--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Hitting bottom isn't a weekend retreat…" description: "\"Hitting bottom isn't a weekend retreat, it's not a goddamn seminar. Stop trying to control everything and just let go!\" — Brad Pitt" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/brad-pitt-1608_bottom_hitting-bottom-isn-t-a-weekend-retreat-i_2637017.jpg" --- # Hitting bottom isn't a weekend retreat, it's not a goddamn… ![“Hitting bottom isn't a weekend retreat, it's not a goddamn seminar. Stop trying to control everything and just let go!” quote by Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/brad-pitt-1608_bottom_hitting-bottom-isn-t-a-weekend-retreat-i_2637017.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/brad-pitt-1608_bottom_hitting-bottom-isn-t-a-weekend-retreat-i_2637017.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ba/brad-pitt-1608_bottom_hitting-bottom-isn-t-a-weekend-retreat-i_2637017.jpg) > “Hitting bottom isn't a weekend retreat, it's not a goddamn seminar. Stop trying to control everything and just let go!” [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realizing that hitting rock is a deep crisis, not a brief retreat, and that control attempts worsen suffering. **In simple terms:** Bottom is a deep crisis, not a short break. Key Takeaway Accept the pain, release control. Themes self-awareness addiction mental health Mood reflective determined Type advice motivational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - personal crises - recovery - addiction treatment Key Concepts acceptance mindfulness self-compassion Questions to Reflect On - What are you trying to control that causes pain? - How can you practice surrender safely? A Different Perspective Letting go can be frightening and may lead to feeling powerless. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) [Hitting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitting/) [Hitting bottom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hitting-bottom/) [Just Let](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-let-253207/) [Just let go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-let-go/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Nihilism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nihilism/) [Retreat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retreat/) [Retreat Goddamn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/retreat-goddamn-2237342/) [Seminars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seminars/) [Stop trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-trying/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Weekend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weekend/) [Weekend Retreat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weekend-retreat-2237343/) ## Related quotes > [“Hitting bottom isn't a weekend retreat, it's not a goddamn seminar. Stop trying to control everything and just let go. Let go”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/hitting-bottom-isn-t-a-weekend-retreat-it-s-not-a-goddamn-seminar/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“hotting bottom isn't a weekend retreat, it's not a goddamn seminar. Stop trying to control everuthing and just let go. Let go”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/hotting-bottom-isn-t-a-weekend-retreat-it-s-not-a-goddamn-seminar/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Stop trying to control everything, and just let go..let go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/stop-trying-to-control-everything-and-just-let-go-let-go/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“a couple of our buddies from Le Pavilion had opened restaurants in the Catskills around Shan-daken and Hunter Mountain and spoke highly of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-p-pin/a-couple-of-our-buddies-from-le-pavilion-had-opened-restaurants-in/) [Jacques Pépin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-p-pin/) > [Typically a weekend retreat for the heart, soul and palate, brunch is the perfect way to unwind and reconnect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcela-valladolid/typically-a-weekend-retreat-for-the-heart-soul-and-palate-brunch-is/) [Marcela Valladolid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcela-valladolid/) > [I'm truly thankful that Life's blows knocked me off the Ivory Tower that so comfortably afforded me the luxury of looking down upon and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-truly-thankful-that-life-s-blows-knocked-me-off-the-ivory-tower/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The leaders I met, whatever walk of life they were from, whatever institutions they were presiding over, always referred back to the same failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/the-leaders-i-met-whatever-walk-of-life-they-were-from-whatever/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) > [Deconstruction seems to offer a way out of the closure of knowledge. By inaugurating the open-ended indefiniteness of textuality-by thus 'placing in the abyss'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayatri-chakravorty-spivak/deconstruction-seems-to-offer-a-way-out-of-the-closure-of-knowledge/) [Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayatri-chakravorty-spivak/) > [“People who have never come close to seeking death don't understand its promise of an end to life's struggles. They don't understand the precarious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beth-miller/people-who-have-never-come-close-to-seeking-death-don-t-understand/) [Mary Beth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beth-miller/) > [“The thing about hitting bottom is that, in the middle of it, sometimes you don’t know if you’re really hitting bottom or just bouncing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-weisel/the-thing-about-hitting-bottom-is-that-in-the-middle-of-it-sometimes/) [Frederick Weisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-weisel/) > [A feeling of violation swayed inside me, making me feel as if Id been shoved off a high platform without warning. I was falling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/a-feeling-of-violation-swayed-inside-me-making-me-feel-as-if-id-been/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [At bottom is the best soil to sow and grow something new again. In that sense, hitting bottom, while extremely painful, is also the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarissa-pinkola-estes/at-bottom-is-the-best-soil-to-sow-and-grow-something-new-again-in/) [Clarissa Pinkola Estes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarissa-pinkola-estes/) > [“You could call it “hitting bottom” or “having an existential crisis.” I prefer to call it “weathering the shitstorm.” Choose what suits you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/you-could-call-it-hitting-bottom-or-having-an-existential-crisis-i/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“Wasn't hitting bottom the things you had to do to knock some sense into yourself? Wasn't hitting bottom the thing that showed you which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/wasn-t-hitting-bottom-the-things-you-had-to-do-to-knock-some-sense/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [“Both dogs and people are nicer after hitting bottom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/both-dogs-and-people-are-nicer-after-hitting-bottom/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) ## More by Brad Pitt > [Though 'Moneyball' had the talents of screenwriters Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin going for it, they weren't baseball insiders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/though-moneyball-had-the-talents-of-screenwriters-steven-zaillian-and/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [Getting a burp out of your little thing when she needs it is probably the greatest satisfaction I've come across at this point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/getting-a-burp-out-of-your-little-thing-when-she-needs-it-is-probably/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [Stop being perfect, because obsessing over being perfect stops you from growing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/stop-being-perfect-because-obsessing-over-being-perfect-stops-you/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [I always thought that if I wanted to do a family, I wanted to do it big. I wanted there to be chaos in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/i-always-thought-that-if-i-wanted-to-do-a-family-i-wanted-to-do-it/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [ The scouts \[in "Moneyball"\] could lend an authenticity that's even beyond what we had on the page. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/the-scouts-in-moneyball-could-lend-an-authenticity-that-s-even-beyond/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [Crime is just unvarnished capitalism, after all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/crime-is-just-unvarnished-capitalism-after-all/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [I have very few friends. I have a handful of close friends, and I have my family, and I haven't known life to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/i-have-very-few-friends-i-have-a-handful-of-close-friends-and-i-have/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [ I don't have a chance \[on being elected Mayor of New Orleans\]. I'm running on the gay marriage, no religion, legalization and taxation of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/i-don-t-have-a-chance-on-being-elected-mayor-of-new-orleans-i-m/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [Any love involves loss, and that's the risk you take. And the greater the love, the greater the loss. I certainly feel that now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/any-love-involves-loss-and-that-s-the-risk-you-take-and-the-greater/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [I liked turning 40. Maybe I had a crisis earlier or something. Maybe I had it in my 30s. One thing that sucks though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/i-liked-turning-40-maybe-i-had-a-crisis-earlier-or-something-maybe-i/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [So I swear to God, I took one year where I just said, This year, I'm just going to cop to it and say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/so-i-swear-to-god-i-took-one-year-where-i-just-said-this-year-i-m/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [You shouldn't speak until you know what you're talking about. That's why I get uncomfortable with interviews. Reporters ask me what I feel China…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/you-shouldn-t-speak-until-you-know-what-you-re-talking-about-that-s/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [I believe everyone should have the same rights. They say gay marriage ruins families and hurts kids. Well, I've had the privilege of seeing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/i-believe-everyone-should-have-the-same-rights-they-say-gay-marriage/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [Man, when I'm riding with the helmet on, I'm invisible. And people just deal with me as the guy on the bike... it gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/man-when-i-m-riding-with-the-helmet-on-i-m-invisible-and-people-just/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [ There are certain aspects of celebrity that I understand, although that's not the main point of the story \[in Assassination of Jesse James\] ,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/there-are-certain-aspects-of-celebrity-that-i-understand-although/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) [Explore all 223 Brad Pitt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) ## More Bottom quotes > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Filmmaking, like sex, isn't a polite enterprise. It involves a lot of mess and the bottom line is, if somebody ain't screaming, you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-woods/filmmaking-like-sex-isn-t-a-polite-enterprise-it-involves-a-lot-of/) [James Woods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-woods/) > [I was terrible student. I was capable, but I never like being told what to do, so I was always in the bottom class…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-lilley/i-was-terrible-student-i-was-capable-but-i-never-like-being-told-what/) [Chris Lilley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-lilley/) > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [I plead with my Moonlight fans to give this show a chance if they let me give it a chance. I can’t do Moonlight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-o-loughlin/i-plead-with-my-moonlight-fans-to-give-this-show-a-chance-if-they-let/) [Alex O'Loughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-o-loughlin/) > [Well, the bottom line is that I'm extremely pleased with 'The Stupids.' I'm pleased that it's coming out, and it should look good. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-landis/well-the-bottom-line-is-that-i-m-extremely-pleased-with-the-stupids-i/) [John Landis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-landis/) > [Search for the seed of good in every adversity. Master that principle and you will own a precious shield that will guard you well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/search-for-the-seed-of-good-in-every-adversity-master-that-principle/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [I would have had a clause in my contract; I would've definitely put some fine print in my contract that said, "If the president…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-budden/i-would-have-had-a-clause-in-my-contract-i-would-ve-definitely-put/) [Joe Budden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-budden/) > [Of course the Dharma-body of the Buddha was the hedge at the bottom of the garden. At the same time, and no less obviously,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldous-huxley/of-course-the-dharma-body-of-the-buddha-was-the-hedge-at-the-bottom/) [Aldous Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldous-huxley/) > [When I hit bottom, I can attack the problem and get to where I want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-rodman/when-i-hit-bottom-i-can-attack-the-problem-and-get-to-where-i-want-to/) [Dennis Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-rodman/) > [If I had lost the popular vote but won the electoral college and in my first day as president the intelligence community came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/if-i-had-lost-the-popular-vote-but-won-the-electoral-college-and-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [The bottom line, in the professional level, no matter where you go, there's going to be competition. That's what it is. At the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-tolzien/the-bottom-line-in-the-professional-level-no-matter-where-you-go/) [Scott Tolzien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-tolzien/) > [Life is a climb and it's a struggle getting to the top but the drop to the bottom can be quick and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/life-is-a-climb-and-it-s-a-struggle-getting-to-the-top-but-the-drop/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [One thing you learned as a Cubs fan: when you bought you ticket, you could bank on seeing the bottom of the ninth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-garagiola/one-thing-you-learned-as-a-cubs-fan-when-you-bought-you-ticket-you/) [Joe Garagiola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-garagiola/) > [The political satirist usually votes against their own interests, but the bottom line is that it doesn't really matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lizz-winstead/the-political-satirist-usually-votes-against-their-own-interests-but/) [Lizz Winstead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lizz-winstead/) [Browse all 2,558 Bottom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bottom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Hitting bottom isn't a weekend retreat, it's not a goddamn seminar. 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