--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had made it somewhere special, and I'd…" description: "\"I had made it somewhere special, and I'd gotten there all on my own. Nobody had given it to me. Nobody had told me to do it. I'd climbed and climbed an..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/david-levithan-67_found_i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d_2163438.jpg" --- # I had made it somewhere special, and I'd gotten there all… ![“I had made it somewhere special, and I'd gotten there all on my own. Nobody had given it to me. Nobody had told me to do it. I'd climbed and climbed and climbed, and this was my reward. To watch over the world, and to be alone with myself. That, I found, was what I needed.” quote by David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/david-levithan-67_found_i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d_2163438.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/david-levithan-67_found_i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d_2163438.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/david-levithan-67_found_i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d_2163438.jpg) > “I had made it somewhere special, and I'd gotten there all on my own. Nobody had given it to me. Nobody had told me to do it. I'd climbed and climbed and climbed, and this was my reward. To watch over the world, and to be alone with myself. That, I found, was what I needed.” [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Personal achievement feels most rewarding when earned alone, without external validation, allowing deep self‑reflection. **In simple terms:** Solo success feels rewarding and introspective. Key Takeaway Value independent effort and self‑discovery. Themes self‑reliance achievement solitude Mood introspective contemplative Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - entrepreneurship - artistic creation - mountain climbing Key Concepts personal growth reward reflection Questions to Reflect On - How does solitude shape your sense of accomplishment? - What role does community play in personal triumphs? A Different Perspective Loneliness may accompany solitary success, limiting shared joy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbed/) [Climbed Climbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbed-climbed-4599189/) [Climbed Reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbed-reward-2196232/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Gotten Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gotten-given-4599188/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Needed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needed/) [Reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reward/) [Rewards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rewards/) [Special](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/special/) [Watches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/watches/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“So there I was, hovering above everything I knew. I had made it somewhere special, and I’d gotten there all on my own. Nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/so-there-i-was-hovering-above-everything-i-knew-i-had-made-it/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [We can learn that reward comes in creation and re-creation, no just in the consumption of the world around us. Active participation in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-brown/we-can-learn-that-reward-comes-in-creation-and-re-creation-no-just-in/) [Tim Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-brown/) > [Man, being essentially active, must find in activity his joy, as well as his beauty and glory; and labor, like every thing else that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-benjamin-whipple/man-being-essentially-active-must-find-in-activity-his-joy-as-well-as/) [Henry Benjamin Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-benjamin-whipple/) > [Achievement is its own reward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lynch/achievement-is-its-own-reward/) [David Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lynch/) > [If you want the most reward you have to take the most risk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-itzler/if-you-want-the-most-reward-you-have-to-take-the-most-risk/) [Jesse Itzler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-itzler/) > [The work itself is the reward, and if I choose challenging work, it'll pay me back with interest. At least I'll be interested, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/the-work-itself-is-the-reward-and-if-i-choose-challenging-work-it-ll/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [People think that if a man has undergone any hardship, he should have a reward; but for my part, if I have done the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/people-think-that-if-a-man-has-undergone-any-hardship-he-should-have/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [The reward of patience Is patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-reward-of-patience-is-patience/) [Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/) > [The reward for playing jazz is playing jazz.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lewis/the-reward-for-playing-jazz-is-playing-jazz/) [John Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lewis/) > [Happiness is the reward of virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/happiness-is-the-reward-of-virtue/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Everybody loves to spend money at least some of the time - because everybody loves the stuff you can buy with it. The key…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/everybody-loves-to-spend-money-at-least-some-of-the-time-because/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [We can find meaning and reward by serving some higher purpose than ourselves, a shining purpose, the illumination of a Thousand Points of Light...We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-h-w-bush/we-can-find-meaning-and-reward-by-serving-some-higher-purpose-than/) [George H. W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-h-w-bush/) > [Do not expect human beings to reward you, don't even think about it, just LOVE, because you know at the end of the day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bo-sanchez/do-not-expect-human-beings-to-reward-you-don-t-even-think-about-it/) [Bo Sanchez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bo-sanchez/) > [The reward is in doing, but doing without expecting anything...doing unselfishly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reward-is-in-doing-but-doing-without-expecting-anything-doing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I'm working on something and I get to the point where I feel it getting interesting, that's my reward.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-peter-lindstr-m/when-i-m-working-on-something-and-i-get-to-the-point-where-i-feel-it/) [Hans-Peter Lindstrøm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-peter-lindstr-m/) ## More by David Levithan > [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“The past and the future are what's complicated. It's the present that's simple. And the simplicity is the sensation of it being just her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-past-and-the-future-are-what-s-complicated-it-s-the-present-that/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“I hate the way you talk to me And the way you cut your hair I hate the way you drive my car I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-hate-the-way-you-talk-to-me-and-the-way-you-cut-your-hair-i-hate/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Patrick: Is she worth the trouble? Cameron: I thought she was- Patrick: Either she is, or she isn't. So give it a shot, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/patrick-is-she-worth-the-trouble-cameron-i-thought-she-was-patrick/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“We saw our friends die. But we also see our friends live. So many of them live, and we often toast their long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/we-saw-our-friends-die-but-we-also-see-our-friends-live-so-many-of/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-tonight-you-re-scared-of-falling-and-maybe-there-s-somebody/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“You never told me what you saw in him, not convincingly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-never-told-me-what-you-saw-in-him-not-convincingly/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“i nod to the other will grayson, up onstage. he nods to me. we have something between us, him and me. but the truth?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-nod-to-the-other-will-grayson-up-onstage-he-nods-to-me-we-have/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The terrorists-those nineteen people, with hundreds or maybe thousands behind them-did the worst thing you can possibly imagine. But tens of millions people did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/the-terrorists-those-nineteen-people-with-hundreds-or-maybe-thousands/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [But I still has enough longing for that concept that I didn't want to dispel it completely. Meaning: I didn't want to tell Lily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/but-i-still-has-enough-longing-for-that-concept-that-i-didn-t-want-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“When you break someone's heart, you also break yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-break-someone-s-heart-you-also-break-yours/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Because toward the end all the words started leaving. Except for the ones that had to lock up at the end of the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/because-toward-the-end-all-the-words-started-leaving-except-for-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“ misgivings , n . Last night, I got up the courage to ask you if you regretted us. "There are things I miss,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/misgivings-n-last-night-i-got-up-the-courage-to-ask-you-if-you/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“Saving others is always more important than saving yourself. It has to be, or none of us would do any good.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/saving-others-is-always-more-important-than-saving-yourself-it-has-to/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) [Explore all 1,648 David Levithan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## More Climbed quotes > [I climbed like a billion stairs... its not like I can take them two at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danny-devito/i-climbed-like-a-billion-stairs-its-not-like-i-can-take-them-two-at-a/) [Danny DeVito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danny-devito/) > [I remember the first time I climbed the cage - it was almost like a challenge from Snuka. I said, 'This is crazy. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-steamboat/i-remember-the-first-time-i-climbed-the-cage-it-was-almost-like-a/) [Ricky Steamboat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-steamboat/) > ['To Kill a Mockingbird' appeared to highly favorable reviews and quickly climbed to the top of bestseller lists, where it remained for more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-j-shields/to-kill-a-mockingbird-appeared-to-highly-favorable-reviews-and/) [Charles J. Shields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-j-shields/) > [The most amazing lesson in aerodynamics I ever had was the day I climbed a thermal in a glider at the same time as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-foster/the-most-amazing-lesson-in-aerodynamics-i-ever-had-was-the-day-i/) [Norman Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-foster/) > [I've walked through the crimson flames, crawled through Satan's playground, and climbed my way out of Hell. I'll show you, how great I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silentbluejay/i-ve-walked-through-the-crimson-flames-crawled-through-satan-s/) [SilentBlueJay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silentbluejay/) > [You never know what's around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one foot in front of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/you-never-know-what-s-around-the-corner-it-could-be-everything-or-it/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [Chashkin Sar was virgin, and we climbed it for the first time, and afterwards, the people renamed it as Samina Baig.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samina-baig/chashkin-sar-was-virgin-and-we-climbed-it-for-the-first-time-and/) [Samina Baig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samina-baig/) > [I've always walked and climbed; spent a lot of time in the arctic and places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-day/i-ve-always-walked-and-climbed-spent-a-lot-of-time-in-the-arctic-and/) [Robin Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-day/) > [If you climbed one step, it means you can climb the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/praveen-kumar/if-you-climbed-one-step-it-means-you-can-climb-the-rest/) [Praveen Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/praveen-kumar/) > [I knew I needed to challenge myself mentally and physically - not just for me but for my family - so I climbed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorit-kemsley/i-knew-i-needed-to-challenge-myself-mentally-and-physically-not-just/) [Dorit Kemsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorit-kemsley/) > [“The moon climbed out of the ravine, blue, skinny, as if it had been fed on nothing but skimmed milk. It climbed out, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yevgeny-zamyatin/the-moon-climbed-out-of-the-ravine-blue-skinny-as-if-it-had-been-fed/) [Yevgeny Zamyatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yevgeny-zamyatin/) > [Im not afraid to fall; it means I climbed too high. Either way it shows at least I tried.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-not-afraid-to-fall-it-means-i-climbed-too-high-either-way-it-shows/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I feel like I'm on top of the world. Honestly, I feel like I've climbed a very giant mountain, and I'm just standing right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shania-twain/i-feel-like-i-m-on-top-of-the-world-honestly-i-feel-like-i-ve-climbed/) [Shania Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shania-twain/) > [In Canada, I climbed some mountains with the Alpine Club of Canada, which taught me a lot about stamina.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-carter/in-canada-i-climbed-some-mountains-with-the-alpine-club-of-canada/) [Chris Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-carter/) > [Because of what I did and where I came from, people just assumed I'd climbed every mountain in my country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nirmal-purja/because-of-what-i-did-and-where-i-came-from-people-just-assumed-i-d/) [Nirmal Purja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nirmal-purja/) [Browse all 94 Climbed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had made it somewhere special, and I'd gotten there all on my own. Nobody had given it to me. Nobody had told me to do it. I'd climbed and climbed and climbed, and this was my reward. To watch over the world, and to be alone with myself. That, I found, was what I needed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "David Levithan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d-gotten-there-all-on-my-own/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Climbed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d-gotten-there-all-on-my-own/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/david-levithan-67_found_i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d_2163438.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/david-levithan-67_found_i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d_2163438.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/david-levithan-67_found_i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d_2163438.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had made it somewhere special, and I'd gotten there all on my own. Nobody had given it to me. Nobody had…” — David Levithan", "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": "David Levithan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I had made it somewhere special,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d-gotten-there-all-on-my-own/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/i-had-made-it-somewhere-special-and-i-d-gotten-there-all-on-my-own/#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 } } ] } ```