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connect the dots

简体
connect the dots
理清头绪

Date: Oct 20 2011

Themes: Tech

Quote

1. Quote - Listen to the quote and guess what the slang means.

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“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. You have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.”

- Apple co-founder Steve Jobs talking about his life philosophy in a speech at Stanford University. (NPR)

“向前看是理不清头绪的,只有向后看才能将事情联系起来。你要相信这些头绪与你的未来不无关系。”
- 苹果公司的共同创始人史蒂夫·乔布斯在斯坦福大学讲述他的人生哲学时说

Definition

1. Definition - Study the definition.

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understand the relationships or connections

2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.

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Steve Jobs helped start Apple and created revolutionary products like iTunes and the iPhone. He became one of the most successful businessmen and inventors in the world and tragically died of cancer earlier this month. But when he was a young man, he didn’t know what he wanted to do. He couldn’t connect the dots and predict where the future would take him.

At a speech to new college graduates at Stanford University, Jobs talked about how it’s impossible to know where your life is going to take you. Only later are you able to connect the dots and see how one decision led to another, eventually bringing you to your current place in life.

The expression connect the dots comes from a game where there are a lot of numbered dots on a page, and you have to draw lines between the dots in order to reveal a picture of something, like an animal or a person’s face. When you start the game, you have no idea what image is going to appear. Only at the end of the game, once you’ve connected the dots, do you realize how all the dots fit together to create a picture. In the same way, when you connect the dots in life, you understand the connections or relationships between different things. You understand how different pieces fit together to create a whole.

Can you connect the dots and explain how you reached your current place in life?

Examples

1. Examples - Hear some example sentences.

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“It took me a long time to connect the dots, but now I finally understand why my best friend was spending so much time with my brother. They’re in love!”

“I hope Jesse doesn’t connect the dots and realize we’re planning a surprise party for him.”

“If you think about the problem long and hard, I’m sure you’ll be able to connect the dots and find a solution.”

Winners

1. Winners - See who guessed the slang definition correctly.

cubi1604 Looking back the past and connect what you've learned or perceived to make it in the present
by cubi1604
Talia Do To figure something out based on multiple pieces of evidence.
by Talia Do
At a certain moment of your life you can ask yourself: I've done a lot in my life but now what?, what is all that for?.. connecting the dots means that everything you have done in your life, finally makes sense
by alixjohanna
Jeyran connecting the dots means to understand certain relationship between the events or things
by Jeyran
Julissita To understand the relationship between different events. I love this quote!
by Julissita

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Comments

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TAMER0988

TAMER0988

Iraq

We cant connect the dots all the time , we do that just when we can …..

06:11 PM Oct 26 2011 |

whipiry

whipiry

South Korea

genious!! how can do say like that!! connect the dots!!!  if not a deep insight into a life, i can’t connect the dots of my life in a reality. the moment i can connect the dost , I would be already old. i won’t be able to go back. it would be afraid to me.

11:03 PM Oct 23 2011 |

laptop786

laptop786

India

ya that’s true we can’nt predict where we’ll  be  in the future…......................good lesson….................

03:18 AM Oct 23 2011 |

1 person likes this

bahkali

Saudi Arabia

hello to every body


 

12:06 AM Oct 23 2011 |

IsaaBelaxD

IsaaBelaxD

Brazil

I used to connect the dots all the time and I understood many things happened in my life. But sometimes we act without thinking cause we don’t understand at the time what’s happening, we can just understand after when we connect the dots, and cause of this we regret some mistakes we did for this misunderstanding… So, for now, I prefer don’t connect the dots anymore, just living each time, without regrets! :)

09:50 PM Oct 22 2011 |

FUN777

FUN777

Egypt

I’m still connecting the dots all the time in my life. I am trying to analyze all the situations that happen to me and the others people around me because i really want to understand how to deal with others easily.

06:41 PM Oct 22 2011 |

Alhnouf

Alhnouf

Saudi Arabia

this is exactlly what i understood , to connect the dots is like if you are comparing your past statue and the future one then avoid to repeat the mistakes that you have done be4 in order to find a better solution . in another word , is to understand all the circumstances all around you and know defenitlly what turns you up and what turns you down to be much aware

01:39 PM Oct 22 2011 |

hoa_thuytinh989

Viet Nam

i idolize Steve Jobs very much. It is a big lost for digital technology as well as everybody around the word. I feel shock to know his death. I cant believe it. He is a legend in my heart.

12:46 PM Oct 21 2011 |

john

johnSuper Member!

United States

I miss Steve Jobs already!

09:06 PM Oct 20 2011 |

Stitch

Stitch

Taiwan

I like this idiom!

09:06 PM Oct 20 2011 |

nahar2001sa

Saudi Arabia

not al ways we  connect the dots in good way we need more training  that me opinon

06:44 PM Oct 20 2011 |

bom222a

Viet Nam

i think it is easy to understand the expression connect the dots through the game. so it is more effective to learn english expression in this web than another one. thanks you alots for sending the lesson to me

06:06 PM Oct 20 2011 |

Maria del Alba

Spain

I think everything in life occurs for one reason but it is very difficult to connect all the dots that have led you at this point in life. However, if you look backwards in your life carefully you will notice that there is a connection. I call it “Synchronicity” because of Jung theory. You can look up in the wikipedia if you are interested in this philosophical issues http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synchronicity


I also think that it sometimes gets difficult and touch in life because later you will receive an award. We must be strong, make effort and hope everything gonna be fine.

05:31 PM Oct 20 2011 |

2 people like this

little lolo

Oman

i hope so

04:20 PM Oct 20 2011 |

little lolo

Oman

it will helps to connect the dots if u break the routine..try different things..deal with different people

04:18 PM Oct 20 2011 |

foz12

foz12

Saudi Arabia

 The lesson that I will walked with, that nobody knows where his dots led him, all what I wish for ,  that our dots  led us to the things, that really we want it in our lives.

03:30 PM Oct 20 2011 |

Khine Shein

Myanmar

I will go on connect the dots throughout my life to expose the future.

02:13 PM Oct 20 2011 |

frank towers

Bolivia

to figure out your current life by looking backwards

02:11 PM Oct 20 2011 |

i love life

Palestinian Territory, Occupied

if i have idea about how i will be famous figure some day in the future


my opinion you can do something in your life as the same time we cant do all things in ourselves  it.s depend on our desires


i am not sure if you will be successful or not but often we are doing every thing in our powers as the same time we fail


that mean you are not bad no maybe because the condition and some luck we didnt know what will happened in the future always god hidden it


i know a lot of my friends honestly they are very intelligence  but thy didnt have a good luck they arent a failing but thier karam not good


we should to enhance our ability no more


I really dreaming fo find my next life for reach to high status


I look at help poor people

12:55 PM Oct 20 2011 |

Bruce_zhou

China

I think this is a good method to explain our life,it’s absolutely true,our lift make up by many many dots,you you want get a nice life ,you have to connect these dots with line,maybe you get the beautiful curve after u drawed and connected the dots,that’s means you have a bettle life,so that’s why in this article requir people should have the blueprint before you connect the dots,the say,leap before you think,so if we put here,should be drawing before you think also,as for me ,i like make some planning before doing someting,i have the schedual for every day and every week,that’s guide me what i should to do when and how,more clearly,i like the life style which everything in planning,so i think i will be connection the dots with a nice picture.

12:53 PM Oct 20 2011 |

1 person likes this

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