“John Lennon wrote a line that I’m sure has been used in many commencement addresses. “Life is what happens to you while you’re making other plans.” … There is really no way of knowing where your life’s journey will take you.”

—  Dana Reeve

Middlebury College Address (2004)
Context: John Lennon wrote a line that I’m sure has been used in many commencement addresses. “Life is what happens to you while you’re making other plans.” … There is really no way of knowing where your life’s journey will take you. I never would have predicted the fabric of my life would have evolved into the rich, complex design I enjoy and am challenged by daily. My work, the achievements for which I am receiving such a great honor here today, my purpose in life, have been born out of a set of unplanned circumstances, in large part, but not completely, circumstances beyond my control. I never anticipated being a caregiver for my spouse at the age of 34. I don’t think I ever dreamt I would help run a foundation that raises money for biomedical research and people with disabilities.

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

Help us to complete the source, original and additional information

Do you have more details about the quote "John Lennon wrote a line that I’m sure has been used in many commencement addresses. “Life is what happens to you while…" by Dana Reeve?
Dana Reeve photo
Dana Reeve 10
Actress, singer, activist 1961–2006

Related quotes

John Lennon photo

“Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.”

John Lennon (1940–1980) English singer and songwriter

"Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)"; similar expressions were used by others prior to Lennon's use of this line, and have been attributed to Betty Talmadge, Thomas La Mance, Margaret Millar, William Gaddis, and Lily Tomlin, but the earliest known published occurrence was the 1957 attribution of "Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans." to Allen Saunders in Reader's Digest, according to The Quote Verifier : Who Said What, Where, and When (2006) by Ralph Keyes
Lyrics, Double Fantasy (1980)
Variant: Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.
Variant: Life is what happens while you are making other plans.

“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”

Аллен Сондерс (1899–1986)
Jordan Peterson photo

“You can live your life two ways: You can use your language to manipulate. You can use it as a tool to get what you want. But the problem with that is that it assumes you know what you want, and that you're right. And that's a problem, because there's lots of things you don't know, and if you get what you want you may find that (A.) You didn't really want it, and (B.) that you're not the person that started the journey towards that. That happens a lot to people, especially when they use their language in a manipulative way.”

Jordan Peterson (1962) Canadian clinical psychologist, cultural critic, and professor of psychology

Other

Prem Rawat photo

“What I am really here to talk about is the central thing, the core, the nucleus—life itself. I’m not here to talk about what we should do in life. There are many options as far that is concerned and, of course, you can pick one, whatever suits you. But I’m talking about life itself without which nothing is wrong and nothing is right. Unbiased life. Maybe one day everything is going the right way for you and you’re incredibly happy. And you’re still breathing and you’re still alive. Then one day you’re really sad, and everything is terrible. And you’re still breathing; you’re still alive. That thing is never affected by what the outer circumstances are.”

Prem Rawat (1957) controversial spiritual leader

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia April 3, 1984
1980s

“The journey in between what you once were and who you are now becoming is where the dance of life takes place.”

Barbara De Angelis (1951) American psychologist
Jonathan Davis photo

“The fans have been really incredible everywhere we've been…. You want to make sure you put on the best concert of your life to show them how appreciative you are.”

Jonathan Davis (1971) Heavy metal singer, frontman for Korn
Kevin Spacey photo

“John Lennon was many things to many people.”

Kevin Spacey (1959) American actor, director and producer

Prelude to his performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBEx2xHLDjE of "Mind Games" in Come Together: A Night for John Lennon's Words and Music (2001)
Context: John Lennon was many things to many people. A poet, a rocker, a leader, a troublemaker, a father, a husband — a man. Growing up, to me, he was a hero. The work of John Lennon was marked by its exquisite beauty and by its brutal honesty. So in that vein, let me say, that while I'm both deeply honored to be here — I'm also incredibly pissed-off. I'm outraged because this passionate prophet of peace, and so many others, are not with us here — because we live in an all-too-violent world. And so in the spirit of this occasion it is up to all of us, to do what we can, not only to keep John's songs alive, but help rebuild New York — and that includes your host...

“Don't sit back and wait for life to happen to you. Have a plan and take the needed steps to create what you want.”

Steve Maraboli (1975)

Source: Life, the Truth, and Being Free (2010), p. 26

Glen Cook photo

“You try your damnedest, but something always goes wrong. That’s life. If you’re smart, you plan for it.”

Glen Cook book Shadows Linger

Source: Shadows Linger (1984), Chapter 6, “Tally Mix-Up” (p. 232)

Nigel Cumberland photo

“You do not need to be a millionaire to feel successful or be successful. Financial wealth is only one of many possible indicators of success. However, to achieve your dreams and life goals you’re going to need money. And making it requires financial planning and goalsetting. I do not know of any successful person who has been able to simply ignore their finances.”

Nigel Cumberland (1967) British author and leadership coach

Your Job-Hunt Ltd – Advice from an Award-Winning Asian Headhunter (2003), Successful Recruitment in a Week (2012) https://books.google.ae/books?idp24GkAsgjGEC&printsecfrontcover&dqnigel+cumberland&hlen&saX&ved0ahUKEwjF75Xw0IHNAhULLcAKHazACBMQ6AEIGjAA#vonepage&qnigel%20cumberland&ffalse, 100 Things Successful People Do: Little Exercises for Successful Living (2016) https://books.google.ae/books?idnu0lCwAAQBAJ&dqnigel+cumberland&hlen&saX&ved0ahUKEwjF75Xw0IHNAhULLcAKHazACBMQ6AEIMjAE

Related topics