--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing about real life is, when you do…" description: "\"“The thing about real life is, when you do something stupid, it normally costs you. In books the heroes can make as many mistakes as they like. It does..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/darren-shan-1943_bad-guy_the-thing-about-real-life-is-when-you-do_2094423.jpg" --- # The thing about real life is, when you do something… ![“The thing about real life is, when you do something stupid, it normally costs you. In books the heroes can make as many mistakes as they like. It doesn't matter what they do, because everything works out in the end. They'll beat the bad guys and put things right and everything ends up cool. In…” quote by Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/darren-shan-1943_bad-guy_the-thing-about-real-life-is-when-you-do_2094423.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/darren-shan-1943_bad-guy_the-thing-about-real-life-is-when-you-do_2094423.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9c5/darren-shan-1943_bad-guy_the-thing-about-real-life-is-when-you-do_2094423.jpg) > ““The thing about real life is, when you do something stupid, it normally costs you. In books the heroes can make as many mistakes as they like. It doesn't matter what they do, because everything works out in the end. They'll beat the bad guys and put things right and everything ends up cool. In real life, vacuum cleaners kill spiders. If you cross a busy road without looking, you get whacked by a car. If you fall from a tree, you break some bones. Real life's nasty. It's cruel. It doesn't care about heroes and happy endings and the way things should be. In real life, bad things happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins. I just wanted to make that clear before I begun.”” [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) ## 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 harsh and unpredictable; unlike stories, mistakes have real consequences and outcomes are not guaranteed. **In simple terms:** Real life is cruel and unpredictable, unlike fiction. Key Takeaway Accept reality’s harshness and act responsibly. Themes reality consequences heroism cruelty Mood somber reflective cautious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - risk assessment - learning from mistakes - preparing for adversity Key Concepts mortality imperfection disillusionment Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with life's unfairness? - What lessons can fiction teach about resilience? A Different Perspective Optimism can overlook real dangers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad guy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guy/) [Bad guys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-guys/) [Bad thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-thing/) [Bad things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things/) [Bad things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-things-happen/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Happy ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-ending/) [Happy endings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-endings/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-bad/) [Life Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-stupid-434841/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Thing Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-real-306148/) [Things happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-happen/) [Things Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-real/) ## Related quotes > [“The thing about real life is, when you do something stupid, it normally costs you. 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Lots…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-j-miller/bad-things-will-happen-to-you-and-they-won-t-be-your-fault-life-is-a/) [Sam J. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-j-miller/) > [“In a life, in any life, bad things happen. Many good things happen, of course, we know what they are-joy, tenderness, success beauty-but some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-goolrick/in-a-life-in-any-life-bad-things-happen-many-good-things-happen-of/) [Robert Goolrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-goolrick/) > [I've got to live my life. Bad things happen. I can't be sitting here worrying about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pronger/i-ve-got-to-live-my-life-bad-things-happen-i-can-t-be-sitting-here/) [Chris Pronger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pronger/) > [In real life, bad things happen and they're not funny, and then bad things happen and they can be funny. When you're unhappy you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/in-real-life-bad-things-happen-and-they-re-not-funny-and-then-bad/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [This is life. Bad things happen. It's hard. You find your people, you find your person, and you lean on them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ngetich/this-is-life-bad-things-happen-it-s-hard-you-find-your-people-you/) [Patrick Ngetich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ngetich/) > [The reason I write romance is that I like happy endings. The idea, you know, 'It's not literature unless is ends badly,' and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-glick/the-reason-i-write-romance-is-that-i-like-happy-endings-the-idea-you/) [Ruth Glick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-glick/) > [“Because we live in a world under siege,” I say. “Life sucks for mages and magicians- you taught me that. 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You encounter problems in life either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/they-say-life-is-a-test-and-this-is-a-ridiculous-idea-there-is/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [If you think your life is stupid, try typing fortunes for fortune cookies as a career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-think-your-life-is-stupid-try-typing-fortunes-for-fortune/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If a person has known only sex as life, he is stupid, he is an idiot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/if-a-person-has-known-only-sex-as-life-he-is-stupid-he-is-an-idiot/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“I thought I was unhappy before… I was just a stupid young kid that didn’t know what happiness was. I was like a snot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beatrice-sparks/i-thought-i-was-unhappy-before-i-was-just-a-stupid-young-kid-that/) [Beatrice Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beatrice-sparks/) ## More by Darren Shan > [“But knowing me the way I do (now that sounds weird!),”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/but-knowing-me-the-way-i-do-now-that-sounds-weird/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“I know the names of every intelligent being, the spots on the wings of every butterfly that broke out of a cocoon, the genetic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/i-know-the-names-of-every-intelligent-being-the-spots-on-the-wings-of/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“If mankind's destined to bite the bullet, let's bite it and be damned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/if-mankind-s-destined-to-bite-the-bullet-let-s-bite-it-and-be-damned/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“Mr. Crepsley was every bit as composed as he'd sworn he would be. He didn't even shed a tear when the funeral litter was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/mr-crepsley-was-every-bit-as-composed-as-he-d-sworn-he-would-be-he/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“Normal people don’t know how lucky—how blessed—they are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/normal-people-don-t-know-how-lucky-how-blessed-they-are/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [The demons were scary, but girls - Well, girls are really terrifying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/the-demons-were-scary-but-girls-well-girls-are-really-terrifying/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [For an hour or more he was neither human nor vampire, just a howling, hungry creature of dark delights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/for-an-hour-or-more-he-was-neither-human-nor-vampire-just-a-howling/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“I will not make you a vampire," Mr. Crepsley insisted. "You must forget about it. Go home and get on with your life." "No!"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/i-will-not-make-you-a-vampire-mr-crepsley-insisted-you-must-forget/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [To be a druid is to embrace death, dance with it a while, and finally fall prey to it. That is why we'll never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/to-be-a-druid-is-to-embrace-death-dance-with-it-a-while-and-finally/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [Your spikes have gone floppy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/your-spikes-have-gone-floppy/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“I'm hungry," he whimpered instead. "Food is on its way." "No," he said. "The other kind of hunger." P198”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/i-m-hungry-he-whimpered-instead-food-is-on-its-way-no-he-said-the/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [“People need devils and dark gods, if only to give them a foe to rally against, an obstacle to overcome. Your people understood that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/people-need-devils-and-dark-gods-if-only-to-give-them-a-foe-to-rally/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [But I don't think Art's an Einstein - he likes tugging ears, biting people and burping too much to be a genius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/but-i-don-t-think-art-s-an-einstein-he-likes-tugging-ears-biting/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [If he turned his back on humanity now, it would be forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/if-he-turned-his-back-on-humanity-now-it-would-be-forever/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) > [...The pain didn't bother me. In fact, I welcome it: It meant I was alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-shan/the-pain-didn-t-bother-me-in-fact-i-welcome-it-it-meant-i-was-alive/) [Darren Shan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) [Explore all 188 Darren Shan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-shan/) ## More Bad guy quotes > [“This is what is called "honor among thieves," for the really dangerous people are those who do not recognize that they are thieves— the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-watts/this-is-what-is-called-honor-among-thieves-for-the-really-dangerous/) [Alan W. Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-watts/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. 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'In America we give them corporate bonuses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-robotham/here-you-can-shoot-the-bad-guys-a-mercenary-says-in-baghdad-in/) [Michael Robotham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-robotham/) > [To us, being the bad guys is cool, because we always root for the bad guys in the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hanneman/to-us-being-the-bad-guys-is-cool-because-we-always-root-for-the-bad/) [Jeff Hanneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hanneman/) > [In 'Gran Torino,' Eastwood moves towards the climax of the movie not by staging a shoot-out, but by putting his weapons to one side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-korda/in-gran-torino-eastwood-moves-towards-the-climax-of-the-movie-not-by/) [Michael Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-korda/) > [In order to have your best good guy, you have to be that bad guy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/in-order-to-have-your-best-good-guy-you-have-to-be-that-bad-guy/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [After I did 'Brooklyn,' I did about five or six violent films in one way or another, and not always with me being the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emory-cohen/after-i-did-brooklyn-i-did-about-five-or-six-violent-films-in-one-way/) [Emory Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emory-cohen/) > [The first act is the easiest to plot. 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In books the heroes can make as many mistakes as they like. It doesn't matter what they do, because everything works out in the end. They'll beat the bad guys and put things right and everything ends up cool. In real life, vacuum cleaners kill spiders. If you cross a busy road without looking, you get whacked by a car. If you fall from a tree, you break some bones. Real life's nasty. It's cruel. It doesn't care about heroes and happy endings and the way things should be. In real life, bad things happen. People die. Fights are lost. Evil often wins. 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