--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If there was one thing he knew about…" description: "\"“If there was one thing he knew about himself, it was that he could take any good thing and make a mess out of it.”\" — Cassandra Clare Holly Black" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/cassandra-clare-holly-black-84_call_if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-him_2800434.jpg" --- # If there was one thing he knew about himself, it was that… ![“If there was one thing he knew about himself, it was that he could take any good thing and make a mess out of it.” quote by Cassandra Clare Holly Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/cassandra-clare-holly-black-84_call_if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-him_2800434.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/cassandra-clare-holly-black-84_call_if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-him_2800434.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/cassandra-clare-holly-black-84_call_if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-him_2800434.jpg) > ““If there was one thing he knew about himself, it was that he could take any good thing and make a mess out of it.”” Cassandra Clare Holly Black ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People can ruin good things through their own mishandling. **In simple terms:** Mishandling ruins good things. Key Takeaway Handle blessings carefully. Themes responsibility mistakes human nature Mood cautionary reflective Type ethical psychological When to use this quote - relationships - finance - health - creative projects Key Concepts psychology ethics Questions to Reflect On - How do you protect valuable things? - What habits lead to self-sabotage? A Different Perspective Good intentions can still cause harm. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“It is what we can make of the mess we have made of things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot-4/it-is-what-we-can-make-of-the-mess-we-have-made-of-things/) [T.S Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot-4/) > [Sometimes six and six make a dozen, and sometimes they make a mess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/sometimes-six-and-six-make-a-dozen-and-sometimes-they-make-a-mess/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [Well, it takes all kinds to make a mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hoff/well-it-takes-all-kinds-to-make-a-mess/) [Benjamin Hoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hoff/) > [“You broke through the humor of my little theater and tried to make a mess of it, stabbing with knives and spattering our pretty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/you-broke-through-the-humor-of-my-little-theater-and-tried-to-make-a/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [It's easy to make a mess when you're not the one who has to clean it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/it-s-easy-to-make-a-mess-when-you-re-not-the-one-who-has-to-clean-it/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [Sometimes you've got to make a mess before you clean it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/sometimes-you-ve-got-to-make-a-mess-before-you-clean-it-up/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [People will come into your life and make a mess of things, but YOU'RE the one that has to clean up the mess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/people-will-come-into-your-life-and-make-a-mess-of-things-but-you-re/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [I am the worst cook. I make a mess making a bowl of cereal... like, I'm just such a klutz in the kitchen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndsy-fonseca/i-am-the-worst-cook-i-make-a-mess-making-a-bowl-of-cereal-like-i-m/) [Lyndsy Fonseca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndsy-fonseca/) > [Sometimes you need to make a mess. -Loretta, the Rollinses' hosekeeper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/sometimes-you-need-to-make-a-mess-loretta-the-rollinses-hosekeeper/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [The incompetent with nothing to do can still make a mess of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-j-peter/the-incompetent-with-nothing-to-do-can-still-make-a-mess-of-it/) [Laurence J. Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-j-peter/) > [I had to learn during lockdown that kids make a mess and I have to stand by. And that was tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ulrika-jonsson/i-had-to-learn-during-lockdown-that-kids-make-a-mess-and-i-have-to/) [Ulrika Jonsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ulrika-jonsson/) > [Make a mess. Clean it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keri-smith/make-a-mess-clean-it-up/) [Keri Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keri-smith/) > [“Sometimes you have to make a mess.” “And then you clean it up,” she said confidently. “You simply clean it up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-park/sometimes-you-have-to-make-a-mess-and-then-you-clean-it-up-she-said/) [Jessica Park](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-park/) > [“If you make a mess, you clean it up. Makes sense, right? Well, if you hurt someone, you apologize. Same thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/if-you-make-a-mess-you-clean-it-up-makes-sense-right-well-if-you-hurt/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [We make a mess of things sometimes but that doesn't make you bad - it makes you human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-mclean/we-make-a-mess-of-things-sometimes-but-that-doesn-t-make-you-bad-it/) [Andrea McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-mclean/) ## More by Cassandra Clare Holly Black > [“The food of evil is so good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare-holly-black/the-food-of-evil-is-so-good/) Cassandra Clare Holly Black > [“It was easy to rack up Evil Overlord points in prison.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare-holly-black/it-was-easy-to-rack-up-evil-overlord-points-in-prison/) Cassandra Clare Holly Black Explore all 3 Cassandra Clare Holly Black quotes ## More Call quotes > [Some would call me an environmentalist. I don't know why. I reuse the water that falls in my backyard in the winter. I reuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-begley-jr/some-would-call-me-an-environmentalist-i-don-t-know-why-i-reuse-the/) [Ed Begley, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-begley-jr/) > [I call myself an educator.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliyahu-goldratt/i-call-myself-an-educator/) [Eliyahu Goldratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliyahu-goldratt/) > [I would call myself a Gnostic. Which means, I'm interested in pursuing and understanding the spiritual nature of things. A Gnostic is somebody seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-crumb/i-would-call-myself-a-gnostic-which-means-i-m-interested-in-pursuing/) [Robert Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-crumb/) > [Most of black America is in housing projects, without jobs, living on welfare. And this is not the case in 'The Cosby Show,' because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilson/most-of-black-america-is-in-housing-projects-without-jobs-living-on/) [August Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilson/) > [We only call at ducks when their rear ends are towards us. If I'm looking at you and you call my name, then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jase-robertson/we-only-call-at-ducks-when-their-rear-ends-are-towards-us-if-i-m/) [Jase Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jase-robertson/) > [As someone who came to New York in the 1970s, I was, like so many of my friends, a certified member of what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graydon-carter/as-someone-who-came-to-new-york-in-the-1970s-i-was-like-so-many-of-my/) [Graydon Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graydon-carter/) > [Most people I know are not hard-core religious people. They are what I would call 'lightly religious.' So I don't buy the notion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-parker/most-people-i-know-are-not-hard-core-religious-people-they-are-what-i/) [Trey Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-parker/) > [Obama did organize a great large number of people and many enthusiastic people, what's called in the press 'Obama's Army.' But the army is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/obama-did-organize-a-great-large-number-of-people-and-many/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [It's always a wake-up call to get beaten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usain-bolt/it-s-always-a-wake-up-call-to-get-beaten/) [Usain Bolt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usain-bolt/) > [You've got Washington picking winners and losers. And so, all of a sudden, decisions are being made on what helps politicians, not what helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeb-hensarling/you-ve-got-washington-picking-winners-and-losers-and-so-all-of-a/) [Jeb Hensarling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeb-hensarling/) > [If LFC call, you have to listen and think about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timo-werner/if-lfc-call-you-have-to-listen-and-think-about-it/) [Timo Werner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timo-werner/) > [It's silly to call me the new Ed Sheeran. He can fill stadiums as a solo artist, but I'm not like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bay/it-s-silly-to-call-me-the-new-ed-sheeran-he-can-fill-stadiums-as-a/) [James Bay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bay/) > [I'm doing what all modern artists do now, which is nothing - just sit around and dream about things. I'll do what they call…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-al-bengston/i-m-doing-what-all-modern-artists-do-now-which-is-nothing-just-sit/) [Billy Al Bengston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-al-bengston/) > [It's funny how you call me a celebrity. Oh man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-hill/it-s-funny-how-you-call-me-a-celebrity-oh-man/) [Steven Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-hill/) > [There is no secret to success except hard work and getting something indefinable which we call 'the breaks.' In order for a writer to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/countee-cullen/there-is-no-secret-to-success-except-hard-work-and-getting-something/) [Countee Cullen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/countee-cullen/) Browse all 1,525 Call quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If there was one thing he knew about himself, it was that he could take any good thing and make a mess out of it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cassandra Clare Holly Black" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare-holly-black/if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-himself-it-was-that-he-could/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Call" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare-holly-black/if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-himself-it-was-that-he-could/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/cassandra-clare-holly-black-84_call_if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-him_2800434.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/cassandra-clare-holly-black-84_call_if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-him_2800434.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2a9/cassandra-clare-holly-black-84_call_if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-him_2800434.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If there was one thing he knew about himself, it was that he could take any good thing and make a mess out…” — Cassandra Clare Holly Black", "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": "Cassandra Clare Holly Black", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare-holly-black/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If there was one thing he...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare-holly-black/if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-himself-it-was-that-he-could/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare-holly-black/if-there-was-one-thing-he-knew-about-himself-it-was-that-he-could/#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 } } ] } ```