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About this quote

What does it mean?
James praises a character who could turn significant errors into small, manageable opportunities.
In plain terms
She was good at turning big mistakes into small chances.
What can you take from it?
Turn mistakes into opportunities.

Where it applies

  • career setbacks
  • personal failures
  • conflict

Putting it to work

  • reframe errors
  • learn quickly
  • adapt plans

Questions to consider

  • How do you handle your mistakes?
  • Can you recall a big mistake that helped?

Another view

Not all mistakes can be salvaged.

More from Henry James

  1. We work in the dark - we do what we can - we give what we have. Our doubt is our passion and our passion is our task. The rest is the madness of art.

    Permalink to quote #29
  2. The only success worth one's powder was success in the line of one's idiosyncrasy. Consistency was in itself distinction, and what was talent but the art of be…

    Permalink to quote #31
  3. However incumbent it may be on most of us to do our duty, there is, in spite of a thousand narrow dogmatisms, nothing in the world that anyone is under the lea…

    Permalink to quote #28

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