---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you have a project, do it exactly as…"
description: "\"“When you have a project, do it exactly as you see fit; then fit the facts around the event, not the other way around.”\" — Robert Sheckley"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/robert-sheckley-14086_exactly_when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as_520452.png"
---

#  When you have a project, do it exactly as you see fit…

![“When you have a project, do it exactly as you see fit; then fit the facts around the event, not the other way around.” quote by Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/robert-sheckley-14086_exactly_when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as_520452.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/robert-sheckley-14086_exactly_when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as_520452.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/robert-sheckley-14086_exactly_when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as_520452.png)

> ““When you have a project, do it exactly as you see fit; then fit the facts around the event, not the other way around.””

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

## About This Quote

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

Advocates shaping projects to fit personal vision, then adjusting facts to support it, not the reverse.

**In simple terms:** Fit facts to your vision, not vice versa.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize vision, then adapt reality.

Themes

creativity control flexibility strategy adaptation

Mood

strategic pragmatic

Type

creative philosophical

When to use this quote

- entrepreneurship
- software development
- artistic creation

Key Concepts

project management design thinking philosophy

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you test if your vision is viable?
- When should facts reshape your plan?

A Different Perspective

Risk of ignoring objective constraints.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

## Related quotes

> [Once you stop looking for what you what you find exactly what you need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia/once-you-stop-looking-for-what-you-what-you-find-exactly-what-you-need/)

[Cynthia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia/)

> [I get very frustrated by this term 'genre exercise.' I mean, what exactly is that? Genre is not really relevant when you are writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/i-get-very-frustrated-by-this-term-genre-exercise-i-mean-what-exactly/)

[Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/)

> [I am repeatedly asked in interviews exactly 'what's wrong' with me, and I always give them the same answer; I don't identify the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/i-am-repeatedly-asked-in-interviews-exactly-what-s-wrong-with-me-and/)

[Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/)

> [Not exactly what the world was looking for, a musical on 'Don Quixote.' It was required reading in high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-leigh/not-exactly-what-the-world-was-looking-for-a-musical-on-don-quixote/)

[Mitch Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-leigh/)

> [While sleep is clearly vital to emotional well-being, what is it, exactly, about sleep that is so necessary? As it turns out, mood disorders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/while-sleep-is-clearly-vital-to-emotional-well-being-what-is-it/)

[Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/)

> [Everything in your dream means exactly what you think it means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-ingerman/everything-in-your-dream-means-exactly-what-you-think-it-means/)

[Sandra Ingerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-ingerman/)

> [I like shoes that are definitive, and they know exactly what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-tucker/i-like-shoes-that-are-definitive-and-they-know-exactly-what-they-are/)

[P. J. Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-tucker/)

> [“I know not who I am, simply that I am forever becoming exactly what I am meant to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-lee/i-know-not-who-i-am-simply-that-i-am-forever-becoming-exactly-what-i/)

[Becca Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-lee/)

> [I don't exactly relate to grey characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-kay-menon/i-don-t-exactly-relate-to-grey-characters/)

[Kay Kay Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-kay-menon/)

> [It's more common than not that bipolar illness will start in the teens. One of the reasons I spend a lot of time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/it-s-more-common-than-not-that-bipolar-illness-will-start-in-the/)

[Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/)

> [My views line up with Mick Mulvaney's views pretty much exactly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-norman/my-views-line-up-with-mick-mulvaney-s-views-pretty-much-exactly/)

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

> [Everyone in Life does Exactly what they Know How to Do Given the Conditions of their Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/everyone-in-life-does-exactly-what-they-know-how-to-do-given-the/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [Frank Lampard was exactly the sort of player I wanted to be when I was growing up, I used to watch everything he did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-havertz/frank-lampard-was-exactly-the-sort-of-player-i-wanted-to-be-when-i/)

[Kai Havertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-havertz/)

> [“My life had gone right; it had gone exactly as it needed to in order to bring me here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-harbison/my-life-had-gone-right-it-had-gone-exactly-as-it-needed-to-in-order/)

[Beth Harbison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-harbison/)

> [The American people are free to do exactly what they are told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/the-american-people-are-free-to-do-exactly-what-they-are-told/)

[Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/)

## More by Robert Sheckley

> [Why in God's name should a God be praised if he is only performing his Godly function?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/why-in-god-s-name-should-a-god-be-praised-if-he-is-only-performing/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [I don't finish every story, but I probably write and send out three out of five of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-don-t-finish-every-story-but-i-probably-write-and-send-out-three/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [Wherever you go in the galaxy, you can find a food business, a house-building business, a war business, a peace business, a governing business,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/wherever-you-go-in-the-galaxy-you-can-find-a-food-business-a-house/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [“You must realize, Mr. Blaine, that a man is not his body, for he receives his body accidentally. He is not his skills, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/you-must-realize-mr-blaine-that-a-man-is-not-his-body-for-he-receives/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [“But that's crazy, " George said. "How can I be the Average American Man? I'm only five foot eight and my name is Blaxter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/but-that-s-crazy-george-said-how-can-i-be-the-average-american-man-i/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [I knew I was doing something right because it was selling so I didn't want to interfere with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-knew-i-was-doing-something-right-because-it-was-selling-so-i-didn-t/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [“She was an extremely attractive woman if you liked the type, which could best be described as homicidal schizophrenic paranoiac with kittenish overtones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/she-was-an-extremely-attractive-woman-if-you-liked-the-type-which/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [I'm not too fond of the hard work and the constant battle with self-doubt that goes on when I write, but I figure that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-m-not-too-fond-of-the-hard-work-and-the-constant-battle-with-self/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [I sell well now in Russia. I remember one signing in Russia some years ago where the bookstore had two strongmen to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-sell-well-now-in-russia-i-remember-one-signing-in-russia-some-years/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [So I wrote what I hoped would be science fiction, I was not at all sure if what I wrote would be acceptable even.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/so-i-wrote-what-i-hoped-would-be-science-fiction-i-was-not-at-all/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [I was forever reading outside of the field as well as in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-was-forever-reading-outside-of-the-field-as-well-as-in-it/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [I'm quite influenced in this by one of my heroes, Montaigne, who thought a man's real task was to render as honest an account…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/i-m-quite-influenced-in-this-by-one-of-my-heroes-montaigne-who/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [Ethical and questions of philosophy interest me a great deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/ethical-and-questions-of-philosophy-interest-me-a-great-deal/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [It is a truism throughout the civilized galaxy that when you go to the police, your troubles really begin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/it-is-a-truism-throughout-the-civilized-galaxy-that-when-you-go-to/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

> [Once you find you can't walk as far and as fast as you were able, life becomes more complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/once-you-find-you-can-t-walk-as-far-and-as-fast-as-you-were-able-life/)

[Robert Sheckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

[Explore all 47 Robert Sheckley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/)

## More Exactly quotes

> [Once you stop looking for what you what you find exactly what you need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia/once-you-stop-looking-for-what-you-what-you-find-exactly-what-you-need/)

[Cynthia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia/)

> [“My life had gone right; it had gone exactly as it needed to in order to bring me here.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-harbison/my-life-had-gone-right-it-had-gone-exactly-as-it-needed-to-in-order/)

[Beth Harbison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-harbison/)

> [Frank Lampard was exactly the sort of player I wanted to be when I was growing up, I used to watch everything he did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kai-havertz/frank-lampard-was-exactly-the-sort-of-player-i-wanted-to-be-when-i/)

[Kai Havertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kai-havertz/)

> [Everyone in Life does Exactly what they Know How to Do Given the Conditions of their Lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/everyone-in-life-does-exactly-what-they-know-how-to-do-given-the/)

[Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/)

> [My views line up with Mick Mulvaney's views pretty much exactly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-norman/my-views-line-up-with-mick-mulvaney-s-views-pretty-much-exactly/)

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

> [It's more common than not that bipolar illness will start in the teens. One of the reasons I spend a lot of time on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/it-s-more-common-than-not-that-bipolar-illness-will-start-in-the/)

[Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/)

> [I don't exactly relate to grey characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-kay-menon/i-don-t-exactly-relate-to-grey-characters/)

[Kay Kay Menon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-kay-menon/)

> [“I know not who I am, simply that I am forever becoming exactly what I am meant to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-lee/i-know-not-who-i-am-simply-that-i-am-forever-becoming-exactly-what-i/)

[Becca Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-lee/)

> [I like shoes that are definitive, and they know exactly what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-tucker/i-like-shoes-that-are-definitive-and-they-know-exactly-what-they-are/)

[P. J. Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-tucker/)

> [Everything in your dream means exactly what you think it means.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-ingerman/everything-in-your-dream-means-exactly-what-you-think-it-means/)

[Sandra Ingerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-ingerman/)

> [While sleep is clearly vital to emotional well-being, what is it, exactly, about sleep that is so necessary? As it turns out, mood disorders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-weil/while-sleep-is-clearly-vital-to-emotional-well-being-what-is-it/)

[Andrew Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-weil/)

> [Not exactly what the world was looking for, a musical on 'Don Quixote.' It was required reading in high school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-leigh/not-exactly-what-the-world-was-looking-for-a-musical-on-don-quixote/)

[Mitch Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-leigh/)

> [I am repeatedly asked in interviews exactly 'what's wrong' with me, and I always give them the same answer; I don't identify the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/i-am-repeatedly-asked-in-interviews-exactly-what-s-wrong-with-me-and/)

[Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/)

> [I get very frustrated by this term 'genre exercise.' I mean, what exactly is that? Genre is not really relevant when you are writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/i-get-very-frustrated-by-this-term-genre-exercise-i-mean-what-exactly/)

[Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/)

> [The American people are free to do exactly what they are told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ward-churchill/the-american-people-are-free-to-do-exactly-what-they-are-told/)

[Ward Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ward-churchill/)

Browse all 1,121 Exactly quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“When you have a project, do it exactly as you see fit; then fit the facts around the event, not the other way around.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Sheckley"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as-you-see-fit-then-fit-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Exactly"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as-you-see-fit-then-fit-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/robert-sheckley-14086_exactly_when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as_520452.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/robert-sheckley-14086_exactly_when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as_520452.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/596/robert-sheckley-14086_exactly_when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as_520452.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“When you have a project, do it exactly as you see fit; then fit the facts around the event, not the other…” — Robert Sheckley",
                "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": "Robert Sheckley",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sheckley/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“When you have a project, do...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as-you-see-fit-then-fit-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sheckley/when-you-have-a-project-do-it-exactly-as-you-see-fit-then-fit-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
