Burn the bridge?_其他_趣味英语-查字典英语网

Burn the bridge?

Anyways, if someone tells you to burn the bridge or bridges (often plural, indicating there’re, indeed, more than one bridge to burn), they mean to tell you to sever connections from the past and look ahead.

It is a good advice, I think, but only to a point. True, if we want to try something new, we cannot always look back, worrying about traditions and how things were done before. That way, we’ll never make progress. Political reform, for instance, is something that’s not easy of accomplishment in this country or anywhere – precisely because the bridges to the past are too numerous and all un-burned.

But, on the other hand, perhaps it’s not a good idea to always burn one’s bridges. After all, burning the bridge is inherently risky. The army for instance may have burned the bridge today but next day want to use the bridge again and find it no longer there. In warfare, you never want to be put in a position where there is no retreat. Or in business, no back up plan.

Therefore, do not always burn your bridges lest you regret it. If you leave your company, for instance, do not always burn your bridge behind you by badmouthing your employer. One day, you may need him to put in a good word for you when you look for another job in the same industry. Your former and employer to-be may know each other.

Just saying. I don’t know exactly what your situation is. I just want to make sure you know what you’re doing when you choose to burn, or not burn, your bridges.