--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is what it is. Not it is what it…" description: "\"It is what it is. Not it is what it should have been. Not what it could have been. It is what it is.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b6/anonymous-1_it-is-what-it-is_it-is-what-it-is-not-it-is-what-it-shoul_1950096.jpg" --- # It is what it is. Not it is what it should have been. Not… ![“It is what it is. Not it is what it should have been. Not what it could have been. It is what it is.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b6/anonymous-1_it-is-what-it-is_it-is-what-it-is-not-it-is-what-it-shoul_1950096.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b6/anonymous-1_it-is-what-it-is_it-is-what-it-is-not-it-is-what-it-shoul_1950096.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b6/anonymous-1_it-is-what-it-is_it-is-what-it-is-not-it-is-what-it-shoul_1950096.jpg) > “It is what it is. Not it is what it should have been. Not what it could have been. It is what it is.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote emphasizes acceptance of reality as it stands, contrasting it with imagined alternatives that never materialized. **In simple terms:** Accept reality without idealizing alternatives. Key Takeaway Focus on present facts. Themes acceptance reality perspective Mood neutral reflective Type statement philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - decision making - stress management - goal setting Key Concepts existentialism cognitive bias Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your situation can you influence? - How does acceptance differ from resignation? A Different Perspective It may overlook opportunities for change by resigning to status quo. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [It is what it is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/it-is-what-it-is/) [Moving on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-on/) ## Related quotes > [A woman is always right, especially when shes clearly wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-woman-is-always-right-especially-when-shes-clearly-wrong/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You're 12, you smoke, you do drugs, you're pregnant and you're known for all the wrong reasons...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-12-you-smoke-you-do-drugs-you-re-pregnant-and-you-re-known-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Dont stress. Do your best. Forget the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dont-stress-do-your-best-forget-the-rest/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My children will never know what its like, not being able to see a movie because they are all rented out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-children-will-never-know-what-its-like-not-being-able-to-see-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You give your ex a second chance…they are your ex for a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-give-your-ex-a-second-chance-they-are-your-ex-for-a-reason/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Never give up! is just an expression. What really matters is that you have no regrets on what you're doing and you're stating the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-give-up-is-just-an-expression-what-really-matters-is-that-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people don't like telling the truth... And some people can't handle hearing it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-don-t-like-telling-the-truth-and-some-people-can-t-handle/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That moment of heartbreak when your pet jumps off your bed and leaves the room..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-moment-of-heartbreak-when-your-pet-jumps-off-your-bed-and-leaves/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > ['Do you have a cell phone?' Translation: I want your number but I don't want to make this awkward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-have-a-cell-phone-translation-i-want-your-number-but-i-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Relationships start out face to face...and end back to back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/relationships-start-out-face-to-face-and-end-back-to-back/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That awkward moment when you wish you would have spent a little extra on 2-ply toliet paper...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awkward-moment-when-you-wish-you-would-have-spent-a-little-extra/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You are so full of shit that the city should charge your mouth a sewer tax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-so-full-of-shit-that-the-city-should-charge-your-mouth-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Finding out your crush isn't at school today and feeling like you wasted a perfectly good outfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/finding-out-your-crush-isn-t-at-school-today-and-feeling-like-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Girls spend hours deciding what to wear, and all guys do is try to picture us naked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/girls-spend-hours-deciding-what-to-wear-and-all-guys-do-is-try-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Running up the stairs in fear because you feel an evil presence behind you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/running-up-the-stairs-in-fear-because-you-feel-an-evil-presence/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More It is what it is quotes > [A woman is always right, especially when shes clearly wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-woman-is-always-right-especially-when-shes-clearly-wrong/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've said it before, me and Conor are very, very good friends, and he's certaintly helped me get into the UFC, you know, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/artem-lobov/i-ve-said-it-before-me-and-conor-are-very-very-good-friends-and-he-s/) [Artem Lobov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/artem-lobov/) > [Girls spend hours deciding what to wear, and all guys do is try to picture us naked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/girls-spend-hours-deciding-what-to-wear-and-all-guys-do-is-try-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Finding out your crush isn't at school today and feeling like you wasted a perfectly good outfit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/finding-out-your-crush-isn-t-at-school-today-and-feeling-like-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is what it is, sometimes if you can't find what it is, just believe you will figure out what it is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/it-is-what-it-is-sometimes-if-you-can-t-find-what-it-is-just-believe/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [You are so full of shit that the city should charge your mouth a sewer tax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-so-full-of-shit-that-the-city-should-charge-your-mouth-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [That awkward moment when you wish you would have spent a little extra on 2-ply toliet paper...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-awkward-moment-when-you-wish-you-would-have-spent-a-little-extra/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Relationships start out face to face...and end back to back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/relationships-start-out-face-to-face-and-end-back-to-back/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There should be a rule that you can't get your period over the summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cuts-and-scars/there-should-be-a-rule-that-you-can-t-get-your-period-over-the-summer/) [Cuts And Scars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cuts-and-scars/) > [Would you want people walking up to you and pointing at your d--k? I can't believe I'm still talking about this. But I've worn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-hamm/would-you-want-people-walking-up-to-you-and-pointing-at-your-d-k-i/) [Jon Hamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-hamm/) > [My life is my business and you're fired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/my-life-is-my-business-and-you-re-fired/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Whats up with the relationships nowadays? The girl is the one who falls victim because they're in it for love whereas the guy is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epifania-savea/whats-up-with-the-relationships-nowadays-the-girl-is-the-one-who/) [Epifania Savea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epifania-savea/) > [To you cock-blockers, fakes, haters, posers, liars, cheaters, shit-talkers, why dont you do something worthwhile with your pathetic life and leave me the hell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epifania-savea/to-you-cock-blockers-fakes-haters-posers-liars-cheaters-shit-talkers/) [Epifania Savea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epifania-savea/) > [“Even so, I’m somebody. I’m the Discoverer of Nature. I’m the Argonaut of true sensations. I bring a new Universe to the Universe Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-caeiro/even-so-i-m-somebody-i-m-the-discoverer-of-nature-i-m-the-argonaut-of/) [Alberto Caeiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-caeiro/) > ['Do you have a cell phone?' Translation: I want your number but I don't want to make this awkward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-have-a-cell-phone-translation-i-want-your-number-but-i-don-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 878 It is what it is quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/it-is-what-it-is/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is what it is. Not it is what it should have been. Not what it could have been. 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