---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: She long ago accepted the fact that…"
description: "\"She long ago accepted the fact that happiness is like, swallows in spring. It may come and nest under your eaves or it may not. You cannot command it.\"..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/elizabeth-goudge-2888_accepted_she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happ_2957950.png"
---

#  She long ago accepted the fact that happiness is like…

![“She long ago accepted the fact that happiness is like, swallows in spring. It may come and nest under your eaves or it may not. You cannot command it.” quote by Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/elizabeth-goudge-2888_accepted_she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happ_2957950.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/elizabeth-goudge-2888_accepted_she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happ_2957950.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/elizabeth-goudge-2888_accepted_she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happ_2957950.png)

> “She long ago accepted the fact that happiness is like, swallows in spring. It may come and nest under your eaves or it may not. You cannot command it.”

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

## About This Quote

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

Happiness is fleeting and uncontrollable, like swallows that may or may not nest nearby.

**In simple terms:** Happiness comes and goes, beyond our control.

Key Takeaway

Accept happiness as it arrives, without trying to force it.

Themes

contentment impermanence nature

Mood

reflective serene

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal reflection
- mental health
- mindfulness practice

Key Concepts

ephemeral joy acceptance non‑attachment

Questions to Reflect On

- What moments bring you unexpected joy?
- How do you respond when happiness fades?

A Different Perspective

Attempting to control happiness can cause frustration.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Easter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easter/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Midwinter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/midwinter/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Spring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spring/) [Your soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your-soul/)

## Related quotes

> [she had long accepted the fact that happiness is like swallows in Spring. It may come and nest under your eaves or it may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/she-had-long-accepted-the-fact-that-happiness-is-like-swallows-in/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [Pagan Romans started their midwinter celebrations with the feast of Saturnalia on 17 December, ending them with a new year festival, the Kalendae Januariae,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/pagan-romans-started-their-midwinter-celebrations-with-the-feast-of/)

[Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/)

> [Any middle-aged woman knows that our feet are not for the faint of heart, especially in midwinter. I wear clogs, so it's actually like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-scottoline/any-middle-aged-woman-knows-that-our-feet-are-not-for-the-faint-of/)

[Lisa Scottoline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-scottoline/)

> [In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan, Earth stood hard as iron, Water like a stone; Snow had fallen, Snow on snow, Snow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/in-the-bleak-midwinter-frosty-wind-made-moan-earth-stood-hard-as-iron/)

[Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/)

> [It is also absolutely correct that some British folk customs have descended directly from pagan rituals, such ... the giving of presents and decoration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-hutton/it-is-also-absolutely-correct-that-some-british-folk-customs-have/)

Ronald Hutton

> [In the silence of a midwinter dusk, there is a sound so faint that for all you can tell it may be only the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-silence-of-a-midwinter-dusk-there-is-a-sound-so-faint-that-for/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [I have a congenital desire to contradict; my whole life is merely a chain of sad and unsuccessful contradictions to heart and mind. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/i-have-a-congenital-desire-to-contradict-my-whole-life-is-merely-a/)

[Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/)

> [It is in midwinter that I sometimes glean from my pines... a curious transfusion of courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aldo-leopold/it-is-in-midwinter-that-i-sometimes-glean-from-my-pines-a-curious/)

[Aldo Leopold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aldo-leopold/)

> [The habit of a midwinter festivity had come by the dawn of history (and probably very long before) to seem a natural one to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-hutton/the-habit-of-a-midwinter-festivity-had-come-by-the-dawn-of-history/)

Ronald Hutton

> [Every year, in the deep midwinter, there descends upon this world a terrible fortnight. ... every shop is a choked mass of humanity ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/every-year-in-the-deep-midwinter-there-descends-upon-this-world-a/)

[Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/)

> [But Shakespeare knows what the sphinx thinks, if anybody does. His genius is penetrative as cold midwinter entering every room, and making warmth shiver…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-alfred-quayle/but-shakespeare-knows-what-the-sphinx-thinks-if-anybody-does-his/)

[William Alfred Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-alfred-quayle/)

> [I was lying, but I wanted to rouse him. I have an inborn urge to contradict; my whole life has been a mere chain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-lermontov/i-was-lying-but-i-wanted-to-rouse-him-i-have-an-inborn-urge-to/)

[Mikhail Lermontov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-lermontov/)

> [The stories never said why she was wicked. It was enough to be an old woman, enough to be all alone, enough to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-stories-never-said-why-she-was-wicked-it-was-enough-to-be-an-old/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [What can I give Him, Poor as I am? If I were a shepherd I would bring a lamb. If I were a Wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-rossetti/what-can-i-give-him-poor-as-i-am-if-i-were-a-shepherd-i-would-bring-a/)

[Christina Rossetti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-rossetti/)

> [Oakbridge did his work with dramatics and prophecies that all would go horribly awry. Having dealt with him over midwinter, Kel wondered why the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamora-pierce/oakbridge-did-his-work-with-dramatics-and-prophecies-that-all-would/)

[Tamora Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamora-pierce/)

## More by Elizabeth Goudge

> [“He strolled to the front door and stood watching, letting the picture of Felicity grave itself so deeply on his mind that when with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/he-strolled-to-the-front-door-and-stood-watching-letting-the-picture/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [I have known him nearly all my life, and I am going to marry him, so that there won't ever be a time when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/i-have-known-him-nearly-all-my-life-and-i-am-going-to-marry-him-so/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [Because of course she had known she must go. She always did the thing because in obedience lay the integrity that God asked of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/because-of-course-she-had-known-she-must-go-she-always-did-the-thing/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [Marriage is a very long process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/marriage-is-a-very-long-process/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [Being ill makes you feel what well people call sentimental, but what you feel is nonetheless genuine whatever they call it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/being-ill-makes-you-feel-what-well-people-call-sentimental-but-what/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [Nothing living should ever be treated with contempt. Whatever it is that lives, a man, a tree, or a bird, should be touched gently,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/nothing-living-should-ever-be-treated-with-contempt-whatever-it-is/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [“These black times go as they come and we do not know how they come or why they go. But we know that God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/these-black-times-go-as-they-come-and-we-do-not-know-how-they-come-or/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [“What is the distinguishing mark of an aristocrat?' she asked him suddenly. 'Reverence,' he replied.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/what-is-the-distinguishing-mark-of-an-aristocrat-she-asked-him/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [Could you understand the meaning of light if there were no darkness to point the contrast? Day and night, life and death, love and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/could-you-understand-the-meaning-of-light-if-there-were-no-darkness/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [A well-trained dog is like religion, it sets the deserving at their ease and is a terror to evildoers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/a-well-trained-dog-is-like-religion-it-sets-the-deserving-at-their/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [The sun is still there... even if clouds drift over it. Once you have experienced the reality of sunshine you may weep, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/the-sun-is-still-there-even-if-clouds-drift-over-it-once-you-have/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [ \[Salvation\] is a curious process of divine burglary. The first thing to be wrested from one by a God who said 'Thou shalt not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/salvation-is-a-curious-process-of-divine-burglary-the-first-thing-to/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [The lovers of life, they are children at heart always in their wonder and delight, but they do not grab.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/the-lovers-of-life-they-are-children-at-heart-always-in-their-wonder/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [Our home, our special country, is for all of us the place where we find liberation; a very difficult word ... that tries to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/our-home-our-special-country-is-for-all-of-us-the-place-where-we-find/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

> [“Nothing whatsoever, not even the existence of God to His lovers, can be proved, but that every man, if he is to live at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/nothing-whatsoever-not-even-the-existence-of-god-to-his-lovers-can-be/)

[Elizabeth Goudge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

[Explore all 144 Elizabeth Goudge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/)

## More Accepted quotes

> [Merkel has realized that the euro is not working, but she cannot change the narrative she has created because that narrative has caught the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-soros/merkel-has-realized-that-the-euro-is-not-working-but-she-cannot/)

[George Soros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-soros/)

> [I started off playing by ear, and being around a bunch of musicians and playing in the streets and in the different parades and,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/troy-andrews/i-started-off-playing-by-ear-and-being-around-a-bunch-of-musicians/)

[Troy Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/troy-andrews/)

> [Greatness is not guarding yourself from people. Greatness is being accepted by the people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/greatness-is-not-guarding-yourself-from-people-greatness-is-being/)

[Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/)

> [The idea that this world is a playground instead of a battleground has now been accepted in practice by the vast majority of Christians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/the-idea-that-this-world-is-a-playground-instead-of-a-battleground/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [Bruce Katz is a spectacular talent! He's a brilliant composer and arranger who uses uncommon and unique musical intelligence to redefine jazz and blues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-coryell/bruce-katz-is-a-spectacular-talent-he-s-a-brilliant-composer-and/)

[Larry Coryell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-coryell/)

> [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/)

[Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/)

> [What our species needs, above all else, is a generally accepted ethical system that is compatible with the scientific knowledge we now possess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-our-species-needs-above-all-else-is-a-generally-accepted-ethical/)

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

> [There are a lot of movies about misfits that are quite cool, that kind of glamorize it on some level. I think there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-hall/there-are-a-lot-of-movies-about-misfits-that-are-quite-cool-that-kind/)

[Rebecca Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-hall/)

> [In Quebec City many Muslims have said that they hide their faith because they know that if they don't, if they show that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-pratte/in-quebec-city-many-muslims-have-said-that-they-hide-their-faith/)

Andre Pratte

> [The rules and principles of case law have never been treated as final truths but as working hypotheses, continually retested in those great laboratories…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-n-cardozo/the-rules-and-principles-of-case-law-have-never-been-treated-as-final/)

[Benjamin N. Cardozo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-n-cardozo/)

> [ We have reached a situation where a theory has been accepted as fact by some, and possible contrary evidence is shunted aside. \[This is\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-shapiro/we-have-reached-a-situation-where-a-theory-has-been-accepted-as-fact/)

[Robert Shapiro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-shapiro/)

> [And if all others accepted the lie which the Party imposed—if all records told the same tale—then the lie passed into history and became…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/and-if-all-others-accepted-the-lie-which-the-party-imposed-if-all/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [I was in a conversation and someone said: "You know, we were talking about the whole issue of transgender and how it has become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/i-was-in-a-conversation-and-someone-said-you-know-we-were-talking/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

> [Divorce is so common and accepted in America that beating myself up over it may sound ridiculous. But I was raised to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trisha-yearwood/divorce-is-so-common-and-accepted-in-america-that-beating-myself-up/)

[Trisha Yearwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trisha-yearwood/)

> [Handicaps can be converted into stepping stones on which one may climb toward some worthy goal, unless they are accepted as obstacles, and used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/handicaps-can-be-converted-into-stepping-stones-on-which-one-may/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

Browse all 2,128 Accepted quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "She long ago accepted the fact that happiness is like, swallows in spring. It may come and nest under your eaves or it may not. You cannot command it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Elizabeth Goudge"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happiness-is-like-swallows-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accepted"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happiness-is-like-swallows-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/elizabeth-goudge-2888_accepted_she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happ_2957950.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/elizabeth-goudge-2888_accepted_she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happ_2957950.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d11/elizabeth-goudge-2888_accepted_she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happ_2957950.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“She long ago accepted the fact that happiness is like, swallows in spring. It may come and nest under your…” — Elizabeth Goudge",
                "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": "Elizabeth Goudge",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-goudge/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "She long ago accepted the fact...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happiness-is-like-swallows-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-goudge/she-long-ago-accepted-the-fact-that-happiness-is-like-swallows-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
