---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I learned long ago that loss is not only…"
description: "\"I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable. I know what it means to lose everything, to let go of one life and find another. And ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/christina-baker-kline-1124_certainty_i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only_1407745.png"
---

#  I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but…

![“I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable. I know what it means to lose everything, to let go of one life and find another. And now I feel, with a strange, deep certainty, that it must be my lot in life to be taught that lesson over and over again.” quote by Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/christina-baker-kline-1124_certainty_i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only_1407745.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/christina-baker-kline-1124_certainty_i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only_1407745.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/christina-baker-kline-1124_certainty_i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only_1407745.png)

> “I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable. I know what it means to lose everything, to let go of one life and find another. And now I feel, with a strange, deep certainty, that it must be my lot in life to be taught that lesson over and over again.”

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

## About This Quote

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

Loss is an inevitable part of life, teaching resilience through repeated hardship.

**In simple terms:** Loss happens and teaches us.

Key Takeaway

Accept loss, learn, and grow.

Themes

resilience growth acceptance

Mood

reflective somber

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- career setbacks
- relationship endings
- health challenges

Key Concepts

impermanence grief transformation

Questions to Reflect On

- How have you transformed pain into strength?
- What practices help you accept inevitable loss?

A Different Perspective

Repeated loss can lead to despair if not processed health.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Ago Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ago-loss-2769541/) [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable/) [Lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lessons/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Life Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-taught/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Loss Probable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss-probable-4577429/) [Mean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mean/) [Probable Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/probable-inevitable-4577428/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/)

## Related quotes

> [“I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only-probable-but-inevitable/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“I learned long ago that loss is not only probably but inevitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only-probably-but-inevitable/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [My life has taught me to be more curious than afraid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishi/my-life-has-taught-me-to-be-more-curious-than-afraid/)

[Ishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishi/)

> [Life Taught Me A Lots Of Lessons But As Usual I Bunked Those Classes !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karal/life-taught-me-a-lots-of-lessons-but-as-usual-i-bunked-those-classes/)

[Karal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karal/)

> [The most valuable lessons in life cannot be taught, they must be experienced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-payne/the-most-valuable-lessons-in-life-cannot-be-taught-they-must-be/)

[Liam Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-payne/)

> [If there was one thing life had taught her it was that there are times when you do not go back for your bag…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/if-there-was-one-thing-life-had-taught-her-it-was-that-there-are/)

[Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/)

> [He's a shy man. Life has taught him not to show off what is most precious to him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/he-s-a-shy-man-life-has-taught-him-not-to-show-off-what-is-most/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [When I was growing up, my mother, who had been through a lot of terrible things in life, taught me that when life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seymour/when-i-was-growing-up-my-mother-who-had-been-through-a-lot-of/)

[Jane Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seymour/)

> [The one thing life has taught me is that most people spend their lives bottled up inside their houses doing the things they hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-garc-a-lorca/the-one-thing-life-has-taught-me-is-that-most-people-spend-their/)

[Federico Garcia Lorca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-garc-a-lorca/)

> [I feel like adversity in my life is what has taught me the most and given me the most wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-waller/i-feel-like-adversity-in-my-life-is-what-has-taught-me-the-most-and/)

[Darren Waller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-waller/)

> [“Not since life taught him the perils of love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christi-caldwell/not-since-life-taught-him-the-perils-of-love/)

[Christi Caldwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christi-caldwell/)

> [Life has taught me one supreme lesson. This is that we must—if we are really to live at all, if we are to enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-sanger/life-has-taught-me-one-supreme-lesson-this-is-that-we-must-if-we-are/)

[Margaret Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-sanger/)

> [“Life has taught me that sometimes you have to reevaluate your lines in the sand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-la-anthony/life-has-taught-me-that-sometimes-you-have-to-reevaluate-your-lines/)

[La La Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-la-anthony/)

> [Life has taught me one big lesson, always keep the girlies guessing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/life-has-taught-me-one-big-lesson-always-keep-the-girlies-guessing/)

[Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/)

> [Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking together in the same direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-has-taught-us-that-love-does-not-consist-in-gazing-at-each-other/)

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

## More by Christina Baker Kline

> [“Mr. Grote shows me how he grows wild rice in the stream and collects the seeds. The rice is nutty and brown. He plants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mr-grote-shows-me-how-he-grows-wild-rice-in-the-stream-and-collects/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“I try to forget the horror of what happened. Or—perhaps forget is the wrong word. How can I forget? And yet how can I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-try-to-forget-the-horror-of-what-happened-or-perhaps-forget-is-the/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“don’t know how much of my memory of this time is affected by my age now and how much is a result of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/don-t-know-how-much-of-my-memory-of-this-time-is-affected-by-my-age/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“The stark gray sky and bare tree limbs feel more suited to her than the uncomplicated promise of sunny spring days.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/the-stark-gray-sky-and-bare-tree-limbs-feel-more-suited-to-her-than/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“Sometimes these spirits have been more real to me than people, more real than God. They fill silence with their weight, dense and warm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/sometimes-these-spirits-have-been-more-real-to-me-than-people-more/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“Every Easter she and her mother planted those crocuses near the fence beside the driveway, and soon enough a whole cluster of them, white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/every-easter-she-and-her-mother-planted-those-crocuses-near-the-fence/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“Babies pay no attention to the clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/babies-pay-no-attention-to-the-clock/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“Mr. Kaminski pulled a chain hanging from the pressed-metal kitchen ceiling, and light seeped from a bulb, casting a wan glow over a scarred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mr-kaminski-pulled-a-chain-hanging-from-the-pressed-metal-kitchen/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“Before we leave the gravesite, Mary sings Mother's favorite gospel hymn ... Mary's lovely voice rises and lingers in the air, and by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/before-we-leave-the-gravesite-mary-sings-mother-s-favorite-gospel/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“for the first time since the fire, my worries are gone. I feel a joy so strong it’s almost painful—a knife’s edge of joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/for-the-first-time-since-the-fire-my-worries-are-gone-i-feel-a-joy-so/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“What was it the teacher in her Legal Issues class said the other day? Never bring up a point you don’t have an answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/what-was-it-the-teacher-in-her-legal-issues-class-said-the-other-day/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“Mrs. Scatcherd raps Dutchy's knuckles several times with a long wooden ruler, though it seems to me a halfhearted penalty. He barely winces, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/mrs-scatcherd-raps-dutchy-s-knuckles-several-times-with-a-long-wooden/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“(There are many ways to be crippled, I’ve learned over the years, many forms of paralysis.)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/there-are-many-ways-to-be-crippled-i-ve-learned-over-the-years-many/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“This girl may never go anywhere. She should at least know that adventure is in her bones.” When”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/this-girl-may-never-go-anywhere-she-should-at-least-know-that/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

> [“only link we had to our future was a name scrawled on a piece of paper my father tucked in his shirt pocket as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/only-link-we-had-to-our-future-was-a-name-scrawled-on-a-piece-of/)

[Christina Baker Kline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

[Explore all 281 Christina Baker Kline quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/)

## More Certainty quotes

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/)

[Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/)

> [The past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/the-past-and-the-future-become-unimportant-there-is-only-that-moment/)

[Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/)

> [In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/in-the-mental-disturbance-and-effort-of-writing-what-sustains-you-is/)

[Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/)

> [Of course I doubt. I do not practice a certainty. I practice a faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/of-course-i-doubt-i-do-not-practice-a-certainty-i-practice-a-faith/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

> [As a businessman, I know that businesses need certainty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-foster/as-a-businessman-i-know-that-businesses-need-certainty/)

[Bill Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-foster/)

> [It is suggested that in domestic violence at least the presence or absence of a firearm, or of any other type of weapon, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-greenwood/it-is-suggested-that-in-domestic-violence-at-least-the-presence-or/)

[Colin Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-greenwood/)

> [Every single person who is a member of our party deserves to have certainty. They deserve to know that my attention and focus is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annamie-paul/every-single-person-who-is-a-member-of-our-party-deserves-to-have/)

[Annamie Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annamie-paul/)

> [The significance and volume of repairs that are needed across the country demand that we give state and local governments the long-term certainty they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-graves/the-significance-and-volume-of-repairs-that-are-needed-across-the/)

[Sam Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-graves/)

> [“Death is the one great certainty in life. That’s what my dad used to say. Nothing else is certain. Not love. Not happiness. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mila-gray/death-is-the-one-great-certainty-in-life-that-s-what-my-dad-used-to/)

[Mila Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mila-gray/)

> [ \[I\]f in other sciences we should arrive at certainty without doubt and truth without error, it behooves us to place the foundations of knowledge… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bacon/i-f-in-other-sciences-we-should-arrive-at-certainty-without-doubt-and/)

[Roger Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bacon/)

> [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/)

[Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/)

> [As the future is never known with certainty, the evaluation of the prospective benefits requires the formation of expectations. An acceptable house, partner or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-t-mortensen/as-the-future-is-never-known-with-certainty-the-evaluation-of-the/)

[Dale T. Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-t-mortensen/)

> [Finding someone that trusted my vision helped me find certainty in who I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/syd/finding-someone-that-trusted-my-vision-helped-me-find-certainty-in/)

[Syd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/syd/)

[Browse all 1,776 Certainty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable. I know what it means to lose everything, to let go of one life and find another. And now I feel, with a strange, deep certainty, that it must be my lot in life to be taught that lesson over and over again.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Christina Baker Kline"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only-probable-but-inevitable-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Certainty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only-probable-but-inevitable-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/christina-baker-kline-1124_certainty_i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only_1407745.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/christina-baker-kline-1124_certainty_i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only_1407745.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/611/christina-baker-kline-1124_certainty_i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only_1407745.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I learned long ago that loss is not only probable but inevitable. I know what it means to lose everything…” — Christina Baker Kline",
                "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": "Christina Baker Kline",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-baker-kline/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I learned long ago that loss...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only-probable-but-inevitable-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-baker-kline/i-learned-long-ago-that-loss-is-not-only-probable-but-inevitable-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
