---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was only sometimes, when a spring day…"
description: "\"“It was only sometimes, when a spring day came in the middle of winter, that one had a sudden feeling that nothing was really impossible.”\" — Barbara Pym"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/barbara-pym-7049_spring-day_it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day_1827201.jpg"
---

#  It was only sometimes, when a spring day came in the…

![“It was only sometimes, when a spring day came in the middle of winter, that one had a sudden feeling that nothing was really impossible.” quote by Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/barbara-pym-7049_spring-day_it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day_1827201.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/barbara-pym-7049_spring-day_it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day_1827201.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/barbara-pym-7049_spring-day_it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day_1827201.jpg)

> ““It was only sometimes, when a spring day came in the middle of winter, that one had a sudden feeling that nothing was really impossible.””

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Rare moments of hope can make impossibilities feel possible

**In simple terms:** Hope can make the impossible seem possible

Key Takeaway

Seek moments of hope in difficult times

Themes

hope possibility resilience

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- winter hardship
- creative inspiration
- personal crisis

Key Concepts

optimism psychology of hope

Questions to Reflect On

- When have you felt a sudden hope?
- How can you cultivate hope during hardship?

A Different Perspective

Hope may be fleeting and not guarantee success

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Middle Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-winter-2018058/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Spring day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring-day/) [Sudden Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sudden-feeling-854136/) [Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter/) [Winter Sudden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter-sudden-2244210/)

## Related quotes

> [I have often thought, says Sir Roger, it happens very well that Christmas should fall out in the middle of Winter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/i-have-often-thought-says-sir-roger-it-happens-very-well-that/)

[Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/)

> [Although it was the middle of winter, I finally realized that, within me, summer was inextinguishable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/although-it-was-the-middle-of-winter-i-finally-realized-that-within/)

[Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/)

> [One must maintain a little bittle of summer, even in the middle of winter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/one-must-maintain-a-little-bittle-of-summer-even-in-the-middle-of/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [It always depresses me when people moan about how commercial Christmas is. I love everything about it. The tradition of having this great big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-e-grant/it-always-depresses-me-when-people-moan-about-how-commercial/)

[Richard E. Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-e-grant/)

> [“She had the sudden feeling that if she could look into those eyes for the rest of her life, she would be happy. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/she-had-the-sudden-feeling-that-if-she-could-look-into-those-eyes-for/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [When my first play was produced, I had this sudden feeling that I feel powerful. Like, the next time I go into an audition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/when-my-first-play-was-produced-i-had-this-sudden-feeling-that-i-feel/)

[Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/)

> [ “...\[M\]y inner self moved; my spirit shook its always-fettered wings half loose. I had a sudden feeling as if I, who never yet truly… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/m-y-inner-self-moved-my-spirit-shook-its-always-fettered-wings-half/)

[Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/)

> [“...I had this sudden feeling, like my life could have easily taken another path.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-sorrells/i-had-this-sudden-feeling-like-my-life-could-have-easily-taken/)

[Walter Sorrells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-sorrells/)

> [All of a sudden you have this feeling of clarity. Backcountry snowboarding has really done a lot to boost that feeling in me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-kelly/all-of-a-sudden-you-have-this-feeling-of-clarity-backcountry/)

[Craig Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-kelly/)

> [I do not know when it was, nor where it was, nor how young I may have been, but I can recall. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-bolles/i-do-not-know-when-it-was-nor-where-it-was-nor-how-young-i-may-have/)

[Frank Bolles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-bolles/)

> [To all of a sudden go from feeling almost invincible to being temporarily paralyzed to then having rods and screws in my neck and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyson-kidd/to-all-of-a-sudden-go-from-feeling-almost-invincible-to-being/)

[Tyson Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyson-kidd/)

> [There are no ordinary feelings. Just as there are no ordinary spring days or kicked over cans of paint.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-young/there-are-no-ordinary-feelings-just-as-there-are-no-ordinary-spring/)

[Dean Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-young/)

> [“To minimize the sense of confinement, one of our video channels provided a breathtaking view of our journey, as seen from a helicopter flying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-k-o-neill/to-minimize-the-sense-of-confinement-one-of-our-video-channels/)

[Gerard K. O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-k-o-neill/)

> [“I recall looking out the window at Redbuds,Dogwoods, daffodils, irises and pom-pom bushes, knowing exactly what Heaven must look like: a spring day in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-judd/i-recall-looking-out-the-window-at-redbuds-dogwoods-daffodils-irises/)

[Ashley Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-judd/)

> [“She was perhaps seventeen when it happened. She was in Central Park, in New York. It was too warm for such an early spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-sturgeon/she-was-perhaps-seventeen-when-it-happened-she-was-in-central-park-in/)

[Theodore Sturgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-sturgeon/)

## More by Barbara Pym

> [“She had been feeling that things were pretty desperate if one found oneself talking about and almost quoting Matthew Arnold to comparative strangers, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/she-had-been-feeling-that-things-were-pretty-desperate-if-one-found/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“He is a brilliant man, said Miss Doggett. She helped him a good deal in his work, I think. Mrs. Bonner says that she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/he-is-a-brilliant-man-said-miss-doggett-she-helped-him-a-good-deal-in/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [Life is cruel and we do terrible things to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/life-is-cruel-and-we-do-terrible-things-to-each-other/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“One wouldn't believe there could be so many people, and one must love them all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/one-wouldn-t-believe-there-could-be-so-many-people-and-one-must-love/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“-Hoy no pareces tú misma- dijo él en tono censurador-. Espero que no haya sido el Nuits Saint Georges. -Ya sabes que no estoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/hoy-no-pareces-t-misma-dijo-l-en-tono-censurador-espero-que-no-haya/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [I stretched out my hand towards the little bookshelf where I kept cookery and devotional books, the most comfortable bedside reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/i-stretched-out-my-hand-towards-the-little-bookshelf-where-i-kept/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“Jane felt that he would write from the depths of a wretchedness that would not necessarily be insincere because its outward signs were so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/jane-felt-that-he-would-write-from-the-depths-of-a-wretchedness-that/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“You lose your sense of perspective when you get too close, and the charm goes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/you-lose-your-sense-of-perspective-when-you-get-too-close-and-the/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“I hope you don’t mind tea in mugs,’ she said, coming in with a tray. ‘I told you I was a slut.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/i-hope-you-don-t-mind-tea-in-mugs-she-said-coming-in-with-a-tray-i/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“Let me hasten to add that I am not at all like Jane Eyre, who must have given hope to so many plain women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/let-me-hasten-to-add-that-i-am-not-at-all-like-jane-eyre-who-must/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“However romantically ill John might look, it seemed that he had nothing worse than an unromantic cold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/however-romantically-ill-john-might-look-it-seemed-that-he-had/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [The burden of keeping three people in toilet paper seemed to me rather a heavy one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/the-burden-of-keeping-three-people-in-toilet-paper-seemed-to-me/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“How could she explain to him what her love was like? That although it was a love stronger than death, it wasn’t the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/how-could-she-explain-to-him-what-her-love-was-like-that-although-it/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“I have often wondered whether it is really a good thing to be honest by nature and upbringing; certainly it is not a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/i-have-often-wondered-whether-it-is-really-a-good-thing-to-be-honest/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

> [“Oh, yes, men are very simple and obvious in some ways, you know. They generally react in the way one would expect and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/oh-yes-men-are-very-simple-and-obvious-in-some-ways-you-know-they/)

[Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

[Explore all 95 Barbara Pym quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/)

## More Flower quotes

> [“It is not the force of the wind, but the depth of the roots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/it-is-not-the-force-of-the-wind-but-the-depth-of-the-roots/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/)

[Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/)

> [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Most girls get flowers or candy. I get a declaration of martial law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-shearin/most-girls-get-flowers-or-candy-i-get-a-declaration-of-martial-law/)

[Lisa Shearin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-shearin/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Spring training means flowers, people coming outdoors, sunshine, optimism and baseball. Spring training is a time to think about being young again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-banks/spring-training-means-flowers-people-coming-outdoors-sunshine/)

[Ernie Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-banks/)

> [Sometimes, sometimes it is really difficult to turn and walk away from someone you have loved and cherished for so long. You know deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-kreger/sometimes-sometimes-it-is-really-difficult-to-turn-and-walk-away-from/)

[David Kreger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-kreger/)

> [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/)

[Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/)

> [A garden has a curious innocent way of consuming cash while all the time you are under the illusion that you are spending nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-meynell/a-garden-has-a-curious-innocent-way-of-consuming-cash-while-all-the/)

[Esther Meynell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-meynell/)

> [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/)

[Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/)

> [My life is a crystal teardrop. There are snowflakes falling in the teardrop and little figures trudging in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/my-life-is-a-crystal-teardrop-there-are-snowflakes-falling-in-the/)

[Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/)

> [“But any picture could deal with the problem of light. The problem with this picture is greater than that of reflective surfaces - it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitney-otto/but-any-picture-could-deal-with-the-problem-of-light-the-problem-with/)

[Whitney Otto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitney-otto/)

> [“I promise to respect and protect your aloneness, knowing that everything created must have its period of darkness: child and bulb, poem and personality.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/i-promise-to-respect-and-protect-your-aloneness-knowing-that/)

[anne morrow lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/)

> [Sometimes it's about less is more. It's about the seed. Thinking about this gigantic tree that you think is so beautiful but it started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-durst/sometimes-it-s-about-less-is-more-it-s-about-the-seed-thinking-about/)

[Fred Durst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-durst/)

> [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/)

[Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/)

[Browse all 12,347 Flower quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It was only sometimes, when a spring day came in the middle of winter, that one had a sudden feeling that nothing was really impossible.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barbara Pym"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day-came-in-the-middle-of-winter/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Flower"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day-came-in-the-middle-of-winter/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/barbara-pym-7049_spring-day_it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day_1827201.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/barbara-pym-7049_spring-day_it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day_1827201.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/barbara-pym-7049_spring-day_it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day_1827201.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It was only sometimes, when a spring day came in the middle of winter, that one had a sudden feeling that…” — Barbara Pym",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Barbara Pym",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It was only sometimes, when a...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day-came-in-the-middle-of-winter/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/it-was-only-sometimes-when-a-spring-day-came-in-the-middle-of-winter/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
