--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no straight path from your seat…" description: "\"There is no straight path from your seat today to where you are going. Don't try to draw that line. You will not just get it wrong, you'll miss big opp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/sheryl-sandberg-439_around-the-corner_there-is-no-straight-path-from-your-seat_1864593.png" --- # There is no straight path from your seat today to where… ![“There is no straight path from your seat today to where you are going. Don't try to draw that line. You will not just get it wrong, you'll miss big opportunities. And I mean big-like the Internet. Careers are not ladders, those days are long gone, but jungle gyms. Don't just move up and down…” quote by Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/sheryl-sandberg-439_around-the-corner_there-is-no-straight-path-from-your-seat_1864593.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/sheryl-sandberg-439_around-the-corner_there-is-no-straight-path-from-your-seat_1864593.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c1/sheryl-sandberg-439_around-the-corner_there-is-no-straight-path-from-your-seat_1864593.png) > “There is no straight path from your seat today to where you are going. Don't try to draw that line. You will not just get it wrong, you'll miss big opportunities. And I mean big-like the Internet. Careers are not ladders, those days are long gone, but jungle gyms. Don't just move up and down, don't just look up, look backwards, sideways around corners. Your career and your life will have starts and stops and zigs and zags. Don't stress out about the white space-the path you can't draw- because there in lies both the surprises and the opportunities.” [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Career paths are nonlinear, full of unexpected turns that create both challenges and opportunities. **In simple terms:** Careers are zigzag, not straight lines. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility and explore unconventional routes. Themes career development adaptability opportunity nonlinear growth risk taking Mood reflective optimistic strategic Type advice inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - job searching - entrepreneurship - skill acquisition - career transitions - personal development Key Concepts systems thinking network theory growth mindset Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn an unexpected setback into a new opportunity? - What unconventional route could advance your goals? A Different Perspective Linear expectations can limit creativity and cause missed chances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Don't stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/don-t-stress/) [Graduation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/graduation/) [Gym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gym/) [Inspiring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspiring/) [Internet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/internet/) [Jungle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jungle/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/path/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Straight path](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/straight-path/) [Stress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stress/) [Surprise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surprise/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) [Up and down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up-and-down/) [Where you are going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/where-you-are-going/) [White space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-space/) ## Related quotes > [I'm hard-pressed to think of companies that don't need venture capital that are going after big opportunities. I think, in almost all cases, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aneel-bhusri/i-m-hard-pressed-to-think-of-companies-that-don-t-need-venture/) [Aneel Bhusri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aneel-bhusri/) > [Watch for big problems. They disguise big opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/watch-for-big-problems-they-disguise-big-opportunities/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People let little things cheat them out of big opportunities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/people-let-little-things-cheat-them-out-of-big-opportunities/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [You see people who get so many big opportunities, and they take them, and they're not ready.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-munn/you-see-people-who-get-so-many-big-opportunities-and-they-take-them/) [Olivia Munn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-munn/) > [Broad minded people create big opportunities, small minded people create big problems. Choose who you associate with carefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/broad-minded-people-create-big-opportunities-small-minded-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Volunteer. Sometimes the jobs no one wants conceal big opportunities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-jackson-brown-jr/volunteer-sometimes-the-jobs-no-one-wants-conceal-big-opportunities/) [H. Jackson Brown, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-jackson-brown-jr/) > [“Don’t wait for big opportunities. You can create small but wonderful ones by starting with what you have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/don-t-wait-for-big-opportunities-you-can-create-small-but-wonderful/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [I'm going to get paid the most if I fight for a title or hold a title. That's when all of the big opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cub-swanson/i-m-going-to-get-paid-the-most-if-i-fight-for-a-title-or-hold-a-title/) [Cub Swanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cub-swanson/) > [We really see big opportunities when we are against the narrative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-bessent/we-really-see-big-opportunities-when-we-are-against-the-narrative/) [Scott Bessent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-bessent/) > [There's an ongoing competition by global companies across all areas from products, technology development and hiring talented people to patent disputes. The market is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-kun-hee/there-s-an-ongoing-competition-by-global-companies-across-all-areas/) [Lee Kun-hee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-kun-hee/) > [Vision 2030 is about a lot of big opportunities, so Aramco is one of them, Neom another opportunity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-bin-salman/vision-2030-is-about-a-lot-of-big-opportunities-so-aramco-is-one-of/) [Mohammad bin Salman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-bin-salman/) > [When everyone is running the machine, and it's all working, there's a tendency to look at the short term and focus on incremental opportunities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abigail-johnson/when-everyone-is-running-the-machine-and-it-s-all-working-there-s-a/) [Abigail Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abigail-johnson/) > [“Big challenges provide big opportunities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-usher/big-challenges-provide-big-opportunities/) Ian Usher > [Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-milne/don-t-underestimate-the-value-of-doing-nothing/) [A. A. Milne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-milne/) > [I don't believe athletes should be role models. . . . We're a one-shot deal, one in a million, so we should be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-barkley/i-don-t-believe-athletes-should-be-role-models-we-re-a-one-shot-deal/) [Charles Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-barkley/) ## More by Sheryl Sandberg > [“Still, my argument was that if she was going to work for the next 30 years, what difference does "going back" 4 years really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/still-my-argument-was-that-if-she-was-going-to-work-for-the-next-30/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [ “\[Eric Schmidt\] explained that only one criterion that mattered when picking a job- fat growth. When companies grow quickly, there are more things to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/eric-schmidt-explained-that-only-one-criterion-that-mattered-when/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [When I went to college, as much as my parents emphasized academic achievement, they emphasized marriage even more. They told me that the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/when-i-went-to-college-as-much-as-my-parents-emphasized-academic/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Go to a playground: Little girls get called 'bossy' all the time, a word that's almost never used for boys. And that leads directly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/go-to-a-playground-little-girls-get-called-bossy-all-the-time-a-word/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“One of my favorite quotes comes from author Alice Walker, who observed, “The most common way people give up their power is by thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/one-of-my-favorite-quotes-comes-from-author-alice-walker-who-observed/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Aggressive and hard-charging women violate unwritten rules about acceptable social conduct. 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Instead, true leadership stems from individuality…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/presenting-leadership-as-a-list-of-carefully-defined-qualities-like/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [So there's no such thing as work-life balance. There's work, and there's life, and there's no balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/so-there-s-no-such-thing-as-work-life-balance-there-s-work-and-there/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Men can comfortably claim credit for what they do as long as they don't veer into arrogance. For women, taking credit comes at a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/men-can-comfortably-claim-credit-for-what-they-do-as-long-as-they-don/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“As Helen Keller put it, “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/as-helen-keller-put-it-when-one-door-of-happiness-closes-another/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [“Forty percent of employed mothers lack sick days and vacation leave, and about 50 percent of employed mothers are unable to take time off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/forty-percent-of-employed-mothers-lack-sick-days-and-vacation-leave/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) [Explore all 557 Sheryl Sandberg quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) ## More Around the corner quotes > [I feel excited about getting older as an actress, too. I think there are some amazing opportunities around the corner and I don't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sutton-foster/i-feel-excited-about-getting-older-as-an-actress-too-i-think-there/) [Sutton Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sutton-foster/) > [You'll never see me coming around the corner not smiling... I mean, I enjoy every moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquem-griffin/you-ll-never-see-me-coming-around-the-corner-not-smiling-i-mean-i/) [Shaquem Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquem-griffin/) > [Curiosity is the essence of human existence. 'Who are we? Where are we? Where do we come from? Where are we going?'... I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/curiosity-is-the-essence-of-human-existence-who-are-we-where-are-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'd never think of taking a cab if you had to walk a mile down Chicago's Michigan Avenue. But in a bad city you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helmut-jahn/you-d-never-think-of-taking-a-cab-if-you-had-to-walk-a-mile-down/) [Helmut Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helmut-jahn/) > [With the great people that you work with, it's that they're never giving up and they're never thinking something's finished until they've really, really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-price/with-the-great-people-that-you-work-with-it-s-that-they-re-never/) [Steven Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-price/) > [At some point during almost every romantic comedy, the female lead suddenly trips and falls, stumbling helplessly over something ridiculous like a leaf, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/at-some-point-during-almost-every-romantic-comedy-the-female-lead/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [“A courteous war mage. The world really was coming to an end. And then Pritkin ran back around the corner followed by half a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/a-courteous-war-mage-the-world-really-was-coming-to-an-end-and-then/) [Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/) > [You don't know what's coming for you in life, and you don't know what's around the corner. When you're in a great deal of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-h-wyman/you-don-t-know-what-s-coming-for-you-in-life-and-you-don-t-know-what/) [J.H. Wyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-h-wyman/) > [Brooklyn, where I grew up, is a competitive burg - there's always a pretty boy around the corner there, and you gotta look better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theophilus-london/brooklyn-where-i-grew-up-is-a-competitive-burg-there-s-always-a/) [Theophilus London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theophilus-london/) > [One thing that's certain: around the corner from every ugly thing, there's something really beautiful. If we stop at every bitter interaction; we'll never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/one-thing-that-s-certain-around-the-corner-from-every-ugly-thing/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [“job 14:1 man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of troubles "If that isn't your experience now it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/job-14-1-man-who-is-born-of-a-woman-is-few-of-days-and-full-of/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [And as I reinvent myself and I'm constantly curious about everything, I can't wait to see what's around the corner in newfound art and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-grier/and-as-i-reinvent-myself-and-i-m-constantly-curious-about-everything/) [Pam Grier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-grier/) > [I know what is around the corner - I just don't know where the corner is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-keegan/i-know-what-is-around-the-corner-i-just-don-t-know-where-the-corner-is/) [Kevin Keegan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-keegan/) > [I love being the age I am, because if there's enough pain or grief, I have enough experience now to realize that there's joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gilbert/i-love-being-the-age-i-am-because-if-there-s-enough-pain-or-grief-i/) [Sara Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gilbert/) Browse all 569 Around the corner quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no straight path from your seat today to where you are going. 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