--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I once joked in a book that there are…" description: "\"I once joked in a book that there are three things you can't do in life. You can't beat the phone company, you can't make a waiter see you until he is ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/bill-bryson-340_again_i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-th_1678681.png" --- # I once joked in a book that there are three things you… ![“I once joked in a book that there are three things you can't do in life. You can't beat the phone company, you can't make a waiter see you until he is ready to see you, and you can't go home again. Since the spring of 1995, I have been quietly, even gamely, reassessing point number three.” quote by Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/bill-bryson-340_again_i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-th_1678681.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/bill-bryson-340_again_i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-th_1678681.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/bill-bryson-340_again_i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-th_1678681.png) > “I once joked in a book that there are three things you can't do in life. You can't beat the phone company, you can't make a waiter see you until he is ready to see you, and you can't go home again. Since the spring of 1995, I have been quietly, even gamely, reassessing point number three.” [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life imposes limits: some things are unchangeable, like returning home. **In simple terms:** Some things cannot be undone. Key Takeaway Accept irreversible changes gracefully. Themes change limits acceptance Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career moves - relationship endings - relocation decisions - personal growth Key Concepts philosophy life lessons Questions to Reflect On - What can you control now? - How do you cope with irreversible loss? A Different Perspective Focusing on unchangeable may hinder progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Business](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/business/) [Company](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/company/) [Home](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/home/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Waiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiter/) ## Related quotes > [I once joked in a book that there are three things you can't do in life. You can't beat the phone company, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-three-things-you-can-t-do-in-2/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [The NAACP was even considering earlier this summer reassessing their position on school integration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-joyner/the-naacp-was-even-considering-earlier-this-summer-reassessing-their/) Tom Joyner > [Every day I'm reassessing what I've been taught against what I see, and the man I need to be if I'm going to call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-parker/every-day-i-m-reassessing-what-i-ve-been-taught-against-what-i-see/) [Nate Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-parker/) > [“For some, reassessing concepts about truth and reality can be a scary proposition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ireland/for-some-reassessing-concepts-about-truth-and-reality-can-be-a-scary/) [Mark Ireland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ireland/) > [There are things you just can't do in life. You can't beat the phone company, you can't make a waiter see you until he's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/there-are-things-you-just-can-t-do-in-life-you-can-t-beat-the-phone/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [No one will really understand politics until they understand that politicians are not trying to solve our problems. They are trying to solve their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/no-one-will-really-understand-politics-until-they-understand-that/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [“I would like to draw three main conclusions. Number one, the earth is warmer in 1988 than at any time in the history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mckibben/i-would-like-to-draw-three-main-conclusions-number-one-the-earth-is/) [Bill McKibben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mckibben/) > [If you want to invest in us, we believe customer number one, employee number two, shareholder number three. If they don't want to buy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-want-to-invest-in-us-we-believe-customer-number-one-employee/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [I love Polo. I have a lot of Ralph Lauren suits. I got Dolce, I got a little bit of everything. And my favorite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-paul/i-love-polo-i-have-a-lot-of-ralph-lauren-suits-i-got-dolce-i-got-a/) [Chris Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-paul/) > [Let me tell you girls the three most important things I learned about life: Number one: Hold fast to your friends; number two: There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/estelle-getty/let-me-tell-you-girls-the-three-most-important-things-i-learned-about/) [Estelle Getty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/estelle-getty/) > [“Here are the top three things I’ve learned in my twenty-two years on the planet: 1. Never wipe your butt with poison ivy. 2.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learned-in-my-twenty-two-years-on/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“So… what? You want me to sign my name in blood or something?” “Hmmm,” he said, tapping his finger against his cheek as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-j-kentowski/so-what-you-want-me-to-sign-my-name-in-blood-or-something-hmmm-he/) [L.J. Kentowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-j-kentowski/) > [ “And while \[we\] do have possibilities that are vast and magnificent and almost infinite in scope, it's important to remember that our choice-rich lives… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/and-while-we-do-have-possibilities-that-are-vast-and-magnificent-and/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I raced because I was paid to do a job and I felt like I had to do the job. Number two: I raced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-armstrong/i-raced-because-i-was-paid-to-do-a-job-and-i-felt-like-i-had-to-do/) [Lance Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-armstrong/) > [“If by ‘foe’ you mean a brutal killer, then I suppose I’d fall into the ‘friend’ category,” I replied cynically. “Although in your case,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-a-george/if-by-foe-you-mean-a-brutal-killer-then-i-suppose-i-d-fall-into-the/) [M.A. George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-a-george/) ## More by Bill Bryson > [Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/most-big-companies-don-t-like-you-very-much-except-hotels-airlines/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“But Welsh spellings are as nothing compared with Irish Gaelic, a language in which spelling and pronunciation give the impression of having been devised…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/but-welsh-spellings-are-as-nothing-compared-with-irish-gaelic-a/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Pantaloons were often worn tight as paint and were not a great deal less revealing, particularly as they were worn without underwear. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/pantaloons-were-often-worn-tight-as-paint-and-were-not-a-great-deal/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [If you go out on the Appalachian Trail, you have to bring so much more equipment - a tent, sleeping bag - but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-you-go-out-on-the-appalachian-trail-you-have-to-bring-so-much-more/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“The dining table was a plain board called by that name. It was hung on the wall when not in use, and was perched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/the-dining-table-was-a-plain-board-called-by-that-name-it-was-hung-on/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“From almost nothing, France in four years built up an aircraft industry that employed nearly 200,000 people and produced some 70,000 planes. Britain built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/from-almost-nothing-france-in-four-years-built-up-an-aircraft/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“Every twenty minutes on the Appalachian Trail, Katz and I walked farther than the average American walks in a week. For 93 percent of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/every-twenty-minutes-on-the-appalachian-trail-katz-and-i-walked/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“A diarist named George Templeton Strong recorded in the winter of 1866 that even with two furnaces alight and all the fireplaces blazing, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/a-diarist-named-george-templeton-strong-recorded-in-the-winter-of/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Tune your television to any channel it doesn't receive and about 1 percent of the dancing static you see is accounted for by this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/tune-your-television-to-any-channel-it-doesn-t-receive-and-about-1/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [As a rule of thumb, I would submit that if you need to call your floss provider, for any reason, you are probably not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/as-a-rule-of-thumb-i-would-submit-that-if-you-need-to-call-your-floss/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [Nobody gets excited about the future at all, ever. The future is something we find depressing and worrisome.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/nobody-gets-excited-about-the-future-at-all-ever-the-future-is/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“What made this particularly interesting is that John Howard is by far the dullest man in Australia. Imagine a very committed funeral home director…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/what-made-this-particularly-interesting-is-that-john-howard-is-by-far/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [I would make a genuinely terrible guide. I can't remember things. I would get half way through telling a story or explaining something and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-would-make-a-genuinely-terrible-guide-i-can-t-remember-things-i/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [“In the mystifying world that was Victorian parenthood, obedience took precedence over all considerations of affection and happiness, and that odd, painful conviction remained…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/in-the-mystifying-world-that-was-victorian-parenthood-obedience-took/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) > [If this book has a lesson, it is that we are awfully lucky to be here-and by 'we' I mean every living thing. To…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/if-this-book-has-a-lesson-it-is-that-we-are-awfully-lucky-to-be-here/) [Bill Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) [Explore all 656 Bill Bryson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/) ## More Again quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [I say this about everything: when I was on 'Neighbours,' I said, 'These are the best years of my life!' When I was filming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-say-this-about-everything-when-i-was-on-neighbours-i-said-these-are/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/) [Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/) [Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/) > [In theater, one of the biggest problems when you're rehearsing comedy over and over again is that you stop laughing at each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ashley-carter/in-theater-one-of-the-biggest-problems-when-you-re-rehearsing-comedy/) [Lauren Ashley Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ashley-carter/) > [I'd like to do some female roles again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-d-like-to-do-some-female-roles-again/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Death is a sniper. It strikes people you love, people you like, people you know - it's everywhere. You could be next. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/death-is-a-sniper-it-strikes-people-you-love-people-you-like-people/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [Well, a lot of our concerts do okay, and I know we still get royalty checks which still isn't that important, but again, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/well-a-lot-of-our-concerts-do-okay-and-i-know-we-still-get-royalty/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [Oh wow, you know what's wrong with all these families on TV? All these kids say stuff no kid would say. Stuff grown-ups want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/oh-wow-you-know-what-s-wrong-with-all-these-families-on-tv-all-these/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [We must resist the temptation of once again turning America into the traditional bogeyman of the left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-napolitano/we-must-resist-the-temptation-of-once-again-turning-america-into-the/) [Giorgio Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-napolitano/) > [We won the Europa League in 2013 and it was an amazing night, an amazing feeling. I take those memories and think to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cahill/we-won-the-europa-league-in-2013-and-it-was-an-amazing-night-an/) [Gary Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cahill/) > [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) Browse all 2,975 Again quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I once joked in a book that there are three things you can't do in life. You can't beat the phone company, you can't make a waiter see you until he is ready to see you, and you can't go home again. Since the spring of 1995, I have been quietly, even gamely, reassessing point number three.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bill Bryson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-three-things-you-can-t-do-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Again" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-three-things-you-can-t-do-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/bill-bryson-340_again_i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-th_1678681.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/bill-bryson-340_again_i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-th_1678681.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/074/bill-bryson-340_again_i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-th_1678681.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I once joked in a book that there are three things you can't do in life. You can't beat the phone company…” — Bill Bryson", "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": "Bill Bryson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bryson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I once joked in a book...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-three-things-you-can-t-do-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bryson/i-once-joked-in-a-book-that-there-are-three-things-you-can-t-do-in/#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 } } ] } ```