--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It doesn't matter what people tell you…" description: "\"It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're h..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/alice-hoffman-427_direction_it-doesn-t-matter-what-people-tell-you-i_476399.png" --- # It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter… ![“It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction.” quote by Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/alice-hoffman-427_direction_it-doesn-t-matter-what-people-tell-you-i_476399.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/alice-hoffman-427_direction_it-doesn-t-matter-what-people-tell-you-i_476399.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9a6/alice-hoffman-427_direction_it-doesn-t-matter-what-people-tell-you-i_476399.png) > “It doesn't matter what people tell you. It doesn't matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction.” [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. Leaving familiar surroundings can be necessary for personal growth, even if it feels like running away. **In simple terms:** Leaving can be a path to the right direction. Key Takeaway Accept change as a step toward growth. Themes growth courage self‑discovery transition Mood hopeful determined Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - career change - moving cities - breaking toxic relationships - starting new projects Key Concepts existentialism risk‑taking personal narrative Questions to Reflect On - What fears hold you back from leaving? - How can you ensure you’re moving toward, not away? A Different Perspective Risk of losing support networks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/direction/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Right direction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-direction/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Running away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-away/) ## Related quotes > [“Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/sometimes-you-have-to-leave-home-sometimes-running-away-means-you-re/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [It doesnt matter what people tell you. It doesnt matter what they might say. Sometimes you have to leave home. Sometimes, running away means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/it-doesnt-matter-what-people-tell-you-it-doesnt-matter-what-they/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [She knows where she's going, and what she has to do. She could, after all, find her way to Route 95 South blindfolded. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/she-knows-where-she-s-going-and-what-she-has-to-do-she-could-after/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [Sometimes, running away means you're headed in the exact right direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/sometimes-running-away-means-you-re-headed-in-the-exact-right/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [“But you're sleep, and you're a few miles away, and I have no means to get to you right now, so I’m writing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darnell-lamont-walker/but-you-re-sleep-and-you-re-a-few-miles-away-and-i-have-no-means-to/) [Darnell Lamont Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darnell-lamont-walker/) > [Music is my way of getting away from everything. It means a lot to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-mccartney/music-is-my-way-of-getting-away-from-everything-it-means-a-lot-to-me/) [Jesse McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-mccartney/) > [“Stepping away means prioritizing your future instead of your frustrations. It’s about embracing clarity over confusion, healing over pain, and growth over stagnation. Choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michella-augusta/stepping-away-means-prioritizing-your-future-instead-of-your/) [Michella Augusta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michella-augusta/) > [“And being part of something -- really part of it -- means it can be taken away. It means you have something to lose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/and-being-part-of-something-really-part-of-it-means-it-can-be-taken/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [I will take away your means of escape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuki-takaya/i-will-take-away-your-means-of-escape/) [Natsuki Takaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuki-takaya/) > [“Letting go doesn't have to mean walking away. It means the things that hurt you don't hurt you anymore.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-fitzmaurice/letting-go-doesn-t-have-to-mean-walking-away-it-means-the-things-that/) [Sue Fitzmaurice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-fitzmaurice/) > [Explain nothing. Put it there. Say it. Leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elias-canetti/explain-nothing-put-it-there-say-it-leave/) [Elias Canetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elias-canetti/) > [“This is what I say: "Leave me alone!" This is how it comes out: "Leefmaown.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erynn-mangum/this-is-what-i-say-leave-me-alone-this-is-how-it-comes-out-leefmaown/) [Erynn Mangum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erynn-mangum/) > [Best friends understand when you say forget it, wait forever when you say just a minute, stay when you say leave me alone, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/best-friends-understand-when-you-say-forget-it-wait-forever-when-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Saying good-bye is basically an invitation not to see a person again. It's making it okay for that to be the last conversation you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-matson/saying-good-bye-is-basically-an-invitation-not-to-see-a-person-again/) [Morgan Matson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-matson/) > [I don't watch the kind of cinema where people say, 'Leave your brain at home,' and watch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shweta-tripathi/i-don-t-watch-the-kind-of-cinema-where-people-say-leave-your-brain-at/) [Shweta Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shweta-tripathi/) ## 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. 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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 Direction quotes > [I'm not gonna squeal out that this is my 23rd retirement, my real, real retirement. But you know there comes a time where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-funk/i-m-not-gonna-squeal-out-that-this-is-my-23rd-retirement-my-real-real/) [Terry Funk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-funk/) > [My favorite job is the next one. 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