--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Holding on to anything is like holding on…" description: "\"Holding on to anything is like holding on to your breath. You will suffocate. The only way to get anything in the physical universe is by letting go of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/deepak-chopra-63_holding-on_holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-o_2180266.jpg" --- # Holding on to anything is like holding on to your breath… ![“Holding on to anything is like holding on to your breath. You will suffocate. The only way to get anything in the physical universe is by letting go of it. Let go & it will be yours forever.” quote by Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/deepak-chopra-63_holding-on_holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-o_2180266.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/deepak-chopra-63_holding-on_holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-o_2180266.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/deepak-chopra-63_holding-on_holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-o_2180266.jpg) > “Holding on to anything is like holding on to your breath. You will suffocate. The only way to get anything in the physical universe is by letting go of it. Let go & it will be yours forever.” [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Clinging creates suffocation; release is essential for growth and acquisition. **In simple terms:** Let go to receive. Key Takeaway Release attachments. Themes freedom growth detachment Mood calm hopeful Type spiritual motivational When to use this quote - career advancement - relationships - personal goals Key Concepts impermanence desire spirituality Questions to Reflect On - What are you holding onto? - How can release create space for new opportunities? A Different Perspective Letting go can feel risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [He spreads his fingers over my heart, like he’s holding it, like it belongs to him, the hard-fought-for territory he’s won fair and square.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/he-spreads-his-fingers-over-my-heart-like-he-s-holding-it-like-it/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“You're okay now... You're okay because I'll be holding you like this from now on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuri-hino-vampire-knight/you-re-okay-now-you-re-okay-because-i-ll-be-holding-you-like-this/) [Matsuri Hino, Vampire Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuri-hino-vampire-knight/) > [“It wasn't like he was holding me so much as trying to hold onto something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusten-burroughs/it-wasn-t-like-he-was-holding-me-so-much-as-trying-to-hold-onto/) [Augusten Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusten-burroughs/) > [“If I ever find a chick like you, I’m holding onto her too.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-jeanisse/if-i-ever-find-a-chick-like-you-i-m-holding-onto-her-too/) [Bella Jeanisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-jeanisse/) > [If you're throwing punches or exerting energy but you're not breathing, you're holding your breath. That actually saps your strength, it saps your stamina.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-jr/if-you-re-throwing-punches-or-exerting-energy-but-you-re-not/) [Chris Eubank Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-jr/) > [Nothing can be delicious when you are holding your breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/nothing-can-be-delicious-when-you-are-holding-your-breath/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [What we don't recognize is that holding onto resentment is like holding onto your breath. You'll soon start to suffocate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/what-we-don-t-recognize-is-that-holding-onto-resentment-is-like/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Holding on is like believing that there's only a past, letting go and moving on is knowing in your heart that there's a bright…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/holding-on-is-like-believing-that-there-s-only-a-past-letting-go-and/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [We had stretched out our arms to each other and supported something in our joined hands, but this thing we were holding was like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yukio-mishima/we-had-stretched-out-our-arms-to-each-other-and-supported-something/) [Yukio Mishima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yukio-mishima/) > [“If happy ever after did exist I would still be holding u like this”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-lavine/if-happy-ever-after-did-exist-i-would-still-be-holding-u-like-this/) Adam Lavine > [Hold me? If you still want to, I mean." She looked away. "Everyday"--then he was there, lifting her into his arms, holding her like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/hold-me-if-you-still-want-to-i-mean-she-looked-away-everyday-then-he/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [I was born with this wanderlust to move, constantly, as far as I could. It's more than I have a very hard time holding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-rinella/i-was-born-with-this-wanderlust-to-move-constantly-as-far-as-i-could/) [Steven Rinella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-rinella/) > [Let's slow dance and be the couple everyone wishes they could be. Let's look at the stars and kiss all night long. Let's take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-s-slow-dance-and-be-the-couple-everyone-wishes-they-could-be-let/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let's be forever young together](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-s-be-forever-young-together/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you find someone you want to spend forever with you, you don't let them go, whether forever turns out to be a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/when-you-find-someone-you-want-to-spend-forever-with-you-you-don-t/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) ## More by Deepak Chopra > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“Molecules form and dissolve, returning to the primordial soup of atoms. But consciousness survives the death of the molecules on which it rides. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/molecules-form-and-dissolve-returning-to-the-primordial-soup-of-atoms/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Unbounded awareness is the reservoir of possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/unbounded-awareness-is-the-reservoir-of-possibilities/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Spiritual awareness is not only one of the keys to the healing process. Spiritual awareness is the only way that healing can occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/spiritual-awareness-is-not-only-one-of-the-keys-to-the-healing/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [All experiences are either positive for your brain or negative. If you maximize the positive ones, you are shaping the brain you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/all-experiences-are-either-positive-for-your-brain-or-negative-if-you/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [There are only 2 responses to the world, fear or love. Your life depends on which one you choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/there-are-only-2-responses-to-the-world-fear-or-love-your-life/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [If you take the the insults of your fellow human beings personally, you will be offended for the rest of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/if-you-take-the-the-insults-of-your-fellow-human-beings-personally/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [A person desperately searching for love," Merlin said, "reminds me of a fish desperately searching for water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/a-person-desperately-searching-for-love-merlin-said-reminds-me-of-a/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Fighting your ego is a melodrama of the ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/fighting-your-ego-is-a-melodrama-of-the-ego/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The same faint song is heard in everything: "Behold yourself".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-same-faint-song-is-heard-in-everything-behold-yourself/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“All creativity is based on quantum leaps and uncertainty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/all-creativity-is-based-on-quantum-leaps-and-uncertainty/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The soul knows everything. Be who you are and your life will transform forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-soul-knows-everything-be-who-you-are-and-your-life-will-transform/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The willingness to reach inside every part of yourself opens the door to total understanding. You place your entire identity on the line, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-willingness-to-reach-inside-every-part-of-yourself-opens-the-door/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Be willing to redefine yourself every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/be-willing-to-redefine-yourself-every-day/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [To have weakness is not to be flawed--it's to be complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/to-have-weakness-is-not-to-be-flawed-it-s-to-be-complete/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) [Explore all 1,675 Deepak Chopra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) ## More Holding quotes > [We do not know which irresponsible Israeli prime minister will take office and decide to use nuclear weapons in the struggle against neighboring Arab…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mordechai-vanunu/we-do-not-know-which-irresponsible-israeli-prime-minister-will-take/) [Mordechai Vanunu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mordechai-vanunu/) > [If holding onto them requires you to lower your self-worth and self-respect let go of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-holding-onto-them-requires-you-to-lower-your-self-worth-and-self/) [Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/) > [Like, you can't tell a certain race, like, 'You're supposed to act this way, and you're not supposed to act this way because of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kreayshawn/like-you-can-t-tell-a-certain-race-like-you-re-supposed-to-act-this/) [Kreayshawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kreayshawn/) > [Hold tenderly that which you cherish, for it is precious and a tight grip may crush it. Do not let the fear of dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-alberti/hold-tenderly-that-which-you-cherish-for-it-is-precious-and-a-tight/) Bob Alberti > [I can conquer the world with one hand, as long as you are holding the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-smith/i-can-conquer-the-world-with-one-hand-as-long-as-you-are-holding-the/) [Megan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-smith/) > [“Holding something doesn't make it yours. You realize at some point you're just keeping it back for yourself, because it's pulling away with equal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-silvey/holding-something-doesn-t-make-it-yours-you-realize-at-some-point-you/) [Craig Silvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-silvey/) > [“Forgiveness is about letting go of the past and not holding on to it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/forgiveness-is-about-letting-go-of-the-past-and-not-holding-on-to-it/) [Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/) > [“Loneliness is holding the one you love / When you know you might never hold him again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/loneliness-is-holding-the-one-you-love-when-you-know-you-might-never/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [If you're throwing punches or exerting energy but you're not breathing, you're holding your breath. That actually saps your strength, it saps your stamina.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-jr/if-you-re-throwing-punches-or-exerting-energy-but-you-re-not/) [Chris Eubank Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-jr/) > [“There is always power in holding a secret.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/there-is-always-power-in-holding-a-secret/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [I'm still holding on to something that I know will never happen, because I have this little piece of hope that someday, it will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-still-holding-on-to-something-that-i-know-will-never-happen/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The real reason you struggling with letting go is because you keep holding on to what they use to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sweeney/the-real-reason-you-struggling-with-letting-go-is-because-you-keep/) [Ash Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sweeney/) > [“It's the touching they both long for. The holding. Spent their whole lives, each without any.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-mcmann/it-s-the-touching-they-both-long-for-the-holding-spent-their-whole/) [Lisa McMann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-mcmann/) > [I want to stay in the ocean. I'm not going to be able to do that from some holding cell in Japan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/i-want-to-stay-in-the-ocean-i-m-not-going-to-be-able-to-do-that-from/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [There's something so delicious about holding onto a secret; it's something just for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-han/there-s-something-so-delicious-about-holding-onto-a-secret-it-s/) [Jenny Han](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-han/) Browse all 694 Holding quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Holding on to anything is like holding on to your breath. You will suffocate. The only way to get anything in the physical universe is by letting go of it. Let go & it will be yours forever.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Deepak Chopra" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-on-to-your-breath-you-will/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Holding" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-on-to-your-breath-you-will/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/deepak-chopra-63_holding-on_holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-o_2180266.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/deepak-chopra-63_holding-on_holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-o_2180266.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/128/deepak-chopra-63_holding-on_holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-o_2180266.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Holding on to anything is like holding on to your breath. You will suffocate. The only way to get anything…” — Deepak Chopra", "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": "Deepak Chopra", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Holding on to anything is like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-on-to-your-breath-you-will/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/holding-on-to-anything-is-like-holding-on-to-your-breath-you-will/#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 } } ] } ```