---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even if it meant that she had failed, she…"
description: "\"Even if it meant that she had failed, she was glad. And if what she'd wanted had been impossible from the start, still there was a certain lonely comfo..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/donna-tartt-391_certain_even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she_2279188.jpg"
---

#  Even if it meant that she had failed, she was glad. And if…

![“Even if it meant that she had failed, she was glad. And if what she'd wanted had been impossible from the start, still there was a certain lonely comfort in the fact that she'd known it was impossible and had gone ahead and done it anyway.” quote by Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/donna-tartt-391_certain_even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she_2279188.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/donna-tartt-391_certain_even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she_2279188.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/donna-tartt-391_certain_even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she_2279188.jpg)

> “Even if it meant that she had failed, she was glad. And if what she'd wanted had been impossible from the start, still there was a certain lonely comfort in the fact that she'd known it was impossible and had gone ahead and done it anyway.”

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Accepting failure can coexist with satisfaction when one pursues impossible goals despite knowing the odds.

**In simple terms:** Finding joy in trying, even if it ends in failure.

Key Takeaway

Embrace challenges regardless of outcome.

Themes

resilience acceptance ambition

Mood

reflective determined

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- artistic pursuits
- personal projects
- risk‑taking
- creative endeavors

Key Concepts

existentialism self‑actualization

Questions to Reflect On

- What impossible goal have you pursued?
- How do you find comfort in trying?

A Different Perspective

Success isn’t guaranteed; effort may not yield desired results.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Comfort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comfort/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/)

## Related quotes

> [So happy that I did it, so sad that I failed but so glad that I now know my weakness and so encouranged that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe/so-happy-that-i-did-it-so-sad-that-i-failed-but-so-glad-that-i-now/)

[Simphiwe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe/)

> [I'm glad that I lost, I'm glad that I failed, I'm glad that I felt that way and decided to do something about it.I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-manganiello/i-m-glad-that-i-lost-i-m-glad-that-i-failed-i-m-glad-that-i-felt-that/)

[Joe Manganiello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-manganiello/)

> [What I really wanted was the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/what-i-really-wanted-was-the-impossible/)

[Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/)

> [I wanted impossible things. I wanted my life with her before it all turned bad. What I had been given had been taken away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-o-ceallaigh/i-wanted-impossible-things-i-wanted-my-life-with-her-before-it-all/)

[Philip O Ceallaigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-o-ceallaigh/)

> [“Being a witch was indeed an onerous task. If people accepted us, they wanted the impossible. If they didn't, they wanted to burn us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-e-schneider/being-a-witch-was-indeed-an-onerous-task-if-people-accepted-us-they/)

Maria E. Schneider

> [I have never been loved enough to gain the desire of reproducing a being in the image of my lover and I have never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachilde/i-have-never-been-loved-enough-to-gain-the-desire-of-reproducing-a/)

[Rachilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachilde/)

> [“A shadow passes over her face, but she shakes it off fast as she leans forward, her bright-blue hair swinging over her shoulder and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-cameron/a-shadow-passes-over-her-face-but-she-shakes-it-off-fast-as-she-leans/)

[Erica Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-cameron/)

> [“However, what he wanted was impossible: the serenity of the Gods cannot be achieved by the sword.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ashling/however-what-he-wanted-was-impossible-the-serenity-of-the-gods-cannot/)

[Andrew Ashling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ashling/)

> [“I wanted a love thick with time, as inscrutable as if a lathe had carved it from night and as familiar as the marrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roshani-chokshi/i-wanted-a-love-thick-with-time-as-inscrutable-as-if-a-lathe-had/)

[Roshani Chokshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roshani-chokshi/)

> [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [I am glad The Worst Journey is coming out in Penguins: after all it is largely about penguins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apsley-cherry-garrard/i-am-glad-the-worst-journey-is-coming-out-in-penguins-after-all-it-is/)

[Apsley Cherry-Garrard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apsley-cherry-garrard/)

> [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/)

[Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/)

> [Even if we can't be together in the end. I'm glad that you were part of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/even-if-we-can-t-be-together-in-the-end-i-m-glad-that-you-were-part/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/)

Frank B. Wilderson III

> [No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-besant/no-philosophy-no-religion-has-ever-brought-so-glad-a-message-to-the/)

[Annie Besant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-besant/)

## More by Donna Tartt

> [I hope we're all ready to leave the phenomenal world, and enter into the sublime?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/i-hope-we-re-all-ready-to-leave-the-phenomenal-world-and-enter-into/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [And I add my own love to the history of people who have loved beautiful things, and looked out for them, and pulled them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-i-add-my-own-love-to-the-history-of-people-who-have-loved/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [And the flavor of Pippa's kiss--bittersweet and strange--stayed with me all the way back uptown, swaying and sleepy as I sailed home on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/and-the-flavor-of-pippa-s-kiss-bittersweet-and-strange-stayed-with-me/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [“The world won't come to me...so I must go to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-world-won-t-come-to-me-so-i-must-go-to-it/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [There's an expectation these days that novels - like any other consumer product - should be made on a production line, with one dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/there-s-an-expectation-these-days-that-novels-like-any-other-consumer/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [“A month or two before, I would have been appalled at the idea of any murder at all. But that Sunday afternoon, as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/a-month-or-two-before-i-would-have-been-appalled-at-the-idea-of-any/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [Well, I think storytellers have always found murder a fascinating device.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/well-i-think-storytellers-have-always-found-murder-a-fascinating/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [Always remember, the person we’re really working for is the person who’s restoring the piece a hundred years from now. He’s the one we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/always-remember-the-person-we-re-really-working-for-is-the-person-who/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [“The silence between us was happy and strange, connected by the cord and the icy voices thinly echoing. “You don’t have to talk,” she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/the-silence-between-us-was-happy-and-strange-connected-by-the-cord/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [“It is a terrible thing to learn as a child that one is a being separate from all the world, that no one and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/it-is-a-terrible-thing-to-learn-as-a-child-that-one-is-a-being/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [“You didn’t meet many people who moved freely through the world with such a vigorous contempt for it and at the same time such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/you-didn-t-meet-many-people-who-moved-freely-through-the-world-with/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [“maybe that’s what’s waiting for us at the end of the journey, a majesty unimaginable until the very moment we find ourselves walking through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/maybe-that-s-what-s-waiting-for-us-at-the-end-of-the-journey-a/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [“lights and moods and seasons was to see it a thousand different ways and to keep it shut in the dark—a thing made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/lights-and-moods-and-seasons-was-to-see-it-a-thousand-different-ways/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [A great sorrow, and one that I am only beginning to understand: we don’t get to choose our own hearts. We can’t make ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/a-great-sorrow-and-one-that-i-am-only-beginning-to-understand-we-don/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

> [“Upon meeting Julian Morrow, one has the impression that he is a man of extraordinary sympathy and warmth. But what you call his 'Asiatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/upon-meeting-julian-morrow-one-has-the-impression-that-he-is-a-man-of/)

[Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

[Explore all 590 Donna Tartt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/)

## More Certain quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/)

[Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/)

> [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/)

[Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/)

> [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/)

Riffat Hassan

> [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/)

[Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/)

> [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/)

[Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/)

> [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/)

T. H. Robsjohn-Gibbings

> [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/)

[Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/)

> [We've all seen talented young players who get to a certain level but there comes a point where that talent will only take you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-gatland/we-ve-all-seen-talented-young-players-who-get-to-a-certain-level-but/)

[Warren Gatland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-gatland/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Even if it meant that she had failed, she was glad. And if what she'd wanted had been impossible from the start, still there was a certain lonely comfort in the fact that she'd known it was impossible and had gone ahead and done it anyway.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Donna Tartt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she-was-glad-and-if-what-she-d/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Certain"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she-was-glad-and-if-what-she-d/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/donna-tartt-391_certain_even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she_2279188.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/donna-tartt-391_certain_even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she_2279188.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fc6/donna-tartt-391_certain_even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she_2279188.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Even if it meant that she had failed, she was glad. And if what she'd wanted had been impossible from the…” — Donna Tartt",
                "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": "Donna Tartt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Even if it meant that she...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she-was-glad-and-if-what-she-d/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/even-if-it-meant-that-she-had-failed-she-was-glad-and-if-what-she-d/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
