--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That’s the funny thing about arriving…" description: "\"That’s the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin,” he said with a wink. “Once you’re there, the only thing you can really do is leave again.\" — Bra..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/brandon-sanderson-112_arriving_that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-so_1860545.jpg" --- # That’s the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin,” he… ![“That’s the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin,” he said with a wink. “Once you’re there, the only thing you can really do is leave again.” quote by Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/brandon-sanderson-112_arriving_that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-so_1860545.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/brandon-sanderson-112_arriving_that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-so_1860545.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/brandon-sanderson-112_arriving_that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-so_1860545.jpg) > “That’s the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin,” he said with a wink. “Once you’re there, the only thing you can really do is leave again.” [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Arrival often reveals that the next meaningful action is departure, highlighting impermanence and choice. **In simple terms:** Arriving means you may need to leave again. Key Takeaway Embrace change when it arrives. Themes impermanence choice travel growth Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - starting a new job - moving cities - finishing a project - ending a relationship Key Concepts existentialism decision theory narrative tension Questions to Reflect On - What does staying versus leaving mean for you? - When does departure become growth? A Different Perspective Leaving may be painful and not always the best option. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arriving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arriving/) [Arriving Vin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arriving-vin-2501624/) [Funny things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/funny-things/) [Really Leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-leave-297605/) [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Wink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-wink-619792/) [Vin Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vin-said-2501623/) ## Related quotes > [“Suddenly, Vin grew pale. Elend paused, glancing at her, sensing that something was wrong. Not with what he'd said, something else. What is it?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/suddenly-vin-grew-pale-elend-paused-glancing-at-her-sensing-that/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“You know,” OreSeur muttered quietly, obviously counting on her tin to let Vin hear him, “it seems that these meetings would be more productive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-know-oreseur-muttered-quietly-obviously-counting-on-her-tin-to/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Don’t do it gurl,” he said with a wink. “You need to pretend like that phone is your best friend’s husband’s dick now drop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethan-day/don-t-do-it-gurl-he-said-with-a-wink-you-need-to-pretend-like-that/) [Ethan Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethan-day/) > [“Oh my! Did you see him?' Exie stops abruptly and turns to watch a man who smiles at her. ' Ooh yeah, he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-loren/oh-my-did-you-see-him-exie-stops-abruptly-and-turns-to-watch-a-man/) [Jennifer Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-loren/) > [“Talking to you is one of my favorite things to do." "Top 10?" she asked. "Top 5 at least," he said with a wink.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/talking-to-you-is-one-of-my-favorite-things-to-do-top-10-she-asked/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“My mother was an oyster,” he said with a wink. “And I’m the pearl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-bardugo/my-mother-was-an-oyster-he-said-with-a-wink-and-i-m-the-pearl/) [Leigh Bardugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-bardugo/) > [“We’re in Deadwood,” he said with a wink. “How’s the saying go? ‘Pray for me. I just left hell and I’m headed to Deadwood.’?”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-salonen/we-re-in-deadwood-he-said-with-a-wink-how-s-the-saying-go-pray-for-me/) [Debra Salonen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-salonen/) > [marrows - alas! - are arriving in a steady stream at the back door. ... Oddly enough, the majority of people who grow them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miss-read/marrows-alas-are-arriving-in-a-steady-stream-at-the-back-door-oddly/) [Miss Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miss-read/) > [I have this ability to really leave set and just cut off from it immediately.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dylan-minnette/i-have-this-ability-to-really-leave-set-and-just-cut-off-from-it/) [Dylan Minnette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dylan-minnette/) > [I don't really leave the house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sia/i-don-t-really-leave-the-house/) [Sia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sia/) > [And isn't it better really to leave things only hinted at?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junichiro-tanizaki/and-isn-t-it-better-really-to-leave-things-only-hinted-at/) [Junichiro Tanizaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junichiro-tanizaki/) > [A lot of Americans don't really leave the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pena/a-lot-of-americans-don-t-really-leave-the-country/) [Michael Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pena/) > [When you have 12 hours of storytelling, the cool thing about it is that you get to really leave people with question marks, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-j-smith/when-you-have-12-hours-of-storytelling-the-cool-thing-about-it-is/) [Brian J. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-j-smith/) > [Radio is not a job; it's a way of life. You can't really ever leave it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-bell/radio-is-not-a-job-it-s-a-way-of-life-you-can-t-really-ever-leave-it/) [Art Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-bell/) > [I don't really leave my house. I'm a very introverted person. I don't like going out. I don't like parties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esme-creed-miles/i-don-t-really-leave-my-house-i-m-a-very-introverted-person-i-don-t/) [Esme Creed-Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esme-creed-miles/) ## More by Brandon Sanderson > [“I’ll admit, Jasnah, that I empathize with your skepticism, but I don’t agree with it. I just think you've been looking for God in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-ll-admit-jasnah-that-i-empathize-with-your-skepticism-but-i-don-t/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [They say a man doesn't know himself until he faces death for the first time. . . I don't know about that. It seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/they-say-a-man-doesn-t-know-himself-until-he-faces-death-for-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“I wasn’t a nerd, mind you, but I’d spent a lot of my youth studying Epics, so I’d had limited experience with social interaction.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/i-wasn-t-a-nerd-mind-you-but-i-d-spent-a-lot-of-my-youth-studying/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Why, Elend! That’s almost romantic—in a twisted ‘I’m going to make my wife want to kill me’ sort of way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/why-elend-that-s-almost-romantic-in-a-twisted-i-m-going-to-make-my/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“And...how much are we getting paid for achieving the impossible?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/and-how-much-are-we-getting-paid-for-achieving-the-impossible/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elantris was the one place where she could remember feeling unconditional acceptance. She had not been a princess, she had been something far better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elantris-was-the-one-place-where-she-could-remember-feeling/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“Elend smiled. "Oh, come on. You have to admit that you're unusual, Vin. You're like some strange mixture of a noblewoman, a street urchin,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/elend-smiled-oh-come-on-you-have-to-admit-that-you-re-unusual-vin-you/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“That is always how it is, though, isn't it?” Shuden asked. “Those who can least afford extravagance seem to be the ones most determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-is-always-how-it-is-though-isn-t-it-shuden-asked-those-who-can/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“He says he’s letting the Stormfather judge you,” Moash added. “Jezerezeh, king of Heralds. He says that if you deserve to live, you will….”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/he-says-he-s-letting-the-stormfather-judge-you-moash-added-jezerezeh/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“The stories say the Nightwatcher might be capable of that. . . . Powerful spren. Vast spren.’ ‘Is he calling me vast?’ Syl said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-stories-say-the-nightwatcher-might-be-capable-of-that-powerful/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“But the mark of a great man is one who knows when to set aside the important things in order to accomplish the vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/but-the-mark-of-a-great-man-is-one-who-knows-when-to-set-aside-the/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“If you're always on time, it implies that you never have anything better you should be doing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/if-you-re-always-on-time-it-implies-that-you-never-have-anything/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [You are inexperienced. So was I, once. So is every man. The measure of a person is not how much they have lived. .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/you-are-inexperienced-so-was-i-once-so-is-every-man-the-measure-of-a/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“So I should not hate Adolin Kholin for wielding a corpse!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/so-i-should-not-hate-adolin-kholin-for-wielding-a-corpse/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) [Explore all 1,238 Brandon Sanderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More Arriving quotes > [Don´t be unnecessarily burdened by the past. Go on closing the chapters that you have read; there is no need to go back again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/don-t-be-unnecessarily-burdened-by-the-past-go-on-closing-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [With all due respect to UPS - it's a fine company - nobody cares about logistics. They care about that package arriving at their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-luntz/with-all-due-respect-to-ups-it-s-a-fine-company-nobody-cares-about/) [Frank Luntz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-luntz/) > [Please... tell me who you are and what you want. And if you think those are simple questions, keep in mind that most people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/please-tell-me-who-you-are-and-what-you-want-and-if-you-think-those/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [We see men who have accumulated great fortunes, but we often recognize only their triumph, overlooking the temporary defeats which they had to surmount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/we-see-men-who-have-accumulated-great-fortunes-but-we-often-recognize/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The time will come when, with elation you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror and each will smile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/the-time-will-come-when-with-elation-you-will-greet-yourself-arriving/) [Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/) > [He must have driven this way countless times, and yet he had no memory of the scenery. He must have been so caught up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/he-must-have-driven-this-way-countless-times-and-yet-he-had-no-memory/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) > [When people know the desired destination, they’re free to improvise, as needed, in arriving there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-heath/when-people-know-the-desired-destination-they-re-free-to-improvise-as/) [Chip Heath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chip-heath/) > [It's not a question of arriving and putting in a whole new administration, but instead, arriving and "compacting" things as much as possible, reducing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-slim/it-s-not-a-question-of-arriving-and-putting-in-a-whole-new/) [Carlos Slim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-slim/) > [Upon arriving, meeting their teachers and signing up for classes, these students began to realize that their attendance at Delaware State University was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-n-castle/upon-arriving-meeting-their-teachers-and-signing-up-for-classes-these/) [Michael N. 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I would visualize myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-smith/there-are-days-when-i-don-t-want-to-go-to-the-gym-or-find-myself-not/) [Kim Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-smith/) > [I left Montana in Spring of 1866, for Utah, arriving at Salt Lake city during the summer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calamity-jane/i-left-montana-in-spring-of-1866-for-utah-arriving-at-salt-lake-city/) [Calamity Jane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calamity-jane/) [Browse all 262 Arriving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arriving/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "That’s the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin,” he said with a wink. “Once you’re there, the only thing you can really do is leave again.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Brandon Sanderson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-somewhere-vin-he-said-with-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arriving" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-somewhere-vin-he-said-with-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/brandon-sanderson-112_arriving_that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-so_1860545.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/brandon-sanderson-112_arriving_that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-so_1860545.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f18/brandon-sanderson-112_arriving_that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-so_1860545.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“That’s the funny thing about arriving somewhere, Vin,” he said with a wink. “Once you’re there, the only…” — Brandon Sanderson", "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": "Brandon Sanderson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "That’s the funny thing about arriving...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-somewhere-vin-he-said-with-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/that-s-the-funny-thing-about-arriving-somewhere-vin-he-said-with-a/#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 } } ] } ```