--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If life wanted to hand me lemons I was…" description: "\"“If life wanted to hand me lemons I was not only going to make lemonade, but I'd use the zest for cookies, plant seeds for future fruit and turn the ri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/bridgette-mongeon-81218_giving-thanks_if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-n_3223033.jpg" --- # If life wanted to hand me lemons I was not only going to… ![“If life wanted to hand me lemons I was not only going to make lemonade, but I'd use the zest for cookies, plant seeds for future fruit and turn the rind into compost to grow flowers, all the while giving thanks for lemons.” quote by Bridgette Mongeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/bridgette-mongeon-81218_giving-thanks_if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-n_3223033.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/bridgette-mongeon-81218_giving-thanks_if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-n_3223033.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/bridgette-mongeon-81218_giving-thanks_if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-n_3223033.jpg) > ““If life wanted to hand me lemons I was not only going to make lemonade, but I'd use the zest for cookies, plant seeds for future fruit and turn the rind into compost to grow flowers, all the while giving thanks for lemons.”” Bridgette Mongeon ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adversity can be transformed into multiple positive outcomes through gratitude and creative reuse. **In simple terms:** Turn setbacks into many benefits by appreciating and repurposing them. Key Takeaway Find gratitude in challenges and use them to create new value. Themes gratitude resilience creativity Mood optimistic energetic Type inspirational practical When to use this quote - career setback - health issue - financial loss - relationship breakup Key Concepts positive psychology resourcefulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn a current difficulty into a growth opportunity? - What resources can you repurpose from this challenge? A Different Perspective May overlook the need to address underlying problems directly. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Giving thanks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-thanks/) [Lemons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lemons/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Make lemonade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-lemonade/) [Plant Seeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant-seeds/) ## Related quotes > [“When life gives you lemons, you don't make lemonade. You use the seeds to plant a whole orchard - an entire franchise! Or you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthon-st-maarten/when-life-gives-you-lemons-you-don-t-make-lemonade-you-use-the-seeds/) [Anthon St. Maarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthon-st-maarten/) > [That's all I can do, is continue to plant the seeds; some will be trees, some will be plants, some will be bushes, some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salaam-remi/that-s-all-i-can-do-is-continue-to-plant-the-seeds-some-will-be-trees/) [Salaam Remi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salaam-remi/) > [“Books can change minds and change worlds, open doors and open minds, plant seeds that can grow into magical or even terrifying things. Stories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-james/books-can-change-minds-and-change-worlds-open-doors-and-open-minds/) Anna James > [“You are provided with hands, but you decide how to employ them. Some use their hands to provide a lover's caress, chisel a sculpture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-emmet/you-are-provided-with-hands-but-you-decide-how-to-employ-them-some/) [Joshua Emmet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-emmet/) > [“All businesses could use a garden where Data Scientists plant seeds of possibility and water them with collaboration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-mingle/all-businesses-could-use-a-garden-where-data-scientists-plant-seeds/) [Damian Mingle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-mingle/) > [“Every great tragedy forms a fertile soil in which a great recovery can take root and blossom...but only if you plant the seeds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/every-great-tragedy-forms-a-fertile-soil-in-which-a-great-recovery/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [If everything you do needs to work on a three-year time horizon, then you’re competing against a lot of people, But if you’re willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-bezos/if-everything-you-do-needs-to-work-on-a-three-year-time-horizon-then/) [Jeff Bezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-bezos/) > [“Better not to plant seeds of selfishness than try to eradicate them once they have grown into giant weeds. (91)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prem-prakash/better-not-to-plant-seeds-of-selfishness-than-try-to-eradicate-them/) [Prem Prakash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prem-prakash/) > [To own a bit of ground, to scratch it with a hoe, to plant seeds, and watch the renewal of life - this is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/to-own-a-bit-of-ground-to-scratch-it-with-a-hoe-to-plant-seeds-and/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [“In reality it was like this: Earth was colonized by the Zycronites, who developed the ability to travel from one space dimension to another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/in-reality-it-was-like-this-earth-was-colonized-by-the-zycronites-who/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Brands should think of themselves not as storytellers but storybuilders. We plant seeds of content and let our community build on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-pascal/brands-should-think-of-themselves-not-as-storytellers-but/) [Amy Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-pascal/) > [Learn from yesterday, live for today, plant seeds for tomorrow, live a life worth living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaoru-shinmon/learn-from-yesterday-live-for-today-plant-seeds-for-tomorrow-live-a/) [Kaoru Shinmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaoru-shinmon/) > [Through the lights cameras and action, glamour glitters and gold I unfold the scroll, plant seeds to stampede the globe...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/through-the-lights-cameras-and-action-glamour-glitters-and-gold-i/) [Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/) > [“Many events plant seeds, imperceptible at the time, that bear fruit long afterward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/many-events-plant-seeds-imperceptible-at-the-time-that-bear-fruit/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) ## More by Bridgette Mongeon > [“I see the world in the face of the elderly and the heavens in the face of a child.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgette-mongeon/i-see-the-world-in-the-face-of-the-elderly-and-the-heavens-in-the/) Bridgette Mongeon > [“In our pilgrimage on this earth we sometimes fail to see all who the Lord touches through us in simple words and deeds.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgette-mongeon/in-our-pilgrimage-on-this-earth-we-sometimes-fail-to-see-all-who-the/) Bridgette Mongeon Explore all 3 Bridgette Mongeon quotes ## More Giving thanks quotes > [When the time comes for us to pray. We find other things to say. Instead of giving thanks for what God has already done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-burrell/when-the-time-comes-for-us-to-pray-we-find-other-things-to-say/) [Kim Burrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-burrell/) > [“Crossing the threshold of faith means that we work out of a sense of dignity and see service as a vocation. It means we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/crossing-the-threshold-of-faith-means-that-we-work-out-of-a-sense-of/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [“AND WHATEVER YOU DO, WHETHER IN WORD OR DEED, DO IT ALL IN THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS, GIVING THANKS TO GOD THE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-kristen-moore/and-whatever-you-do-whether-in-word-or-deed-do-it-all-in-the-name-of/) Sandra Kristen Moore > [Thanksgiving-giving thanks in everything-prepares the way that God might show us His fullest salvation in Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/thanksgiving-giving-thanks-in-everything-prepares-the-way-that-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Who cared if there was really any Being to pray to? What mattered was the sense of giving thanks and praise, the feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-sacks/who-cared-if-there-was-really-any-being-to-pray-to-what-mattered-was/) [Oliver Sacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-sacks/) > [My joy is the golden sunset giving thanks for another day. Gratitude itself is a source of joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-joy-is-the-golden-sunset-giving-thanks-for-another-day-gratitude/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“destines them to eternity. He therefore, I believe, wants them to attend chiefly to two things, to eternity itself, and to that point of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/destines-them-to-eternity-he-therefore-i-believe-wants-them-to-attend/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Some days are better than others, but every day can be the best day of your life by giving thanks.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/some-days-are-better-than-others-but-every-day-can-be-the-best-day-of/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) > [“Muhammad said that gratitude for the abundance you’ve received is the best insurance that the abundance will continue. Buddha said that you have no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-byrne/muhammad-said-that-gratitude-for-the-abundance-you-ve-received-is-the/) [Rhonda Byrne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-byrne/) > [I started out giving thanks for small things, and the more thankful I became, the more my bounty increased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-started-out-giving-thanks-for-small-things-and-the-more-thankful-i/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“The first official national "Thanksgiving Day," established on November 26, 1789, was originally created by George Washington for "giving thanks for the Constitution.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-l-harrison/the-first-official-national-thanksgiving-day-established-on-november/) [Steven L. Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-l-harrison/) > [“One of the best things about gratitude is that it serves both you and the one to whom you are giving thanks. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-barbara-apollon/one-of-the-best-things-about-gratitude-is-that-it-serves-both-you-and/) [Susan Barbara Apollon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-barbara-apollon/) > [The whole of the life -- even the hard -- is made up of the minute parts, and if I miss the infinitesimals, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-whole-of-the-life-even-the-hard-is-made-up-of-the-minute-parts/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [Practice giving thanks for the lessons learned from your past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gray/practice-giving-thanks-for-the-lessons-learned-from-your-past/) [John Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gray/) > [Start the day off right by giving thanks to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-the-day-off-right-by-giving-thanks-to-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 118 Giving thanks quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving-thanks/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If life wanted to hand me lemons I was not only going to make lemonade, but I'd use the zest for cookies, plant seeds for future fruit and turn the rind into compost to grow flowers, all the while giving thanks for lemons.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bridgette Mongeon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgette-mongeon/if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-not-only-going-to-make/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Giving thanks" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgette-mongeon/if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-not-only-going-to-make/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/bridgette-mongeon-81218_giving-thanks_if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-n_3223033.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/bridgette-mongeon-81218_giving-thanks_if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-n_3223033.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b1/bridgette-mongeon-81218_giving-thanks_if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-n_3223033.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If life wanted to hand me lemons I was not only going to make lemonade, but I'd use the zest for cookies…” — Bridgette Mongeon", "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": "Bridgette Mongeon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bridgette-mongeon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If life wanted to hand me...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgette-mongeon/if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-not-only-going-to-make/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bridgette-mongeon/if-life-wanted-to-hand-me-lemons-i-was-not-only-going-to-make/#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 } } ] } ```