--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You are wrong if you think that you can…" description: "\"You are wrong if you think that you can in any way take the vision and tame it... The vision is not so much destroyed, exactly, as it is, by the time y..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/annie-dillard-509_changelings_you-are-wrong-if-you-think-that-you-can_1501421.jpg" --- # You are wrong if you think that you can in any way take… ![“You are wrong if you think that you can in any way take the vision and tame it... The vision is not so much destroyed, exactly, as it is, by the time you have finished, forgotten. It has been replaced by this changeling.” quote by Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/annie-dillard-509_changelings_you-are-wrong-if-you-think-that-you-can_1501421.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/annie-dillard-509_changelings_you-are-wrong-if-you-think-that-you-can_1501421.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/86b/annie-dillard-509_changelings_you-are-wrong-if-you-think-that-you-can_1501421.jpg) > “You are wrong if you think that you can in any way take the vision and tame it... The vision is not so much destroyed, exactly, as it is, by the time you have finished, forgotten. It has been replaced by this changeling.” [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The vision erodes as we try to control it, becoming a distorted memory. **In simple terms:** Control distorts original vision. Key Takeaway Accept change, let go of control. Themes change control memory impermanence Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - artistic projects - personal goals - long‑term plans - team leadership Key Concepts philosophy psychology creative process Questions to Reflect On - How does trying to tame a vision affect its outcome? - What can be preserved when a vision changes? A Different Perspective Even without control, the core idea may still shift. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Changeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changeling/) [Changelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changelings/) [Destroyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/destroyed/) [Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dreams/) [Finished](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished/) [Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgotten/) [Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Replaced](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/replaced/) [Replaced Changeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/replaced-changeling-5504776/) [Tame Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tame-vision-5504773/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vision](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision/) [Vision Destroyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision-destroyed-5504775/) [Vision Tame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vision-tame-5504774/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Can calm despair and wild unrest Be tenants of a single breast, Or sorrow such a changeling be?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/can-calm-despair-and-wild-unrest-be-tenants-of-a-single-breast-or/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [There's more than one way between your world and ours. There's the changeling road, and there's the Ravishing, and there's those that Stumble through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/there-s-more-than-one-way-between-your-world-and-ours-there-s-the/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [Blood for life. Life for life. Changeling justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/blood-for-life-life-for-life-changeling-justice/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [“Even when they were very small Eliza had known that Sammy needed her more than she needed him, even before he caught the fever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/even-when-they-were-very-small-eliza-had-known-that-sammy-needed-her/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [You mocking changeling- fairy-born and human-bred!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/you-mocking-changeling-fairy-born-and-human-bred/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [I believe that creature is a changeling: she is a perfect cabinet of oddities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-believe-that-creature-is-a-changeling-she-is-a-perfect-cabinet-of/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Hestia sighed. ‘Stepping inside a mirror is like stepping into Pandora’s Box. It is a world of illusion and fragility. If the mirror is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lambert/hestia-sighed-stepping-inside-a-mirror-is-like-stepping-into-pandora/) [Frank Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lambert/) > [“I was lost, and didn’t even know it. But I’m all right now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-h-o-neil/i-was-lost-and-didn-t-even-know-it-but-i-m-all-right-now/) [Vincent H. O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-h-o-neil/) > [“He sniffed her. The rubbery black nose inhaled deeply as it passed back and forth over her face, along her throat, her ears. Jeez,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-harper/he-sniffed-her-the-rubbery-black-nose-inhaled-deeply-as-it-passed/) [Dani Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-harper/) > [“The Buddelbinsters, he’d heard them called. Once they’d had seven changeling children, and Bartholomew had seen them playing in the windows and the doorways.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-bachmann/the-buddelbinsters-he-d-heard-them-called-once-they-d-had-seven/) [Stefan Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-bachmann/) > [“This is Village Of The Damned type stuff but with killer turkeys instead of freaky blonde kids. Oh my gosh! It's a killer turkey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-nicks/this-is-village-of-the-damned-type-stuff-but-with-killer-turkeys/) [Louise Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-nicks/) > [In 'Changeling,' I tried to show something you'd never see nowadays - a kid sitting and looking at the radio. Just sitting in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/in-changeling-i-tried-to-show-something-you-d-never-see-nowadays-a/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [“You have no idea what a fairy circle is, do you? Which is shocking for a changeling child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/you-have-no-idea-what-a-fairy-circle-is-do-you-which-is-shocking-for/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [“His hand closed around her throat. Not a threat. Just the most possessive way a predatory changeling male had of touching a woman outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/his-hand-closed-around-her-throat-not-a-threat-just-the-most/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) ## More by Annie Dillard > [Like everyone in his right mind, I feared Santa Claus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/like-everyone-in-his-right-mind-i-feared-santa-claus/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“This is a spendthrift economy; though nothing is lost, all is spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/this-is-a-spendthrift-economy-though-nothing-is-lost-all-is-spent/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The creatures I seek do not want to be seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-creatures-i-seek-do-not-want-to-be-seen/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [Nothing moves a woman so deeply as the boyhood of the man she loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/nothing-moves-a-woman-so-deeply-as-the-boyhood-of-the-man-she-loves/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [We live in all we seek. The hidden shows up in too-plain sight. It lives captive on the face of the obvious - the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/we-live-in-all-we-seek-the-hidden-shows-up-in-too-plain-sight-it/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“...The mockingbird took a single step into the air and dropped. His wings were still folded against his sides as though he were singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-mockingbird-took-a-single-step-into-the-air-and-dropped-his-wings/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“Father had stretched out his long legs and was tilting back in his chair. Mother sat with her knees crossed, in blue slacks, smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/father-had-stretched-out-his-long-legs-and-was-tilting-back-in-his/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a frayed and nibbled survivor in a fallen world, and I am getting along. I am aging and eaten and have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-frayed-and-nibbled-survivor-in-a-fallen-world-and-i-am-getting/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It should surprise no one that the life of the writer - such as it is - is colorless to the point of sensory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-should-surprise-no-one-that-the-life-of-the-writer-such-as-it-is/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [It is madness to wear ladies' straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/it-is-madness-to-wear-ladies-straw-hats-and-velvet-hats-to-church-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [The sense impressions of one-celled animals are not edited for the brain. This is philosophically interesting in a rather mournful way, since it means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/the-sense-impressions-of-one-celled-animals-are-not-edited-for-the/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“What can we make of the inexpressible joy of children? It is a kind of gratitude, I think—the gratitude of the ten-year-old who wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/what-can-we-make-of-the-inexpressible-joy-of-children-it-is-a-kind-of/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [“If we were to judge nature by its common sense or likelihood, we wouldn't believe the world existed. In nature, improbabilities are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/if-we-were-to-judge-nature-by-its-common-sense-or-likelihood-we/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [For writing a first draft requires from the writer a peculiar internal state which ordinary life does not induce. ... how to set yourself spinning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/for-writing-a-first-draft-requires-from-the-writer-a-peculiar/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) > [I am a fugitive and a vagabond, a sojourner seeking signs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-dillard/i-am-a-fugitive-and-a-vagabond-a-sojourner-seeking-signs/) [Annie Dillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) [Explore all 509 Annie Dillard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-dillard/) ## More Changeling quotes > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [You mocking changeling- fairy-born and human-bred!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/you-mocking-changeling-fairy-born-and-human-bred/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“This is Village Of The Damned type stuff but with killer turkeys instead of freaky blonde kids. Oh my gosh! It's a killer turkey…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-nicks/this-is-village-of-the-damned-type-stuff-but-with-killer-turkeys/) [Louise Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-nicks/) > [I believe that creature is a changeling: she is a perfect cabinet of oddities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-believe-that-creature-is-a-changeling-she-is-a-perfect-cabinet-of/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [“Hestia sighed. ‘Stepping inside a mirror is like stepping into Pandora’s Box. It is a world of illusion and fragility. If the mirror is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lambert/hestia-sighed-stepping-inside-a-mirror-is-like-stepping-into-pandora/) [Frank Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lambert/) > [“Even when they were very small Eliza had known that Sammy needed her more than she needed him, even before he caught the fever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-morton/even-when-they-were-very-small-eliza-had-known-that-sammy-needed-her/) [Kate Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-morton/) > [“You have no idea what a fairy circle is, do you? Which is shocking for a changeling child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/you-have-no-idea-what-a-fairy-circle-is-do-you-which-is-shocking-for/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [“His hand closed around her throat. Not a threat. Just the most possessive way a predatory changeling male had of touching a woman outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nalini-singh/his-hand-closed-around-her-throat-not-a-threat-just-the-most/) [Nalini Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nalini-singh/) > [In 'Changeling,' I tried to show something you'd never see nowadays - a kid sitting and looking at the radio. Just sitting in front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/in-changeling-i-tried-to-show-something-you-d-never-see-nowadays-a/) [Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/) > [There's more than one way between your world and ours. There's the changeling road, and there's the Ravishing, and there's those that Stumble through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/there-s-more-than-one-way-between-your-world-and-ours-there-s-the/) [Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/) > [“The Buddelbinsters, he’d heard them called. Once they’d had seven changeling children, and Bartholomew had seen them playing in the windows and the doorways.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefan-bachmann/the-buddelbinsters-he-d-heard-them-called-once-they-d-had-seven/) [Stefan Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefan-bachmann/) > [“He sniffed her. The rubbery black nose inhaled deeply as it passed back and forth over her face, along her throat, her ears. Jeez,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-harper/he-sniffed-her-the-rubbery-black-nose-inhaled-deeply-as-it-passed/) [Dani Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-harper/) > [“I was lost, and didn’t even know it. But I’m all right now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-h-o-neil/i-was-lost-and-didn-t-even-know-it-but-i-m-all-right-now/) [Vincent H. O'Neil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-h-o-neil/) > [“Travis ignored her protests as he pulled his cell phone from his pocket, thankful anew for that little Changeling quirk that allowed him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-harper/travis-ignored-her-protests-as-he-pulled-his-cell-phone-from-his/) [Dani Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-harper/) > [“In the cellar, the two young women were shrouded in darkness as if they were already in their grave.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillipa-gregory/in-the-cellar-the-two-young-women-were-shrouded-in-darkness-as-if/) [Phillipa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillipa-gregory/) [Browse all 30 Changeling quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changeling/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You are wrong if you think that you can in any way take the vision and tame it... 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