--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was chosen by the archer and though it…" description: "\"“It was chosen by the archer and though it is a long way off, we cannot blame it when we fail to hit it. In this lies the beauty of the way of the bow:..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/paulo-coelho-10_archer_it-was-chosen-by-the-archer-and-though-i_80799.jpg" --- # It was chosen by the archer and though it is a long way… ![“It was chosen by the archer and though it is a long way off, we cannot blame it when we fail to hit it. In this lies the beauty of the way of the bow: you can never excuse yourself by saying that your opponent was stronger than you.” quote by Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/paulo-coelho-10_archer_it-was-chosen-by-the-archer-and-though-i_80799.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/paulo-coelho-10_archer_it-was-chosen-by-the-archer-and-though-i_80799.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/377/paulo-coelho-10_archer_it-was-chosen-by-the-archer-and-though-i_80799.jpg) > ““It was chosen by the archer and though it is a long way off, we cannot blame it when we fail to hit it. In this lies the beauty of the way of the bow: you can never excuse yourself by saying that your opponent was stronger than you.”” [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Responsibility for outcomes lies with the shooter, not the distance or opponent; success depends on one's own skill and effort. **In simple terms:** Own your aim, not the target's distance. Key Takeaway Excuses hinder growth. Themes personal responsibility skill development mindset accountability self-reliance Mood determined reflective empowering Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - sports competition - project planning - creative endeavors - leadership challenges - personal fitness Key Concepts goal setting performance self-discipline effort Practical Applications - coaching feedback - performance review Questions to Reflect On - What excuses do you make for missed goals? - How can you improve your own aim? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archer/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) ## Related quotes > [I am a very good archer. I use archery as my way of meditation. I cannot sit down and just meditate in the classical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-am-a-very-good-archer-i-use-archery-as-my-way-of-meditation-i/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the weight of snow. Suddenly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/you-can-learn-from-an-ordinary-bamboo-leaf-what-ought-to-happen-it/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth./The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/you-are-the-bows-from-which-your-children-as-living-arrows-are-sent-3/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [“The hand that stretches the bow must open like a child's hand opens. What sometimes hinders the precision of the shot is the archer's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/the-hand-that-stretches-the-bow-must-open-like-a-child-s-hand-opens/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [Seville is a tower full of fine archers… Under the arch of the sky, across the clear plain, she shoots the constant arrow of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-garc-a-lorca/seville-is-a-tower-full-of-fine-archers-under-the-arch-of-the-sky/) [Federico Garcia Lorca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-garc-a-lorca/) > [“The Need to Win When an archer is shooting for nothing He has all his skill. If he shoots for a brass buckle He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-need-to-win-when-an-archer-is-shooting-for-nothing-he-has-all-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You never can tell when you send a word, Like an arrow shot from a bow By an archer blind, be it cruel or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-wheeler-wilcox/you-never-can-tell-when-you-send-a-word-like-an-arrow-shot-from-a-bow/) [Ella Wheeler Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-wheeler-wilcox/) > [Who is it needs such flawless shafts as fate? What archer of his arrows is so choice, or hits the white so surely?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/who-is-it-needs-such-flawless-shafts-as-fate-what-archer-of-his/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) > [An ordinary archer practices until he gets it right. A ranger practices until he never gets it wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-flanagan/an-ordinary-archer-practices-until-he-gets-it-right-a-ranger/) [John Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-flanagan/) > [“An Archer must never lose focus. If the world bends Archer. It is in within in contemplation we soar the sky ~”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricio-telman-chincocolo/an-archer-must-never-lose-focus-if-the-world-bends-archer-it-is-in/) [Patricio telman chincocolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricio-telman-chincocolo/) > [Let your bending in the Archer's hand be for gladness, for even as he loves the arrow that flies, so he loves also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/let-your-bending-in-the-archer-s-hand-be-for-gladness-for-even-as-he/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [When an archer desires to shoot his arrows successfully, he first takes great pains over his posture and aligns himself accurately with his mark.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/when-an-archer-desires-to-shoot-his-arrows-successfully-he-first/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) > [Famous archer, Howard Hill won all of the 267 archery contests he entered. He could hit a bullseye at 50 feet, then split first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/famous-archer-howard-hill-won-all-of-the-267-archery-contests-he/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [I must only warn you of one thing. You have become a different person in the course of these years. For this is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/i-must-only-warn-you-of-one-thing-you-have-become-a-different-person/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [The system wants you to be either a bow or an arrow; refuse both, because there is a third choice: To be an archer!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/the-system-wants-you-to-be-either-a-bow-or-an-arrow-refuse-both/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## More by Paulo Coelho > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Love will never separate a man from his personal legend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/love-will-never-separate-a-man-from-his-personal-legend/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The world has a soul and whoever understands that soul can also understand the language of many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-world-has-a-soul-and-whoever-understands-that-soul-can-also/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To love is to be in communion with the other and to discover in that other the spark of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/to-love-is-to-be-in-communion-with-the-other-and-to-discover-in-that/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [It is not enough to dream of the Impossible Love - it is necessary to conquer it too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/it-is-not-enough-to-dream-of-the-impossible-love-it-is-necessary-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. And walk when it is time to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/eat-when-it-is-time-to-eat-and-walk-when-it-is-time-to-walk/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People are reading more and writing more because of the internet. So the virtual world is a way for me to listen to my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/people-are-reading-more-and-writing-more-because-of-the-internet-so/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Joy is like sex – it begins and ends. I want pleasure. I want to be contended, but happiness? I no longer fall into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/joy-is-like-sex-it-begins-and-ends-i-want-pleasure-i-want-to-be/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“Trudi se da zivis, sjecanja su za starije ljude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/trudi-se-da-zivis-sjecanja-su-za-starije-ljude/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I've always been a very restless person. I work hard, spend too much time looking after my son, I dance like a mad thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-always-been-a-very-restless-person-i-work-hard-spend-too-much/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [When someone leaves, it's because someone else is about to arrive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/when-someone-leaves-it-s-because-someone-else-is-about-to-arrive/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [She didn't need to understand the meaning of life; it was enough to find someone who did, and then fall asleep in his arms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/she-didn-t-need-to-understand-the-meaning-of-life-it-was-enough-to/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [“The simpler the pose, the better; the more sober, the more beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-simpler-the-pose-the-better-the-more-sober-the-more-beautiful/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) [Explore all 3,665 Paulo Coelho quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) ## More Archer quotes > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [“The bastard. It's bad enough knowing he's stolen our money,but it's humiliating having to watch him spend it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-archer/the-bastard-it-s-bad-enough-knowing-he-s-stolen-our-money-but-it-s/) [Jeffrey Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-archer/) > [“With the suddneness of a cat leaping upon its prey, he leaned forward and caught up her wrist. "Tread lightly, Miranda Fair." His thumb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-callihan/with-the-suddneness-of-a-cat-leaping-upon-its-prey-he-leaned-forward/) [Kristen Callihan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-callihan/) > [You can learn from an ordinary bamboo leaf what ought to happen. It bends lower and lower under the weight of snow. Suddenly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/you-can-learn-from-an-ordinary-bamboo-leaf-what-ought-to-happen-it/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [But you must be patient and careful; nor should you expect to become an accomplished archer without long and severe training.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-thompson/but-you-must-be-patient-and-careful-nor-should-you-expect-to-become/) [Maurice Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-thompson/) > [“Don't think of what you have to do, don't consider how to carry it out!" he exclaimed. "The shot will only go smoothly when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/don-t-think-of-what-you-have-to-do-don-t-consider-how-to-carry-it-out/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [I must only warn you of one thing. You have become a different person in the course of these years. For this is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugen-herrigel/i-must-only-warn-you-of-one-thing-you-have-become-a-different-person/) [Eugen Herrigel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugen-herrigel/) > [Archer was too intelligent to think that a young woman like Ellen Olenska would necessarily recoil from everything that reminded her of her past.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/archer-was-too-intelligent-to-think-that-a-young-woman-like-ellen/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [“Archer looked down with wonder at the familiar spectacle. It surprised him that life should be going on in the old way when his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/archer-looked-down-with-wonder-at-the-familiar-spectacle-it-surprised/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [Insatiate archer! could not one suffice? Thy shaft flew thrice, and thrice my peace was slain; And thrice, ere thrice yon moon had filled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-young/insatiate-archer-could-not-one-suffice-thy-shaft-flew-thrice-and/) [Edward Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-young/) > [Famous archer, Howard Hill won all of the 267 archery contests he entered. He could hit a bullseye at 50 feet, then split first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/famous-archer-howard-hill-won-all-of-the-267-archery-contests-he/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [The Poet is a kinsman in the clouds Who scoffs at archers, loves a stormy day; But on the ground, among the hooting crowds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-poet-is-a-kinsman-in-the-clouds-who-scoffs-at-archers-loves-a/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“It suddenly occurred to me that Archer Hale had taught himself an entire language, but hadn't had a single person to talk to. Until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-sheridan/it-suddenly-occurred-to-me-that-archer-hale-had-taught-himself-an/) [Mia Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-sheridan/) > [“So hologram means--" I finally said. "It means non-corporeal, yeah. Which sucks seeing as how there are a lot of very corporeal things I'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/so-hologram-means-i-finally-said-it-means-non-corporeal-yeah-which/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [When an archer desires to shoot his arrows successfully, he first takes great pains over his posture and aligns himself accurately with his mark.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-john-chrysostom/when-an-archer-desires-to-shoot-his-arrows-successfully-he-first/) [Saint John Chrysostom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-john-chrysostom/) [Browse all 201 Archer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/archer/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was chosen by the archer and though it is a long way off, we cannot blame it when we fail to hit it. 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