In praise of open doors

I love this exchange from Deborah Solomon's interview with Dan Glickman, the new president of the MPAA, in last Sunday's New York Times Magazine:

Solomon: Have you ever experienced a setback?

Glickman: I was voted out of Congress in 1994. It is not great to be fired from your job, particularly so publicly. But a month later I was picked to be secretary of agriculture. When one door closes, another opens. But you have to be standing right by the door.

Solomon: What if the door opens too quickly and breaks your nose?

Glickman: Well, it could. But you still have to be right by the door. It can just as easily open for you as it can against you.