--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to think if you fell from grace it…" description: "\"I used to think if you fell from grace it was more likely than not the result of one stupendous error, or else an unfortunate accident. I hadn't learne..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/jane-hamilton-13894_accident_i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-i_288619.jpg" --- # I used to think if you fell from grace it was more likely… ![“I used to think if you fell from grace it was more likely than not the result of one stupendous error, or else an unfortunate accident. I hadn't learned that it can happen so gradually you don't lose your stomach or hurt yourself in the landing. You don't necessarily sense the motion. I've found…” quote by Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/jane-hamilton-13894_accident_i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-i_288619.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/jane-hamilton-13894_accident_i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-i_288619.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/jane-hamilton-13894_accident_i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-i_288619.jpg) > “I used to think if you fell from grace it was more likely than not the result of one stupendous error, or else an unfortunate accident. I hadn't learned that it can happen so gradually you don't lose your stomach or hurt yourself in the landing. You don't necessarily sense the motion. I've found it takes at least two and generally three things to alter the course of a life: You slip around the truth once, and then again, and one more time, and there you are, feeling, for a moment, that it was sudden, your arrival at the bottom of the heap.” [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Gradual moral decline often goes unnoticed until multiple small compromises culminate in a sudden collapse. **In simple terms:** Small lies add up to big ruin. Key Takeaway Watch for repeated rationalizations. Themes ethics self\_deception consequences Mood reflective somber Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - career decisions - financial management - health habits Key Concepts cognitive\_dissonance incremental\_decay Questions to Reflect On - How many small compromises have you ignored? - What signs indicate a hidden downward trend? A Different Perspective Gradual decline can be halted by early self‑reflection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accident](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) [Accidents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accidents/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [More time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more-time/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The first jolt I received in my life was when I lost my father in a motorcycle accident when I was eight. I would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nobu-matsuhisa/the-first-jolt-i-received-in-my-life-was-when-i-lost-my-father-in-a/) [Nobu Matsuhisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nobu-matsuhisa/) > [The death is unfortunate. It is an accident. It is not police atrocity . It is a small and petty matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mamata-banerjee/the-death-is-unfortunate-it-is-an-accident-it-is-not-police-atrocity/) [Mamata Banerjee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mamata-banerjee/) > [Good stuff tends to happen gradually, whereas violence or catastrophes are deemed more newsworthy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/good-stuff-tends-to-happen-gradually-whereas-violence-or-catastrophes/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [There are moments in your life when the big pieces slide and shift. Sometimes the big changes dong happen gradually but all at once.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/there-are-moments-in-your-life-when-the-big-pieces-slide-and-shift/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [“Slynt looked about the solar, at the other Eastwatch men. "Does this boy think I fell off a turnip wagon onto my head?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/slynt-looked-about-the-solar-at-the-other-eastwatch-men-does-this-boy/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [Don't ever think I fell for you, or fell over you. I didn't fall in love, I rose in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/don-t-ever-think-i-fell-for-you-or-fell-over-you-i-didn-t-fall-in/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [I think I fell in love with Singapore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iu/i-think-i-fell-in-love-with-singapore/) IU > [Yeah, right. I don’t believe that one for a minute. What do you think? I fell off a turnip truck? (Simone) Honestly? All I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/yeah-right-i-don-t-believe-that-one-for-a-minute-what-do-you-think-i/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“I think she fell out of the stupid tree and hit every branch on the way down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-seilstad/i-think-she-fell-out-of-the-stupid-tree-and-hit-every-branch-on-the/) [Lorna Seilstad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-seilstad/) > [“But the picking out, the choosing. Don't ever think I fell for you, or fell over you. I didn't fall in love, I rose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/but-the-picking-out-the-choosing-don-t-ever-think-i-fell-for-you-or/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [A lot of people - they might think I fell off, but they don't know I'm eating. I'm on the West coast, eating. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-40/a-lot-of-people-they-might-think-i-fell-off-but-they-don-t-know-i-m/) E-40 > [In reviewing films, people get quite liberal about saying "the script" this and "the script" that, when they've never read the script any more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/in-reviewing-films-people-get-quite-liberal-about-saying-the-script/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [ I wrote an article about the marine landing \[in Haiti\] right away, but barely mentioned the oil, because my article would come out two… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/i-wrote-an-article-about-the-marine-landing-in-haiti-right-away-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [Your deeper sense isn’t a springboard; it’s a landing place. If you draw conclusions too quickly or too slowly, you’ll establish your self where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-de-ruiter/your-deeper-sense-isn-t-a-springboard-it-s-a-landing-place-if-you/) [John de Ruiter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-de-ruiter/) > [I looked at one little print for a long time. It was called 'The Landing.' It showed men tugging on a rope, pulling a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-banting/i-looked-at-one-little-print-for-a-long-time-it-was-called-the/) [Frederick Banting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-banting/) ## More by Jane Hamilton > [“I’ve found it takes at least two and generally three things to alter the course of a life: You slip around the truth once,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/i-ve-found-it-takes-at-least-two-and-generally-three-things-to-alter/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [From early on I valued the gift of memory above all others. I understood that as we grow older we carry a whole nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/from-early-on-i-valued-the-gift-of-memory-above-all-others-i/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [We're only passers-by, and all you can do is love what you have in your life. A person has to fight the meanness that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/we-re-only-passers-by-and-all-you-can-do-is-love-what-you-have-in/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [“I will hear a noise, like a fish jumping, and when I look I'll see Lizzy coming to the surface, shaking off her pink…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/i-will-hear-a-noise-like-a-fish-jumping-and-when-i-look-i-ll-see/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [“The two or so times we actually fought she smashed a plate and stormed out into the night. I have always disliked an argument.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/the-two-or-so-times-we-actually-fought-she-smashed-a-plate-and/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [This was life, I supposed, running and running and running, and realizing along the way that the phantom was getting closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/this-was-life-i-supposed-running-and-running-and-running-and/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [She read books quickly and compulsively, paperback after paperback, as if she might drift away without the anchor of the printed page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/she-read-books-quickly-and-compulsively-paperback-after-paperback-as/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [“In Charles Dickens's books I had to admire the way the meanest enemies spoke to each other, with what seemed to me to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/in-charles-dickens-s-books-i-had-to-admire-the-way-the-meanest/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [“Wait." Walter went to the basket, taking what was a gray sleeve, drawing it out fro the middle of the heap. "Oh," He said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/wait-walter-went-to-the-basket-taking-what-was-a-gray-sleeve-drawing/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [The magical descriptions of Italy and hilarious observations about love, travel, natives and foreigners in Love in Idleness are but a few of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/the-magical-descriptions-of-italy-and-hilarious-observations-about/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [I had forgotten what it was like, to be drawn to a person...I'd forgotten how your blood flows toward a person when they move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/i-had-forgotten-what-it-was-like-to-be-drawn-to-a-person-i-d/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [There were so many miracles at work: that a blossom might become a peach, that a bee could make honey in its thorax, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/there-were-so-many-miracles-at-work-that-a-blossom-might-become-a/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [“However, Mr. Darcy was the man I truly admired. I see him clearly. He is exceptionally tall, and his head is covered with black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/however-mr-darcy-was-the-man-i-truly-admired-i-see-him-clearly-he-is/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [“Sometimes I couldn't figure it out, what all the living was for.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/sometimes-i-couldn-t-figure-it-out-what-all-the-living-was-for/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) > [Ordinary life was laced with miracles, I knew that, had read enough poetry to understand that we are elevated with the knowing, and yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/ordinary-life-was-laced-with-miracles-i-knew-that-had-read-enough/) [Jane Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) [Explore all 48 Jane Hamilton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/) ## More Accident quotes > [Fame, we may understand, is no sure test of merit, but only a probability of such: it is an accident, not a property, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/fame-we-may-understand-is-no-sure-test-of-merit-but-only-a/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [I went to school at night in L.A. to brush up on my engineering while I applied to the astronaut program. I really did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/i-went-to-school-at-night-in-l-a-to-brush-up-on-my-engineering-while/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [“The accident in your rearview mirror already happened. The one in front of you is still preventable. Pay attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nakia-r-laushaul/the-accident-in-your-rearview-mirror-already-happened-the-one-in/) [Nakia R. Laushaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nakia-r-laushaul/) > [People dont get married by accident and they dont get divorced by accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hayes/people-dont-get-married-by-accident-and-they-dont-get-divorced-by/) [Darren Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hayes/) > [My father had Parkinson's, though he actually died following a bicycle accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kt-tunstall/my-father-had-parkinson-s-though-he-actually-died-following-a-bicycle/) [KT Tunstall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kt-tunstall/) > [A tragic car accident put me in a wheelchair and dashed my hopes and dreams for the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madison-cawthorn/a-tragic-car-accident-put-me-in-a-wheelchair-and-dashed-my-hopes-and/) [Madison Cawthorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madison-cawthorn/) > [My musical career was an accident.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sade-adu/my-musical-career-was-an-accident/) [Sade Adu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sade-adu/) > [The spirit in the body is like wine in a glass; when it spills, it seeps into air and earth and light….It’s a mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-michaels/the-spirit-in-the-body-is-like-wine-in-a-glass-when-it-spills-it/) [Anne Michaels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-michaels/) > [accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/accident-ruled-every-corner-of-the-universe-except-the-chambers-of/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [There is a French expression that says: to be exposed to an accident, to cross a street without looking at the cars means exposing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-virilio/there-is-a-french-expression-that-says-to-be-exposed-to-an-accident/) [Paul Virilio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-virilio/) > [It's no accident that most self-help groups use 'anonymous' in their names; to Americans, the first step toward redemption is a ritual wiping out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/it-s-no-accident-that-most-self-help-groups-use-anonymous-in-their/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [“I just got out of the hospital. I was in a speed reading accident. I hit a book mark and flew across the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-just-got-out-of-the-hospital-i-was-in-a-speed-reading-accident-i/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [However, I met with a horrible accident while riding my bike in Sangla Valley. The accident was a wakeup call for me stop getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhinav-shukla/however-i-met-with-a-horrible-accident-while-riding-my-bike-in-sangla/) [Abhinav Shukla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhinav-shukla/) > [“Because the core of my personal philosophy is that everything that happens to us benefits us, I was also spared the futility of cursing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/because-the-core-of-my-personal-philosophy-is-that-everything-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 922 Accident quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accident/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to think if you fell from grace it was more likely than not the result of one stupendous error, or else an unfortunate accident. I hadn't learned that it can happen so gradually you don't lose your stomach or hurt yourself in the landing. You don't necessarily sense the motion. I've found it takes at least two and generally three things to alter the course of a life: You slip around the truth once, and then again, and one more time, and there you are, feeling, for a moment, that it was sudden, your arrival at the bottom of the heap.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jane Hamilton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-it-was-more-likely-than-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accident" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-it-was-more-likely-than-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/jane-hamilton-13894_accident_i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-i_288619.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/jane-hamilton-13894_accident_i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-i_288619.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d1a/jane-hamilton-13894_accident_i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-i_288619.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I used to think if you fell from grace it was more likely than not the result of one stupendous error, or…” — Jane Hamilton", "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": "Jane Hamilton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-hamilton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I used to think if you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-it-was-more-likely-than-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-hamilton/i-used-to-think-if-you-fell-from-grace-it-was-more-likely-than-not/#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 } } ] } ```