--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Changes are not only possible and…" description: "\"Changes are not only possible and predictable, but to deny them is to be an accomplice to one's own unnecessary vegetation.\" — Gail Sheehy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d51/gail-sheehy-3031_accomplices_changes-are-not-only-possible-and-predic_2629993.png" --- # Changes are not only possible and predictable, but to deny… ![“Changes are not only possible and predictable, but to deny them is to be an accomplice to one's own unnecessary vegetation.” quote by Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d51/gail-sheehy-3031_accomplices_changes-are-not-only-possible-and-predic_2629993.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d51/gail-sheehy-3031_accomplices_changes-are-not-only-possible-and-predic_2629993.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d51/gail-sheehy-3031_accomplices_changes-are-not-only-possible-and-predic_2629993.png) > “Changes are not only possible and predictable, but to deny them is to be an accomplice to one's own unnecessary vegetation.” [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Change is inevitable and foreseeable; ignoring it makes us complicit in stagnation. **In simple terms:** Ignoring change leads to unnecessary stagnation. Key Takeaway Embrace and shape change. Themes change responsibility stagnation Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - organizational reform - environmental adaptation Key Concepts predictability agency self‑sabotage Questions to Reflect On - How do you resist acknowledging change? - What habits keep you stuck? A Different Perspective Denial can perpetuate harmful habits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplice Unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplice-unnecessary-2180821/) [Accomplices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplices/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Changes Possible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changes-possible-2180819/) [Deny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deny/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Possible Predictable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possible-predictable-2180820/) [Predictable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictable/) [Predictable Deny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictable-deny-2180818/) [Unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnecessary/) [Unnecessary Vegetation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnecessary-vegetation-2180817/) [Vegetation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vegetation/) ## Related quotes > [Changes are not predictable; but to deny them is to be an accomplice to one's own unnecessary vegetation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/changes-are-not-predictable-but-to-deny-them-is-to-be-an-accomplice/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [“The plants in the garden - the aloes, the almond tree, the rose tree and the iris - were afraid of her. The flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-cramer/the-plants-in-the-garden-the-aloes-the-almond-tree-the-rose-tree-and/) [Hendrik Cramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hendrik-cramer/) > [There is something nobly simple and pure in a taste for the cultivation of forest trees. It argues, I think, a sweet and generous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/there-is-something-nobly-simple-and-pure-in-a-taste-for-the/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [...the computer models are very good at solving equations of fluid dynamics but very bad at describing the real world. The real world is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/the-computer-models-are-very-good-at-solving-equations-of-fluid/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [Where timber vegetation is ruthlessly destroyed, aridity and its sequence sterility will prevail and the hotter the climate, the more to be dreaded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ferdinand-von-mueller/where-timber-vegetation-is-ruthlessly-destroyed-aridity-and-its/) [Ferdinand von Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ferdinand-von-mueller/) > [The work of vegetation begins first in the irritability of the bark and leaf-buds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-work-of-vegetation-begins-first-in-the-irritability-of-the-bark/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Experiments upon vegetation give reason to believe that light combines with certain parts of vegetables, and that the green of their leaves, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-lavoisier/experiments-upon-vegetation-give-reason-to-believe-that-light/) [Antoine Lavoisier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-lavoisier/) > [“Scrubby evergreen bushes released a strong scent of resin and honey; forests of pine gave way to gentle south-facing vineyards disturbed only by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-lawrenson/scrubby-evergreen-bushes-released-a-strong-scent-of-resin-and-honey/) [Deborah Lawrenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-lawrenson/) > [Wealth and vegetation go together, and that exacerbates environmental injustice. The poor bear the burden of degraded environments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-jeremijenko/wealth-and-vegetation-go-together-and-that-exacerbates-environmental/) [Natalie Jeremijenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-jeremijenko/) > [Just as the light and weightless vegetation of saltpeter floats over the old walls of houses as soon as the owner gets careless, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/federico-garc-a-lorca/just-as-the-light-and-weightless-vegetation-of-saltpeter-floats-over/) [Federico Garcia Lorca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/federico-garc-a-lorca/) > [Her mighty lakes, like oceans of liquid silver; her mountains with their right aerial tints; her valleys, teeming with wild fertility; her tremendous cataracts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/washington-irving/her-mighty-lakes-like-oceans-of-liquid-silver-her-mountains-with/) [Washington Irving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/washington-irving/) > [The Revelations is an amazing, rich material that is full of stories about angels and angels being sent down to Earth to wipe out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/misha-collins/the-revelations-is-an-amazing-rich-material-that-is-full-of-stories/) [Misha Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/misha-collins/) > [“There are no trivial facts in humanity, nor little leaves in vegetation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/there-are-no-trivial-facts-in-humanity-nor-little-leaves-in-vegetation/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“He began to explain to me that vegetation, and especially mature trees, are able to transmit harmony when one rests one’s nerve centers against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/he-began-to-explain-to-me-that-vegetation-and-especially-mature-trees/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [The only technology that can 'see' beneath the ground is radar imagery. But satellite imagery also allows scientists to map short- and long-term changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-parcak/the-only-technology-that-can-see-beneath-the-ground-is-radar-imagery/) [Sarah Parcak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-parcak/) ## More by Gail Sheehy > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [To be tested is good. The challenged life may be the best therapist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/to-be-tested-is-good-the-challenged-life-may-be-the-best-therapist/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [No one can control the aging process or the trajectory of illness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/no-one-can-control-the-aging-process-or-the-trajectory-of-illness/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [“Further discomfort from these new realities afflicts men who expected to reach a certain level by dint of their white maleness but who now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/further-discomfort-from-these-new-realities-afflicts-men-who-expected/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [I dare to do things - that's how I survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-dare-to-do-things-that-s-how-i-survive/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [Spontaneity, the hallmark of childhood, is well worth cultivating to counteract the rigidity that may otherwise set in as we grow older.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/spontaneity-the-hallmark-of-childhood-is-well-worth-cultivating-to/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [By listening, by caring, by playing you back to yourself, friends ratify your better instincts and endorse your unique worth. Friends validate you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/by-listening-by-caring-by-playing-you-back-to-yourself-friends-ratify/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [The first thing one notices about Jill Abramson is her short stature. The second is her intensity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/the-first-thing-one-notices-about-jill-abramson-is-her-short-stature/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [“Ignorant of our own and our mate’s inner life, we are ruled largely by external forces at this stage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/ignorant-of-our-own-and-our-mate-s-inner-life-we-are-ruled-largely-by/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [Family caregiving has become a predictable crisis. Americans are living longer and longer but dying slower and slower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/family-caregiving-has-become-a-predictable-crisis-americans-are/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [“The other real forces urging young people into marriages generally sift down to one of the following: the need for safety, the need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/the-other-real-forces-urging-young-people-into-marriages-generally/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [I'd visually have that idea. I'm diving off the end of the diving board. I'm not going to be worried about if I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-d-visually-have-that-idea-i-m-diving-off-the-end-of-the-diving/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [To hear how special and wonderful we are is endlessly enthralling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/to-hear-how-special-and-wonderful-we-are-is-endlessly-enthralling/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [When men reach their sixties and retire, they go to pieces. Women go right on cooking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/when-men-reach-their-sixties-and-retire-they-go-to-pieces-women-go/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [Journalism today is obviously in a major transition. Going to journalism school, learning how to write, working your way up in a little paper…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/journalism-today-is-obviously-in-a-major-transition-going-to/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) [Explore all 142 Gail Sheehy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) ## More Accomplices quotes > [It takes little or nothing to undo reputations, the merest trifle makes and remakes them, it is simply a question of finding the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/it-takes-little-or-nothing-to-undo-reputations-the-merest-trifle/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [Americans will not allow any Islamic regime to reach the position of governance except if it is an accomplice to the Americans, just like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayman-al-zawahiri/americans-will-not-allow-any-islamic-regime-to-reach-the-position-of/) [Ayman al-Zawahiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayman-al-zawahiri/) > [And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-this-is-the-forbidden-truth-the-unspeakable-taboo-that-evil-is/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Insecurity is miserable. That's the bottom line. We don't need it. We don't want it. And we really can live without it. So what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/insecurity-is-miserable-that-s-the-bottom-line-we-don-t-need-it-we/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [An American professor complained that a crypto-Marxist like me was invited in the USA, and I was denounced by the press in Eastern European…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/an-american-professor-complained-that-a-crypto-marxist-like-me-was/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [And the past held only this wisdom: that love was a damaging mistake, and its accomplice, hope, a treacherous illusion. And whenever those twin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/and-the-past-held-only-this-wisdom-that-love-was-a-damaging-mistake-2/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [You're only a victim once. The next time you're an accomplice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-judd/you-re-only-a-victim-once-the-next-time-you-re-an-accomplice/) [Naomi Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-judd/) > [Then one day I realized that a false picture of the German camps had been created and that the problem of the concentration camps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rassinier/then-one-day-i-realized-that-a-false-picture-of-the-german-camps-had/) [Paul Rassinier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rassinier/) > [And what is an authentic madman? It is a man who preferred to become mad, in the socially accepted sense of the word, rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonin-artaud/and-what-is-an-authentic-madman-it-is-a-man-who-preferred-to-become/) [Antonin Artaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonin-artaud/) > [The injustice of defeat lies in the fact that its most innocent victims are made to look like heartless accomplices. 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It doesn't mean anything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-give-up-the-world-line-by-line-stoically-and-then-one-day-you/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [We become accomplices in evil every time we seek to soothe the unslakable appetites of the crime family that sits in Pyongyang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/we-become-accomplices-in-evil-every-time-we-seek-to-soothe-the/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [When struck on one cheek to turn the other, is really joining a conspiracy to secure the triumph of brutality. 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