--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Seems like every time life starts…" description: "\"“Seems like every time life starts straightening itself out, something's gotta go and happen.”\" — Jacqueline Woodson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/jacqueline-woodson-1482_happen_seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straig_2654422.png" --- # Seems like every time life starts straightening itself… ![“Seems like every time life starts straightening itself out, something's gotta go and happen.” quote by Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/jacqueline-woodson-1482_happen_seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straig_2654422.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/jacqueline-woodson-1482_happen_seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straig_2654422.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/jacqueline-woodson-1482_happen_seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straig_2654422.png) > ““Seems like every time life starts straightening itself out, something's gotta go and happen.”” [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life's progress is interrupted by unexpected events, requiring adaptation. **In simple terms:** Life gets interrupted; things happen. Key Takeaway Embrace flexibility amid change. Themes adaptability life cycles uncertainty Mood hopeful empathetic Type literary motivational When to use this quote - career shifts - family crises - health challenges Key Concepts narrative theory resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do we build resilience? - What strategies help navigate sudden shifts? A Different Perspective Constant change can feel destabilizing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Life starts with love and ends with love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/life-starts-with-love-and-ends-with-love/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [“If I’ve learned one lesson in all my days, it’s this: Life starts new, every sunrise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/if-i-ve-learned-one-lesson-in-all-my-days-it-s-this-life-starts-new/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [Once they move, they're gone. Once you move, life starts over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-hinkle/once-they-move-they-re-gone-once-you-move-life-starts-over-again/) Jim Hinkle > [I have a great family, great kids. I have practically everything, you know? Sometimes I have to pinch myself. It's really true: Life starts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bjorn-borg/i-have-a-great-family-great-kids-i-have-practically-everything-you/) [Bjorn Borg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bjorn-borg/) > [Some times life starts out slow and throws things at you that you don't under stand and you end up getting knocked down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter/some-times-life-starts-out-slow-and-throws-things-at-you-that-you-don/) [Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter/) > [I don't personally have a sense that life starts at conception. I don't personally have that sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-johnson/i-don-t-personally-have-a-sense-that-life-starts-at-conception-i-don/) [Gary Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-johnson/) > [Go 24hours without complaning. Not even once. Then watch how your life starts changing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/go-24hours-without-complaning-not-even-once-then-watch-how-your-life/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Whenever other worlds invite us, whenever we are balancing on the boundaries of our limited human condition, that’s where life starts, that’s where you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-petit/whenever-other-worlds-invite-us-whenever-we-are-balancing-on-the/) [Philippe Petit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-petit/) > [It may be sad, but moving on with the rest of your life, starts with goodbye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-underwood/it-may-be-sad-but-moving-on-with-the-rest-of-your-life-starts-with/) [Carrie Underwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-underwood/) > [Sometimes moving on with the rest of your life starts with goodbye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-moving-on-with-the-rest-of-your-life-starts-with-goodbye/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“But that's when life starts gettin good, right? When it's messy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-crandell/but-that-s-when-life-starts-gettin-good-right-when-it-s-messy/) Bethany Crandell > [But in real life, happily-ever-after is just the beginning. It's where life starts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-hooper/but-in-real-life-happily-ever-after-is-just-the-beginning-it-s-where/) [Kay Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-hooper/) > [Just get up and dance! Life starts when WE do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-greene/just-get-up-and-dance-life-starts-when-we-do/) [Vivian Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-greene/) > [If you start painting yourself into a corner, life starts shutting down. There is always hopefully a next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-wexner/if-you-start-painting-yourself-into-a-corner-life-starts-shutting/) [Les Wexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-wexner/) > [“Keep vigilant watch over your heart; that's where life starts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/keep-vigilant-watch-over-your-heart-that-s-where-life-starts/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) ## More by Jacqueline Woodson > [A lot of times, when people send me books to read - new writers mostly - I find that the book is still in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/a-lot-of-times-when-people-send-me-books-to-read-new-writers-mostly-i/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I think, even though homophobia still exists, there is much more of a dialogue and a taboo around being homophobic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-think-even-though-homophobia-still-exists-there-is-much-more-of-a/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I still love Carson McCullers and Raymond Carver and Toni Morrison and James Baldwin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-still-love-carson-mccullers-and-raymond-carver-and-toni-morrison/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I'm usually working on several things at once. If I get bored with one, I can go on to another. That way, I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-m-usually-working-on-several-things-at-once-if-i-get-bored-with-one/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [You have those walls up all around you...Come a day you gonna want to tear them down brick by brick and gonna find that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-have-those-walls-up-all-around-you-come-a-day-you-gonna-want-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“That's all anybody is-themselves. People all the time wanting to change that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/that-s-all-anybody-is-themselves-people-all-the-time-wanting-to/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I don't know how women stop being friends with other women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-don-t-know-how-women-stop-being-friends-with-other-women/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [Who are you without your girls? I truly believe that. Who are you without the people who help you make sense of the misogyny,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/who-are-you-without-your-girls-i-truly-believe-that-who-are-you/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“And freedom? Oh, freedom. Well that's just some people talking. Your prison is walking through this world all alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/and-freedom-oh-freedom-well-that-s-just-some-people-talking-your/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I've learned about marrying poetry and prose and making both accessible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-ve-learned-about-marrying-poetry-and-prose-and-making-both/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [You're a part of me...You're in my heart. Forever and always, all right? —D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/you-re-a-part-of-me-you-re-in-my-heart-forever-and-always-all-right-d/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [I wouldn't mind the early autumn if you came home today I'd tell you how much I miss you and know I'd be okay.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/i-wouldn-t-mind-the-early-autumn-if-you-came-home-today-i-d-tell-you/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > ['Another Brooklyn' came to me in this kind of dreamlike series of vignettes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/another-brooklyn-came-to-me-in-this-kind-of-dreamlike-series-of/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [“They're all inside of us,...past people and present people. And probably even the people we'll become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/they-re-all-inside-of-us-past-people-and-present-people-and-probably/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) > [When I was a kid, I got in trouble for lying a lot, and I had a teacher say, 'Instead of lying, write it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/when-i-was-a-kid-i-got-in-trouble-for-lying-a-lot-and-i-had-a-teacher/) [Jacqueline Woodson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) [Explore all 237 Jacqueline Woodson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/) ## More Happen quotes > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [“More, much more, will happen after this. Things involving maps and books and true love and tragedy, tragedy like you wouldn't believe. But fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/more-much-more-will-happen-after-this-things-involving-maps-and-books/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“What would happen if you didn’t do the thing you “have to” do?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brodie/what-would-happen-if-you-didn-t-do-the-thing-you-have-to-do/) [Richard Brodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brodie/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/) [Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/) > [“But if that was going to happen, it was going to happen whether or not he worried about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/but-if-that-was-going-to-happen-it-was-going-to-happen-whether-or-not/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [Films are tricky because for years you're getting told you're about to make it and you're about to be busy for four or six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/films-are-tricky-because-for-years-you-re-getting-told-you-re-about/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [I'm an American, and always will be. I happen to love that big, awkward, sprawling country very much - and its big, awkward, sprawling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jones/i-m-an-american-and-always-will-be-i-happen-to-love-that-big-awkward/) [James Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jones/) > [Kittens can happen to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/kittens-can-happen-to-anyone/) [Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/) > [I've been working with a holistic specialist, trying to bring my body into balance, and part of making that happen is putting my mom's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corbin-bernsen/i-ve-been-working-with-a-holistic-specialist-trying-to-bring-my-body/) [Corbin Bernsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corbin-bernsen/) > [Nothing bad can happen to a writer. Everything is material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/nothing-bad-can-happen-to-a-writer-everything-is-material/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [If you do what you're supposed to do, it will come to you - it will happen on its own. I don't count numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-chubb/if-you-do-what-you-re-supposed-to-do-it-will-come-to-you-it-will/) [Nick Chubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-chubb/) > [“History mattered. But it could not guarantee what might happen next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-gable/history-mattered-but-it-could-not-guarantee-what-might-happen-next/) [Michelle Gable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-gable/) > [When I went to New York to try and make it, I never thought it wouldn't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/when-i-went-to-new-york-to-try-and-make-it-i-never-thought-it-wouldn/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [“Everything changes, sweetheart. The universe loves to happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-olsen/everything-changes-sweetheart-the-universe-loves-to-happen/) [Lance Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-olsen/) Browse all 2,776 Happen quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Seems like every time life starts straightening itself out, something's gotta go and happen.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacqueline Woodson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straightening-itself-out-something/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happen" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straightening-itself-out-something/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/jacqueline-woodson-1482_happen_seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straig_2654422.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/jacqueline-woodson-1482_happen_seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straig_2654422.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/jacqueline-woodson-1482_happen_seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straig_2654422.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Seems like every time life starts straightening itself out, something's gotta go and happen.” — Jacqueline Woodson", "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": "Jacqueline Woodson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-woodson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Seems like every time life starts...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straightening-itself-out-something/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-woodson/seems-like-every-time-life-starts-straightening-itself-out-something/#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 } } ] } ```