--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many of us would probably be better…" description: "\"Many of us would probably be better fishermen if we did not spend so much time watching and waiting for the world to become perfect\" — Norman Maclean" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/norman-maclean-10625_fisherman_many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fish_2233157.jpg" --- # Many of us would probably be better fishermen if we did… ![“Many of us would probably be better fishermen if we did not spend so much time watching and waiting for the world to become perfect” quote by Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/norman-maclean-10625_fisherman_many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fish_2233157.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/norman-maclean-10625_fisherman_many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fish_2233157.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/norman-maclean-10625_fisherman_many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fish_2233157.jpg) > “Many of us would probably be better fishermen if we did not spend so much time watching and waiting for the world to become perfect” [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Over‑thinking and waiting for ideal conditions prevent us from developing skills and enjoying life. **In simple terms:** Waiting for perfection hinders progress. Key Takeaway Act now, practice imperfectly. Themes patience skill development mindfulness Mood reflective motivational Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - fishing - learning new hobby - career development - personal projects Key Concepts Stoicism flow state Questions to Reflect On - What skill could you start practicing today? - How does waiting for perfect conditions limit growth? A Different Perspective Perfectionism can cause missed opportunities and frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Fishermen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-fishermen-5031651/) [Fisherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fisherman/) [Fishermen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishermen/) [Fishermen Did](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fishermen-did-5031652/) [Perfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect/) [Time watch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-watch/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Waiting World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-world-1364446/) [Watching Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watching-waiting-1396235/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [He told us about Christ's disciples being fisherman, and we were left to assume...that all great fishermen on the Sea of Galilee were fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/he-told-us-about-christ-s-disciples-being-fisherman-and-we-were-left/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“I’ve replayed that moment in my mind a thousand times since then, wondering if someone was watching us, waiting for the perfect time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-s-butler/i-ve-replayed-that-moment-in-my-mind-a-thousand-times-since-then/) [D.S. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-s-butler/) > [“Watching, waiting and anticipating will only detract from visualising, persisting and succeeding’ (1996)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kieran-revell/watching-waiting-and-anticipating-will-only-detract-from-visualising/) [Kieran Revell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kieran-revell/) > [“Sometimes it seems his whole life revolves around watching and waiting. Waiting for the right moment, waiting for the right memory to capture. Hoping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-thrasher/sometimes-it-seems-his-whole-life-revolves-around-watching-and/) [Travis Thrasher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-thrasher/) > [History is watching us now. We don't have much time, but history is watching. It's waiting to see if we will rise to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/history-is-watching-us-now-we-don-t-have-much-time-but-history-is/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [“They were all watching him, all waiting. Death is lighter than a feather, duty heavier than a mountain. He made his decision.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/they-were-all-watching-him-all-waiting-death-is-lighter-than-a/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [But there's an enormous difference between an audience that's watching you because they can't wait to see what comes next and an audience that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-there-s-an-enormous-difference-between-an-audience-that-s/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [My daughter, I can't give up because she's watching and she's here and she's waiting for me to be an example. So, between her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandy-norwood/my-daughter-i-can-t-give-up-because-she-s-watching-and-she-s-here-and/) [Brandy Norwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandy-norwood/) > [And then alas! I let the matter reset, watching and waiting only, as we have too often done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-then-alas-i-let-the-matter-reset-watching-and-waiting-only-as-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Waiting on the World to Change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/waiting-on-the-world-to-change/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [“If you're waiting for the world to get it, if you're waiting for the world, forget it. I'm not waiting for the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-franklin/if-you-re-waiting-for-the-world-to-get-it-if-you-re-waiting-for-the/) [Adam Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-franklin/) > [There was no point in waiting until the next world. You had to do everything now, every kind of sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/there-was-no-point-in-waiting-until-the-next-world-you-had-to-do/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) > [The whole world is waiting. The whole world needs you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-field/the-whole-world-is-waiting-the-whole-world-needs-you/) [Sally Field](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-field/) > [I'm waiting for the world to turn upside down so that I may swim in a sea of stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-waiting-for-the-world-to-turn-upside-down-so-that-i-may-swim-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was waiting for the world to change. I'm no longer waiting; I'm part of that movement. I think our role as performers and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa-edwards/i-was-waiting-for-the-world-to-change-i-m-no-longer-waiting-i-m-part/) [Alyssa Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa-edwards/) ## More by Norman Maclean > [At the time I did not know that stories of life are often more like rivers than books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/at-the-time-i-did-not-know-that-stories-of-life-are-often-more-like/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“In this story of the outside world and the inside world with a fire between, the outside world of little screwups recedes now for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/in-this-story-of-the-outside-world-and-the-inside-world-with-a-fire/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“I hope there are others also who don't mind trees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/i-hope-there-are-others-also-who-don-t-mind-trees/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [Probably most catastrophes end this way without an ending, the dead not even knowing how they died...,those who loved them forever questioning "this unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/probably-most-catastrophes-end-this-way-without-an-ending-the-dead/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [If our father had had his way, nobody who did not know how to fish would be allowed to disgrace a fish by catching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/if-our-father-had-had-his-way-nobody-who-did-not-know-how-to-fish/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [I knew that, when needed, mountains would move for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/i-knew-that-when-needed-mountains-would-move-for-me/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“I sat there and forgot and forgot, until what remained was the river that went by and I who watched... Eventually the watcher joined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/i-sat-there-and-forgot-and-forgot-until-what-remained-was-the-river/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/it-is-those-we-live-with-and-love-and-should-know-who-elude-us/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [Unless we are willing to escape into sentimentality or fantasy, often the best we can do with catastrophes, even our own, is to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/unless-we-are-willing-to-escape-into-sentimentality-or-fantasy-often/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [As for my father, I never knew whether he believed God was a mathematician but he certainly believed God could count and that only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/as-for-my-father-i-never-knew-whether-he-believed-god-was-a/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [At sunrise everything is luminous but not clear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/at-sunrise-everything-is-luminous-but-not-clear/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“On the Big Blackfoot River above the mouth of Belmont Creek the banks are fringed by large Ponderosa pines. In the slanting sun of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/on-the-big-blackfoot-river-above-the-mouth-of-belmont-creek-the-banks/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [Of course, now I am too old to be much of a fisherman, and now of course I usually fish the big waters alone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/of-course-now-i-am-too-old-to-be-much-of-a-fisherman-and-now-of/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“...it is not fly fishing if you are not looking for answers to questions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/it-is-not-fly-fishing-if-you-are-not-looking-for-answers-to-questions/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) > [“Eventually, all things merge into one, and a river runs through it. The river was cut by the world's great flood and runs over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/eventually-all-things-merge-into-one-and-a-river-runs-through-it-the/) [Norman Maclean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) [Explore all 64 Norman Maclean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/) ## More Fisherman quotes > [You know, they always say that the photographer is a hunter of images. That is a flattering image, the idea of a hunter, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-doisneau/you-know-they-always-say-that-the-photographer-is-a-hunter-of-images/) [Robert Doisneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-doisneau/) > [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [Most of the world is covered by water. A fisherman's job is simple: Pick out the best parts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-w-waterman/most-of-the-world-is-covered-by-water-a-fisherman-s-job-is-simple/) [Charles W. Waterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-w-waterman/) > [Some people are under the impression that all that is required to make a good fisherman is the ability to tell lies easily and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerome-k-jerome/some-people-are-under-the-impression-that-all-that-is-required-to/) [Jerome K. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerome-k-jerome/) > [ \[If\] we can celebrate that in a way that celebrates our love for New England as well as our love for the Italian culture… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-batali/if-we-can-celebrate-that-in-a-way-that-celebrates-our-love-for-new/) [Mario Batali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-batali/) > [The pilot who is always dreading a rock or a tempest must not complain if he remain a poor fisherman. We must at times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/the-pilot-who-is-always-dreading-a-rock-or-a-tempest-must-not/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [Cajun is country food by farmers and fisherman that arrived in Louisiana from Acadiana, Canada.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-prudhomme/cajun-is-country-food-by-farmers-and-fisherman-that-arrived-in/) [Paul Prudhomme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-prudhomme/) > [People ask me what I do, and I tell them, 'I'm a fisherman and a hunter.' They look at me like I'm lazy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-hemingway/people-ask-me-what-i-do-and-i-tell-them-i-m-a-fisherman-and-a-hunter/) [Jack Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-hemingway/) > [What did Christ really do? He hung out with hard-drinking fishermen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iggy-pop/what-did-christ-really-do-he-hung-out-with-hard-drinking-fishermen/) [Iggy Pop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iggy-pop/) > [Every poker player, like every fisherman, needs to have a story in a box, and most poker stories are completely uninteresting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-alexander/every-poker-player-like-every-fisherman-needs-to-have-a-story-in-a/) [Jason Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-alexander/) > [This, more than anything else, is what I have never understood about your people. You can roll dice, and understand that the whole game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/this-more-than-anything-else-is-what-i-have-never-understood-about/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [Fishermen, no matter what supreme good fortune befalls them, cannot ever be absolutely satisfied. It is a fundamental weakness of intellect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/fishermen-no-matter-what-supreme-good-fortune-befalls-them-cannot/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [A trout fisherman is something that defieth understanding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corey-ford/a-trout-fisherman-is-something-that-defieth-understanding/) [Corey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corey-ford/) > [The fish, Even in the fisherman's net, Still carries, The smell of the sea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mourid-barghouti/the-fish-even-in-the-fisherman-s-net-still-carries-the-smell-of-the/) [Mourid Barghouti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mourid-barghouti/) > [Having faith in the plan of salvation includes steadfastly refusing to be diverted from our true identities and responsibilities. In the brief season of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-a-maxwell/having-faith-in-the-plan-of-salvation-includes-steadfastly-refusing/) [Neal A. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-a-maxwell/) [Browse all 284 Fisherman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fisherman/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Many of us would probably be better fishermen if we did not spend so much time watching and waiting for the world to become perfect", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Norman Maclean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fishermen-if-we-did-not-spend-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fisherman" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fishermen-if-we-did-not-spend-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/norman-maclean-10625_fisherman_many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fish_2233157.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/norman-maclean-10625_fisherman_many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fish_2233157.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b41/norman-maclean-10625_fisherman_many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fish_2233157.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Many of us would probably be better fishermen if we did not spend so much time watching and waiting for the…” — Norman Maclean", "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": "Norman Maclean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-maclean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Many of us would probably be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fishermen-if-we-did-not-spend-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-maclean/many-of-us-would-probably-be-better-fishermen-if-we-did-not-spend-so/#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 } } ] } ```