--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As they were falling asleep, Gillian…" description: "\"“As they were falling asleep, Gillian could have sworn she heard Ben say Fate--as if they were meant to be together from the start and every single thi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/alice-hoffman-427_falling-asleep_as-they-were-falling-asleep-gillian-coul_680652.jpg" --- # As they were falling asleep, Gillian could have sworn she… ![“As they were falling asleep, Gillian could have sworn she heard Ben say Fate--as if they were meant to be together from the start and every single thing they'd ever done in their lives had been leading to this moment. If you thought that way, you could fall asleep without regret. You could put…” quote by Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/alice-hoffman-427_falling-asleep_as-they-were-falling-asleep-gillian-coul_680652.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/alice-hoffman-427_falling-asleep_as-they-were-falling-asleep-gillian-coul_680652.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/58d/alice-hoffman-427_falling-asleep_as-they-were-falling-asleep-gillian-coul_680652.jpg) > ““As they were falling asleep, Gillian could have sworn she heard Ben say Fate--as if they were meant to be together from the start and every single thing they'd ever done in their lives had been leading to this moment. If you thought that way, you could fall asleep without regret. You could put your whole life in place, with all the sadness and the sorrow, and still feel that at last you had everything you ever wanted. In spite of the lousy odds and all the wrong turns, you might actually discover that you were the one who'd won.”” [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Believing in destiny can ease regret, allowing acceptance of life's twists and a sense of fulfillment despite odds. **In simple terms:** Fate can bring peace and contentment. Key Takeaway Embrace the idea that events are meant to happen. Themes destiny acceptance hope Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - nighttime reflection - overcoming adversity - life planning Key Concepts meaning purpose resilience Questions to Reflect On - Do you find comfort in destiny? - How does acceptance affect your actions? A Different Perspective Belief in fate may ignore personal agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Falling asleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-asleep/) [Fate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fate/) [Meant to be together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-to-be-together/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“It could be yesterday when I was less in love I think For I didn’t see you in the mirror behind me while getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/it-could-be-yesterday-when-i-was-less-in-love-i-think-for-i-didn-t/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [“We broke so easily. Like it was nothing. Like we were nothing. Does that mean it was never meant to be in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/we-broke-so-easily-like-it-was-nothing-like-we-were-nothing-does-that/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) > [“Many people don't get the one they want, but end up with the one they're supposed to be with. Its fate. What's meant to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clara-garcia/many-people-don-t-get-the-one-they-want-but-end-up-with-the-one-they/) Clara Garcia > [You can't fight fate, whatever is meant to happen, eventually will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/you-can-t-fight-fate-whatever-is-meant-to-happen-eventually-will/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [I refuse to believe this was my fate. I was not meant to be this. I was never meant to be..." The pain in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/i-refuse-to-believe-this-was-my-fate-i-was-not-meant-to-be-this-i-was/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [You can't fight fate, if it's meant to be it will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie/you-can-t-fight-fate-if-it-s-meant-to-be-it-will-be/) [Maggie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie/) > [I believe in fate and what's meant to be mine will be mine, and if it's not in my lap, then it's not mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-diaz/i-believe-in-fate-and-what-s-meant-to-be-mine-will-be-mine-and-if-it/) [Cameron Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-diaz/) > [“Maybe it's not about determination or love or how hard you can fight Maybe it's just bout fate and what is meant to be”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-schroeder/maybe-it-s-not-about-determination-or-love-or-how-hard-you-can-fight/) [Lisa Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-schroeder/) > [“To her, fate seemed like a larger, omnipotent version of her father, stealing her choices and controlling her life without any regard for her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-garber/to-her-fate-seemed-like-a-larger-omnipotent-version-of-her-father/) [Stephanie Garber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-garber/) > [They say it's what you make. I say it's up to fate; it's woven in my soul. I need to let you go. Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imagine-dragons/they-say-it-s-what-you-make-i-say-it-s-up-to-fate-it-s-woven-in-my/) [Imagine Dragons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imagine-dragons/) > [“He seemed to say to Fate: You wouldn't dare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/he-seemed-to-say-to-fate-you-wouldn-t-dare/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [You say fate is almost indispensable to literature - I think it's completely indispensable, at least in a novel, because a novel always has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kehlmann/you-say-fate-is-almost-indispensable-to-literature-i-think-it-s/) [Daniel Kehlmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kehlmann/) > [“I dare not say what that fate would be,” interrupted the father, “or what my own, should I consent to assist you; but, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-radcliffe/i-dare-not-say-what-that-fate-would-be-interrupted-the-father-or-what/) [Ann Radcliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-radcliffe/) > [We don't really know the ultimate outcome of our lives. All we can say is, "Fate has brought me thus far. This is where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-patton/we-don-t-really-know-the-ultimate-outcome-of-our-lives-all-we-can-say/) [Paula Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-patton/) > [Some people say that you should not tempt fate and for them I cannot disagree, but I never learned anything from playing it safe.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-chapin-carpenter/some-people-say-that-you-should-not-tempt-fate-and-for-them-i-cannot/) [Mary Chapin Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-chapin-carpenter/) ## More by Alice Hoffman > [Women know things that men will never know. We keep the best secrets. We tell the best stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/women-know-things-that-men-will-never-know-we-keep-the-best-secrets/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“All of the quarters in his hand were tarnished. He had no idea that the silver in a man’s pockets always turns black if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/all-of-the-quarters-in-his-hand-were-tarnished-he-had-no-idea-that/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [But most important of all, she explained that it was all right to say 'No. I disagree.' that was a gift. I understood it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/but-most-important-of-all-she-explained-that-it-was-all-right-to-say/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“It was after dark when the woods were most filled with magic, when there were fireflies and the mist was rising from the streams.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-was-after-dark-when-the-woods-were-most-filled-with-magic-when/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Never look back, that's what she's told herself. Don't think about swans or being alone in the dark. Don't think of storms, or lightning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/never-look-back-that-s-what-she-s-told-herself-don-t-think-about/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [This was what it meant to be human, to know that time moved and all things changed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/this-was-what-it-meant-to-be-human-to-know-that-time-moved-and-all/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“She preferred cats to human beings and turned down every offer from the men who fell in love with her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-preferred-cats-to-human-beings-and-turned-down-every-offer-from/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [I'm a really eclectic reader.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/i-m-a-really-eclectic-reader/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [It's not the lie that's the problem; it's the distance the lie forges between you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-s-not-the-lie-that-s-the-problem-it-s-the-distance-the-lie-forges/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Her vision was going, but she could see him, the way people see clouds-beautiful, racing by, casting shadows.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/her-vision-was-going-but-she-could-see-him-the-way-people-see-clouds/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [That's why there are ten gates to pass through before you reach the garden. If life were easy there would be one gate. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/that-s-why-there-are-ten-gates-to-pass-through-before-you-reach-the/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“...the summer of the gypsy moths when all the trees in their yard were bare, the leaves chewed by caterpillars. You could hear crunching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-summer-of-the-gypsy-moths-when-all-the-trees-in-their-yard-were/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“The best way to die is when you're living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/the-best-way-to-die-is-when-you-re-living/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“Haylin was given a good talking-to by the headmaster and made to write a paper about workers’ rights, which he considered a privilege rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/haylin-was-given-a-good-talking-to-by-the-headmaster-and-made-to/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [My darling girl, when are you going to realize that being normal is not necessarily a virtue? It rather denotes a lack of courage."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/my-darling-girl-when-are-you-going-to-realize-that-being-normal-is/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) [Explore all 571 Alice Hoffman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) ## More Falling asleep quotes > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. Fear of falling asleep at night. Fear of not falling asleep. Fear of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-carver/fear-of-seeing-a-police-car-pull-into-the-drive-fear-of-falling/) [Raymond Carver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-carver/) > [One of the most Beautiful Things... is Falling Asleep with Someone you Love... Holding them and Feeling Perfectly Safe...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-most-beautiful-things-is-falling-asleep-with-someone-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. Only when the mind moves unwatched and becomes absorbed in images that tug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-mind-cannot-fall-asleep-as-long-as-it-watches-itself-only-when/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [You can get anywhere on earth by falling asleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/feist/you-can-get-anywhere-on-earth-by-falling-asleep/) [Feist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/feist/) > [“What did they think they could accomplish? Maura wondered if there would have been riots if it had been the other half of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/what-did-they-think-they-could-accomplish-maura-wondered-if-there/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“There were two people…things at the cave entrance,’ I whispered, shuffling as close to him as possible, my eyes trained on where the strangers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-garden/there-were-two-people-things-at-the-cave-entrance-i-whispered/) [Vanessa Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-garden/) > [I'll never waste my dreams by falling asleep. Never again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/i-ll-never-waste-my-dreams-by-falling-asleep-never-again/) [Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/) > [“A dream is not what you see when you sleep. It is what keeps you from falling asleep.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdul-kalam/a-dream-is-not-what-you-see-when-you-sleep-it-is-what-keeps-you-from/) [Abdul kalam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdul-kalam/) > [“Sometimes in dreams there are visions of the past. For that reason Alice Prentice had always welcomed sleep, but she suffered an insomniac's dread…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/sometimes-in-dreams-there-are-visions-of-the-past-for-that-reason/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [“God, the three of you. When I wake up on Saturday mornings--late you always let me sleep in--I come looking for you, and you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/god-the-three-of-you-when-i-wake-up-on-saturday-mornings-late-you/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [After sex, men fear too much intimacy; they want to separate again. Women want to talk, to continue the merging, melting fusion into one.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-friday/after-sex-men-fear-too-much-intimacy-they-want-to-separate-again/) [Nancy Friday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-friday/) > [How noble and good everyone could be if, every evening before falling asleep, they were to recall to their minds the events of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-frank/how-noble-and-good-everyone-could-be-if-every-evening-before-falling/) [Anne Frank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-frank/) > [“Falling asleep with hopes and wishes that I rarely get to hold in my hand for long…go me. All I’ve got are memories and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyse-m-gardner/falling-asleep-with-hopes-and-wishes-that-i-rarely-get-to-hold-in-my/) [Alyse M. Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyse-m-gardner/) > [“You dreamed about falling asleep?" Daniel asked him. "Falling asleep together." Bel smile. "And it was weird. You know what I said to you?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-henry/you-dreamed-about-falling-asleep-daniel-asked-him-falling-asleep/) [Lisa Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-henry/) > [Cuddling in bed & falling asleep is probably the best feeling in a relationship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/cuddling-in-bed-falling-asleep-is-probably-the-best-feeling-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 251 Falling asleep quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-asleep/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“As they were falling asleep, Gillian could have sworn she heard Ben say Fate--as if they were meant to be together from the start and every single thing they'd ever done in their lives had been leading to this moment. If you thought that way, you could fall asleep without regret. 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