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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
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McGruff star
Answer has 6 votes
Currently Best Answer
McGruff star
Moderator
24 year member
3694 replies avatar

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.”
link http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/can-t-see-the-wood-for-the-trees

Definition: overly concerned with detail; not understanding the whole situation.

Explanation: Used when expressing that a person is focusing too much on specific problems and is missing the point.
link http://esl.about.com/library/glossary/bldef_130.htm

Response last updated by satguru on Dec 28 2016.
Oct 25 2007, 9:41 PM
davejacobs
Answer has 3 votes
davejacobs
22 year member
956 replies

Answer has 3 votes.
In the UK we say "can't see the wood for the trees".
link http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/wood+for+the+trees.html

Oct 26 2007, 1:12 AM
MonkeyOnALeash star
Answer has 2 votes
MonkeyOnALeash star

Answer has 2 votes.
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
17 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."

link http://www.phrases.org.uk/bulletin_board/21/messages/886.html

Oct 26 2007, 8:40 AM
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Baloo55th
Answer has 2 votes
Baloo55th
21 year member
4545 replies avatar

Answer has 2 votes.
I'll second Dave about the UK version.

Oct 26 2007, 4:38 PM
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