--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Everything felt fragile and freshly come…" description: "\"Everything felt fragile and freshly come upon, but for now, at least, my depression had stepped back, giving me room to move forward. I had forgotten w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/daphne-merkin-31698_bounds_everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come_2680569.jpg" --- # Everything felt fragile and freshly come upon, but for… ![“Everything felt fragile and freshly come upon, but for now, at least, my depression had stepped back, giving me room to move forward. I had forgotten what it was like to be without it, and for a moment I floundered, wondering how I would recognize myself. I knew for certain it would return…” quote by Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/daphne-merkin-31698_bounds_everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come_2680569.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/daphne-merkin-31698_bounds_everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come_2680569.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/daphne-merkin-31698_bounds_everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come_2680569.jpg) > “Everything felt fragile and freshly come upon, but for now, at least, my depression had stepped back, giving me room to move forward. I had forgotten what it was like to be without it, and for a moment I floundered, wondering how I would recognize myself. I knew for certain it would return, sneaking up on me when I wasn’t looking, but meanwhile there were bound to be glimpses of light if only I stayed around and held fast to the long perspective. It was a chance that seemed worth taking.” [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Depression can recede, offering brief relief and hope, yet it remains a looming threat that may return. **In simple terms:** Brief relief from depression offers hope, but it can return. Key Takeaway Cherish moments of light. Themes hope mental health impermanence Mood hopeful cautious Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - personal reflection - support groups - daily journaling Key Concepts psychology recovery mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What practices sustain your long‑term perspective? - How can you prepare for possible relapse? A Different Perspective Recovery may be temporary and fragile. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Come Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-depression-2577468/) [Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression/) [Depression Stepped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depression-stepped-2577466/) [Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt/) [Felt Fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felt-fragile-1492515/) [Forgotten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgotten/) [Fragile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fragile/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Glimpse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glimpse/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-perspective-1215726/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Move forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/move-forward/) [Moving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving/) [Moving forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moving-forward/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Return](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/return/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Sneaking up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sneaking-up/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [Lately, the world felt fragile, like a blown egg, as if it might shatter beneath a careless touch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-edwards/lately-the-world-felt-fragile-like-a-blown-egg-as-if-it-might-shatter/) [Kim Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-edwards/) > [“And I felt him to be more fragile still. I felt the need of protecting him, as if he himself were a flame that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/and-i-felt-him-to-be-more-fragile-still-i-felt-the-need-of-protecting/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [“What they had felt as fragile as a floating dandelion seed rising through the hot summer air. Matt had no idea where it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-irving/what-they-had-felt-as-fragile-as-a-floating-dandelion-seed-rising/) [Jan Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-irving/) > [“If we see our relationship to this planet in a wide and long perspective, one thing is very clear: we belong to this planet,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilchi-lee/if-we-see-our-relationship-to-this-planet-in-a-wide-and-long/) [Ilchi Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilchi-lee/) > [For years I study. I look long at olive trees, all gray and silver, and watch the sunlight. Ah, yes, I am ver' lazy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ugo-mochi/for-years-i-study-i-look-long-at-olive-trees-all-gray-and-silver-and/) [Ugo Mochi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ugo-mochi/) > [“Some German words are so long that they have a perspective.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/some-german-words-are-so-long-that-they-have-a-perspective/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I saw the days of the year stretching ahead like a series of bright, white boxes, and separating one box from another was sleep,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-saw-the-days-of-the-year-stretching-ahead-like-a-series-of-bright/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [“Clive thought of his work in totality, of how varied and rich it seemed whenever he was able to raise his head and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/clive-thought-of-his-work-in-totality-of-how-varied-and-rich-it/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Growing up is terrifying. When you’re young, you have this feeling inside of you that you’ll eventually get the chance to do and try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-banner/growing-up-is-terrifying-when-you-re-young-you-have-this-feeling/) [Daryl Banner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-banner/) > [Ethical dilemmas have a way of sneaking up on a person. If something smells funny, stay away from it. Or help get rid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/price-pritchett/ethical-dilemmas-have-a-way-of-sneaking-up-on-a-person-if-something/) [Price Pritchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/price-pritchett/) > [Once I started working with the Polaroid, I would take a shot and if that shot was good, then I'd move the model and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/once-i-started-working-with-the-polaroid-i-would-take-a-shot-and-if/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [So the end may be a long time coming, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a way of sneaking up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-powell/so-the-end-may-be-a-long-time-coming-but-that-doesn-t-mean-it-doesn-t/) [Julie Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-powell/) > [Her accent's funny, different from mine, different from anyone in Prentisstown's. Her lips make different kinds of outlines for the letters, like they're swooping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/her-accent-s-funny-different-from-mine-different-from-anyone-in/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Well life has a funny way of sneaking up on you When you think everything's okay and everything's going right And life has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alanis-morissette/well-life-has-a-funny-way-of-sneaking-up-on-you-when-you-think/) [Alanis Morissette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alanis-morissette/) > [What would he imagine next? Little hairy beasties tap-dancing on his sofa, or other fey creatures sneaking up on him in the shower?’ (Syn)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/what-would-he-imagine-next-little-hairy-beasties-tap-dancing-on-his/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) ## More by Daphne Merkin > [It might pay to be resilient, if this was all being vulnerable and skinless got you. People didn’t stop and cluck over damage done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/it-might-pay-to-be-resilient-if-this-was-all-being-vulnerable-and/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [“Spring and Fall” …cannot be said to be about depression - but of course, to someone who is depressed, everything is about depression. …For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/spring-and-fall-cannot-be-said-to-be-about-depression-but-of-course/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [“It was one thing to be depressed in your twenties or thirties, when the aspect of youth gave it an undeniable poignancy, a certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/it-was-one-thing-to-be-depressed-in-your-twenties-or-thirties-when/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [Much as I try to disguise myself, there is never a time when I'm not aware of being overweight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/much-as-i-try-to-disguise-myself-there-is-never-a-time-when-i-m-not/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [I think the experience of depression that I most think remains true throughout the years is it's very isolating. That to me is its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/i-think-the-experience-of-depression-that-i-most-think-remains-true/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [Then again, as those who suffer from it know, intractable depression creates a planet all its own, largely impermeable to influence from others except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/then-again-as-those-who-suffer-from-it-know-intractable-depression/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [Naturally, our own irrational demands strike us as having the force of needs, while other people's needs strike us as capricious indulgences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/naturally-our-own-irrational-demands-strike-us-as-having-the-force-of/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [Everyone lies about sex, more or less, to themselves if not to others, to others if not to themselves, exaggerating its importance or minimizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/everyone-lies-about-sex-more-or-less-to-themselves-if-not-to-others/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [How much simpler it would be all around if you could put your mind in a cast, like a broken ankle, and elicit murmurings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/how-much-simpler-it-would-be-all-around-if-you-could-put-your-mind-in/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [There's something stubborn about families, unhappy ones in particular: they outlive themselves, and then they live on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/there-s-something-stubborn-about-families-unhappy-ones-in-particular/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [I always look to people and think whether they seem well-loved or not well-loved. That's one way I walk through life. Do they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/i-always-look-to-people-and-think-whether-they-seem-well-loved-or-not/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [No bill of sexual rights can hold its own against the lawless, untamable landscape of the erotic imagination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/no-bill-of-sexual-rights-can-hold-its-own-against-the-lawless/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [I see depression as an exponentially developed version of a human condition. Meaning I always think in the end it's humanizing. People who never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/i-see-depression-as-an-exponentially-developed-version-of-a-human/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [It was through reading that I discovered the crucial, even sacrosanct place the rituals of drinking held in the American imagination - the ingenious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/it-was-through-reading-that-i-discovered-the-crucial-even-sacrosanct/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) > [My mother is the source of my unease in the world and thus the only person who can make me feel at home in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/my-mother-is-the-source-of-my-unease-in-the-world-and-thus-the-only/) [Daphne Merkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) [Explore all 16 Daphne Merkin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/) ## More Bounds quotes > [Man will not always stay on Earth; the pursuit of light and space will lead him to penetrate the bounds of the atmosphere, timidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/man-will-not-always-stay-on-earth-the-pursuit-of-light-and-space-will/) [Konstantin Tsiolkovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konstantin-tsiolkovsky/) > [Importunity is a condition of prayer. We are to press the matter, not with vain repetitions, but with urgent repetitions. We repeat, not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mckendree-bounds/importunity-is-a-condition-of-prayer-we-are-to-press-the-matter-not/) [Edward McKendree Bounds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mckendree-bounds/) > [If the civil magistrate be a Christian, a disciple or follower of the meek Lamb of God, he is bound to be far from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-williams/if-the-civil-magistrate-be-a-christian-a-disciple-or-follower-of-the/) [Roger Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-williams/) > [We have committed ourselves to pursue joint policies, but then national governments say, "We aren't bound by that." That is a dramatic situation, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-schulz/we-have-committed-ourselves-to-pursue-joint-policies-but-then/) [Martin Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-schulz/) > [The World's a Printing-House, our words, our thoughts, Our deeds, are characters of several sizes. Each soul is a Compos'tor, of whose faults The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-quarles/the-world-s-a-printing-house-our-words-our-thoughts-our-deeds-are/) [Francis Quarles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-quarles/) > [Christian obligation cannot be made to accord with a law of expediency. The Christian's maxims are, Do right because you are bound to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-landey-patton/christian-obligation-cannot-be-made-to-accord-with-a-law-of/) [Francis Landey Patton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-landey-patton/) > [Such as the chain of causes we call Fate, such is the chain of wishes: one links on to another; the whole man is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/such-as-the-chain-of-causes-we-call-fate-such-is-the-chain-of-wishes/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > ['You spin in the sky, the world spins under you, and you step from land to land, while we . . .' She turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/you-spin-in-the-sky-the-world-spins-under-you-and-you-step-from-land/) [Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/) > ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [An order given in battle, an instruction issued by the master of a sailing ship, a cry for help, are as powerful in modifying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bronislaw-malinowski/an-order-given-in-battle-an-instruction-issued-by-the-master-of-a/) [Bronislaw Malinowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bronislaw-malinowski/) > [It is only when our life proceeds within bounds and in an accepted, disciplined way, that the mind can be free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vinoba-bhave/it-is-only-when-our-life-proceeds-within-bounds-and-in-an-accepted/) [Vinoba Bhave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vinoba-bhave/) > [Yes, thou art ever present, power divine; not circumscribed by time, nor fixed by space, confined to altars, nor to temples bound. In wealth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/yes-thou-art-ever-present-power-divine-not-circumscribed-by-time-nor/) [Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/) > [I have visited sweatshops, factories, and crowded slums. If I could not see it, I could smell it. The foundation of society is laid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/i-have-visited-sweatshops-factories-and-crowded-slums-if-i-could-not/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [Once we are bound together to our brothers by a common good that is outside us, then we can breathe. Experience teaches us that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/once-we-are-bound-together-to-our-brothers-by-a-common-good-that-is/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [I am quite conscious that my speculations run beyond the bounds of true science…It is a mere rag of an hypothesis with as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/i-am-quite-conscious-that-my-speculations-run-beyond-the-bounds-of/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 1,649 Bounds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bounds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Everything felt fragile and freshly come upon, but for now, at least, my depression had stepped back, giving me room to move forward. I had forgotten what it was like to be without it, and for a moment I floundered, wondering how I would recognize myself. I knew for certain it would return, sneaking up on me when I wasn’t looking, but meanwhile there were bound to be glimpses of light if only I stayed around and held fast to the long perspective. It was a chance that seemed worth taking.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daphne Merkin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come-upon-but-for-now-at-least-my/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bounds" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come-upon-but-for-now-at-least-my/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/daphne-merkin-31698_bounds_everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come_2680569.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/daphne-merkin-31698_bounds_everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come_2680569.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6f0/daphne-merkin-31698_bounds_everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come_2680569.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Everything felt fragile and freshly come upon, but for now, at least, my depression had stepped back, giving…” — Daphne Merkin", "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": "Daphne Merkin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-merkin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Everything felt fragile and freshly come...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come-upon-but-for-now-at-least-my/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-merkin/everything-felt-fragile-and-freshly-come-upon-but-for-now-at-least-my/#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 } } ] } ```