---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The most terrible and beautiful and…"
description: "\"“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in a life.”\" — Cheryl Strayed"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/cheryl-strayed-605_interesting-things_the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-inte_1011837.png"
---

#  The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things…

![“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in a life.” quote by Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/cheryl-strayed-605_interesting-things_the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-inte_1011837.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/cheryl-strayed-605_interesting-things_the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-inte_1011837.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/cheryl-strayed-605_interesting-things_the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-inte_1011837.png)

> ““The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in a life.””

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Life is filled with both terrifying and beautiful experiences that make it compelling.

**In simple terms:** Life mixes terror and beauty.

Key Takeaway

Embrace all life experiences.

Themes

life adventure beauty

Mood

inspirational reflective

Type

narrative philosophical

When to use this quote

- travel
- personal challenges
- creative projects
- storytelling

Key Concepts

existentialism risk growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What terrifying yet beautiful moments have you faced?
- How can you find beauty in fear?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on extremes may overlook everyday joys.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/)

## Related quotes

> [“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in life. For some of you, those things have already happened. Whatever happens to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-interesting-things-happen-in-life/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [“I thought how that was wrong and terrible and beautiful all at the same time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-rifka-brunt/i-thought-how-that-was-wrong-and-terrible-and-beautiful-all-at-the/)

[Carol Rifka Brunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-rifka-brunt/)

> [“Terrible beautiful combination of happiness and pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-hannah/terrible-beautiful-combination-of-happiness-and-pain/)

[Kristin Hannah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-hannah/)

> [It ends all things: birds, trees, flowers, mountain tops, and business; it grinds stones to sand, and as terrible as it is, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-webb/it-ends-all-things-birds-trees-flowers-mountain-tops-and-business-it/)

[Brandon Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-webb/)

> [Everything is going to be alright, maybe not today, but eventually because beautiful things happen in life when you distance yourself from all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everything-is-going-to-be-alright-maybe-not-today-but-eventually/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Sometimes things happen in life, and you kind of need a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-wozniacki/sometimes-things-happen-in-life-and-you-kind-of-need-a-friend/)

[Caroline Wozniacki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-wozniacki/)

> [“Things happen in this life. Sometimes they're good things, and sometimes they're bad things. You have to come to terms with the bad things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-wendig/things-happen-in-this-life-sometimes-they-re-good-things-and/)

[Chuck Wendig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-wendig/)

> [I began seeing certain things happen in my life and other people's lives and getting inspired by it and writing about it. And that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyner-lucas/i-began-seeing-certain-things-happen-in-my-life-and-other-people-s/)

[Joyner Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyner-lucas/)

> [“Sometimes things happen in life that at the time seem one way, but in reality it’s the magic recharging so you can find it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-bromberg/sometimes-things-happen-in-life-that-at-the-time-seem-one-way-but-in/)

[K. Bromberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-bromberg/)

> [Sometimes when I'm nervous, that's when the most interesting things happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-peretti/sometimes-when-i-m-nervous-that-s-when-the-most-interesting-things/)

[Chelsea Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-peretti/)

> [You have to be OK with your own fears. If you're an honest person, you'll make mistakes, but that's when the most interesting things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-stewart/you-have-to-be-ok-with-your-own-fears-if-you-re-an-honest-person-you/)

[Kristen Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-stewart/)

> [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [What intrigues me is that you get a good bunch of musicians together, and interesting things will happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-gabriel/what-intrigues-me-is-that-you-get-a-good-bunch-of-musicians-together/)

[Peter Gabriel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-gabriel/)

> [Having the person that you love by your side and starting a family with them is the best thing that can happen to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elsa-pataky/having-the-person-that-you-love-by-your-side-and-starting-a-family/)

Elsa Pataky

> [“it is either you happen to life or life happens to you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sesan-kareem/it-is-either-you-happen-to-life-or-life-happens-to-you/)

[Sesan Kareem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sesan-kareem/)

## More by Cheryl Strayed

> [“She understands that attention is the first and final act of love, and that the ultimate dwindling resource in the human arrangement isn’t cheap…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/she-understands-that-attention-is-the-first-and-final-act-of-love-and/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in life. For some of you, those things have already happened. Whatever happens to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-interesting-things-happen-in-life/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [Of course you want someone special to love you. A majority of the people who write to me inquire about how they can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/of-course-you-want-someone-special-to-love-you-a-majority-of-the/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [It's still true that literary works by women, gays, and writers of color are often framed as specific, rather than universal, small rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-still-true-that-literary-works-by-women-gays-and-writers-of/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [My whole life sort of ended when my mom died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/my-whole-life-sort-of-ended-when-my-mom-died/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [“And you have to do it no matter what is true. No matter what is hard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/and-you-have-to-do-it-no-matter-what-is-true-no-matter-what-is-hard/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [“Don’t listen to those people who suggest you should be “over” your daughter’s death by now. The people who squawk the loudest about such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/don-t-listen-to-those-people-who-suggest-you-should-be-over-your/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [“. . . there was the actual doing it, quickly followed by the grim realization of what it meant to do it, followed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/there-was-the-actual-doing-it-quickly-followed-by-the-grim/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [“The sky didn't wonder where it was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-sky-didn-t-wonder-where-it-was/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [He was the most ordinary man in all the world, and yet in her memory he'd become luminous, like the prince in a fairy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/he-was-the-most-ordinary-man-in-all-the-world-and-yet-in-her-memory/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [Love is our essential nutrient. Without it, life has little meaning. It's the best thing we have to give and the most valuable thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/love-is-our-essential-nutrient-without-it-life-has-little-meaning-it/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [“I never believed the boys were angry. I believed they were hurt and anger was the safest manifestation of their sorrow. It was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/i-never-believed-the-boys-were-angry-i-believed-they-were-hurt-and/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [“It’s wrong that this is required of you. It’s wrong that your son died. It will always be wrong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-wrong-that-this-is-required-of-you-it-s-wrong-that-your-son-died/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [“Your ultimatum is simple. It’s fair. And it’s stating your own intentions, not what you hope theirs will be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/your-ultimatum-is-simple-it-s-fair-and-it-s-stating-your-own/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

> [“We aren't poor," my mother said, again and again. "Because we're rich in love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/we-aren-t-poor-my-mother-said-again-and-again-because-we-re-rich-in/)

[Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

[Explore all 450 Cheryl Strayed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/)

## More Interesting things quotes

> [You find out so many interesting things when you're not on drugs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boy-george/you-find-out-so-many-interesting-things-when-you-re-not-on-drugs/)

[Boy George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boy-george/)

> [Interesting things happen along borders - transitions - not in the middle where everything is the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-stephenson/interesting-things-happen-along-borders-transitions-not-in-the-middle/)

[Neal Stephenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-stephenson/)

> [I come from a working-class family. They're the people I know and the people I love, I guess. I do not write about them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/per-petterson/i-come-from-a-working-class-family-they-re-the-people-i-know-and-the/)

[Per Petterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/per-petterson/)

> [The interesting thing about a lot of serialized television is that it's a blessing and curse. Smart writers really take their time in investing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liza-weil/the-interesting-thing-about-a-lot-of-serialized-television-is-that-it/)

[Liza Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liza-weil/)

> [One of the most interesting things for me in playing another species is that you want to make them different enough to be alien…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaime-murray/one-of-the-most-interesting-things-for-me-in-playing-another-species/)

[Jaime Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaime-murray/)

> [Whenever you are examining someone else's belongings, you are bound to learn many interesting things about the person of which you were not previously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whenever-you-are-examining-someone-else-s-belongings-you-are-bound-to/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [As a designer, I think you just have to make sure you know what you want and stay true to it. You need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-browne/as-a-designer-i-think-you-just-have-to-make-sure-you-know-what-you/)

[Thom Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-browne/)

> [ The interesting thing about a song like 'Bulletproof Heart' - it was \[originally\] called 'Trans Am' - the interesting thing about the amalgamation of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikey-way/the-interesting-thing-about-a-song-like-bulletproof-heart-it-was/)

[Mikey Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikey-way/)

> [Sometimes when I'm nervous, that's when the most interesting things happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-peretti/sometimes-when-i-m-nervous-that-s-when-the-most-interesting-things/)

[Chelsea Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-peretti/)

> [The interesting thing about Sherlock is that he is himself a reflection of that very English duality. As a drug addict, he is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-everett/the-interesting-thing-about-sherlock-is-that-he-is-himself-a/)

[Rupert Everett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-everett/)

> [For me, personally, there is one really interesting thing. You're all a bit too young for that, but when you get to a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christoph-waltz/for-me-personally-there-is-one-really-interesting-thing-you-re-all-a/)

[Christoph Waltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christoph-waltz/)

> [It seemed intended by the blessed providence of God that I should be blind all my life, and I thank him for the dispensation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-crosby/it-seemed-intended-by-the-blessed-providence-of-god-that-i-should-be/)

[Fanny Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-crosby/)

> [I happened to write a book about the stuff I've been involved in over the years. It just so happened that my profession is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-sarchie/i-happened-to-write-a-book-about-the-stuff-i-ve-been-involved-in-over/)

[Ralph Sarchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-sarchie/)

> [It's an interesting thing, Top Chef. Some of the contestants will make you one great dish, and then make you something on the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-puck/it-s-an-interesting-thing-top-chef-some-of-the-contestants-will-make/)

[Wolfgang Puck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-puck/)

> [The interesting thing I learned was that if you're really concerned about your health, the best decisions for your health turn out to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/the-interesting-thing-i-learned-was-that-if-you-re-really-concerned/)

[Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/)

Browse all 407 Interesting things quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in a life.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Cheryl Strayed"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-interesting-things-happen-in-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Interesting things"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-interesting-things-happen-in-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/cheryl-strayed-605_interesting-things_the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-inte_1011837.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/cheryl-strayed-605_interesting-things_the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-inte_1011837.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/576/cheryl-strayed-605_interesting-things_the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-inte_1011837.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The most terrible and beautiful and interesting things happen in a life.” — Cheryl Strayed",
                "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": "Cheryl Strayed",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“The most terrible and beautiful and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-interesting-things-happen-in-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/the-most-terrible-and-beautiful-and-interesting-things-happen-in-a/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
