French term
France
\"Ta seule limite est celle que tu t\'imposes.\"
| Here's the original imo |
writeaway
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Nov 26, 2016 19:08: writeaway changed "Field (write-in)" from "(none)" to "for a tattoo "
Non-PRO (2): philgoddard, Yvonne Gallagher
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Proposed translations
Psychologist, Court-certified legal
Native in: English 
Works in: French to English
"The sky is not my limit... I am"
I like this one as it is short and to the point, with a twist on a well-known saying.
The twist will be understood by English speakers and you don't need to be a shooting star in English to get the meaning, even if you are not familiar with the original.
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/limits
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Note added at 3 hrs (2016-11-26 22:18:06 GMT)
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Sorry, I should have added the detail from the source page :
“The sky is not my limit...I am.”
― T.F. Hodge, From Within I Rise: Spiritual Triumph Over Death and Conscious Encounters with "The Divine Presence"
| I really like it too, thank you Nikki! |
| agree |
Tony M
3 mins
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| agree |
Solen Fillatre
: I really like it! And a tattoo is meant to be read and understood quickly, it's really "snappy"
8 hrs
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| neutral |
Francois Boye
: Never heard this in America! Here everybody is proud of saying the opposite (the sky is the limit)!
2 days 4 hrs
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United States
Laudable Lady Linguist
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 3 more.
the only limitations one has in life are the ones she or he imposes on her- or himself
Or "the only limitations one has in life are the ones that are self-imposed", to make it more succinct.
| Thank you for your help Barbara. |
| disagree |
Tony M
: Unbelievably cumbersome, and would be quite unsuitable for the purpose described: a tattoo; and I don't believe 'she or he' fits correctly with 'one' / Yours is the only one that uses EIGHTEEN words!
2 hrs
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The second half of your comment is inaccurate, and I find almost every one of the responses offered cumbersome, anyway./FYI, I have seen tattoos that people have put on their bodies that are entire blocks of text that are much longer than a mere 18 words!
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| neutral |
writeaway
: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UwoZNHhFgLQ /Frank Sinatra is a fraud? Anyway, your researched version (any refs??) will have to be tattooed on the person's back assuming the person is a 300 pound hulk.
19 hrs
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Pleeez! You really believe that youtube is a place where people who are truly experts congregate? I've seen a lot of people who have shown up on youtube videos whom I know to be frauds./People get tattoos on their backs quite often, 300 lbs. or not.
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It's up to you how far you go
| Thanks for your help. |
| neutral |
Tony M
: I think 'how far you go' puts a rather different slant on it... and might be unwise on a forearm ;-)
2 hrs
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Australia
Qualified Translator & Published Writer
Native in: French (Variant: Standard-France)
Works in: English to French, French to English, French
Your only limitation is the one you set up in your own mind
Or
The only limit is the one you set yourself.
Felix Baumgartner
| Thanks Estelle, it's very interesting to discover these quotes. |
Portugal
25 YEARS OF HAPPY CLIENTS
Native in: English (Variant: UK) , Portuguese (Variant: European/Portugal)
Works in: Portuguese to English, English to Portuguese, French to English, and 7 more.
Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/limitations
| Thank you for the quote Margarida. |
| agree |
Patricia Fierro, M. Sc.
1 hr
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Thank you, Patricia
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| agree |
Delina Alwanger
12 hrs
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Thank you, Delina
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| neutral |
writeaway
: set upon -inflict?
22 hrs
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| neutral |
Jennifer White
: set for yourself - not upon/well the "quote" is wrong. We don't say that......./ true, but this doesn't sound good to a native ear/ http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/set-up...
R Bennett is no authority on anything AFAIK
23 hrs
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The quote says upon. / Who is "we"? The author wrote what he wrote, you can't make it "wrong". And I suggest you look up 'quote', particularly nr. 4 here : http://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/quote // Take that up with Roy T. Bennett :)
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United Kingdom
WorldWideWords
Native in: English (Variant: UK)
Works in: French to English, Spanish to English, Portuguese to English
The sky's the limit
Or, if he has long arms, the more literal: 'The only limitations are those that you impose upon yourself'.
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Note added at 1 hr (2016-11-26 20:16:39 GMT)
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Less painful, too!
| Thank you Marian, the tattoo will be on his forearm only so the short options seem to be the better ones! |
| neutral |
Tony M
: The trouble is, these really depart too far from the intention of the original.
1 hr
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France
It's all about the context
Native in: French (Variant: Standard-France)
Works in: English to French, French to English, French
the only limit is the one you set yourself
| Thank you Solen. |
| agree |
Tony M
: And snappy enough for a tattoo, while conveying the whole meaning.
38 mins
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Thanks Tony, and I do think length is a criteria to be considered in this instance.
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| agree |
Chakib Roula
10 hrs
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| agree |
BrigitteHilgner
10 hrs
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| agree |
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
: https://www.flickr.com/photos/93511171@N06/8607319004 Indeed, the Red Bull slogan! So, it should be this one, in English :http://www.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/p/the-only-limit-is-the-on...
19 hrs
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Germany
45 years experience
Native in: English (Variant: British)
Works in: German to English, French to English, Spanish to English, and 2 more.
You're the one who sets your limit(s)
Your only limit is you.
Or maybe:
"You are your only limit."
| Thanks for helping John |
| neutral |
Tony M
: I think that risks interpretation as a LITERAL limit — for example, you are limited by your physical capabilities.
1 min
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| agree |
Ana Vozone
: I agree with both your suggestions, and my apologies for having posted exactly the same, after you. I have now deleted my answer. Sorry!
18 hrs
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Belize
Near Native Proficiency in Source langua
Native in: English
Works in: Portuguese to English, Dutch to English, French to English
your limits exist only in your mind
| Thank you Verginia. |
United Kingdom
Flair and accuracy tailored to your text
Native in: English
Works in: Spanish to English, German to English
You set your own ceilings in life
| Thanks Oliver. |
Spain
A cut above the rest in translation...
Native in: English (Variants: Irish, US, UK) , Spanish (Variants: Latin American, Standard-Spain)
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 2 more.
The only thing holding you back is you.
| Thank you James. |
Spain
Golf, Literature and Religion Specialist
Native in: Spanish
Works in: English to Spanish, French to Spanish, Spanish
I set my own limits
| Muchas gracias Beatriz! |
United Kingdom
Arts/Academic translator - Art historian
Native in: English
Works in: German to English, French to English
Dare to live beyond your barriers
Set yourself free of your barriers
Live beyond your barriers
Just trying to get away from 'limits'.
| Thank you Helen. |
Reference comments
Here's the original imo
www.azquotes.com › Authors › E › Ernest Holmes
All limitations are self-imposed. - Ernest Holmes quotes at AZquotes.com.
http://www.azquotes.com/quote/695975
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ernest_Holmes
| Thank you for the references. |
| agree |
Rachel Fell
: Quite probably... and concise. / Yep
55 mins
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you mean "snappy"? /to be honest I was about to post something very similar and when I checked the www, I discovered it would virtually be plagiarism so I decided to post a ref of the original instead. After all, the French does read like a translation.
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| agree |
Wendy Streitparth
: Yes, well done (although I do think some of the suggestions are more appropriate for a tattoo.)
3 hrs
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Thanks, but imo, I don't see the original as being any better or worse for a tattoo./seems it's a Red Bull slogan. Wonder where the Red Bull copywriters got their inspiration from.
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Discussion
In fact, I wanted to bring a highly philosophical touch by using "unique" meaning that there is no other limit/boundary except the one you "inflict"on yourself.