--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perspective - Use It or Lose It. If you…" description: "\"“Perspective - Use It or Lose It. If you turned to this page, you're forgetting that what is going on around you is not reality. Think about that. Reme..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/richard-bach-424_end-of-the-world_perspective-use-it-or-lose-it-if-you-tur_1048663.jpg" --- # Perspective - Use It or Lose It. If you turned to this… ![“Perspective - Use It or Lose It. If you turned to this page, you're forgetting that what is going on around you is not reality. Think about that. Remember where you came from, where you're going, and why you created the mess you got yourself into in the first place. You are led through your…” quote by Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/richard-bach-424_end-of-the-world_perspective-use-it-or-lose-it-if-you-tur_1048663.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/richard-bach-424_end-of-the-world_perspective-use-it-or-lose-it-if-you-tur_1048663.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c28/richard-bach-424_end-of-the-world_perspective-use-it-or-lose-it-if-you-tur_1048663.jpg) > ““Perspective - Use It or Lose It. If you turned to this page, you're forgetting that what is going on around you is not reality. Think about that. Remember where you came from, where you're going, and why you created the mess you got yourself into in the first place. You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self. Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them. Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, and teachers. Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a false messiah. Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully. The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in awhile, and watch your answers change. Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years. The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof. There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts. Imagine the universe beautiful and just and perfect. Then be sure of one thing: The Is has imagined it quite a bit better than you have. The original sin is to limit the Is. Don't. A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed, it feels an impulsion…this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reason and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons. You are never given a wish without being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however. Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours. If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats. The world is your exercise-book, the pages on which you do your sums. It is not reality, although you can express reality there if you wish. You are also free to write nonsense, or lies, or to tear the pages. Every person, all the events of your life, are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you. In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice. The best way to avoid responsibility is to say, "I've got responsibilities." The truth you speak has no past and no future. It is, and that's all it needs to be. Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't. Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. You're going to die a horrible death, remember. It's all good training, and you'll enjoy it more if you keep the facts in mind. Take your dying with some seriousness, however. Laughing on the way to your execution it not generally understood by less advanced lifeforms, and they'll call you crazy. Everything above may be wrong!”” [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True self‑knowledge requires humility, continuous learning, and aligning actions with inner truth rather than external expectations. **In simple terms:** Know yourself, learn, act, and teach with honesty. Key Takeaway Live authentically and keep learning. Themes self‑discovery learning authenticity purpose Mood introspective inspirational thoughtful Type advice philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career decisions - relationships - creative projects - spiritual practice - conflict resolution Key Concepts inner growth mindfulness personal development Questions to Reflect On - What does being true to yourself look like daily? - How can you balance self‑learning with external feedback? A Different Perspective Self‑delusion can block growth; external validation may mislead. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [End of the world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Fictional Characters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fictional-characters/) [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/learning/) [Live free](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-free/) [Original sin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/original-sin/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Real self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-self/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) [True family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-family/) [True to yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-to-yourself/) ## Related quotes > [If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/if-you-will-practice-being-fictional-for-a-while-you-will-understand/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Perspective - Use It or Lose It. If you turned to this page, you're forgetting that what is going on around you is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/perspective-use-it-or-lose-it-if-you-turned-to-this-page-you-re/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Perspective: use it or lose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/perspective-use-it-or-lose-it/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each others life. Rarely do members…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-bond-that-links-your-true-family-is-not-one-of-blood-but-of-2/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-bond-that-links-your-true-family-is-not-one-of-blood-but-of/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [“How many of us count fictional characters, or those we've never met, among our closest friends? My hand's up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/how-many-of-us-count-fictional-characters-or-those-we-ve-never-met/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Believe in God. Believe in Love. Believe in true family and friends and most importantly, believe in yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/believe-in-god-believe-in-love-believe-in-true-family-and-friends-and/) Enhance Dreams > [I think that is a great, great thing, to create your own identity and foster a true family spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddy-de-clercq/i-think-that-is-a-great-great-thing-to-create-your-own-identity-and/) [Eddy de Clercq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddy-de-clercq/) > [“It sometimes occurs to me, with sad delight, that if one day (in a future I won’t be part of) the sentences I write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/it-sometimes-occurs-to-me-with-sad-delight-that-if-one-day-in-a/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Neptune rose and Neptune set in the skylight above. Kalsang's tears collected on his cheeks and evaporated in a steady cycle. He sat for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-winburn/neptune-rose-and-neptune-set-in-the-skylight-above-kalsang-s-tears/) Samuel Winburn > [Be sure to incorporate your pooch into your daily activities to make her feel like a true family member. You can do this by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-jillson/be-sure-to-incorporate-your-pooch-into-your-daily-activities-to-make/) Joyce Jillson > [“What is family? They were the people who claimed you. In good, in bad, in parts or in whole, they were the ones who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/what-is-family-they-were-the-people-who-claimed-you-in-good-in-bad-in-3/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [“Numerous New Testament passages teach that we need to forsake our allegiance to our original family and become adopted by God (Matt. 23:9). God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cloud/numerous-new-testament-passages-teach-that-we-need-to-forsake-our/) [Henry Cloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cloud/) > [True family will always be there to catch your fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/true-family-will-always-be-there-to-catch-your-fall/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be true to who you are and the family name you bare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-b-hinckley/be-true-to-who-you-are-and-the-family-name-you-bare/) [Gordon B. Hinckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-b-hinckley/) ## More by Richard Bach > [“Heaven is not a place, and it's not a time. Heaven is being perfect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/heaven-is-not-a-place-and-it-s-not-a-time-heaven-is-being-perfect/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [You'd chosen to be an upright biped on the surface of a small planet of a minor sun on the edge of a minor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/you-d-chosen-to-be-an-upright-biped-on-the-surface-of-a-small-planet/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Your harshest truths are dreams, and your gentlest dreams are true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/your-harshest-truths-are-dreams-and-your-gentlest-dreams-are-true/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [“Happiness is a choice. It is not always an easy one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/happiness-is-a-choice-it-is-not-always-an-easy-one/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/argue-for-your-limitations-and-sure-enough-they-re-yours/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The world is a dream, you say, and it’s lovely, sometimes. Sunset. Clouds. Sky.” “No. The image is a dream. The beauty is real.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-world-is-a-dream-you-say-and-it-s-lovely-sometimes-sunset-clouds/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The original sin is to limit the Is. Don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-original-sin-is-to-limit-the-is-don-t/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Silly ideas, worth the admission price in smiles, but they're true. Is high-energy physics interesting because it's true or because it's crazy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/silly-ideas-worth-the-admission-price-in-smiles-but-they-re-true-is/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-best-way-to-pay-for-a-lovely-moment-is-to-enjoy-it/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/i-am-tired-of-clinging-though-i-cannot-see-it-with-my-eyes-i-trust/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [If you want to meet someone who can fix any situation you don't like, who can bring you happiness in spite of what other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/if-you-want-to-meet-someone-who-can-fix-any-situation-you-don-t-like/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The space for what you want is already filled with what you settled for instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-space-for-what-you-want-is-already-filled-with-what-you-settled/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [The books remind us that way down deep in our hearts, part of us knows that we are creatures of light and we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-books-remind-us-that-way-down-deep-in-our-hearts-part-of-us-knows/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Part of us is always the observer, and no matter what, it observes. It watches us. It does not care if we are happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/part-of-us-is-always-the-observer-and-no-matter-what-it-observes-it/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Kindle Singles is publishing on skates. It prints like lightning; our book meets readers in hours. I've spent so many years waiting for publishers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/kindle-singles-is-publishing-on-skates-it-prints-like-lightning-our/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) [Explore all 539 Richard Bach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) ## More End of the world quotes > [“Is it necessary to recall that the earth is not infinite, and that our civilization is close to having invaded all of it? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-tarde/is-it-necessary-to-recall-that-the-earth-is-not-infinite-and-that-our/) Gabriel Tarde > [“Will this generation be able to turn things around and learn a valuable lesson from all of this? I hope so, but I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-b-powell/will-this-generation-be-able-to-turn-things-around-and-learn-a/) [Aaron B. Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-b-powell/) > [The end of the world is on people's minds. We have the power to destroy or save ourselves, but the question is what do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/the-end-of-the-world-is-on-people-s-minds-we-have-the-power-to/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [People always wonder when the world is going to end. I believe that the world will end when everyone stops loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nichole-fickes/people-always-wonder-when-the-world-is-going-to-end-i-believe-that/) [Nichole Fickes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nichole-fickes/) > [End-of-the-world stories tend to ring true. I've always been drawn to them, but as I wrote my own, I found surprising pleasure in creating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/end-of-the-world-stories-tend-to-ring-true-i-ve-always-been-drawn-to/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [The end of the world begins the moment you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/the-end-of-the-world-begins-the-moment-you-die/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [When I come home from work, if I just played a really good game and I'm on top of the world, I think changing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirk-cousins/when-i-come-home-from-work-if-i-just-played-a-really-good-game-and-i/) [Kirk Cousins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirk-cousins/) > [When I wrote 'The Good Body,' I turned 40 and suddenly had this stomach. It seemed like the end of the world. Because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/when-i-wrote-the-good-body-i-turned-40-and-suddenly-had-this-stomach/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/) [Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/) > [“Even my Buddhist friends have been feeling despair and when they go bad, you know the end is nigh.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/even-my-buddhist-friends-have-been-feeling-despair-and-when-they-go/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Let the end of the world be inside you, then you don't need to fear the end of the world out there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/let-the-end-of-the-world-be-inside-you-then-you-don-t-need-to-fear/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [The planets survival has become so uncertain that any effort, any thought that presupposes an assured future amounts to a mad gamble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/the-planets-survival-has-become-so-uncertain-that-any-effort-any/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [Listen, we've drafted guys that wouldn't come in for workouts before. It's not the end of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-ainge/listen-we-ve-drafted-guys-that-wouldn-t-come-in-for-workouts-before/) [Danny Ainge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-ainge/) > [There was one part of my life where I would go out every night. Ha-ha, if I missed going out to the club, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-electra/there-was-one-part-of-my-life-where-i-would-go-out-every-night-ha-ha/) [Carmen Electra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-electra/) > [Oh my gosh, I'd give so much advice to a younger version of myself. I would say it really does get better as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginnifer-goodwin/oh-my-gosh-i-d-give-so-much-advice-to-a-younger-version-of-myself-i/) [Ginnifer Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginnifer-goodwin/) [Browse all 976 End of the world quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-the-world/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Perspective - Use It or Lose It. If you turned to this page, you're forgetting that what is going on around you is not reality. Think about that. Remember where you came from, where you're going, and why you created the mess you got yourself into in the first place. You are led through your lifetime by the inner learning creature, the playful spiritual being that is your real self. Don't turn away from possible futures before you're certain you don't have anything to learn from them. Learning is finding out what you already know. Doing is demonstrating that you know it. Teaching is reminding others that they know just as well as you. You are all learners, doers, and teachers. Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself. Being true to anyone else or anything else is not only impossible, but the mark of a false messiah. Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully. The simplest questions are the most profound. Where were you born? Where is your home? Where are you going? What are you doing? Think about these once in awhile, and watch your answers change. Your friends will know you better in the first minute you meet than your acquaintances will know you in a thousand years. The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof. There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands. You seek problems because you need their gifts. Imagine the universe beautiful and just and perfect. Then be sure of one thing: The Is has imagined it quite a bit better than you have. The original sin is to limit the Is. Don't. A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed, it feels an impulsion…this is the place to go now. But the sky knows the reason and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons. You are never given a wish without being given the power to make it true. You may have to work for it, however. Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they're yours. If you will practice being fictional for a while, you will understand that fictional characters are sometimes more real than people with bodies and heartbeats. The world is your exercise-book, the pages on which you do your sums. It is not reality, although you can express reality there if you wish. You are also free to write nonsense, or lies, or to tear the pages. Every person, all the events of your life, are there because you have drawn them there. What you choose to do with them is up to you. In order to live free and happily, you must sacrifice boredom. It is not always an easy sacrifice. The best way to avoid responsibility is to say, \"I've got responsibilities.\" The truth you speak has no past and no future. It is, and that's all it needs to be. Here is a test to find whether your mission on earth is finished: If you're alive, it isn't. Don't be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again. And meeting again, after moments or lifetimes, is certain for those who are friends. The mark of your ignorance is the depth of your belief in injustice and tragedy. What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly. You're going to die a horrible death, remember. It's all good training, and you'll enjoy it more if you keep the facts in mind. Take your dying with some seriousness, however. Laughing on the way to your execution it not generally understood by less advanced lifeforms, and they'll call you crazy. 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