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About this quote

What does it mean?
A round person can't fit a square hole immediately; they need time to adapt.
In plain terms
People need time to adjust to new situations.
What can you take from it?
Adaptation takes time.

Where it applies

  • career change
  • cultural integration

Putting it to work

  • training
  • mentorship

Questions to consider

  • How can we accelerate adaptation?

Another view

Some constraints are structural, not just about time.

More from Samuel Langhorne Clemens

  1. The report of my death was an exaggeration.

    Permalink to quote #27
  2. [Citing a familiar 'American joke':] In Boston they ask, How much does he know? In New York, How much is he worth? In Philadelphia, Who were his parents?

    Permalink to quote #29
  3. Weather is a literary specialty, and no untrained hand can turn out a good article on it.

    Permalink to quote #26

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