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

“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)
Definition
1. Definition - Study the definition.
understand the relationships or connections
2. Use - Learn how the slang is used.
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.
“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.”
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