---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sadly, I am not able to take part in the…"
description: "\"Sadly, I am not able to take part in the fieldwork myself so much anymore, as both of my legs were amputated following an airplane crash twelve years a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/richard-leakey-14374_able_sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the_352484.png"
---

#  Sadly, I am not able to take part in the fieldwork myself…

![“Sadly, I am not able to take part in the fieldwork myself so much anymore, as both of my legs were amputated following an airplane crash twelve years ago.” quote by Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/richard-leakey-14374_able_sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the_352484.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/richard-leakey-14374_able_sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the_352484.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/richard-leakey-14374_able_sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the_352484.png)

> “Sadly, I am not able to take part in the fieldwork myself so much anymore, as both of my legs were amputated following an airplane crash twelve years ago.”

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

## About This Quote

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

Physical limitations can be overcome by adapting roles and focusing on other contributions.

**In simple terms:** Adapt to limitations and find new ways to contribute.

Key Takeaway

Seek alternative ways to stay involved.

Themes

resilience adaptation legacy

Mood

determined hopeful

Type

inspirational practical

When to use this quote

- teaching
- advocacy
- consulting on fieldwork

Key Concepts

disability studies leadership

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you leverage your experience despite limitations?
- What new role can you take on?

A Different Perspective

Physical constraints may limit direct participation.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Airplane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airplane/) [Airplane crashes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airplane-crashes/) [Amputated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amputated-323289/) [Amputated Following](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amputated-following-3252691/) [Crash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/crash/) [Fieldwork Anymore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fieldwork-anymore-3252692/) [Following](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/following/) [Legs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legs/) [Legs Amputated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/legs-amputated-2333465/) [Spine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spine/) [Twelve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twelve/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-ago/)

## Related quotes

> [At 18 months old, both of my lower legs were amputated so I could be fitted with prosthetic legs and learn to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-long/at-18-months-old-both-of-my-lower-legs-were-amputated-so-i-could-be/)

[Jessica Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-long/)

> [When we began filming, these people had legs, but as we were filming, they had been injured and they were brought to the hospital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsen-makhmalbaf/when-we-began-filming-these-people-had-legs-but-as-we-were-filming/)

[Mohsen Makhmalbaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsen-makhmalbaf/)

> [When I first had my legs amputated, it was hard for me to be positive and feel pretty. Many people don't know that someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oksana-masters/when-i-first-had-my-legs-amputated-it-was-hard-for-me-to-be-positive/)

[Oksana Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oksana-masters/)

> [I was a super active kid, so I've always been aware of where my body is in space, and I think when I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oksana-masters/i-was-a-super-active-kid-so-i-ve-always-been-aware-of-where-my-body/)

[Oksana Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oksana-masters/)

> [I almost had to have my leg amputated because of an infection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/i-almost-had-to-have-my-leg-amputated-because-of-an-infection/)

[Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/)

> [I was very close to having my whole leg amputated. It was a life-altering event. It took years of rehab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-williams/i-was-very-close-to-having-my-whole-leg-amputated-it-was-a-life/)

[Jay Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-williams/)

> [They amputated my my right leg right below the knee. It was a tough decision, but it had to be done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-mikan/they-amputated-my-my-right-leg-right-below-the-knee-it-was-a-tough/)

[George Mikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-mikan/)

> [When I saw that show Lost I learned something. Other than one sort of big dude if you're in an airplane crash only models…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/when-i-saw-that-show-lost-i-learned-something-other-than-one-sort-of/)

[Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/)

> [If black boxes survive air crashes - why don't they make the whole plane out of that stuff?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/if-black-boxes-survive-air-crashes-why-don-t-they-make-the-whole/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [The chances that your tombstone will read 'Killed by Asteroid' are about the same as they'd be for 'Killed in Airplane Crash.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/the-chances-that-your-tombstone-will-read-killed-by-asteroid-are/)

[Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/)

> [You say you should have died instead of me. But during my time on earth, people died instead of me, too. It happens every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-say-you-should-have-died-instead-of-me-but-during-my-time-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [For me, people are like the black boxes found in the debris of airplane crashes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/for-me-people-are-like-the-black-boxes-found-in-the-debris-of/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [When you're a pilot, and you know all the ways to survive an airplane crash and how low the chances are, you feel safer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-grace-moretz/when-you-re-a-pilot-and-you-know-all-the-ways-to-survive-an-airplane/)

[Chloe Grace Moretz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-grace-moretz/)

> [ Here is the secret to surviving one of these \[airplane\] crashes: Be male. In a 1970 Civil Aeromedical institute study of three crashes involving… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-roach/here-is-the-secret-to-surviving-one-of-these-airplane-crashes-be-male/)

[Mary Roach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-roach/)

> [Law Number XIV: After the year 2015, there will be no airplane crashes. There will be no takeoffs either, because electronics will occupy 100…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-ralph-augustine/law-number-xiv-after-the-year-2015-there-will-be-no-airplane-crashes/)

[Norman Ralph Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-ralph-augustine/)

## More by Richard Leakey

> [I would hazard a guess that we have found fossilized human remains of at least a thousand different specimens in South and East Africa,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/i-would-hazard-a-guess-that-we-have-found-fossilized-human-remains-of/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [It has taken biologists some 230 years to identify and describe three quarters of a million insects; if there are indeed at least thirty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/it-has-taken-biologists-some-230-years-to-identify-and-describe-three/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [Elephants can live to an age of up to 70 or 80 years and they have a good memory. It could be they come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/elephants-can-live-to-an-age-of-up-to-70-or-80-years-and-they-have-a/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [Along the borders to Ethiopia and Somalia, anarchy reigns, the police and military have retreated quite some distance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/along-the-borders-to-ethiopia-and-somalia-anarchy-reigns-the-police/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [To me it's a question of being able to look backward and give the present a root... To give meaning to where we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/to-me-it-s-a-question-of-being-able-to-look-backward-and-give-the/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [I, too, am convinced that our ancestors came from Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/i-too-am-convinced-that-our-ancestors-came-from-africa/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [I have been raised to believe in freedom of thought and speech. If a minority wishes to accept that position it's their right. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/i-have-been-raised-to-believe-in-freedom-of-thought-and-speech-if-a/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [One should not forget that there are very few surviving items from this period, often just single, small bones, a tooth, a sliver of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/one-should-not-forget-that-there-are-very-few-surviving-items-from/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [For fossils to thrive, certain favorable circumstances are required. First of all, of course, remnants of life have to be there. These then need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/for-fossils-to-thrive-certain-favorable-circumstances-are-required/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [The language of art is powerful to those who understand it, and puzzling to those who do not. What we do know is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/the-language-of-art-is-powerful-to-those-who-understand-it-and/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [We are bipedal apes, and it should not be surprising to see that fact reflected in the way our ancestors lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/we-are-bipedal-apes-and-it-should-not-be-surprising-to-see-that-fact/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [The land is not in the least bit fertile and yet the cattle herds grow larger and larger. A cow represents capital investment here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/the-land-is-not-in-the-least-bit-fertile-and-yet-the-cattle-herds/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [The world's five thousand extant languages are products of our shared ability, but the five thousand cultures they create are separate from each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/the-world-s-five-thousand-extant-languages-are-products-of-our-shared/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [We hope to find more pieces of the puzzle which will shed light on the connection between this upright, walking ape, our early ancestor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/we-hope-to-find-more-pieces-of-the-puzzle-which-will-shed-light-on/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

> [I can't think of any other region in the world which is such a vast source of fossils.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/i-can-t-think-of-any-other-region-in-the-world-which-is-such-a-vast/)

[Richard Leakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

[Explore all 47 Richard Leakey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

[Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Sadly, I am not able to take part in the fieldwork myself so much anymore, as both of my legs were amputated following an airplane crash twelve years ago.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Leakey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the-fieldwork-myself-so-much/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the-fieldwork-myself-so-much/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/richard-leakey-14374_able_sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the_352484.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/richard-leakey-14374_able_sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the_352484.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/96c/richard-leakey-14374_able_sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the_352484.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sadly, I am not able to take part in the fieldwork myself so much anymore, as both of my legs were amputated…” — Richard Leakey",
                "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": "Richard Leakey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-leakey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Sadly, I am not able to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the-fieldwork-myself-so-much/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-leakey/sadly-i-am-not-able-to-take-part-in-the-fieldwork-myself-so-much/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
