--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What the future held for her she didn't…" description: "\"“What the future held for her she didn't know. Of two things only she was certain. There would be children-her own or other people's-and there would be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/alice-dalgliesh-71049_books_what-the-future-held-for-her-she-didn-t_120608.png" --- # What the future held for her she didn't know. Of two… ![“What the future held for her she didn't know. Of two things only she was certain. There would be children-her own or other people's-and there would be books.” quote by Alice Dalgliesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/alice-dalgliesh-71049_books_what-the-future-held-for-her-she-didn-t_120608.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/alice-dalgliesh-71049_books_what-the-future-held-for-her-she-didn-t_120608.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/845/alice-dalgliesh-71049_books_what-the-future-held-for-her-she-didn-t_120608.png) > ““What the future held for her she didn't know. Of two things only she was certain. There would be children-her own or other people's-and there would be books.”” Alice Dalgliesh ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She knows only two certainties: motherhood (whether her own or others') and the enduring presence of books. **In simple terms:** Life’s only guarantees are children and literature. Key Takeaway Children and books are life's enduring constants. Themes future uncertainty parenthood literature Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - expecting a child - starting a writing project - teaching a class Key Concepts existential certainty cultural legacy Practical Applications - prioritize reading with children - preserve family stories Questions to Reflect On - What other things might we consider certain? - How do books shape our perception of the future? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I think of the people who commit these acts as children. 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There are certain things you can give certain people and certain things you can't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-winehouse/i-m-a-realist-and-a-dreamer-there-are-certain-things-you-can-give/) [Amy Winehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-winehouse/) > [“She wondered how to un-know certain things, certain specific things that she knew but did not wish to know”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arundhati-roy/she-wondered-how-to-un-know-certain-things-certain-specific-things/) [Arundhati Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arundhati-roy/) ## More by Alice Dalgliesh > [To be afraid and to be brave is the best kind of courage of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dalgliesh/to-be-afraid-and-to-be-brave-is-the-best-kind-of-courage-of-all/) Alice Dalgliesh > [Friends have ways of speaking without words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dalgliesh/friends-have-ways-of-speaking-without-words/) Alice Dalgliesh > [Friends have a way of speaking without words.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-dalgliesh/friends-have-a-way-of-speaking-without-words/) Alice Dalgliesh Explore all 4 Alice Dalgliesh quotes ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! 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