---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Each beginning is the end of a waiting…"
description: "\"Each beginning is the end of a waiting. We are each given exactly one chance to be. Each of us is both impossible and inevitable.\" — Hope Jahren"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/hope-jahren-4468_beginning_each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-w_2440108.jpg"
---

#  Each beginning is the end of a waiting. We are each given…

![“Each beginning is the end of a waiting. We are each given exactly one chance to be. Each of us is both impossible and inevitable.” quote by Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/hope-jahren-4468_beginning_each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-w_2440108.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/hope-jahren-4468_beginning_each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-w_2440108.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/hope-jahren-4468_beginning_each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-w_2440108.jpg)

> “Each beginning is the end of a waiting. We are each given exactly one chance to be. Each of us is both impossible and inevitable.”

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

## About This Quote

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

Every start marks the end of waiting; each person has a single chance to exist, embodying paradoxes of impossibility and inevitability.

**In simple terms:** Beginnings end waiting; we have one chance to be.

Key Takeaway

Embrace each moment.

Themes

time existence paradox opportunity

Mood

contemplative motivational

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- personal growth
- creative projects
- life transitions

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- What does “impossible and inevitable” mean to you?
- How do you honor waiting before a start?

A Different Perspective

The notion of a single chance can cause pressure.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Chance Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance-impossible-480039/) [End Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-waiting-480037/) [Exactly Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exactly-chance-480038/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Impossible Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible-inevitable-480036/) [Inevitable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inevitable/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/)

## Related quotes

> [Everything has an end; Fri-end Boyfri-end Girlfri-end But at the end you will see who was waiting for the end to start .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannnethh/everything-has-an-end-fri-end-boyfri-end-girlfri-end-but-at-the-end/)

[Jannnethh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannnethh/)

> [Change always seems impossible until it's inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mcbride/change-always-seems-impossible-until-it-s-inevitable/)

[Sarah McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mcbride/)

> [“we should listen to Leon Trotsky. “Revolution is impossible until it is inevitable,” he told us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-g-chang/we-should-listen-to-leon-trotsky-revolution-is-impossible-until-it-is/)

[Gordon G. Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-g-chang/)

> [Visionaries see the "impossible" as the inevitable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-sharma/visionaries-see-the-impossible-as-the-inevitable/)

[Robin Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-sharma/)

> [“It’s like a perfect symphony of feeling, of emotion, of a love you thought was impossible; until suddenly the impossible becomes the inevitable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-michele/it-s-like-a-perfect-symphony-of-feeling-of-emotion-of-a-love-you/)

[Beth Michele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-michele/)

> [“would not sit waiting for some vague tomorrow, nor for something tohappen. One could wait a lifetime, and find nothing at the end of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/would-not-sit-waiting-for-some-vague-tomorrow-nor-for-something/)

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

> [“Patience Is Not the Ability to Wait: Patience is not the ability to wait. Patience is to be calm no matter what happens, constantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/patience-is-not-the-ability-to-wait-patience-is-not-the-ability-to/)

[Roy T. Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-t-bennett/)

> [The only reason I dont end it all is because I keep waiting for it to get better, to make friends, and be prettier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-reason-i-dont-end-it-all-is-because-i-keep-waiting-for-it-to/)

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

> [People who wait for the right moment end up waiting forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chloe-bridges/people-who-wait-for-the-right-moment-end-up-waiting-forever/)

[Chloe Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chloe-bridges/)

> [It's as if we spend our entire lives avoiding Jell-O but it is always there at the end, waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/it-s-as-if-we-spend-our-entire-lives-avoiding-jell-o-but-it-is-always/)

[John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/)

> [“Remember it is your choice; you can either wait for someone or end someone’s waiting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-moonzajer/remember-it-is-your-choice-you-can-either-wait-for-someone-or-end/)

[M.F. Moonzajer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-moonzajer/)

> [I can't give up that quick My life is a candle and a wick You can put it out, but you can't break it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-marling/i-can-t-give-up-that-quick-my-life-is-a-candle-and-a-wick-you-can-put/)

[Laura Marling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-marling/)

> [“Waiting for the end, boys, waiting for the end. What is there to be or do? What's become of me or you? Are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-empson/waiting-for-the-end-boys-waiting-for-the-end-what-is-there-to-be-or/)

[William Empson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-empson/)

> [I would not sit waiting for some vague tomorrow, nor for something to happen. One could wait a lifetime, and find nothing at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-l-amour/i-would-not-sit-waiting-for-some-vague-tomorrow-nor-for-something-to/)

[Louis L'Amour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-l-amour/)

> [Change is inevitable but personal growth is a choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-proctor/change-is-inevitable-but-personal-growth-is-a-choice/)

[Bob Proctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-proctor/)

## More by Hope Jahren

> [A tree's wood is also its memoir.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/a-tree-s-wood-is-also-its-memoir/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [“You and I are going to work our asses off, teach them shit over and over, risk our fucking lives for them, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/you-and-i-are-going-to-work-our-asses-off-teach-them-shit-over-and/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [Men and women study things differently, and it's not because of our chromosomes. It's a product of our cultural conditioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/men-and-women-study-things-differently-and-it-s-not-because-of-our/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [One thing that was very important to me was that I felt comfortable in the lab from being very, very small. I knew that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/one-thing-that-was-very-important-to-me-was-that-i-felt-comfortable/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [If every seed turned into a plant, we'd be living in a very different world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/if-every-seed-turned-into-a-plant-we-d-be-living-in-a-very-different/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [The live oak can grow sturdily on the hottest hills of central California, contrasting dark green against the golden grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-live-oak-can-grow-sturdily-on-the-hottest-hills-of-central/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [I grew up playing with kids who were the kids of people my parents grew up playing with, and they know me like nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-grew-up-playing-with-kids-who-were-the-kids-of-people-my-parents/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [The world breaks a little bit every time we cut down a tree. It's so much easier to cut one down than to grow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/the-world-breaks-a-little-bit-every-time-we-cut-down-a-tree-it-s-so/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [For a tree, to endure four months of daylight is like you or I going without sleep for four months.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/for-a-tree-to-endure-four-months-of-daylight-is-like-you-or-i-going/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [I feel like I'm the same scientist I was back when I couldn't get a grant. Now I'm that same person thinking that same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/i-feel-like-i-m-the-same-scientist-i-was-back-when-i-couldn-t-get-a/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [Plants are decisive to a fault. A stem produces a bud that flowers once and once only. It offers pollen that is either dispersed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/plants-are-decisive-to-a-fault-a-stem-produces-a-bud-that-flowers/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [Even a very little girl can wield a slide rule, the cursor serving as a haft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/even-a-very-little-girl-can-wield-a-slide-rule-the-cursor-serving-as/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [“People will tell you that you have to know math to be a scientist, or physics or chemistry. They’re wrong. That’s like saying you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/people-will-tell-you-that-you-have-to-know-math-to-be-a-scientist-or/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [No matter how much funding I get, I'm always thinking, 'This is temporary. This is fragile. It could all end tomorrow, and how am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/no-matter-how-much-funding-i-get-i-m-always-thinking-this-is/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

> [“Everybody does all kinds of shit that they don’t know why they do. They just know that they have to,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/everybody-does-all-kinds-of-shit-that-they-don-t-know-why-they-do/)

[Hope Jahren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

[Explore all 110 Hope Jahren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/)

## More Beginning quotes

> [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/)

[Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/)

> [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/)

[Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/)

> [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/)

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

> [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/)

[Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/)

> [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/)

[Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/)

> [The only vocal training I had was playing with a tape recorder as a kid, and you know, doing the beginning of the 'Lone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/the-only-vocal-training-i-had-was-playing-with-a-tape-recorder-as-a/)

[Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/)

> [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/)

[Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/)

> [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&amp;R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/)

[Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/)

> [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/)

[Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/)

> [When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/when-there-is-a-mission-before-you-you-see-it-from-its-beginning-to/)

[Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/)

> [When God made the world, all things began with him. Life, death, it all began when he said so. That includes you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manae-poet-of-carisis/when-god-made-the-world-all-things-began-with-him-life-death-it-all/)

[Manae Poet Of Carisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manae-poet-of-carisis/)

> [From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-noyce/from-the-beginning-at-intel-we-planned-on-being-big/)

[Robert Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-noyce/)

> [In the very beginning, Yelp started as a service where we really didn't think people would write reviews for fun. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/in-the-very-beginning-yelp-started-as-a-service-where-we-really-didn/)

[Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/)

> [Some projects feel like the stars are aligning for them from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/some-projects-feel-like-the-stars-are-aligning-for-them-from-the-very/)

[Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/)

> [Do not judge me by my beginning, Only by my end, Nor by the path I took, But where it led me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacklyn-h-lucas/do-not-judge-me-by-my-beginning-only-by-my-end-nor-by-the-path-i-took/)

[Jacklyn H Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacklyn-h-lucas/)

[Browse all 3,566 Beginning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Each beginning is the end of a waiting. We are each given exactly one chance to be. Each of us is both impossible and inevitable.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Hope Jahren"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-we-are-each-given-exactly-one/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beginning"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-we-are-each-given-exactly-one/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/hope-jahren-4468_beginning_each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-w_2440108.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/hope-jahren-4468_beginning_each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-w_2440108.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/hope-jahren-4468_beginning_each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-w_2440108.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Each beginning is the end of a waiting. We are each given exactly one chance to be. Each of us is both…” — Hope Jahren",
                "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": "Hope Jahren",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-jahren/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Each beginning is the end of...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-we-are-each-given-exactly-one/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-jahren/each-beginning-is-the-end-of-a-waiting-we-are-each-given-exactly-one/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
