--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It seemed her whole life had been a…" description: "\"“It seemed her whole life had been a series of waves, that everything and everyone she'd ever known had come at her with a force she couldn't fight, ru..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/catherine-lacey-3511_life_it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-seri_1925808.jpg" --- # It seemed her whole life had been a series of waves, that… ![“It seemed her whole life had been a series of waves, that everything and everyone she'd ever known had come at her with a force she couldn't fight, rushing in, roaring, sucking her down, nearly drowning her before spewing her out again, leaving her along on a shore before another wave came for…” quote by Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/catherine-lacey-3511_life_it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-seri_1925808.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/catherine-lacey-3511_life_it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-seri_1925808.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/catherine-lacey-3511_life_it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-seri_1925808.jpg) > ““It seemed her whole life had been a series of waves, that everything and everyone she'd ever known had come at her with a force she couldn't fight, rushing in, roaring, sucking her down, nearly drowning her before spewing her out again, leaving her along on a shore before another wave came for her, another force from some unseen center.”” [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life feels like relentless, overwhelming forces that push and pull, often beyond our control, yet we survive each surge. **In simple terms:** Life is a series of overwhelming waves we must endure. Key Takeaway Recognize and ride each wave, trusting you’ll reach shore. Themes adversity resilience identity growth Mood introspective determined Type literary reflective When to use this quote - personal crisis - mental health - creative work - relationship upheaval Key Concepts existentialism psychology fluidity Questions to Reflect On - How do you find agency amid overwhelming forces? - What helps you recover after a crisis? A Different Perspective The metaphor may oversimplify complex agency and external factors. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Waves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waves/) ## Related quotes > [“Every strong swimmer has a story about nearly drowning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-echols/every-strong-swimmer-has-a-story-about-nearly-drowning/) [Jennifer Echols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-echols/) > [And that was my homecoming. It was fine, I guess. Getting back feels like your first breath after nearly drowning. Even if it hurts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-klay/and-that-was-my-homecoming-it-was-fine-i-guess-getting-back-feels/) [Phil Klay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-klay/) > [“The wave came again and carried them out onto the sea of pain, where he wondered again why life ever came into the world...The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-kotzwinkle/the-wave-came-again-and-carried-them-out-onto-the-sea-of-pain-where/) [William Kotzwinkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-kotzwinkle/) > [Alone I walked on the ocean strand, A pearly shell was in my hand; I stooped, and wrote upon the sand My name, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-flagg-gould/alone-i-walked-on-the-ocean-strand-a-pearly-shell-was-in-my-hand-i/) Hannah Flagg Gould > [If a big wave came at the wrong moment, it would sweep me off into forty-eight-degree water, where I might last twenty minutes. Drowning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-sunderland/if-a-big-wave-came-at-the-wrong-moment-it-would-sweep-me-off-into/) [Abby Sunderland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-sunderland/) > [“A peaceful wave came over me, and I thought, Thank God I’m holding my breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-peaceful-wave-came-over-me-and-i-thought-thank-god-i-m-holding-my/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [You can never ride on the wave that came in and went out yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wanamaker/you-can-never-ride-on-the-wave-that-came-in-and-went-out-yesterday/) [John Wanamaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wanamaker/) > [“She watched him in the glow of the lamplight, his broad shoulders hunched over the piano, his hair flopping over his face, and knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-potter/she-watched-him-in-the-glow-of-the-lamplight-his-broad-shoulders/) [Alexandra Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-potter/) > [He had to fight. That's all he had. Not memories, not experiences, not skills. He had a will. And his will was to fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/he-had-to-fight-that-s-all-he-had-not-memories-not-experiences-not/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“This western-front business couldn’t be done again, not for a long time. The young men think they could do it but they couldn’t. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/this-western-front-business-couldn-t-be-done-again-not-for-a-long/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [The war u fought for that individual he put everything on the line the loyalty he showed her was just nothing. It was waste…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/the-war-u-fought-for-that-individual-he-put-everything-on-the-line/) Unkown > [ “\[Rick\] “Tara.” The sound of his voice snapped her away from the memories. His command brooked no argument as he looked up from between… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-probst/rick-tara-the-sound-of-his-voice-snapped-her-away-from-the-memories/) [Jennifer Probst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-probst/) > [I think I was righteous. I saw myself as the good guy in my own movie. I didn't get into many fights when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesbo/i-think-i-was-righteous-i-saw-myself-as-the-good-guy-in-my-own-movie/) [Jo Nesbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesbo/) > [“He had fought for me when i needed it.And I had to fight for him when he couldn't fight for himself.Perhaps that was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-leather/he-had-fought-for-me-when-i-needed-it-and-i-had-to-fight-for-him-when/) Sue Leather > [“The world was full of forces you couldn't fight against which suddenly loomed up and aimed a crushing blow at you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarjei-vesaas/the-world-was-full-of-forces-you-couldn-t-fight-against-which/) [Tarjei Vesaas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarjei-vesaas/) ## More by Catherine Lacey > [“Isn’t everyone on the planet or at least everyone on the planet called me stuck between the two impulses of wanting to walk away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/isn-t-everyone-on-the-planet-or-at-least-everyone-on-the-planet/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“...no moment cares, and the ones you wish could stretch out like a hammock for you to lie in, well, those moments leave the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/no-moment-cares-and-the-ones-you-wish-could-stretch-out-like-a/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“The late-afternoon light was thick and orange and she passed four different couples taking photos of themselves on the same cobblestoned block, all their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/the-late-afternoon-light-was-thick-and-orange-and-she-passed-four/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“Every few minutes or so I would remember the look from the man who had wanted fifty cents, and I'd look at that framed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/every-few-minutes-or-so-i-would-remember-the-look-from-the-man-who/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“How someone wants to explain catastrophe isn't important--that's what I know now. When shit happens, it doesn't really matter what asshole is responsible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/how-someone-wants-to-explain-catastrophe-isn-t-important-that-s-what/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“Eventually she got out of bed, took a long shower, gargling and spitting mouthfuls of water, then screaming, just a little and quietly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/eventually-she-got-out-of-bed-took-a-long-shower-gargling-and/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“I couldn't decide how to feel about what he was saying, whether it was all nonsense or just more evidence that I would never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-couldn-t-decide-how-to-feel-about-what-he-was-saying-whether-it-was/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“She missed his nothing. It had felt like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/she-missed-his-nothing-it-had-felt-like-something/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“I wasn't sure if it was safe for me to be sharing time and space with other people, who all seemed so much gentler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-wasn-t-sure-if-it-was-safe-for-me-to-be-sharing-time-and-space-with/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“Why were we never together anymore, just alone in each other's vicinity?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/why-were-we-never-together-anymore-just-alone-in-each-other-s-vicinity/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“And I began to believe that you could exchange your life, send it back for a different model, and I knew that wasn’t really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/and-i-began-to-believe-that-you-could-exchange-your-life-send-it-back/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“I thought that if I could ever do a background check on myself, I knew exactly what I'd do with it. I wouldn't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-thought-that-if-i-could-ever-do-a-background-check-on-myself-i-knew/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“ We have reached a point as a culture, where the predominant view of romantic partnership is no longer about survival or wealth or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/we-have-reached-a-point-as-a-culture-where-the-predominant-view-of/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“There was at least one morning I was certain, though only for a few hours, that everything that could ever really happen to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/there-was-at-least-one-morning-i-was-certain-though-only-for-a-few/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) > [“I closed my eyes, tried to get as far away from myself as I could.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/i-closed-my-eyes-tried-to-get-as-far-away-from-myself-as-i-could/) [Catherine Lacey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) [Explore all 129 Catherine Lacey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/) ## More Heart quotes > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“He held her like a new woman and what she felt felt almost as good as love had, and each of them called it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-dunn/he-held-her-like-a-new-woman-and-what-she-felt-felt-almost-as-good-as/) [Stephen Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-dunn/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [My heart jumps out of its cage to see what the fuss is about. Damn thing. Always so hopeful, but my voice hides it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wylie/my-heart-jumps-out-of-its-cage-to-see-what-the-fuss-is-about-damn/) [Sarah Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wylie/) > [I love because there is not enough room in my heart to hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rena-kornreich-gelissen/i-love-because-there-is-not-enough-room-in-my-heart-to-hate/) Rena Kornreich Gelissen > [“He didn't break my heart. No one can break your heart except you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/he-didn-t-break-my-heart-no-one-can-break-your-heart-except-you/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [The United States cannot and should not discriminate on the basis of religion. The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we are capable of living in the moment free from the tyranny of "shoulds," free from the nagging sensation that this moment isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-z-borysenko/when-we-are-capable-of-living-in-the-moment-free-from-the-tyranny-of/) [Joan Z. Borysenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-z-borysenko/) > [My father longed for a better life for us, and when I was nine he got a job as a heart surgeon in Belfast.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-melua/my-father-longed-for-a-better-life-for-us-and-when-i-was-nine-he-got/) [Katie Melua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-melua/) > [O tiger's heart wrapped in a woman's hide!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/o-tiger-s-heart-wrapped-in-a-woman-s-hide/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Love will fan the flame, and that flame will warm the heart that's waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-w-smith/love-will-fan-the-flame-and-that-flame-will-warm-the-heart-that-s/) [Michael W. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-w-smith/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“She couldn't break the orbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/she-couldn-t-break-the-orbit/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) [Browse all 45,172 Heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It seemed her whole life had been a series of waves, that everything and everyone she'd ever known had come at her with a force she couldn't fight, rushing in, roaring, sucking her down, nearly drowning her before spewing her out again, leaving her along on a shore before another wave came for her, another force from some unseen center.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Catherine Lacey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-series-of-waves-that-everything/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heart" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-series-of-waves-that-everything/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/catherine-lacey-3511_life_it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-seri_1925808.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/catherine-lacey-3511_life_it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-seri_1925808.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fbc/catherine-lacey-3511_life_it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-seri_1925808.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It seemed her whole life had been a series of waves, that everything and everyone she'd ever known had come…” — Catherine Lacey", "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": "Catherine Lacey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-lacey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It seemed her whole life had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-series-of-waves-that-everything/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-lacey/it-seemed-her-whole-life-had-been-a-series-of-waves-that-everything/#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 } } ] } ```