\"Ta seule limite est celle que tu t\'imposes.\"

English translation: "The sky is not my limit... I am"

18:31 Nov 26, 2016

French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Poetry & Literature / for a tattoo

French term or phrase: \"Ta seule limite est celle que tu t\'imposes.\"

This is the sentence a young French man wants to have tattooed on his arm (in English), I have some ideas to translate it but I would really appreciate to receive yours.

Alix Dehaye KudoZ activity Questions: 1 (none open) Answers: 4 France
Local time: 14:05

English translation:"The sky is not my limit... I am"

Explanation:
I googled "limit" and "quotes" which produced quite a few hits of lists.
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"

Selected response from:

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 14:05

Grading comment

Thank you for your idea and comments Nikki.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +4

the only limit is the one you set yourself

Solen Fillatre

4 +2

Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself

Margarida Martins Costelha

4 +2

"The sky is not my limit... I am"

Nikki Scott-Despaigne

4 +1

Your only limit is you.

John Holland

The only thing holding you back is you.

James A. Walsh

Your only limitation is the one you set up in your own mind

Estelle Demontrond-Box

The sky's the limit

Marian Vieyra

You're the one who sets your limit(s)

Wendy Streitparth

your limits exist only in your mind

Verginia Ophof

You set your own ceilings in life

Andrew Bramhall

I set my own limits

Beatriz Ramírez de Haro

Dare to live beyond your barriers

Helen Shiner

3 -1

the only limitations one has in life are the ones she or he imposes on her- or himself

Barbara Cochran, MFA

It's up to you how far you go

dwt2

Summary of reference entries provided

Here's the original imo

writeaway

Discussion entries: 2

Answers

12 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): -1

the only limitations one has in life are the ones she or he imposes on her- or himself

Explanation:
Might serve you purposes.

Or "the only limitations one has in life are the ones that are self-imposed", to make it more succinct.

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 08:05
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you for your help Barbara.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)

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

-> 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!

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

-> 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.

41 mins confidence:

It's up to you how far you go

Explanation:
Not my field, but I think this less formal register might be more appropriate in this context

dwt2
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:05
Native speaker of:

English

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks for your help.

46 mins confidence:

Your only limitation is the one you set up in your own mind

Explanation:
A quote by Napoleon Hill
Or
The only limit is the one you set yourself.
Felix Baumgartner

Estelle Demontrond-Box
Australia
Local time: 22:05
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: French
PRO pts in category: 12

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks Estelle, it's very interesting to discover these quotes.

1 hr confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself

Explanation:
by Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart :
http://www.goodreads.com/quotes/tag/limitations

Margarida Martins Costelha
Portugal
Local time: 13:05
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Portuguese

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you for the quote Margarida.

1 hr confidence:

The sky's the limit

Explanation:
Or. To infinity and beyond.

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!

Marian Vieyra
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:05
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you Marian, the tattoo will be on his forearm only so the short options seem to be the better ones!

2 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +4

the only limit is the one you set yourself

Explanation:
Please note this seems to be a RedBull slogan so that might be awkard, but it's a very popular quote also.

https://boldomatic.com/view/post/TH0UTQ
https://twitter.com/redbull/status/283603634393055232

Solen Fillatre
France
Local time: 14:05
Native speaker of:

French

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you Solen.

3 hrs confidence:

You're the one who sets your limit(s)

Explanation:
Variation on a theme

Wendy Streitparth
Germany
Local time: 14:05
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

3 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

"Ta seule limite est celle que tu t'imposes"

"The sky is not my limit... I am"

Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Local time: 14:05
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 16

Grading comment

Thank you for your idea and comments Nikki.

Notes to answerer

Asker: I really like it too, thank you Nikki!

3 hrs confidence:

peer agreement (net): +1

Your only limit is you.

Explanation:
Just another option. I'd go for short and punchy here.

Or maybe:
"You are your only limit."

John Holland
France
Local time: 14:05
Works in field
Native speaker of: English

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks for helping John

6 hrs confidence:

your limits exist only in your mind

Explanation:
suggestion

Verginia Ophof
Belize
Local time: 06:05
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 16

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you Verginia.

15 hrs confidence:

You set your own ceilings in life

Explanation:
At least it avoids the word ' limit';

Andrew Bramhall
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:05
Native speaker of:

English

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thanks Oliver.

18 hrs confidence:

Ta seule limite est celle que tu t'imposes. The only thing holding you back is you.

Explanation:
Another option to consider.

Reference: http://tinyurl.com/h9vavpc

James A. Walsh
Spain
Local time: 14:05
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Spanish

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you James.

19 hrs confidence:

I set my own limits

Explanation:
I would speak in first person on my forearm and keep it short.

Beatriz Ramírez de Haro
Spain
Local time: 14:05
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

Spanish

Notes to answerer

Asker: Muchas gracias Beatriz!

1 day 7 hrs confidence:

Dare to live beyond your barriers

Explanation:
Break your self-imposed barriers
Set yourself free of your barriers
Live beyond your barriers

Just trying to get away from 'limits'.

Helen Shiner
United Kingdom
Local time: 13:05
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 72

Notes to answerer

Asker: Thank you Helen.

Reference comments

16 hrs peer agreement (net): +2

Reference: Here's the original imo

Reference information:
Ernest Holmes quote: All limitations are self-imposed. - Quotes
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

writeaway
Works in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 34

Note to reference poster

Asker: Thank you for the references.

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\"Ta seule limite est celle que tu t\'imposes.\"

English translation: "The sky is not my limit... I am"

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English translation: "The sky is not my limit... I am"

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