--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can only give things up once they…" description: "\"You can only give things up once they start to let you down.\" — Edward St Aubyn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/edward-st-aubyn-2-24463_giving_you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-st_2927866.jpg" --- # You can only give things up once they start to let you down. ![“You can only give things up once they start to let you down.” quote by Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/edward-st-aubyn-2-24463_giving_you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-st_2927866.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/edward-st-aubyn-2-24463_giving_you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-st_2927866.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/edward-st-aubyn-2-24463_giving_you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-st_2927866.jpg) > “You can only give things up once they start to let you down.” [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One should only abandon something after it consistently disappoints, indicating a threshold for tolerance. **In simple terms:** Let go when it repeatedly fails you. Key Takeaway Set limits on what you accept. Themes disappointment letting go expectations Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type advice literary When to use this quote - relationships - jobs - projects - habits Key Concepts resilience boundary setting Questions to Reflect On - When is it wise to keep trying? - What signs show a relationship is beyond repair? A Different Perspective Some things may be worth persisting despite setbacks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) ## Related quotes > [I should have told you from the start. I will let you down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-should-have-told-you-from-the-start-i-will-let-you-down/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Just start Don't wait for perfection. Just start and let the work teach you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-novogratz/just-start-don-t-wait-for-perfection-just-start-and-let-the-work/) [Jacqueline Novogratz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-novogratz/) > [“Dav­el­lon may be a vil­lage, but the Dav­el­lon House can be any­thing you make it. No­bil­ity has to start some­where. It might as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ashling/dav-el-lon-may-be-a-vil-lage-but-the-dav-el-lon-house-can-be-any/) [Andrew Ashling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ashling/) > [“Everyone has to start somewhere. If you let people bring you down now, you´ll never know how high you could climb. And you owe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-madow/everyone-has-to-start-somewhere-if-you-let-people-bring-you-down-now/) [Michelle Madow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-madow/) > [I think that anytime you get clear about what your mission is or what your focus wants to be, things start to come together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-ensler/i-think-that-anytime-you-get-clear-about-what-your-mission-is-or-what/) [Eve Ensler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-ensler/) > [The day it comes out, there's already things that you start to go, 'Oh, I should have done that a little differently.' You start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howie-day/the-day-it-comes-out-there-s-already-things-that-you-start-to-go-oh-i/) [Howie Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howie-day/) > [Wonderful things start to happen when you dream outside of your sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-wilkins/wonderful-things-start-to-happen-when-you-dream-outside-of-your-sleep/) Richard Wilkins > [When you stop doing the wrong things, the right things start happening.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/when-you-stop-doing-the-wrong-things-the-right-things-start-happening/) [Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/) > [All things start in California and spread to New Jersey, then to London and then throughout Europe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stelios-haji-ioannou/all-things-start-in-california-and-spread-to-new-jersey-then-to/) [Stelios Haji-Ioannou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stelios-haji-ioannou/) > [Start with the man in the mirror. Start with yourself. Don't be looking at all the other things. Start with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/start-with-the-man-in-the-mirror-start-with-yourself-don-t-be-looking/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [We all have dreams about beautiful things to start happen in our life, but it will surely start happening when we place ourselves in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/we-all-have-dreams-about-beautiful-things-to-start-happen-in-our-life/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [I helped launch 'ET'... I like to see things start, grow, and then move on to better things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/i-helped-launch-et-i-like-to-see-things-start-grow-and-then-move-on/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [Epic things start with small humble steps. Pay respect to your beginnings. And if you're just starting out, know that it's OK to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/epic-things-start-with-small-humble-steps-pay-respect-to-your/) [Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/) > [“One thing I’ve learnt in life is that you only know where things start. You never know where it’s going to end up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vicki-mcauley/one-thing-i-ve-learnt-in-life-is-that-you-only-know-where-things/) Vicki McAuley > [I would step into a place of being lined up with a sense of purpose and my inner compass, and everything was going in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-mattea/i-would-step-into-a-place-of-being-lined-up-with-a-sense-of-purpose/) [Kathy Mattea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-mattea/) ## More by Edward St Aubyn > [Well, the attractive thing about the subject of happiness is that it is notoriously difficult to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/well-the-attractive-thing-about-the-subject-of-happiness-is-that-it/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [I think that some laughter comes from escaped horror, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/i-think-that-some-laughter-comes-from-escaped-horror-doesn-t-it/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [No pain is too small if it hurts, but any pain is too big if it's cherished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/no-pain-is-too-small-if-it-hurts-but-any-pain-is-too-big-if-it-s/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [It's no use imagining that bringing great writers together inevitably precipitates great conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/it-s-no-use-imagining-that-bringing-great-writers-together-inevitably/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [Detachment is what interests me, seeing how people couldn't have been any other way, how they were the product of forces that they had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/detachment-is-what-interests-me-seeing-how-people-couldn-t-have-been/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [Surely: the adverb of a man without an argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/surely-the-adverb-of-a-man-without-an-argument/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [The thing about the 'Melrose' novels is that I have to feel they're impossible when I set out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/the-thing-about-the-melrose-novels-is-that-i-have-to-feel-they-re/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [Everything was usual. That was depression: being stuck, clinging to an out-of-date version of oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/everything-was-usual-that-was-depression-being-stuck-clinging-to-an/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [The Booker 2011 is of no more interest to me than the world heavyweight championship, which I'm not going to win either. It's irrelevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/the-booker-2011-is-of-no-more-interest-to-me-than-the-world/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [People never remeber happiness with the care that they lavish on preserving every detail of their suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/people-never-remeber-happiness-with-the-care-that-they-lavish-on/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [“Snobbery is one of the things one should be most discriminating about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/snobbery-is-one-of-the-things-one-should-be-most-discriminating-about/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [The whole 'Melrose' series is an attempt to tell the truth, and is based on the idea that there is some salutary or liberating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/the-whole-melrose-series-is-an-attempt-to-tell-the-truth-and-is-based/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [Looking after children can be a subtle way of giving up... They become the whole ones, the well ones, the postponement of happiness, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/looking-after-children-can-be-a-subtle-way-of-giving-up-they-become/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [The first book I fell in love with was 'Little Toot,' the story of an adorable tugboat operating out of New York Harbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/the-first-book-i-fell-in-love-with-was-little-toot-the-story-of-an/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) > [I see the author as the person who has written; the writer, the one involved in the process of writing. And they're not necessarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/i-see-the-author-as-the-person-who-has-written-the-writer-the-one/) [Edward St Aubyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) [Explore all 24 Edward St Aubyn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/) ## More Giving 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/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Some people give you that motivation to work harder simply to get the hell away from wherever they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/some-people-give-you-that-motivation-to-work-harder-simply-to-get-the/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [You've touched people and known it. You've touched people and never may know it. Either way, you have something to give. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/you-ve-touched-people-and-known-it-you-ve-touched-people-and-never/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I received a beautiful welcome to the world of music. I want to give something back to the younger generation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luciano-pavarotti/i-received-a-beautiful-welcome-to-the-world-of-music-i-want-to-give/) [Luciano Pavarotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luciano-pavarotti/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [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 > [Grandma, please. It’s okay. Dad’s doing a great job. I give him kudos for at least being calm and rational, and not losing his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/grandma-please-it-s-okay-dad-s-doing-a-great-job-i-give-him-kudos-for/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Most paper money initially existed as a substitute for gold. That's what gave it value. But right now what gives a currency value is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/most-paper-money-initially-existed-as-a-substitute-for-gold-that-s/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [Give me strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/give-me-strength-to-walk-the-soft-earth-a-relative-to-all-that-is/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [I don't think my relationship with the idea of womanhood is that attached to giving birth... like, I'm fully aware that I'll never give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-harrison/i-don-t-think-my-relationship-with-the-idea-of-womanhood-is-that/) [Patti Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-harrison/) [Browse all 39,303 Giving quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You can only give things up once they start to let you down.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edward St Aubyn" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-start-to-let-you-down/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Giving" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-start-to-let-you-down/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/edward-st-aubyn-2-24463_giving_you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-st_2927866.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/edward-st-aubyn-2-24463_giving_you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-st_2927866.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/33e/edward-st-aubyn-2-24463_giving_you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-st_2927866.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can only give things up once they start to let you down.” — Edward St Aubyn", "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": "Edward St Aubyn", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-st-aubyn-2/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can only give things up...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-start-to-let-you-down/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-st-aubyn-2/you-can-only-give-things-up-once-they-start-to-let-you-down/#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 } } ] } ```