--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had more positive views. Which made me…" description: "\"“I had more positive views. Which made me feel that although I hadn't been taught to assimilate, a person perhaps assimilated without knowing it. I was..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/richard-ford-2097_life-lessons_i-had-more-positive-views-which-made-me_2106442.png" --- # I had more positive views. Which made me feel that… ![“I had more positive views. Which made me feel that although I hadn't been taught to assimilate, a person perhaps assimilated without knowing it. I was doing it now. You did it alone, and not with other or for them. And assimilating possibly wasn't so hard and risky and didn't need to be permanent…” quote by Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/richard-ford-2097_life-lessons_i-had-more-positive-views-which-made-me_2106442.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/richard-ford-2097_life-lessons_i-had-more-positive-views-which-made-me_2106442.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/772/richard-ford-2097_life-lessons_i-had-more-positive-views-which-made-me_2106442.png) > ““I had more positive views. Which made me feel that although I hadn't been taught to assimilate, a person perhaps assimilated without knowing it. I was doing it now. You did it alone, and not with other or for them. And assimilating possibly wasn't so hard and risky and didn't need to be permanent. This state of mind conferred another freedom on me and was like starting life over, or as I've already said, becoming someone else -- but someone who was not stalled but moving, which was the nature of things in the world. I could like it or hate it, but the world would change around me no matter how I felt.”” [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker describes personal transformation through self‑directed assimilation, gaining freedom and a sense of renewal, independent of external expectations. **In simple terms:** Changing oneself can bring freedom and a fresh start. Key Takeaway Embrace self‑driven change. Themes identity freedom transformation independence Mood reflective hopeful determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career transition - personal growth - cultural adaptation - creative projects Key Concepts self‑actualization psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How does self‑directed change affect relationships? - What risks accompany redefining yourself? A Different Perspective Change may be unsettling and can isolate you from others. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Assimilate Person](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assimilate-person-4231295/) [Assimilating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assimilating-690244/) [Assimilating Possibly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assimilating-possibly-4231294/) [Life lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-lessons/) [Person Assimilated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-assimilated-4231292/) [State of mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-of-mind/) [Taught Assimilate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-assimilate-4231293/) ## Related quotes > [“Acclimating to something is to temporarily wear a mask for a time. Assimilating to something is stapling that mask on forever. You acclimate to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/acclimating-to-something-is-to-temporarily-wear-a-mask-for-a-time/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) > [Throughout early modernity there were very strong pressures on Jews to assimilate. Assimilating meant cutting your ties with the community of origin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zygmunt-bauman/throughout-early-modernity-there-were-very-strong-pressures-on-jews/) [Zygmunt Bauman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zygmunt-bauman/) > [“..and only by assimilating into their community would they succeed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-pollock/and-only-by-assimilating-into-their-community-would-they-succeed/) [Lindsay Pollock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-pollock/) > [“The ultimate aim of assimilating knowledge is to create new ideas or gain wisdom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-zhu/the-ultimate-aim-of-assimilating-knowledge-is-to-create-new-ideas-or/) [Pearl Zhu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-zhu/) > [Do you believe in luck, Ludlow?" I had thought about this more than once in my life. "I believe some poeple are luckier than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-believe-in-luck-ludlow-i-had-thought-about-this-more-than-once/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Beyond the silver span of the motor bridge lay basins of cracked mud the size of ballrooms - models of a state of mind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-g-ballard-2/beyond-the-silver-span-of-the-motor-bridge-lay-basins-of-cracked-mud/) [J.G. Ballard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-g-ballard-2/) > [“Yevgenia had never realized that the human back could be so expressive, could so vividly reflect a person’s state of mind. People had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-l-morgan/yevgenia-had-never-realized-that-the-human-back-could-be-so/) [Michael L. Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-l-morgan/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [If it is written and read with serious attention, a novel, like a myth or any great work of art, can become an initiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-armstrong/if-it-is-written-and-read-with-serious-attention-a-novel-like-a-myth/) [Karen Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-armstrong/) > [“By choosing to forgive, you are choosing to love. By choosing to operate in love, you are choosing to operate in an unconditional state…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-watterson/by-choosing-to-forgive-you-are-choosing-to-love-by-choosing-to/) [Eric Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-watterson/) > [“The South is very beautiful but its beauty makes one sad because the lives that people live, and have lived here, are so ugly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-baldwin/the-south-is-very-beautiful-but-its-beauty-makes-one-sad-because-the/) [James Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-baldwin/) > [Thinking, or more precisely identification with thinking, gives rise to and maintains the ego, which, in our Western society in particular, is out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/thinking-or-more-precisely-identification-with-thinking-gives-rise-to/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [A state of mind is something that one assumes. It cannot be purchased, it must be created.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-state-of-mind-is-something-that-one-assumes-it-cannot-be-purchased/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The state of mind which I put myself when I tell a story is one in which superstition flourishes very easily. And I welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-pullman/the-state-of-mind-which-i-put-myself-when-i-tell-a-story-is-one-in/) [Philip Pullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-pullman/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) ## More by Richard Ford > [Something will be there when the flood recedes. We know that. It will be those people now standing in the water, and on those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/something-will-be-there-when-the-flood-recedes-we-know-that-it-will/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [If you lose all hope, you can always find it again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/if-you-lose-all-hope-you-can-always-find-it-again/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I started reading literature at 17 or 18, and I felt this extra beat to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-started-reading-literature-at-17-or-18-and-i-felt-this-extra-beat/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I don't hate children. My wife and I just didn't think we would be good parents, and also by the time we got married…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-don-t-hate-children-my-wife-and-i-just-didn-t-think-we-would-be/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Writing never came naturally and I still have to force my hand to do it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/writing-never-came-naturally-and-i-still-have-to-force-my-hand-to-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“Conversations with adults other than a person's parents had more of an outcome.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/conversations-with-adults-other-than-a-person-s-parents-had-more-of/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Some people want to be bank presidents. Other people want to rob banks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/some-people-want-to-be-bank-presidents-other-people-want-to-rob-banks/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [In order to write novels for a living - it's not pathological, but I do think and worry and brood and fidget about stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/in-order-to-write-novels-for-a-living-it-s-not-pathological-but-i-do/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [There are more people in America that love guns and want guns for themselves and everyone else than there are not. It is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/there-are-more-people-in-america-that-love-guns-and-want-guns-for/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [That said, being dyslexic, I wasn't a great reader when I was kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/that-said-being-dyslexic-i-wasn-t-a-great-reader-when-i-was-kid/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [I'm an equal opportunity reader - although I don't much read plays. And since I was raised a Presbyterian, pretty much all pleasures are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/i-m-an-equal-opportunity-reader-although-i-don-t-much-read-plays-and/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [The pace of life feels morally dangerous to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/the-pace-of-life-feels-morally-dangerous-to-me/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“to sit in the empty stands of a Florida ball park and hear the sounds of glove leather and chatter;”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/to-sit-in-the-empty-stands-of-a-florida-ball-park-and-hear-the-sounds/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“And what there is to learn from almost any human experience is that your own interests usually do not come first where other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/and-what-there-is-to-learn-from-almost-any-human-experience-is-that/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [“It was on such a night as this that the unhappy things came about.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/it-was-on-such-a-night-as-this-that-the-unhappy-things-came-about/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) [Explore all 184 Richard Ford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) ## More Life lessons quotes > [“Ask anyone; possibly ninety-five percent of their wishes have come true. The unfortunate part is, we all overlook that, and regret all our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uday-mukerji/ask-anyone-possibly-ninety-five-percent-of-their-wishes-have-come/) [Uday Mukerji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uday-mukerji/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [“We ought to know the history of our ancient ancestors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-ought-to-know-the-history-of-our-ancient-ancestors/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [“Nothing you did made sense and nothing you’ll ever do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hogan/nothing-you-did-made-sense-and-nothing-you-ll-ever-do/) [Michael Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hogan/) > [Life's lessons don't come with books, notes nor instructions...just mistakes and EVERYONE makes them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/life-s-lessons-don-t-come-with-books-notes-nor-instructions-just/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“It is not so much about fighting against the ego; it is more about harmonizing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-sara/it-is-not-so-much-about-fighting-against-the-ego-it-is-more-about/) [Grace Sara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-sara/) > [“Failing to meet your true destiny is a tragic act of free will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/failing-to-meet-your-true-destiny-is-a-tragic-act-of-free-will/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [“Today if anything is trying to hold you back, give no attention to it. 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