--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What if life had taken a different route?…" description: "\"“What if life had taken a different route? What is had preserved with those letters to publishers when she was twenty-two? Might it have been Emma, ins..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/david-nicholls-873_change_what-if-life-had-taken-a-different-route_1402928.jpg" --- # What if life had taken a different route? What is had… ![“What if life had taken a different route? What is had preserved with those letters to publishers when she was twenty-two? Might it have been Emma, instead of Stephanie Shaw, eating Pret A Manger sandwiches in a pencil skirt? For some time now she has had conviction that life is about to change if…” quote by David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/david-nicholls-873_change_what-if-life-had-taken-a-different-route_1402928.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/david-nicholls-873_change_what-if-life-had-taken-a-different-route_1402928.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3b5/david-nicholls-873_change_what-if-life-had-taken-a-different-route_1402928.jpg) > ““What if life had taken a different route? What is had preserved with those letters to publishers when she was twenty-two? Might it have been Emma, instead of Stephanie Shaw, eating Pret A Manger sandwiches in a pencil skirt? For some time now she has had conviction that life is about to change if only because it must, and perhaps this it, perhaps this meeting is the new start.”” [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects on alternate life paths and the belief that change is inevitable and necessary, suggesting a pivotal encounter may signal a fresh beginning. **In simple terms:** Life could have turned out differently; a new meeting may start change. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and be open to new opportunities. Themes identity choice change destiny meeting Mood reflective hopeful nostalgic Type narrative philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career crossroads - relationship decisions - personal reinvention - unexpected encounters Key Concepts counterfactual thinking personal growth anticipation Questions to Reflect On - What if you could rewrite a past decision? - How do you recognize a true turning point? A Different Perspective Assumes a single event will catalyze change, ignoring gradual development. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-change/) [Life choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-choices/) ## Related quotes > [For some time now she has had the conviction that life is about to change if only because it must. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/for-some-time-now-she-has-had-the-conviction-that-life-is-about-to/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Life is about to change if only because it must.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/life-is-about-to-change-if-only-because-it-must/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Your entire life is about to change, no matter what decision you make. But I want you to make the best decision for yourself…This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/your-entire-life-is-about-to-change-no-matter-what-decision-you-make/) [colleen hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/) > [“When your life is about to change, there is a silence that surrounds you. An eerie calm. Just as the birds quiet their singing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-stedronsky-adams/when-your-life-is-about-to-change-there-is-a-silence-that-surrounds/) Kimberly Stedronsky Adams > [“Nadine has no idea just how much her life is about to change due to her chance encounter with this smoldering”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-zante/nadine-has-no-idea-just-how-much-her-life-is-about-to-change-due-to/) [Lily Zante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-zante/) > [I love meeting new people and hearing their story and learning what makes them who they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-meeting-new-people-and-hearing-their-story-and-learning-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One of the joys of travel is visiting new towns and meeting new people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genghis-khan/one-of-the-joys-of-travel-is-visiting-new-towns-and-meeting-new-people/) [Genghis Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genghis-khan/) > [I love meeting new people. I have been so lucky to meet some of my closest friends on set like James Gunn, Nathan Fillion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikaela-hoover/i-love-meeting-new-people-i-have-been-so-lucky-to-meet-some-of-my/) [Mikaela Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikaela-hoover/) > [“Shit,” came a voice from behind him. “I didn’t know we were meeting in New Jersey.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-zieja/shit-came-a-voice-from-behind-him-i-didn-t-know-we-were-meeting-in/) Joe Zieja > [Always make a good impression when meeting someone new. You never know when they could help you with something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-make-a-good-impression-when-meeting-someone-new-you-never-know/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I hate meeting new people even new clients who intend to give me money. I try to be pleasant but I'm not very good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherie-priest/i-hate-meeting-new-people-even-new-clients-who-intend-to-give-me/) [Cherie Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherie-priest/) > [“Preconceived ideas are very hard to undo, it is much better to know nothing at all when meeting someone new.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-holm-garibay/preconceived-ideas-are-very-hard-to-undo-it-is-much-better-to-know/) [Ingrid Holm-Garibay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-holm-garibay/) > [When meeting someone new always make sure they are not in love and still dealing with there ex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-meeting-someone-new-always-make-sure-they-are-not-in-love-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes life isn't about meeting new people, it's about meeting the people you already know halfway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-isn-t-about-meeting-new-people-it-s-about-meeting-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The worst part of meeting someone new is the time it takes for you to form a bond with that person. I guess that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-worst-part-of-meeting-someone-new-is-the-time-it-takes-for-you-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by David Nicholls > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Good God, 'the elusive thing'. She had reached a turning point. She no longer believed that a situation could be made better by writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/good-god-the-elusive-thing-she-had-reached-a-turning-point-she-no/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [I still find it absurdly difficult to concentrate on a novel if there's a phone or computer to hand; I have taken to locking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/i-still-find-it-absurdly-difficult-to-concentrate-on-a-novel-if-there/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [You've got to stop letting women slip drugs into your mouth, Dex, it's unhygienic. And dangerous. One day it'll be a cyanide capsule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/you-ve-got-to-stop-letting-women-slip-drugs-into-your-mouth-dex-it-s/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“He presses two fingers against each eye and attempts to account for this crippling melancholy, but is having trouble with rational thought. It feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/he-presses-two-fingers-against-each-eye-and-attempts-to-account-for/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“Live each day as if it's our last', that was the conventional advice, but really who had the energy for that? What if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/live-each-day-as-if-it-s-our-last-that-was-the-conventional-advice/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [She was reaching the limits of how much its possible to change a man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/she-was-reaching-the-limits-of-how-much-its-possible-to-change-a-man/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“How would she fill the days? She had no idea. The trick of it, she told herself, is to be courageous and bold and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/how-would-she-fill-the-days-she-had-no-idea-the-trick-of-it-she-told/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [“What if it rained or you felt a bit glandy? It just wasn't practical. Better by far to simply try and be good and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/what-if-it-rained-or-you-felt-a-bit-glandy-it-just-wasn-t-practical/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Sometimes, when it is going badly, she wonders if what she believes to be a love of the written word is really just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/sometimes-when-it-is-going-badly-she-wonders-if-what-she-believes-to/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [The city had defeated her, just like they said it would. Like some overcrowded party, no one had noticed her arrival, and would notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/the-city-had-defeated-her-just-like-they-said-it-would-like-some/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Better by far to be good and courageous and bold and to make difference. Not change the world exactly, but the bit around you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/better-by-far-to-be-good-and-courageous-and-bold-and-to-make/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [A screenplay is really an instruction manual, and it can be interpreted in any number of ways. The casting, the choice of location, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/a-screenplay-is-really-an-instruction-manual-and-it-can-be/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [Most of the books and films I love walk a knife edge between romance and cynicism, and I wanted 'One Day' to stay on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/most-of-the-books-and-films-i-love-walk-a-knife-edge-between-romance/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) [Explore all 332 David Nicholls quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) ## More Change quotes > [Only within yourself exists the other reality for which you long. I can give you nothing that has not already its being within yourself.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/only-within-yourself-exists-the-other-reality-for-which-you-long-i/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [“…progress isn't necessarily about change but about things turning out as we want them to”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-hogan/progress-isn-t-necessarily-about-change-but-about-things-turning-out/) Phil Hogan > [Nobody can tell me that no changes are necessary in Washington.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-weld/nobody-can-tell-me-that-no-changes-are-necessary-in-washington/) [William Weld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-weld/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [When you walk down the street of Kabul your values for life changes, they do change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-pierre-white/when-you-walk-down-the-street-of-kabul-your-values-for-life-changes/) [Marco Pierre White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-pierre-white/) > [Your world will change whether or not you choose to change, but you have the power to choose it's direction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/your-world-will-change-whether-or-not-you-choose-to-change-but-you/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/) [Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/) > [“Stay focused on bringing people together and more on positive messaging so that you can be the change you wish to see in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/germany-kent/stay-focused-on-bringing-people-together-and-more-on-positive/) [Germany Kent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/germany-kent/) > [The biggest change for me as a mom was realizing I needed to put someone else before me. Now the hardest part about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-alexis/the-biggest-change-for-me-as-a-mom-was-realizing-i-needed-to-put/) [Kim Alexis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-alexis/) > [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Irish research will contribute to global progress and have the potential to help all countries realise the potential of their land sectors in addressing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enda-kenny/irish-research-will-contribute-to-global-progress-and-have-the/) [Enda Kenny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enda-kenny/) > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Browse all 33,920 Change quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What if life had taken a different route? 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