--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's incredibly touching when someone who…" description: "\"It's incredibly touching when someone who seems so hopeless finds a few inches of light to stand in and makes everything work as well as possible. All ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/anne-lamott-188_balance_it-s-incredibly-touching-when-someone-wh_1746947.png" --- # It's incredibly touching when someone who seems so… ![“It's incredibly touching when someone who seems so hopeless finds a few inches of light to stand in and makes everything work as well as possible. All of us lurch and fall, sit in the dirt, are helped to our feet, keep moving, feel like idiots, lose our balance, gain it, help others get back on…” quote by Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/anne-lamott-188_balance_it-s-incredibly-touching-when-someone-wh_1746947.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/anne-lamott-188_balance_it-s-incredibly-touching-when-someone-wh_1746947.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b5b/anne-lamott-188_balance_it-s-incredibly-touching-when-someone-wh_1746947.png) > “It's incredibly touching when someone who seems so hopeless finds a few inches of light to stand in and makes everything work as well as possible. All of us lurch and fall, sit in the dirt, are helped to our feet, keep moving, feel like idiots, lose our balance, gain it, help others get back on their feet, and keep going.” [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even in dire moments, small hope and mutual support enable us to keep moving forward. **In simple terms:** Hope and help let us survive setbacks. Key Takeaway Seek small lights and help others rise. Themes hope resilience community humanity Mood reflective empathetic Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - recovering from loss - support groups - daily struggles Key Concepts interdependence grit Questions to Reflect On - What small light can you offer someone today? - How do you balance receiving help with giving it? A Different Perspective Hope can be fleeting; reliance on others may create dependency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Balance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) [Dirt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dirt/) [Help others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/help-others/) [Helping others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helping-others/) [Idiot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/idiot/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Touching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touching/) ## Related quotes > [I have got people around me who will help me keep my feet on the ground. That is the way it has always been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dominic-calvert-lewin/i-have-got-people-around-me-who-will-help-me-keep-my-feet-on-the/) [Dominic Calvert-Lewin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dominic-calvert-lewin/) > [“When they go to their knees, however, you must help them back to their feet. Elsewise no man will ever bend the knee to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-they-go-to-their-knees-however-you-must-help-them-back-to-their/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's fucked up when you help someone get on they feet, and as soon as they feel the ground underneath them...They just walk away...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fabolous/it-s-fucked-up-when-you-help-someone-get-on-they-feet-and-as-soon-as/) Fabolous > [I surround myself with good friends that help me keep my feet on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alphonso-davies/i-surround-myself-with-good-friends-that-help-me-keep-my-feet-on-the/) [Alphonso Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alphonso-davies/) > [Yeah, my parents help me keep my feet on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-grint/yeah-my-parents-help-me-keep-my-feet-on-the-ground/) [Rupert Grint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-grint/) > [If a man lose his balance, and immerse himself in any trades or pleasures for their own sake, he may be a good wheel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-a-man-lose-his-balance-and-immerse-himself-in-any-trades-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“You ever put your arms out and spin really, really fast ? Well, that's what loves like. It makes your heart race. It turns…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-hoffman/you-ever-put-your-arms-out-and-spin-really-really-fast-well-that-s/) [Alice Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-hoffman/) > [Somewhere between sanity and madness lays a fine line, for some it is a tightrope walked daily, a fight for balance to be won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zo-heller/somewhere-between-sanity-and-madness-lays-a-fine-line-for-some-it-is/) [Zoë Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zo-heller/) > [Even if I had expected it, even if I had known what I was going to do with my life, it would have knocked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/even-if-i-had-expected-it-even-if-i-had-known-what-i-was-going-to-do/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) > [“You would not believe what skill, power and ability your total intelligence possesses until you lose your balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/you-would-not-believe-what-skill-power-and-ability-your-total/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Lose your balance for a moment and there you go, the world flings you off its spinning surface and its not so easy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-sunley/lose-your-balance-for-a-moment-and-there-you-go-the-world-flings-you/) Christina Sunley > [To walk, we have to lean forward, lose our balance and begin to fall. We let go constantly of the previous stability, falling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-skynner/to-walk-we-have-to-lean-forward-lose-our-balance-and-begin-to-fall-we/) Robin Skynner > [“You can’t be criticized for what you don’t try. You can’t lose your balance if you never climb. Give it, Give it all, Give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-jed/you-can-t-be-criticized-for-what-you-don-t-try-you-can-t-lose-your/) Milan Jed > [“The first thing I did was run. Okay, actually the first thing I did was scream, lose my balance, flail my arms in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gemma-halliday/the-first-thing-i-did-was-run-okay-actually-the-first-thing-i-did-was/) [Gemma Halliday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gemma-halliday/) > [You must not fall. / When you lose your balance, resist for a long time before turning yourself toward the earth. Then jump. /…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/you-must-not-fall-when-you-lose-your-balance-resist-for-a-long-time/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) ## More by Anne Lamott > [What an incredible drug fear is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/what-an-incredible-drug-fear-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [It's funny where we look for salvation, and where we actually find it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/it-s-funny-where-we-look-for-salvation-and-where-we-actually-find-it/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Why couldn't Jesus command us to obsess over everything, to try to control and manipulate people, to try not to breathe at all, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/why-couldn-t-jesus-command-us-to-obsess-over-everything-to-try-to/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Publication is not all that it is cracked up to be. But writing is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/publication-is-not-all-that-it-is-cracked-up-to-be-but-writing-is/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Your problem is how you are going to spend this one odd and precious life you have been issued. Whether you're going to spend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/your-problem-is-how-you-are-going-to-spend-this-one-odd-and-precious/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [And yet, I do believe there is ultimately meaning in the chaos, and also in the doldrums. What I resist is not the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/and-yet-i-do-believe-there-is-ultimately-meaning-in-the-chaos-and/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [Raising a child, whether or not it is yours, is like Nautilus of the heart and soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/raising-a-child-whether-or-not-it-is-yours-is-like-nautilus-of-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I heard a preacher say recently that hope is a revolutionary patience; let me add that so is being a writer. Hope begins in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-heard-a-preacher-say-recently-that-hope-is-a-revolutionary-patience/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“I think perfectionism is based on the obsessive belief that if you run carefully enough, hitting each stepping-stone just right, you won't have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-think-perfectionism-is-based-on-the-obsessive-belief-that-if-you/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [All criticism hurts me. I'm so in the wrong business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/all-criticism-hurts-me-i-m-so-in-the-wrong-business/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [We are going to die, as is everyone we adore - I hate this! But the question is, how do we live as women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/we-are-going-to-die-as-is-everyone-we-adore-i-hate-this-but-the/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You will go through your life thinking there was a day in second grade that you must have missed, when the grown-ups came in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-will-go-through-your-life-thinking-there-was-a-day-in-second/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You begin to string words together like beads to tell a story. You are desperate to communicate, to edify or entertain, to preserve moments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-begin-to-string-words-together-like-beads-to-tell-a-story-you-are/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“You lose the known package of your nice organized self almost instantly here. Overeating is one way back, the way it is at funerals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/you-lose-the-known-package-of-your-nice-organized-self-almost/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) [Explore all 976 Anne Lamott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) ## More Balance quotes > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [The bones of my architecture are very much related to the structure, to the physical fact of how a building can stand up; it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santiago-calatrava/the-bones-of-my-architecture-are-very-much-related-to-the-structure/) [Santiago Calatrava](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santiago-calatrava/) > [I can still function when I don't have that balance I crave. I had a tendency to be precious about acting, thinking of it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-regan/i-can-still-function-when-i-don-t-have-that-balance-i-crave-i-had-a/) [Laura Regan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-regan/) > [she got a reputation for an easy smile and a sharp tongue, and using one to balance the other, she seemed friendly but distant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-allison/she-got-a-reputation-for-an-easy-smile-and-a-sharp-tongue-and-using/) [Dorothy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-allison/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [“We don't need to strive towards balance, we rather need to work on the obstacles that are preventing the natural flow of balance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-alebraheem/we-don-t-need-to-strive-towards-balance-we-rather-need-to-work-on-the/) [A.A. Alebraheem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-alebraheem/) > [I think that kind of balance comes with the process of growing together as a band, the Little Dragon. We love to write, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukimi-nagano/i-think-that-kind-of-balance-comes-with-the-process-of-growing/) [Yukimi Nagano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukimi-nagano/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [At times of recession, running a budget deficit is highly desirable. Once the economy begins to recover, you have to balance the budget. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/at-times-of-recession-running-a-budget-deficit-is-highly-desirable/) [George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/) > [It's my intention to make something stand outside the realm of album art, but it also feels comfortable to me to be in it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dyer-baizley/it-s-my-intention-to-make-something-stand-outside-the-realm-of-album/) [John Dyer Baizley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dyer-baizley/) > [Once you've gotten your money in balance, you know how much you have to spend on things that are just fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-warren/once-you-ve-gotten-your-money-in-balance-you-know-how-much-you-have/) [Elizabeth Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-warren/) > [I never understood how much running changes your life. I'm now obsessed. When not trying to beat my personal best, I'm talking to other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-never-understood-how-much-running-changes-your-life-i-m-now/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [Whatever needed to be done, I need to know how to do it just as well as my wife. You know, for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-isbell/whatever-needed-to-be-done-i-need-to-know-how-to-do-it-just-as-well/) [Jason Isbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-isbell/) > [I don't think my parents would have let me go straight into acting full time when I was 12. I do like to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-don-t-think-my-parents-would-have-let-me-go-straight-into-acting/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [When it comes down to music, I have no balance. I am 100 percent. It is like full throttle. Five hundred miles an hour.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanni/when-it-comes-down-to-music-i-have-no-balance-i-am-100-percent-it-is/) [Yanni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yanni/) [Browse all 5,166 Balance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's incredibly touching when someone who seems so hopeless finds a few inches of light to stand in and makes everything work as well as possible. 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