--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can look back and recognize the things…" description: "\"I can look back and recognize the things I've done and said that were wrong: unethical, gratuitously hurtful, golden-rule-breaking, et cetera. Sometime..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/emily-gould-27361_clear_i-can-look-back-and-recognize-the-things_622136.jpg" --- # I can look back and recognize the things I've done and… ![“I can look back and recognize the things I've done and said that were wrong: unethical, gratuitously hurtful, golden-rule-breaking, et cetera. Sometimes the wrongness was even clear at the time, though not as clear as it is now. But I did these things because I felt the pull of a trajectory, a…” quote by Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/emily-gould-27361_clear_i-can-look-back-and-recognize-the-things_622136.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/emily-gould-27361_clear_i-can-look-back-and-recognize-the-things_622136.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e76/emily-gould-27361_clear_i-can-look-back-and-recognize-the-things_622136.jpg) > “I can look back and recognize the things I've done and said that were wrong: unethical, gratuitously hurtful, golden-rule-breaking, et cetera. Sometimes the wrongness was even clear at the time, though not as clear as it is now. But I did these things because I felt the pull of a trajectory, a sense of experience piling up the way it does as you turn the pages of a novel. I would be lying if I said I was a different person now. I am the same person. I would do it all again.” [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Reflects on personal accountability, acknowledging past mistakes while recognizing continuity of self and the pull of life’s narrative. **In simple terms:** Admitting past wrongs while seeing self as unchanged. Key Takeaway Accept responsibility, learn, and continue growth. Themes accountability self-awareness continuity growth ethics Mood reflective somber introspective Type confessional philosophical When to use this quote - self‑evaluation - relationship repair - career decisions - creative projects Key Concepts personal narrative moral reflection identity formation Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate personal growth from repeating patterns? - What steps can break the trajectory of harmful behavior? A Different Perspective Self‑justification can ignore deeper systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Golden rule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden-rule/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Trajectory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trajectory/) [Wrongness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wrongness/) ## Related quotes > [What other people may think of the rightness or wrongness is nothing in comparison to my own deep knowledge, my innate conviction that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gaskell/what-other-people-may-think-of-the-rightness-or-wrongness-is-nothing/) [Elizabeth Gaskell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gaskell/) > [“Sometimes, being bad is the only thing you can do to save the good in your life. And sometimes, no matter how bad you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pepper-winters/sometimes-being-bad-is-the-only-thing-you-can-do-to-save-the-good-in/) [Pepper Winters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pepper-winters/) > [“Of all the things we are wrong about, this idea of error might well top the list: It is our meta-mistake: we are wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/of-all-the-things-we-are-wrong-about-this-idea-of-error-might-well/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [“Rationality doesn’t exist; right is absence of wrongness and wrong is what seems to be unfair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/rationality-doesn-t-exist-right-is-absence-of-wrongness-and-wrong-is/) [M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/) > [“Women's flesh is evidence of a God-given wrongness; whereas fat men are fat gods.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/women-s-flesh-is-evidence-of-a-god-given-wrongness-whereas-fat-men/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [People see the wrongness in an idea much quicker that the rightness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kettering/people-see-the-wrongness-in-an-idea-much-quicker-that-the-rightness/) [Charles Kettering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kettering/) > [“Mankind without truth, without God-given morals...has strength...can think...can feel things emotionally–but if he isn't given a good, solid standard for right and wrong, then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-peretti/mankind-without-truth-without-god-given-morals-has-strength-can-think/) [Frank Peretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-peretti/) > [Any evaluation which implies rightness or wrongness is a tragic, suicidal expression of an unmet need. Tragic, first because it decreases our likelihood of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/any-evaluation-which-implies-rightness-or-wrongness-is-a-tragic/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [Of all the things we are wrong about, error might well top the list ... We are wrong about what it means to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/of-all-the-things-we-are-wrong-about-error-might-well-top-the-list-we/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [Beyond the rightness or wrongness of things there is a field, I'll meet you there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/beyond-the-rightness-or-wrongness-of-things-there-is-a-field-i-ll/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [My best way of making someone admit to something's wrongness is to have them imagine that thing done to them. Suddenly then it all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-schlessinger/my-best-way-of-making-someone-admit-to-something-s-wrongness-is-to/) [Laura Schlessinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-schlessinger/) > [I don't know what good composition is… Sometimes for me composition has to do with a certain brightness or a certain coming to restness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-arbus/i-don-t-know-what-good-composition-is-sometimes-for-me-composition/) [Diane Arbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-arbus/) > [“There it was again, a subtle wrongness about things that you couldn’t quite put your finger on because your finger was too scared.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-it-was-again-a-subtle-wrongness-about-things-that-you-couldn-t/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“It is often precisely these irresolvable issues that arouse our most impassioned certainty that we are right and our adversaries are wrong. To my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/it-is-often-precisely-these-irresolvable-issues-that-arouse-our-most/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [A scholar can never let mere wrongness get in the way of the theory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/a-scholar-can-never-let-mere-wrongness-get-in-the-way-of-the-theory/) [China Mieville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/) ## More by Emily Gould > [Women especially are trained to protect other people's feelings, and a lot of that involves not telling the truth even about the fundamental details…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/women-especially-are-trained-to-protect-other-people-s-feelings-and-a/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [No one ever addresses the possibility that a writer might not like her book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/no-one-ever-addresses-the-possibility-that-a-writer-might-not-like/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [A lot of people get to the point in their careers where blurbs are ghostwritten for them, because they're like, "I want to support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/a-lot-of-people-get-to-the-point-in-their-careers-where-blurbs-are/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [If a woman writes about herself, she’s a narcissist. If a man does the same, he’s describing the human condition. But people seem to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/if-a-woman-writes-about-herself-she-s-a-narcissist-if-a-man-does-the/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [Nothing trains you better to write fiction than being really good at writing about your own interiority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/nothing-trains-you-better-to-write-fiction-than-being-really-good-at/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [“And there was Sam’s charming Marxist thing of thinking that restaurants, new clothes, et cetera, were frivolities that only served to keep workers addicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/and-there-was-sam-s-charming-marxist-thing-of-thinking-that/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [Unless your aim is to deceive, there's not a meaningful distinction between memoir and fiction. They're marketing categories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/unless-your-aim-is-to-deceive-there-s-not-a-meaningful-distinction/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [“I stopped typing and started having a conversation about the blog post with my boyfriend. He said he’d liked the part where the narrator…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/i-stopped-typing-and-started-having-a-conversation-about-the-blog/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [I don't think being a lawyer is more or less valuable than being a writer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/i-don-t-think-being-a-lawyer-is-more-or-less-valuable-than-being-a/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [When you write in the third person, you get to imagine other people's interiority.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/when-you-write-in-the-third-person-you-get-to-imagine-other-people-s/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [No human walking the earth thinks of himself as a bullshitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/no-human-walking-the-earth-thinks-of-himself-as-a-bullshitter/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [“She wondered if it counted as being good if you did the good thing for purely selfish reasons. Probably not, but who cared. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/she-wondered-if-it-counted-as-being-good-if-you-did-the-good-thing/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [To some extent the shorter the writing assignment is, the harder it is to accomplish, and a blurb is 200 words max. Blurbs are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/to-some-extent-the-shorter-the-writing-assignment-is-the-harder-it-is/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [I would love it if my book was considered chick-lit or a beach read. That would be great. People would buy my book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/i-would-love-it-if-my-book-was-considered-chick-lit-or-a-beach-read/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) > [“Existential angst was far, far above her pay grade.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-gould/existential-angst-was-far-far-above-her-pay-grade/) [Emily Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) [Explore all 20 Emily Gould quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-gould/) ## More Clear quotes > [Self-respect and a clear conscience are powerful components of integrity and are the basis for enriching your relationships with others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/self-respect-and-a-clear-conscience-are-powerful-components-of/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. So I went to Belgium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorgan-hazard/when-i-came-to-chelsea-it-was-clear-that-like-many-other-players-i/) [Thorgan Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorgan-hazard/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [The thing about hitting kids is, think about if you were doing the same thing to another adult. Hitting your kid is really the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/the-thing-about-hitting-kids-is-think-about-if-you-were-doing-the/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [Clear moments are so short. There is much more darkness. More ocean than terra firma. More shadow than form.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-zagajewski/clear-moments-are-so-short-there-is-much-more-darkness-more-ocean/) [Adam Zagajewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-zagajewski/) > [I try to listen to all music with an open head, a clear head, try not to say just because I don't know it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ghostface-killah/i-try-to-listen-to-all-music-with-an-open-head-a-clear-head-try-not/) [Ghostface Killah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ghostface-killah/) > [God's Word does provide life lessons to teach us how to live. And it gives us beautiful poetry that gives voice to our human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-rothschild/god-s-word-does-provide-life-lessons-to-teach-us-how-to-live-and-it/) [Jennifer Rothschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-rothschild/) > [ We have no clear ideas of the agency of \[demonic\] spirits, nor is it necessary. The Scripture says little to satisfy our curiosity; but… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-newton/we-have-no-clear-ideas-of-the-agency-of-demonic-spirits-nor-is-it/) [John Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-newton/) > [I've always made it clear that I do not believe that global government is either necessary or feasible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-strong/i-ve-always-made-it-clear-that-i-do-not-believe-that-global/) [Maurice Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-strong/) > [The moment it begins to question itself, the mind becomes so clear that it starts working with itself rather than with the body's identification.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-katie/the-moment-it-begins-to-question-itself-the-mind-becomes-so-clear/) [Byron Katie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-katie/) > [Alec Wilkinson is a spare, clear, and lucid writer who works in stylistic simplicity with material that is not simple at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-matthiessen/alec-wilkinson-is-a-spare-clear-and-lucid-writer-who-works-in/) [Peter Matthiessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-matthiessen/) > [ I can't imagine that I would be asked that by the president-elect \[Donald Trump\], or then-president \[Barack Obama\]. 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