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/why-is-it-that-people-who-cannot-show-feeling-presume-that-that-is-a/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [Innocence is not pure so much as pleased, Always expectant, bright-eyed, self-enclosed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/innocence-is-not-pure-so-much-as-pleased-always-expectant-bright-eyed/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [I have written every poem, every novel, for the same purpose-to find out what I think, to know where I stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/i-have-written-every-poem-every-novel-for-the-same-purpose-to-find/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [For art is order, but it is born out of the chaos of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/for-art-is-order-but-it-is-born-out-of-the-chaos-of-life/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) > [all great people are humble because great people have great work and are humbled by the largeness of their dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/all-great-people-are-humble-because-great-people-have-great-work-and/) [May Sarton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) [Explore all 336 May Sarton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/) ## More Chance quotes > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. No one ever thought I'd be the champ, and look where I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stipe-miocic/i-understand-it-s-promotion-but-no-one-ever-gave-me-a-chance-no-one/) [Stipe Miocic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stipe-miocic/) > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [The happy medium is television. And if you find a good suitor, you can do it for years. With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/) [Alejandro Taubas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-taubas/) > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/) [Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/) > [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/) [Howard A. Tullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-a-tullman/) > [To be successful, one must take chances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-stargell/to-be-successful-one-must-take-chances/) [Willie Stargell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-stargell/) [Browse all 12,460 Chance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A holiday gives one a chance to look backward and forward; to reset oneself by an inner compass.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "May Sarton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-backward-and-forward-to-reset/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-backward-and-forward-to-reset/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/may-sarton-897_chance_a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-bac_2396518.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/may-sarton-897_chance_a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-bac_2396518.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/20b/may-sarton-897_chance_a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-bac_2396518.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A holiday gives one a chance to look backward and forward; to reset oneself by an inner compass.” — May Sarton", "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": "May Sarton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/may-sarton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A holiday gives one a chance...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-backward-and-forward-to-reset/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/may-sarton/a-holiday-gives-one-a-chance-to-look-backward-and-forward-to-reset/#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 } } ] } ```