--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When something is finished, it cannot be…" description: "\"“When something is finished, it cannot be possessed. Nothing can be possessed but the struggle.”\" — Flannery O'Connor" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/flannery-o-connor-639_creativity_when-something-is-finished-it-cannot-be_1186398.png" --- # When something is finished, it cannot be possessed… ![“When something is finished, it cannot be possessed. Nothing can be possessed but the struggle.” quote by Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/flannery-o-connor-639_creativity_when-something-is-finished-it-cannot-be_1186398.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/flannery-o-connor-639_creativity_when-something-is-finished-it-cannot-be_1186398.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/47c/flannery-o-connor-639_creativity_when-something-is-finished-it-cannot-be_1186398.png) > ““When something is finished, it cannot be possessed. Nothing can be possessed but the struggle.”” [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Completion ends the drive; only the ongoing struggle can be truly owned. **In simple terms:** Finishing ends possession; struggle remains yours. Key Takeaway Embrace the process, not just the result. Themes struggle completion ownership philosophy human condition Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic creation - personal goals - career projects - spiritual quests Key Concepts existentialism motivation purpose Questions to Reflect On - How does striving shape your identity? - Can you find value in unfinished work? A Different Perspective Completion can bring complacency or loss of purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creativity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creativity/) [Finished Possessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finished-possessed-3501670/) [Life lessons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-lessons/) [Possessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possessed/) [Possessed Possessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possessed-possessed-3501671/) [Possessed Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possessed-struggle-3501669/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) ## Related quotes > [Oh, she doesn't belong to anybody now,' he said, and suddenly I saw her for what she was - a piece of refuse waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/oh-she-doesn-t-belong-to-anybody-now-he-said-and-suddenly-i-saw-her/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [To possess money is very well; it may be a valuable servant; to be possessed by it is to be possessed by the devil,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/to-possess-money-is-very-well-it-may-be-a-valuable-servant-to-be/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [The traits I picked from my conversation with Captain Gopinath was his honesty. 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She thought the word Jesus should be kept inside the church building like other words inside the bedroom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/mrs-may-winced-she-thought-the-word-jesus-should-be-kept-inside-the/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [I feel that discussing story-writing in terms of plot, character, and theme is like trying to describe the expression on a face by saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/i-feel-that-discussing-story-writing-in-terms-of-plot-character-and/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [She had observed that the more education they got, the less they could do. 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