---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Over time he learned that the way to have…"
description: "\"“Over time he learned that the way to have a leg up on everyone else was to anticipate something before it happened and then have the answer to it.”\" —..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/nick-bilton-17564_anticipate_over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-hav_2398396.jpg"
---

#  Over time he learned that the way to have a leg up on…

![“Over time he learned that the way to have a leg up on everyone else was to anticipate something before it happened and then have the answer to it.” quote by Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/nick-bilton-17564_anticipate_over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-hav_2398396.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/nick-bilton-17564_anticipate_over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-hav_2398396.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/nick-bilton-17564_anticipate_over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-hav_2398396.jpg)

> ““Over time he learned that the way to have a leg up on everyone else was to anticipate something before it happened and then have the answer to it.””

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Anticipating events and preparing answers gives a strategic advantage over competitors.

**In simple terms:** Anticipation creates advantage.

Key Takeaway

Plan ahead, stay prepared.

Themes

strategy anticipation leadership

Mood

analytical forward‑looking

Type

strategic inspirational

When to use this quote

- business negotiations
- product development
- crisis management
- team meetings

Key Concepts

foresight problem solving competitive edge

Questions to Reflect On

- What future trends can you realistically forecast?
- How do you test your assumptions?

A Different Perspective

Predicting too far ahead may lead to missed present opportunities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“In sum, one of the primary things I learned was how to kill time. I learned also to wish away my life. I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-jensen/in-sum-one-of-the-primary-things-i-learned-was-how-to-kill-time-i/)

[Derrick Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-jensen/)

> [“Larry Page probably never listened to early Louis Armstrong records, in which the notion of time is reinvented. Armstrong threw away the classical meanings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-taplin/larry-page-probably-never-listened-to-early-louis-armstrong-records/)

[Jonathan Taplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-taplin/)

> [I had to learn how to walk three times: every time I learned, I learned wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-gardot/i-had-to-learn-how-to-walk-three-times-every-time-i-learned-i-learned/)

[Melody Gardot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-gardot/)

> [The first time you say something, it's heard. The second time, it's recognized, and the third time it's learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/the-first-time-you-say-something-it-s-heard-the-second-time-it-s/)

[John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/)

> [With time I have learned to live without you but not with your memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sushan-sharma/with-time-i-have-learned-to-live-without-you-but-not-with-your/)

[Sushan Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sushan-sharma/)

> [“By the time it was over, I'd learned all the right words for all the dinosaurs (pretty much the same as they were in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/by-the-time-it-was-over-i-d-learned-all-the-right-words-for-all-the/)

[Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/)

> [“But life. It rushes by and then you think you'll see people... You think you'll do things and have time for this and time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-emmerson/but-life-it-rushes-by-and-then-you-think-you-ll-see-people-you-think/)

[Miranda Emmerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-emmerson/)

> [His struggle for a bare living left him no time to take advantage of the public evening school. In time he learned to read,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-antin/his-struggle-for-a-bare-living-left-him-no-time-to-take-advantage-of/)

[Mary Antin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-antin/)

> [So after an album and tour are over I take 6 months to a year to do other things. Once I went to University…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/so-after-an-album-and-tour-are-over-i-take-6-months-to-a-year-to-do/)

[Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/)

> [The most difficult thing about Time, I have learned, is doing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/the-most-difficult-thing-about-time-i-have-learned-is-doing-it/)

[Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/)

> [The time I learned the most in restaurants was when I was alone in a basement, figuring it out on my own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sohla-el-waylly/the-time-i-learned-the-most-in-restaurants-was-when-i-was-alone-in-a/)

[Sohla El-Waylly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sohla-el-waylly/)

> [It took a long time, but I have learned that you just can't take anything you want out of life without putting something back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-laurie/it-took-a-long-time-but-i-have-learned-that-you-just-can-t-take/)

[Piper Laurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-laurie/)

> [“It was no waste of time. You learned. You grew. You’ll do better next time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-sorenson/it-was-no-waste-of-time-you-learned-you-grew-you-ll-do-better-next/)

[Toni Sorenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-sorenson/)

> [I have been tall a long time and learned to deal with it at a young age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shawn-bradley/i-have-been-tall-a-long-time-and-learned-to-deal-with-it-at-a-young/)

[Shawn Bradley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shawn-bradley/)

> [only when we have a respect for time will we have learned something of the art of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-winspear/only-when-we-have-a-respect-for-time-will-we-have-learned-something/)

[Jacqueline Winspear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-winspear/)

## More by Nick Bilton

> [“A similar sound, especially light, tremulous speech or laughter.” This is it, he thought. “Agitation or excitement; flutter.” A verb. Twitter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/a-similar-sound-especially-light-tremulous-speech-or-laughter-this-is/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“The press pass and the a title of “journalist” had been replaced by a smart phone and a Twitter account.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/the-press-pass-and-the-a-title-of-journalist-had-been-replaced-by-a/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [Some people are destined for greatness; others fall up a hill to get there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/some-people-are-destined-for-greatness-others-fall-up-a-hill-to-get/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“It could be a technology that would erase a feeling that an entire generation felt while staring into their computer screens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/it-could-be-a-technology-that-would-erase-a-feeling-that-an-entire/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“Even though all these people were dealing in illicit activities, they each had a moral sense that their particular outlawed product was more just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/even-though-all-these-people-were-dealing-in-illicit-activities-they/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“The app saved three minutes of my time. But in the process, it cut a neighborhood business out of the economic equation. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/the-app-saved-three-minutes-of-my-time-but-in-the-process-it-cut-a/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“July had already been a busy month as Twitter had also moved into new offices: a fancy, modern, loftlike space with lots of windows…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/july-had-already-been-a-busy-month-as-twitter-had-also-moved-into-new/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“When Taylor had called Mark to explain the situation, Facebook's CEO had given clear instructions to shut Twitter down the second it tried to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/when-taylor-had-called-mark-to-explain-the-situation-facebook-s-ceo/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“When people ask Biz about his wealth, he tells them that money rarely changes people; it often just magnifies who they really are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/when-people-ask-biz-about-his-wealth-he-tells-them-that-money-rarely/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [It was a testament to the resilience of humanity. Give a man a tree and he will make it into a boat; give him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/it-was-a-testament-to-the-resilience-of-humanity-give-a-man-a-tree/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“People don’t invent things on the Internet. They simply expand on an idea that already exists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/people-don-t-invent-things-on-the-internet-they-simply-expand-on-an/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“They looked at the world around them and saw that the government was a ball of wasteful red tape; that the taxi industry treated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/they-looked-at-the-world-around-them-and-saw-that-the-government-was/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [Then, as she turned to walk away, Fred dropped the guillotine."So we're making Ev CEO," he said, his fork clenched in his hand. "You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/then-as-she-turned-to-walk-away-fred-dropped-the-guillotine-so-we-re/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“how to inject heroin into your eyeballs”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/how-to-inject-heroin-into-your-eyeballs/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

> [“Fred wasn't convinced, telling Charlie that such a service would never work and that other companies that had tried to make Twitter-like products had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/fred-wasn-t-convinced-telling-charlie-that-such-a-service-would-never/)

[Nick Bilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

[Explore all 37 Nick Bilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/)

## More Anticipate quotes

> [If, as I anticipate, a wide array of personal, portable information/communication devices becomes increasingly important and widespread for information-intensive users, it will be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/if-as-i-anticipate-a-wide-array-of-personal-portable-information/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [Assuming normal winter weather, we currently anticipate the coal markets to remain difficult through 2015; while we always strive to operate a full capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-craft/assuming-normal-winter-weather-we-currently-anticipate-the-coal/)

[Joe Craft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-craft/)

> [We are somehow the children of the planet, we are somehow its finest hour; we bind time, we bind the past, we anticipate the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/we-are-somehow-the-children-of-the-planet-we-are-somehow-its-finest/)

[Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/)

> [I like to do everything you can possibly do before you go into rehearsal, because once we are in rehearsal or on the stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-prince/i-like-to-do-everything-you-can-possibly-do-before-you-go-into/)

[Harold Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-prince/)

> [The problem with merely writing so that you can be understood is that the wrong people, in advancing their agendas, are only too ready…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-a-dembski/the-problem-with-merely-writing-so-that-you-can-be-understood-is-that/)

[William A. Dembski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-a-dembski/)

> [I am curious to know what would happen if art were suddenly seen for what it is, namely, exact information of how to rearrange…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-mcluhan/i-am-curious-to-know-what-would-happen-if-art-were-suddenly-seen-for/)

[Marshall McLuhan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-mcluhan/)

> [The very best financial presentation is one that's well thought out and anticipates any questions... answering them in advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-helps/the-very-best-financial-presentation-is-one-that-s-well-thought-out/)

[Arthur Helps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-helps/)

> [What's interesting about art in public spaces is that the public really sort of takes over and uses it in ways that you didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresita-fernandez/what-s-interesting-about-art-in-public-spaces-is-that-the-public/)

[Teresita Fernandez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresita-fernandez/)

> [The great mistake is to anticipate the outcome of the engagement; you ought not to be thinking of whether it ends in victory or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-lee/the-great-mistake-is-to-anticipate-the-outcome-of-the-engagement-you/)

[Bruce Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-lee/)

> [If you don't sow your field what harvest other than thorns and weeds can you anticipate?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-don-t-sow-your-field-what-harvest-other-than-thorns-and-weeds/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [Leaders' careers will usually be determined by their handling of one or two critical events that no one could possibly anticipate or plan for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/leaders-careers-will-usually-be-determined-by-their-handling-of-one/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [I wish I could anticipate some of the stories and lies that will be told. It's going to be great to get everyone together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-conley/i-wish-i-could-anticipate-some-of-the-stories-and-lies-that-will-be/)

Larry Conley

> [The two revolutions, I mean the annual revolutions of the declination and of the centre of the Earth, are not completely equal; that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/the-two-revolutions-i-mean-the-annual-revolutions-of-the-declination/)

[Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/)

> [In two or three hundred years life on earth will be unimaginably beautiful, astounding. Man needs such a life and if it hasn't yetappeared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/in-two-or-three-hundred-years-life-on-earth-will-be-unimaginably/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [In my own work, I've tried to anticipate what's coming over the horizon, to hasten its arrival, and to apply it to people's lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/in-my-own-work-i-ve-tried-to-anticipate-what-s-coming-over-the/)

[Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/)

Browse all 458 Anticipate quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Over time he learned that the way to have a leg up on everyone else was to anticipate something before it happened and then have the answer to it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nick Bilton"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-have-a-leg-up-on-everyone-else/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Anticipate"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-have-a-leg-up-on-everyone-else/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/nick-bilton-17564_anticipate_over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-hav_2398396.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/nick-bilton-17564_anticipate_over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-hav_2398396.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74b/nick-bilton-17564_anticipate_over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-hav_2398396.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Over time he learned that the way to have a leg up on everyone else was to anticipate something before it…” — Nick Bilton",
                "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": "Nick Bilton",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-bilton/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Over time he learned that the...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-have-a-leg-up-on-everyone-else/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-bilton/over-time-he-learned-that-the-way-to-have-a-leg-up-on-everyone-else/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
