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ppardee t1_iw5tw8a wrote

This kind of nonsense quote is what made the self-help industry into a joke. It sounds good and motivational, but it's just not true in any capacity.

One of the hallmarks of being a mature person is knowing your limitations. Believing you can do something isn't enough. You have to ACTUALLY BE ABLE TO DO IT. Musk believed he could run Twitter better. I believed I could change the thermostat on my wife's Kia. Both of us underestimated the complexity of the task. Belief didn't matter. Reality is the only thing that matters.

One does not repair a car on faith alone.

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Ubermenschen t1_iw7r9cc wrote

This quote is about your ability to learn, to persevere, and to eventually understand and master. It is about faith in your abilities long term. This is not about repairing a car on your first try.

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ppardee t1_iw8w98d wrote

That may be what you take away from it. It may also have been Henry Ford's intent in say it. But that's not what it says, and if a quote needs an explanation to go along with it, it's not a good quote.

Plus, it's still false. Not everyone has the capacity to learn something and believing you're going to able to learn will not make you capable of learning it. I used to think everyone could just learn whatever they wanted... and then I started interviewing people for technical roles. Doesn't matter how much you believe and persevere. It doesn't make you capable.

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