--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you can't put magnolia on a wall then…" description: "\"“If you can't put magnolia on a wall then there are always a million other colors you can use, if you can't pay your phone bill then just write letters..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/cecelia-ahern-535_heart-attack_if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then_25777.jpg" --- # If you can't put magnolia on a wall then there are always… ![“If you can't put magnolia on a wall then there are always a million other colors you can use, if you can't pay your phone bill then just write letters telling them. I'm not playing down the importance of these things, yes you need money for food, yes you need food to survive, but you also need…” quote by Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/cecelia-ahern-535_heart-attack_if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then_25777.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/cecelia-ahern-535_heart-attack_if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then_25777.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/cecelia-ahern-535_heart-attack_if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then_25777.jpg) > ““If you can't put magnolia on a wall then there are always a million other colors you can use, if you can't pay your phone bill then just write letters telling them. I'm not playing down the importance of these things, yes you need money for food, yes you need food to survive, but you also need sleep to have energy, to smile to be happy, and to be happy so you can laugh, just so you don't keel over with a heart attack. People forget they have options. And they forget that those things really don't matter. They should concentrate on what they have and not what they don't have. And by the way, wishing and dreaming doesn't mean concentrating on what you don't have, it's positive thinking that encourages hoping and believing, not whining and moaning.”” [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage urges focusing on available resources and positive mindset rather than fixating on lacking necessities, emphasizing that many problems have alternative solutions and that mental well‑being fuels physical health. **In simple terms:** Prioritize what you have and think creatively about solutions. Key Takeaway Shift focus from scarcity to possibility. Themes resourcefulness mindset well‑being resilience positivity Mood hopeful motivated reflective Type advice motivational philosophical When to use this quote - financial stress - creative problem‑solving - health concerns - goal setting - personal growth Key Concepts alternative solutions mental health basic needs Practical Applications - coaching for resilience - wellness workshops Questions to Reflect On - How can you reframe a current limitation into an opportunity? - What small step can you take today to improve your mental energy? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Positive thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/positive-thinking/) ## Related quotes > [People forget they have options. And they forget that those things really don't matter. They should concentrate on what they have and not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/people-forget-they-have-options-and-they-forget-that-those-things/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [You never forget about things you've done that you know you shouldn't have done. They hang around your mind, linger like a thief casing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/you-never-forget-about-things-you-ve-done-that-you-know-you-shouldn-t/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [People are just the same. They like me if they need me, but once I'm useless, they abandon me. To survive, I need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-do-jin/people-are-just-the-same-they-like-me-if-they-need-me-but-once-i-m/) [Kim Do-Jin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-do-jin/) > [“If you are to survive, you need to put your stubbornness aside and listen to me.” “Oh, I just love that idea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devon-monk/if-you-are-to-survive-you-need-to-put-your-stubbornness-aside-and/) [Devon Monk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devon-monk/) > [I've learned that to survive, you need a positive state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thalia/i-ve-learned-that-to-survive-you-need-a-positive-state-of-mind/) [Thalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thalia/) > [“Family is who you survive with when you need to survive - even if you do not like them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/family-is-who-you-survive-with-when-you-need-to-survive-even-if-you/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There is a place, like no place on earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger. Some say, to survive it, you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/there-is-a-place-like-no-place-on-earth-a-land-full-of-wonder-mystery/) [Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/) > [“It's not enough to give people what they need to survive, you have to give them what they need to live.- Ekko.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ekko-from-arcane/it-s-not-enough-to-give-people-what-they-need-to-survive-you-have-to/) Ekko from Arcane > [“She was here, and she was stronger than this, harder than this. They could make her hate herself, make her doubt herself, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacia-kane/she-was-here-and-she-was-stronger-than-this-harder-than-this-they/) [Stacia Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacia-kane/) > [“I might not be physically strong. But I do believe that to survive, I need to be strong-willed. Which is more important in life?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-horst/i-might-not-be-physically-strong-but-i-do-believe-that-to-survive-i/) [Michelle Horst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-horst/) > [We don't merely need the money from work to survive. We need the work itself to survive and live fully human lives more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/we-don-t-merely-need-the-money-from-work-to-survive-we-need-the-work/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [All you may need to be happy is love, but to survive you need money!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-zebehazy/all-you-may-need-to-be-happy-is-love-but-to-survive-you-need-money/) [Jason Zebehazy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-zebehazy/) > [We are not the people who made this world, Lukas, but it's up to us to survive it. You need to understand that." "We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-howey/we-are-not-the-people-who-made-this-world-lukas-but-it-s-up-to-us-to/) [Hugh Howey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-howey/) > [People forget they have options. And they forget that those things don't really matter. They should concentrate on what they have and not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/people-forget-they-have-options-and-they-forget-that-those-things-don/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“I’m worried that I haven’t said a lot of this very well, and that we don’t have enough time for me to tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-dibdin/i-m-worried-that-i-haven-t-said-a-lot-of-this-very-well-and-that-we/) Emma Dibdin ## More by Cecelia Ahern > [“Don't worry, nothing speaks louder than a lifetime of regret and self-loathing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/don-t-worry-nothing-speaks-louder-than-a-lifetime-of-regret-and-self/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“Edith says that there are some people in the world that don't you all the time or play games but they still love you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/edith-says-that-there-are-some-people-in-the-world-that-don-t-you-all/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“Ruby: How nice for you all. How is the wonderfully helpful Ursula? Rosie: Wonderfully helpful. Yesterday she told me I had problems discussing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/ruby-how-nice-for-you-all-how-is-the-wonderfully-helpful-ursula-rosie/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [As the rain falls and the sun shines, they grow, grow, grow; minds so open, they go through life aware and accepting, seeing light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/as-the-rain-falls-and-the-sun-shines-they-grow-grow-grow-minds-so/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [Her best friend was gone and nobody understood that no amount of makeup, fresh air or shopping was going to fill the hole in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/her-best-friend-was-gone-and-nobody-understood-that-no-amount-of/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [Alex: Rosie, I wanted you to be the first person to no that I’ve decided to become a heart surgeon! Rosie: Cool, does it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/alex-rosie-i-wanted-you-to-be-the-first-person-to-no-that-i-ve/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [Holly's theory about the army," Sharon explained. And what is it?" Denise asked, intrigued. Oh, that fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/holly-s-theory-about-the-army-sharon-explained-and-what-is-it-denise/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“Fairy tales are such evil little stories for young children. Every time I’m in a mess I expect a long-haired posh-speaking man to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/fairy-tales-are-such-evil-little-stories-for-young-children-every/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [I always pushed myself. Whenever I felt I needed to stop, I made myself run faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/i-always-pushed-myself-whenever-i-felt-i-needed-to-stop-i-made-myself/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“... however good it is, some love isn't meant to be for ever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/however-good-it-is-some-love-isn-t-meant-to-be-for-ever/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [I always take a story that's kind of out there, like an urban myth. I take some possibility that people imagine, that they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/i-always-take-a-story-that-s-kind-of-out-there-like-an-urban-myth-i/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“At moments when life is at its worst there are two things that you can do: 1. Breakdown, lose hope and refuse to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/at-moments-when-life-is-at-its-worst-there-are-two-things-that-you/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“Life is made up of meetings and partings. People come into your life everyday, you say good morning, you say good evening, some stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/life-is-made-up-of-meetings-and-partings-people-come-into-your-life/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [“Home isn't a place, its a feeling”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/home-isn-t-a-place-its-a-feeling/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) > [People forget they have options. And they forget that those things don't really matter. They should concentrate on what they have and not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/people-forget-they-have-options-and-they-forget-that-those-things-don/) [Cecelia Ahern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) [Explore all 462 Cecelia Ahern quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/) ## More Heart attack quotes > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [My gramps died 4 years ago from a heart attack .. I came in late at the hospital because I was buying dope.. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yankit/my-gramps-died-4-years-ago-from-a-heart-attack-i-came-in-late-at-the/) [Yankit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yankit/) > [I'm homesick everywhere I go, but England has a negative effect on my spirit to a profound degree. That trip from Heathrow into London…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kozelek/i-m-homesick-everywhere-i-go-but-england-has-a-negative-effect-on-my/) [Mark Kozelek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kozelek/) > [“Sweaty, man-on-man sex that was going to fucking give me a heart attack.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cox/sweaty-man-on-man-sex-that-was-going-to-fucking-give-me-a-heart-attack/) [James Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cox/) > [That heart attack moment, when u know ur about to be in some deep shiit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syoung/that-heart-attack-moment-when-u-know-ur-about-to-be-in-some-deep-shiit/) Syoung > [“Bloomsbury lost Fry, in 1934, and Lytton Strachey before him, in January 1932, to early deaths. The loss of Strachey was compounded by Carrington’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goldman/bloomsbury-lost-fry-in-1934-and-lytton-strachey-before-him-in-january/) [Jane Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goldman/) > [“Louise Hawkley, of the Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, calculates that loneliness raises blood pressure to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-johnson/louise-hawkley-of-the-center-for-cognitive-and-social-neuroscience-at/) [Sue Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-johnson/) > [Well, after I had the heart attack, it was a very simple choice. What the doctor told me I did and I did it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-ditka/well-after-i-had-the-heart-attack-it-was-a-very-simple-choice-what/) [Mike Ditka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-ditka/) > [Demi Lovato!!! Love her new single Heart Attack!!!:)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel/demi-lovato-love-her-new-single-heart-attack/) [Rachel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel/) > [By the 1970s, pornography had caught up with The Block, where performers were totally in the nude. I wasn't going to do that, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-starr/by-the-1970s-pornography-had-caught-up-with-the-block-where/) Blaze Starr > [People who think there's no good way to die have obviously never heard the phrase 'Drug-fuelled-sex-heart-attack'.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frankie-boyle/people-who-think-there-s-no-good-way-to-die-have-obviously-never/) [Frankie Boyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frankie-boyle/) > [I never knew love would feel like a heart attack.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-songz/i-never-knew-love-would-feel-like-a-heart-attack/) [Trey Songz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-songz/) > [“And you don't even know my family. We're like rabies, we fester, make you go crazy, and most of the time, my mother is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inda-herwood/and-you-don-t-even-know-my-family-we-re-like-rabies-we-fester-make/) Inda Herwood > [“How could a man with so much heart die from a heart attack?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-bauer/how-could-a-man-with-so-much-heart-die-from-a-heart-attack/) [Joan Bauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-bauer/) > [I had just been promoted to the first rugby team. It was a perfect, wonderful coming of age. My brother was already in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-browne/i-had-just-been-promoted-to-the-first-rugby-team-it-was-a-perfect/) [Anthony Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-browne/) Browse all 453 Heart attack quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If you can't put magnolia on a wall then there are always a million other colors you can use, if you can't pay your phone bill then just write letters telling them. I'm not playing down the importance of these things, yes you need money for food, yes you need food to survive, but you also need sleep to have energy, to smile to be happy, and to be happy so you can laugh, just so you don't keel over with a heart attack. People forget they have options. And they forget that those things really don't matter. They should concentrate on what they have and not what they don't have. And by the way, wishing and dreaming doesn't mean concentrating on what you don't have, it's positive thinking that encourages hoping and believing, not whining and moaning.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cecelia Ahern" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then-there-are-always-a-million/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Heart attack" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then-there-are-always-a-million/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/cecelia-ahern-535_heart-attack_if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then_25777.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/cecelia-ahern-535_heart-attack_if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then_25777.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/cecelia-ahern-535_heart-attack_if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then_25777.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you can't put magnolia on a wall then there are always a million other colors you can use, if you can't…” — Cecelia Ahern", "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": "Cecelia Ahern", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecelia-ahern/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If you can't put magnolia on...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then-there-are-always-a-million/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecelia-ahern/if-you-can-t-put-magnolia-on-a-wall-then-there-are-always-a-million/#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 } } ] } ```