Quote of the day by Katharine Hepburn says, “As one goes through life, one learns that if you don’t paddle your own canoe, you don’t move.” The statement is about personal responsibility, direct action and self-reliance. It suggests that people cannot always wait for other people or circumstances to determine the direction of their lives. The quote uses a canoe as a way to explain life. A person sitting in a canoe needs a paddle to move. Without using the paddle, the canoe may remain in the same place or move only because of outside forces. In the same way, people need to make decisions and take action if they want to make progress.
The saying remains connected to questions about personal accountability, independence and active participation. It asks people to consider whether they are directing their own lives or waiting for someone else to do it.
