--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s been my experience in life that if…" description: "\"“It’s been my experience in life that if you step back and simply allow events to take their course, things will usually work out okay. Or they won’t.”..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/donald-o-donovan-22817_homelessness_it-s-been-my-experience-in-life-that-if_2696465.jpg" --- # It’s been my experience in life that if you step back and… ![“It’s been my experience in life that if you step back and simply allow events to take their course, things will usually work out okay. Or they won’t.” quote by Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/donald-o-donovan-22817_homelessness_it-s-been-my-experience-in-life-that-if_2696465.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/donald-o-donovan-22817_homelessness_it-s-been-my-experience-in-life-that-if_2696465.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bd4/donald-o-donovan-22817_homelessness_it-s-been-my-experience-in-life-that-if_2696465.jpg) > ““It’s been my experience in life that if you step back and simply allow events to take their course, things will usually work out okay. Or they won’t.”” [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stepping back and trusting the flow can lead to outcomes, good or bad. **In simple terms:** Trust the process, outcomes vary. Key Takeaway Balance patience with action. Themes patience trust uncertainty Mood calm contemplative Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - decision making - stress management - life planning Key Concepts mindfulness acceptance Questions to Reflect On - When should you intervene? - How do you handle unexpected results? A Different Perspective Passive waiting may cause missed opportunities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Experience In Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-in-life/) [Experience Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-life/) [Homelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homelessness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [Things usually work out in the end." "What if they don't?" "That just means you haven't come to the end yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/things-usually-work-out-in-the-end-what-if-they-don-t-that-just-means/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“Things usually work out in the end. What if they don't? That just means you haven't gotten to the end yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-walls/things-usually-work-out-in-the-end-what-if-they-don-t-that-just-means-2/) Jeanette Walls > [“When I’m patient, things usually work out for the best in the end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melody-carlson/when-i-m-patient-things-usually-work-out-for-the-best-in-the-end/) [Melody Carlson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melody-carlson/) > [Simply allow your thoughts and experiences to come and go, without ever grasping at them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/simply-allow-your-thoughts-and-experiences-to-come-and-go-without/) [Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [What is, is simply what is. Allow it and rejoice in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/what-is-is-simply-what-is-allow-it-and-rejoice-in-it/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Happiness is simply to allow everything to be exactly as it is from moment to moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-spira/happiness-is-simply-to-allow-everything-to-be-exactly-as-it-is-from/) [Rupert Spira](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-spira/) > [If you sit back and simply allow your country to be, it is highly unlikely to be the kind of country you want. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/if-you-sit-back-and-simply-allow-your-country-to-be-it-is-highly/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [It's really, really hard to get in rooms with people you don't usually work with and try to find common ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-s-really-really-hard-to-get-in-rooms-with-people-you-don-t-usually/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Usually I work at the merch table until one minute before I have to go on stage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-elverum/usually-i-work-at-the-merch-table-until-one-minute-before-i-have-to/) [Phil Elverum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-elverum/) > [I'm pretty much a 9-to-5 kind of guy. I usually get to work about 8 in the morning, and I work until 4 or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-preston/i-m-pretty-much-a-9-to-5-kind-of-guy-i-usually-get-to-work-about-8-in/) [Douglas Preston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-preston/) > [Everyone is usually screwed up in some way and that is usually where the work comes in - figuring out how to make it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-paquin/everyone-is-usually-screwed-up-in-some-way-and-that-is-usually-where/) [Anna Paquin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-paquin/) > [I usually work, like, 27 days in a row and then take one off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-bones/i-usually-work-like-27-days-in-a-row-and-then-take-one-off/) [Bobby Bones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-bones/) > [I'm usually done with work around 11am, so I have time before I pick the kids up from school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/i-m-usually-done-with-work-around-11am-so-i-have-time-before-i-pick/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [I usually work 16-hour days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brooke-elliott/i-usually-work-16-hour-days/) [Brooke Elliott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brooke-elliott/) > [ I only work at night, generally. Usually when I work \[during the day\] I'll black out the windows or something. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grimes/i-only-work-at-night-generally-usually-when-i-work-during-the-day-i/) [Grimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grimes/) ## More by Donald O'Donovan > [“They needed someone to hate, a tangible focus for their remorse and disappointment, and I’d been elected, the projection of their own inner hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/they-needed-someone-to-hate-a-tangible-focus-for-their-remorse-and/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“And when Prohibition came along, Dr. Sharpe’s Shakti Tonic took off like a rocket, mostly due to its hefty eighteen percent alcohol content.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/and-when-prohibition-came-along-dr-sharpe-s-shakti-tonic-took-off/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“Meditation doesn’t lead to enlightenment because in meditation the ego is trying to destroy the ego.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/meditation-doesn-t-lead-to-enlightenment-because-in-meditation-the/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“My grandfather was a railroad brakeman, sixty years with the D&H. I'd sit on his lap when I was little, I remember, at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/my-grandfather-was-a-railroad-brakeman-sixty-years-with-the-d-h-i-d/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“Compassion goes out looking for suffering, scouring the earth for poverty and misery and pain, the same way the cops look for criminals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/compassion-goes-out-looking-for-suffering-scouring-the-earth-for/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“I love LA! The freeways, the cars, the smog, the glitter, the glitz, the sleaze, the prostitutes, the poison that falls from the sky.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/i-love-la-the-freeways-the-cars-the-smog-the-glitter-the-glitz-the/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“The enemy never sleeps!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/the-enemy-never-sleeps/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“Los Angeles, this anthill, this slag heap, the city where I suffered and grappled with life and was defeated, and where I finally triumphed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/los-angeles-this-anthill-this-slag-heap-the-city-where-i-suffered-and/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“The neon dust falls slowly, filtering through the stone canyons, settling on hats and fire hydrants, collecting on delicatessen awnings, filling the shopping carts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/the-neon-dust-falls-slowly-filtering-through-the-stone-canyons/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“I was born under that star, the dung-beetle star.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/i-was-born-under-that-star-the-dung-beetle-star/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“Like the dung beetle, I had my comfortable burrow and my ball of sustenance, and like the dung beetle I was happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/like-the-dung-beetle-i-had-my-comfortable-burrow-and-my-ball-of/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“Los Angeles is a mother that devours her children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/los-angeles-is-a-mother-that-devours-her-children/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“Nowhere do you see a real, integrated, full-blooded man or woman who shines like a beacon in this sea of disjointedness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/nowhere-do-you-see-a-real-integrated-full-blooded-man-or-woman-who/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“Your lifelong rebellion against all forms of authority stems from the infant’s desire to murder the father and possess the mother.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/your-lifelong-rebellion-against-all-forms-of-authority-stems-from-the/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“I’m back at Lafayette Park after a trip to the Bodhi Tree Bookstore, not to look at the books but to rub up against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/i-m-back-at-lafayette-park-after-a-trip-to-the-bodhi-tree-bookstore/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) [Explore all 27 Donald O'Donovan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) ## More Homelessness quotes > [She might be without country, without nation, but inside her there was still a being that could exist and be free, that could simply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-maas/she-might-be-without-country-without-nation-but-inside-her-there-was/) [Sharon Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-maas/) > [We have an obligation at the local level to do everything we can with the resources we have. And we do those things. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-wheeler/we-have-an-obligation-at-the-local-level-to-do-everything-we-can-with/) [Ted Wheeler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-wheeler/) > [“They needed someone to hate, a tangible focus for their remorse and disappointment, and I’d been elected, the projection of their own inner hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/they-needed-someone-to-hate-a-tangible-focus-for-their-remorse-and/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [“And when Prohibition came along, Dr. Sharpe’s Shakti Tonic took off like a rocket, mostly due to its hefty eighteen percent alcohol content.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/and-when-prohibition-came-along-dr-sharpe-s-shakti-tonic-took-off/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [Covid-19 has lit an even hotter fire in me to become a more active participant in advocating for homeless people and homelessness relief. Being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myha-la/covid-19-has-lit-an-even-hotter-fire-in-me-to-become-a-more-active/) [Myha'la](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myha-la/) > [To be honest, busking was a massive part of becoming aware of homelessness. I used to run into a lot of 'Big Issue' sellers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/passenger/to-be-honest-busking-was-a-massive-part-of-becoming-aware-of/) [Passenger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/passenger/) > [The public thinks that homelessness is about not having any accommodation to go to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-duncan-smith/the-public-thinks-that-homelessness-is-about-not-having-any/) [Iain Duncan Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-duncan-smith/) > [“Meditation doesn’t lead to enlightenment because in meditation the ego is trying to destroy the ego.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/meditation-doesn-t-lead-to-enlightenment-because-in-meditation-the/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [It is a special kind of homelessness to be evicted from your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-russell/it-is-a-special-kind-of-homelessness-to-be-evicted-from-your-dreams/) [Karen Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-russell/) > [As Secretary of Housing, I do have to express alarm, signal the alarm if you will, that the potential for homelessness to grow is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-cisneros/as-secretary-of-housing-i-do-have-to-express-alarm-signal-the-alarm/) [Henry Cisneros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-cisneros/) > [“My grandfather was a railroad brakeman, sixty years with the D&H. I'd sit on his lap when I was little, I remember, at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-o-donovan/my-grandfather-was-a-railroad-brakeman-sixty-years-with-the-d-h-i-d/) [Donald O'Donovan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-o-donovan/) > [We want to make it socially, morally, politically and religiously unacceptable to have substandard housing and homelessness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/millard-fuller/we-want-to-make-it-socially-morally-politically-and-religiously/) [Millard Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/millard-fuller/) > [I see this rise in rough sleeping and homelessness - in one of the wealthiest cities in the world - as a growing source…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadiq-khan/i-see-this-rise-in-rough-sleeping-and-homelessness-in-one-of-the/) [Sadiq Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadiq-khan/) > [No one is asking what happened to all the homeless. 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