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About this quote

What does it mean?
When you cannot achieve your ideal outcome, focus on making the best use of your current capabilities.
In plain terms
If you can't have what you want, do what is possible instead.
What can you take from it?
Accept limitations and act within your current capacity.

Where it applies

  • problem-solving
  • dealing with setbacks

Putting it to work

  • assess available resources
  • take incremental steps

Questions to consider

  • What can you do right now?
  • How do you handle unmet desires?

Another view

Sometimes doing what you can still falls far short of what is needed.

More from Lois McMaster Bujold

  1. I am who I choose to be. I always have been what I chose:though not always what I pleased.

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  2. It was never what I wanted to buy that held my heart's hope. It was what I wanted to be.

    Permalink to quote #96
  3. How could you be a Great Man if history brought you no Great Events, or brought you to them at the wrong time, too young, too old?

    Permalink to quote #93

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