What does the saying "You can't see the forest for the trees" mean?
Question #87768. Asked by star_gazer.
Last updated Dec 28 2016.
kc61093
Answer has 2 votes
kc61093
Answer has 2 votes.
I have a theory but I'm not quite sure. I think that it means that you aren't enjoying life because you are trying to fix all of the problems.
Oct 25 2007, 9:35 PM
McGruff
Answer has 6 votes
Currently Best Answer
McGruff Moderator 25 year member
3694 replies
Answer has 6 votes.
Currently voted the best answer.
You can't see the big picture because you're sweating the details.
An expression used of someone who is too involved in the details of a problem to look at the situation as a whole: “The congressman became so involved in the wording of his bill that he couldn’t see the forest for the trees; he did not realize that the bill could never pass.” http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/can-t-see-the-wood-for-the-trees
Definition: overly concerned with detail; not understanding the whole situation.
You are so fixated on what is directly in front of you, the tree (the finite details), that you can not see the big picture, the Forest (life).
Oct 26 2007, 1:29 AM
lilbuggie07
Answer has 3 votes
lilbuggie07 18 year member
94 replies
Answer has 3 votes.
"A person who is a sensing type may not be able to see the forest for the trees while an intuitive person may not see the trees for the forest. Sensors see the actuality and intuitives the see the possibilities. Sensing and intuition provide information about the world but very different sorts of information. People operating from these two functions see the world in very different ways."