--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It bothers you, doesn’t it?” Mia said…" description: "\"“It bothers you, doesn’t it?” Mia said suddenly. “I think you can’t imagine. Why anyone would choose a different life from the one you’ve got. Why anyo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/celeste-ng-1718_different-life_it-bothers-you-doesn-t-it-mia-said-sudde_1388747.jpg" --- # It bothers you, doesn’t it?” Mia said suddenly. “I think… ![“It bothers you, doesn’t it?” Mia said suddenly. “I think you can’t imagine. Why anyone would choose a different life from the one you’ve got. Why anyone might want something other than a big house with a big lawn, a fancy car, a job in an office. Why anyone would choose anything different than…” quote by Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/celeste-ng-1718_different-life_it-bothers-you-doesn-t-it-mia-said-sudde_1388747.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/celeste-ng-1718_different-life_it-bothers-you-doesn-t-it-mia-said-sudde_1388747.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4d0/celeste-ng-1718_different-life_it-bothers-you-doesn-t-it-mia-said-sudde_1388747.jpg) > ““It bothers you, doesn’t it?” Mia said suddenly. “I think you can’t imagine. Why anyone would choose a different life from the one you’ve got. Why anyone might want something other than a big house with a big lawn, a fancy car, a job in an office. Why anyone would choose anything different than what you’d choose.”” [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often choose familiar comforts over uncertain alternatives, even if the latter may be more fulfilling. **In simple terms:** Comfort traps us in familiar choices. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions. Themes choice comfort conformity identity societal pressure Mood thoughtful contemplative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - relationship choices - housing decisions - lifestyle changes Key Concepts Existentialism social norms personal fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - What would you choose if fear vanished? - How do societal expectations shape your path? A Different Perspective Changing may involve risk and loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Big House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/big-house/) [Bothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bothers/) [Choose Different](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/choose-different-2443215/) [Different Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-choose-3931290/) [Different life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-life/) [Imagine Choose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine-choose-487835/) ## Related quotes > [Don't be affraid of being different! Choose your own way. Be your own hero!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/don-t-be-affraid-of-being-different-choose-your-own-way-be-your-own/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [The power of choice. You have it. But you forfeit it when you imagine that you can choose for others. You can't. But you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-browne/the-power-of-choice-you-have-it-but-you-forfeit-it-when-you-imagine/) [Harry Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-browne/) > [You are always free to change your mind and choose a different future, or a different past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/you-are-always-free-to-change-your-mind-and-choose-a-different-future/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [People are different. People choose different criteria. But if there is a better way among many alternatives, I want to encourage that way by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukihiro-matsumoto/people-are-different-people-choose-different-criteria-but-if-there-is/) [Yukihiro Matsumoto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukihiro-matsumoto/) > [“change your story. Change who you are. Choose to see something different in yourself,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-n-joy/change-your-story-change-who-you-are-choose-to-see-something/) [E.N. Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-n-joy/) > [It takes wisdom to choose to be different when it is more convenient to mingle with the crowd. Step out and let your light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zizo-boco/it-takes-wisdom-to-choose-to-be-different-when-it-is-more-convenient/) [Zizo Boco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zizo-boco/) > [If you choose a different way, I'll accept it ..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohamad-idrus/if-you-choose-a-different-way-i-ll-accept-it/) [Mohamad Idrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohamad-idrus/) > [“I want you. I choose you. It will be different this time, everything will be different. I want to make this work with you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-c-stephens/i-want-you-i-choose-you-it-will-be-different-this-time-everything/) [S.C. Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-c-stephens/) > [I choose to be different because everything else is mainstream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/i-choose-to-be-different-because-everything-else-is-mainstream/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [I've only gotten directly offered two or three movies, ever. I don't have the luxury of being able to say no a lot, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeline-zima/i-ve-only-gotten-directly-offered-two-or-three-movies-ever-i-don-t/) [Madeline Zima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeline-zima/) > [“When we choose to be different, we have to expect a little attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-grossman/when-we-choose-to-be-different-we-have-to-expect-a-little-attention/) [Nancy Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-grossman/) > [It bothers me when I hear it in a car commercial or some such. But for the most part, it's better than seeing sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-morris/it-bothers-me-when-i-hear-it-in-a-car-commercial-or-some-such-but-for/) [Richard Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-morris/) > [What bothers me about TV is that it tends to take our minds off our minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/what-bothers-me-about-tv-is-that-it-tends-to-take-our-minds-off-our/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [What bothers me is when my players don't train well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-kewell/what-bothers-me-is-when-my-players-don-t-train-well/) [Harry Kewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-kewell/) > [I think I need the demons in order to write, but the demons have gone. It bothers me a lot. I've tried and tried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/i-think-i-need-the-demons-in-order-to-write-but-the-demons-have-gone/) [Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/) ## More by Celeste Ng > [When you mention to people growing up in Cleveland they bring up the river catching on fire, or LeBron James leaving, they have these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/when-you-mention-to-people-growing-up-in-cleveland-they-bring-up-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [It's so easy, as a writer, to get stuck in your own head, to live in the little worlds you create. To forget that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/it-s-so-easy-as-a-writer-to-get-stuck-in-your-own-head-to-live-in-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“All up and down the street the houses looked like any others—but inside them were people who might be happy, or taking refuge, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/all-up-and-down-the-street-the-houses-looked-like-any-others-but/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [No reader wants to sit through the same scene four times in a row, unless they're radically different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-reader-wants-to-sit-through-the-same-scene-four-times-in-a-row/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Debut novels are difficult because nobody knows you... they just don't find a huge audience, because that's how the market works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/debut-novels-are-difficult-because-nobody-knows-you-they-just-don-t/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [We have to figure out why we see the world in different ways and then how are we going to adjust so that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/we-have-to-figure-out-why-we-see-the-world-in-different-ways-and-then/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“I have measured my life with coffee spoons and do I dare to eat a peach?' 'DO I DARE DISTURB THE UNIVERSE?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/i-have-measured-my-life-with-coffee-spoons-and-do-i-dare-to-eat-a/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“No one, she had learned from experience, could stand such silence for long. If you waited long enough, someone would start talking, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-one-she-had-learned-from-experience-could-stand-such-silence-for/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Most of the time, everyone deserves more than one chance. We all do things we regret now and then. You just have to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/most-of-the-time-everyone-deserves-more-than-one-chance-we-all-do/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Though she would never quite articulate it this way, resentment began to sheathe concern. ANGER IS FEAR'S BODYGUARD, a poster in the hospital hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/though-she-would-never-quite-articulate-it-this-way-resentment-began/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Spend too much time alone with your own words, and your writing grows anemic, in dire need of a transfusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/spend-too-much-time-alone-with-your-own-words-and-your-writing-grows/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Everyone sees race, Lex," said Moody. "The only difference is who pretends not to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/everyone-sees-race-lex-said-moody-the-only-difference-is-who-pretends/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Writers, most of them, don't have a lot of resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/writers-most-of-them-don-t-have-a-lot-of-resources/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Browse Amazon reviews, and you'll see a surprising number of readers who believe one novel can summarize a country, its culture, and its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/browse-amazon-reviews-and-you-ll-see-a-surprising-number-of-readers/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Short of the dishonest, the illegal, and the cruel, there's only one thing my son could do that would really disappoint me: not liking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/short-of-the-dishonest-the-illegal-and-the-cruel-there-s-only-one/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) [Explore all 212 Celeste Ng quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## More Bothers quotes > [I think I need the demons in order to write, but the demons have gone. It bothers me a lot. I've tried and tried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wilson/i-think-i-need-the-demons-in-order-to-write-but-the-demons-have-gone/) [Brian Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wilson/) > [What bothers me is when my players don't train well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-kewell/what-bothers-me-is-when-my-players-don-t-train-well/) [Harry Kewell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-kewell/) > [What bothers me about TV is that it tends to take our minds off our minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-orben/what-bothers-me-about-tv-is-that-it-tends-to-take-our-minds-off-our/) [Robert Orben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-orben/) > [It bothers me when I hear it in a car commercial or some such. But for the most part, it's better than seeing sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-morris/it-bothers-me-when-i-hear-it-in-a-car-commercial-or-some-such-but-for/) [Richard Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-morris/) > [People frequently ask me if adverse criticism bothers me. I've had a lot of it, and I have been able to shrug most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-giles/people-frequently-ask-me-if-adverse-criticism-bothers-me-i-ve-had-a/) [Warren Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-giles/) > [It's not what happens in life that bothers us. It's what we're believing about it that bothers us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/it-s-not-what-happens-in-life-that-bothers-us-it-s-what-we-re/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [When you're a mom to three children, nothing bothers you. Trust me. Who cares what people say? I've got other things to deal with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hill/when-you-re-a-mom-to-three-children-nothing-bothers-you-trust-me-who/) [Faith Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hill/) > [In the past, there were many times when I thought, 'This photo doesn't look good with a low angle, or this part bothers me.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayeon/in-the-past-there-were-many-times-when-i-thought-this-photo-doesn-t/) [Nayeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayeon/) > [What bothers me most is that I don't bother you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waylon-jennings/what-bothers-me-most-is-that-i-don-t-bother-you/) [Waylon Jennings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waylon-jennings/) > [I never try to get ahead of myself because there's nothing that bothers me more than cockiness. I don't think that's necessary at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-tiafoe/i-never-try-to-get-ahead-of-myself-because-there-s-nothing-that/) [Frances Tiafoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-tiafoe/) > [People have the right to call themselves whatever they like. That doesn't bother me. It's other people doing the calling that bothers me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-have-the-right-to-call-themselves-whatever-they-like-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It really bothers me when a guy is controlling. Dont just say Im picking the place - ask me where I want to go!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassie-scerbo/it-really-bothers-me-when-a-guy-is-controlling-dont-just-say-im/) [Cassie Scerbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassie-scerbo/) > [To me, score is really important. I would rather not have any score if it's something that's going to detract from the film. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-buscemi/to-me-score-is-really-important-i-would-rather-not-have-any-score-if/) [Steve Buscemi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-buscemi/) > [If I see something I don't like, or something that bothers me, I can't hold it in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-cheban/if-i-see-something-i-don-t-like-or-something-that-bothers-me-i-can-t/) [Jonathan Cheban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-cheban/) > [“If it bothers you to see me when then stop looking.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-barnes/if-it-bothers-you-to-see-me-when-then-stop-looking/) [Victoria Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-barnes/) [Browse all 150 Bothers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bothers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It bothers you, doesn’t it?” Mia said suddenly. “I think you can’t imagine. Why anyone would choose a different life from the one you’ve got. 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