--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first man stepped up to the open…" description: "\"“The first man stepped up to the open door. All the men had been ordered to look out at the horizon, not straight down, for obvious psychological reaso..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/stephen-e-ambrose-16557_open-door_the-first-man-stepped-up-to-the-open-doo_1583350.jpg" --- # The first man stepped up to the open door. All the men had… ![“The first man stepped up to the open door. All the men had been ordered to look out at the horizon, not straight down, for obvious psychological reasons.” quote by Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/stephen-e-ambrose-16557_open-door_the-first-man-stepped-up-to-the-open-doo_1583350.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/stephen-e-ambrose-16557_open-door_the-first-man-stepped-up-to-the-open-doo_1583350.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/299/stephen-e-ambrose-16557_open-door_the-first-man-stepped-up-to-the-open-doo_1583350.jpg) > ““The first man stepped up to the open door. All the men had been ordered to look out at the horizon, not straight down, for obvious psychological reasons.”” [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote highlights that early explorers were instructed to look outward, not downward, due to psychological reasons, emphasizing forward‑looking vision. **In simple terms:** Explorers were told to look ahead, not down. Key Takeaway Adopt a forward‑looking mindset. Themes exploration psychology leadership Mood inspirational reflective Type leadership strategy When to use this quote - space missions - business strategy - personal growth - military planning Key Concepts vision motivation cognitive bias risk perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance vision with present reality? - What psychological factors shape our focus? A Different Perspective Focusing only ahead can cause neglect of immediate details. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Door Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/door-men-1915149/) [Man Stepped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-stepped-1604557/) [Men Ordered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-ordered-5984827/) [Open Door](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-door/) [Stepped Open](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stepped-open-5984828/) ## Related quotes > [Opportunity knocks at every man's door once. 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A man stepped into my life that day and grounded me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-hood/i-felt-untethered-a-man-stepped-into-my-life-that-day-and-grounded-me/) [Ann Hood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-hood/) > [“You were doing fine," a familiar voice informed my ear, "until that man stepped into your path.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/you-were-doing-fine-a-familiar-voice-informed-my-ear-until-that-man/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“AMERICAN HERO The man stepped right up, feet on top of a case of bottled beer. He placed his neck into a rope noose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-shields/american-hero-the-man-stepped-right-up-feet-on-top-of-a-case-of/) [Bill Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-shields/) > [All the traditional models for doing things are collapsing; from music to publishing to film, and it's a wide open door for people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/all-the-traditional-models-for-doing-things-are-collapsing-from-music/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [Throw your soul through every open door, count your blessings to find what you look for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/throw-your-soul-through-every-open-door-count-your-blessings-to-find/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [“…out here in the real world, my man, you would be amazed how seldom murder has to break into people’s lives. Ninety-nine times out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/out-here-in-the-real-world-my-man-you-would-be-amazed-how-seldom/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [“BE Lost On a painted sky Where the clouds are hung For the poet's eye You may find him If you may find him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/be-lost-on-a-painted-sky-where-the-clouds-are-hung-for-the-poet-s-eye/) [Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/) > [If you believe in chakras - head and heart - I think singing opens them up, like a wide open door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-erivo/if-you-believe-in-chakras-head-and-heart-i-think-singing-opens-them/) [Cynthia Erivo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-erivo/) > [I was once asked what I thought was the most disquieting thing you could see on the screen and I said, 'an open door.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/i-was-once-asked-what-i-thought-was-the-most-disquieting-thing-you/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [If you have a hit, the best thing that can happen to you is having a bigger hit open next door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-otway/if-you-have-a-hit-the-best-thing-that-can-happen-to-you-is-having-a/) [Howard Otway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-otway/) > [“Next time," I said wryly, swinging open the door, "just give me a knife and ask for a vein.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-pettersson/next-time-i-said-wryly-swinging-open-the-door-just-give-me-a-knife/) [Vicki Pettersson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-pettersson/) > [Dear parents,knocking while open the door to my bedroom kind of defeats the purpose of knocking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-parents-knocking-while-open-the-door-to-my-bedroom-kind-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When one door closes another doesn't just open, you can either open the same door or open a different one...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-one-door-closes-another-doesn-t-just-open-you-can-either-open/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Stephen E. Ambrose > [“Hitler made only one big mistake when he built his Atlantic Wall,” the paratroopers liked to say. “He forgot to put a roof on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/hitler-made-only-one-big-mistake-when-he-built-his-atlantic-wall-the/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“All that existed was precious in Crazy Horse’s religion—whatever a man did or thought was good, was wakan, so long as he obeyed his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/all-that-existed-was-precious-in-crazy-horse-s-religion-whatever-a/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“Thus the total armada amounted to 5,333 ships and craft of all types,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/thus-the-total-armada-amounted-to-5-333-ships-and-craft-of-all-types/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“Ronald Spiers: The only hope you have is to accept the fact that you're already dead. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/ronald-spiers-the-only-hope-you-have-is-to-accept-the-fact-that-you/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“These are some of the qualities that make for a good company commander. Lewis had them in abundance, plus some special touches that made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/these-are-some-of-the-qualities-that-make-for-a-good-company/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“Older British observers complained, "The trouble with you Yanks is that you are overpaid, oversexed, and over here." (To which the Yanks would reply,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/older-british-observers-complained-the-trouble-with-you-yanks-is-that/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“I instinctively dislike ever to uphold the conservative as opposed to the bold”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/i-instinctively-dislike-ever-to-uphold-the-conservative-as-opposed-to/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“No wrong will ever be done you by our nation.”3”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/no-wrong-will-ever-be-done-you-by-our-nation-3/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“Of courage undaunted, possessing a firmness and perseverance of purpose which nothing but impossibilities could divert from its direction, careful as a father of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/of-courage-undaunted-possessing-a-firmness-and-perseverance-of/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“Jefferson could write, “I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/jefferson-could-write-i-tremble-for-my-country-when-i-reflect-that/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“May works be the test of patriotism as they ought, of right, to be of religion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/may-works-be-the-test-of-patriotism-as-they-ought-of-right-to-be-of/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“So it had always been and apparently would be. The terms “peace” and “war” as understood by the Americans had no meaning to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/so-it-had-always-been-and-apparently-would-be-the-terms-peace-and-war/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“(In Austria after VE Day) Sergeant Mercier...dressed in a full German officer's uniform, topped off with a monocle for his right eye. Someone got…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/in-austria-after-ve-day-sergeant-mercier-dressed-in-a-full-german/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“SHAEF had prepared for everything except the weather. It now became an obsession. It was the one thing for which no one could plan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/shaef-had-prepared-for-everything-except-the-weather-it-now-became-an/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) > [“Pvt. Robert Fruling said he spent two and a half days at Pointe-du-Hoc, all of it crawling on his stomach. He returned on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-e-ambrose/pvt-robert-fruling-said-he-spent-two-and-a-half-days-at-pointe-du-hoc/) [Stephen E. Ambrose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) [Explore all 39 Stephen E. Ambrose quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-e-ambrose/) ## More Open Door quotes > [When one door closes another doesn't just open, you can either open the same door or open a different one...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-one-door-closes-another-doesn-t-just-open-you-can-either-open/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dear parents,knocking while open the door to my bedroom kind of defeats the purpose of knocking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-parents-knocking-while-open-the-door-to-my-bedroom-kind-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Next time," I said wryly, swinging open the door, "just give me a knife and ask for a vein.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-pettersson/next-time-i-said-wryly-swinging-open-the-door-just-give-me-a-knife/) [Vicki Pettersson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vicki-pettersson/) > [If you have a hit, the best thing that can happen to you is having a bigger hit open next door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-otway/if-you-have-a-hit-the-best-thing-that-can-happen-to-you-is-having-a/) [Howard Otway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-otway/) > [I was once asked what I thought was the most disquieting thing you could see on the screen and I said, 'an open door.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-lee/i-was-once-asked-what-i-thought-was-the-most-disquieting-thing-you/) [Christopher Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-lee/) > [If you believe in chakras - head and heart - I think singing opens them up, like a wide open door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-erivo/if-you-believe-in-chakras-head-and-heart-i-think-singing-opens-them/) [Cynthia Erivo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-erivo/) > [“BE Lost On a painted sky Where the clouds are hung For the poet's eye You may find him If you may find him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-diamond/be-lost-on-a-painted-sky-where-the-clouds-are-hung-for-the-poet-s-eye/) [Neil Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-diamond/) > [“…out here in the real world, my man, you would be amazed how seldom murder has to break into people’s lives. Ninety-nine times out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tana-french/out-here-in-the-real-world-my-man-you-would-be-amazed-how-seldom/) [Tana French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tana-french/) > [Throw your soul through every open door, count your blessings to find what you look for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/throw-your-soul-through-every-open-door-count-your-blessings-to-find/) [Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/) > [All the traditional models for doing things are collapsing; from music to publishing to film, and it's a wide open door for people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ava-duvernay/all-the-traditional-models-for-doing-things-are-collapsing-from-music/) [Ava DuVernay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ava-duvernay/) > [“Sometimes God closes some doors; so, that you can create a door for you to open and pass through it. The only things you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/temitope-owosela/sometimes-god-closes-some-doors-so-that-you-can-create-a-door-for-you/) [Temitope Owosela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/temitope-owosela/) > [God is a God of endless opportunities to do good; the God of the open door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/god-is-a-god-of-endless-opportunities-to-do-good-the-god-of-the-open/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [“Mr. Pinter!" He turned to find Lady Celia approaching. "Yes, my lady?" To his surprise, she glanced nervously at the open door to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-jeffries/mr-pinter-he-turned-to-find-lady-celia-approaching-yes-my-lady-to-his/) [Sabrina Jeffries](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-jeffries/) > [“There had been a time when words had been the only place he could find solace. No book ever lost patience with him or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/there-had-been-a-time-when-words-had-been-the-only-place-he-could/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [They Open A Door And Enter A World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-open-a-door-and-enter-a-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 469 Open Door quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/open-door/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The first man stepped up to the open door. All the men had been ordered to look out at the horizon, not straight down, for obvious psychological reasons.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen E. 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