--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And for the first time in his life Peter…" description: "\"“And for the first time in his life Peter understood what the opposite of lost was: that it had nothing to do with maps or directions or staying on cou..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/jennifer-e-smith-1454_first-time_and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter_1461479.jpg" --- # And for the first time in his life Peter understood what… ![“And for the first time in his life Peter understood what the opposite of lost was: that it had nothing to do with maps or directions or staying on course; that it was, in fact, nothing more than being found.” quote by Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/jennifer-e-smith-1454_first-time_and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter_1461479.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/jennifer-e-smith-1454_first-time_and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter_1461479.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/jennifer-e-smith-1454_first-time_and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter_1461479.jpg) > ““And for the first time in his life Peter understood what the opposite of lost was: that it had nothing to do with maps or directions or staying on course; that it was, in fact, nothing more than being found.”” [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes the moment of feeling truly found, contrasting with being lost. **In simple terms:** Being found feels different from being lost. Key Takeaway Seek connections that give a sense of belonging. Themes identity belonging discovery Mood hopeful contemplative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - relationship development - self‑exploration Key Concepts self‑realization purpose orientation Questions to Reflect On - What does “found” mean to you? - How can you recognize when you are truly found? A Different Perspective Finding may be temporary. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Commandments and covenants of God are like navigational instructions from celestial heights and will lead us safely to our eternal destination. It is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dieter-f-uchtdorf/commandments-and-covenants-of-god-are-like-navigational-instructions/) [Dieter F. Uchtdorf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dieter-f-uchtdorf/) > [“It was through Peter that she first understood that the world existed before her, without her. For a few days she could not forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-barrett/it-was-through-peter-that-she-first-understood-that-the-world-existed/) [Andrea Barrett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-barrett/) > [It is tragic-comic to see that all this knowledge and understanding exercises no power at all over men's lives, that their lives do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/it-is-tragic-comic-to-see-that-all-this-knowledge-and-understanding/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [Oh, that we fully understood how very opposite our self-righteousness is to the designs of God!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/oh-that-we-fully-understood-how-very-opposite-our-self-righteousness/) [Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/) > [“So many times I think to myself that if Christians ever learned to live the kind of life Peter described, we would turn the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-many-times-i-think-to-myself-that-if-christians-ever-learned-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“In a life filled with great good fortune of health, of creativity, of friends, living in safety and privilege with the loving partner. There…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-penny/in-a-life-filled-with-great-good-fortune-of-health-of-creativity-of/) [Louise Penny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-penny/) > [“But what the hell is life, Peter, apart from moments?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/but-what-the-hell-is-life-peter-apart-from-moments/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [“You know your father, God rest his soul... Your father had a philosophy the he held to pretty strongly. And it's one that served…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-michael-bendis/you-know-your-father-god-rest-his-soul-your-father-had-a-philosophy/) [Brian Michael Bendis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-michael-bendis/) > [“The only thing the sport gives us are moments. But what the hell is life, Peter, apart from moments?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/the-only-thing-the-sport-gives-us-are-moments-but-what-the-hell-is/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [Peter Norman is a humanitarian, and I say "is" because in my life, Peter Norman is never deceased. He's always going to live with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carlos/peter-norman-is-a-humanitarian-and-i-say-is-because-in-my-life-peter/) [John Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carlos/) > [“We are like dwarfs standing on the shoulders of giants; thanks to them, we see farther than they. Busying ourselves with the treatises written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carter-lindberg/we-are-like-dwarfs-standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-thanks-to-them/) Carter Lindberg > [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/) Vanessa Curtis > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) ## More by Jennifer E. Smith > [“He'd come back to her, it was true. He was the one to walk out of the woods and onto the beach, to cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/he-d-come-back-to-her-it-was-true-he-was-the-one-to-walk-out-of-the/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“That's the thing about flying: You could talk to someone for hours and never even know his name, share your deepest secrets and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/that-s-the-thing-about-flying-you-could-talk-to-someone-for-hours-and/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“Now Hadley presses her forehead against the window of the taxi and once again finds herself smiling at the thought of him. He's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/now-hadley-presses-her-forehead-against-the-window-of-the-taxi-and/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“He's looking at her like she's the answer to some sort of riddle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/he-s-looking-at-her-like-she-s-the-answer-to-some-sort-of-riddle/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“Well," he begins, sitting up a bit taller, "I was being quite gallant, actually, and offered to help with her suitcase. And then we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/well-he-begins-sitting-up-a-bit-taller-i-was-being-quite-gallant/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“The only time it doesn't help to imagine the sky is when you're thirty thousand feet in the air with nowhere to go but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/the-only-time-it-doesn-t-help-to-imagine-the-sky-is-when-you-re/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“Emma knew that she'd always been on the wrong side of the line that separated her from her parents, from Patrick and Annie and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/emma-knew-that-she-d-always-been-on-the-wrong-side-of-the-line-that/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“Hadley knows this isn’t some Disney movie. Her parents aren’t ever getting back together”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/hadley-knows-this-isn-t-some-disney-movie-her-parents-aren-t-ever/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“If you were to draw a map of the two of them, of where they started out and where they would both end up,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/if-you-were-to-draw-a-map-of-the-two-of-them-of-where-they-started/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“She wishes that it were true, all of it. That it were more than just a story. That is was their story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/she-wishes-that-it-were-true-all-of-it-that-it-were-more-than-just-a/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“There's a formula for how long it takes to get over someone, that it's half as long as the time you've been together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/there-s-a-formula-for-how-long-it-takes-to-get-over-someone-that-it-s/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“True," he says. "But I'm able to supplement it with my wealth of British intelligence and charm." "Right," Hadley says. "Charm. When do I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/true-he-says-but-i-m-able-to-supplement-it-with-my-wealth-of-british/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“You can't know the answer until you ask the question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/you-can-t-know-the-answer-until-you-ask-the-question/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“Chemistry wasn't something you could just create anyway; it was either there or it wasn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/chemistry-wasn-t-something-you-could-just-create-anyway-it-was-either/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [“Cheerfulness and contentment are great beautifiers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/cheerfulness-and-contentment-are-great-beautifiers/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) [Explore all 230 Jennifer E. Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) ## More First time quotes > [A man walks down the street. It's a street in a strange world. Maybe it's the third world. Maybe it's his first time around.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-simon/a-man-walks-down-the-street-it-s-a-street-in-a-strange-world-maybe-it/) [Paul Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-simon/) > [“I’m so stressed that a weird Olympic-style commentary starts up in my head. And here we have Zelah Green, the fourteen-year-old champion of rituals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-curtis/i-m-so-stressed-that-a-weird-olympic-style-commentary-starts-up-in-my/) Vanessa Curtis > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“I’m waiting for you,” he murmured, smiling a slow, familiar grin that seemed to hint at a secret between them. And for the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/i-m-waiting-for-you-he-murmured-smiling-a-slow-familiar-grin-that/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [“Treat every natural beauty you met as if you see them for the first and last time!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/treat-every-natural-beauty-you-met-as-if-you-see-them-for-the-first/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“I won’t break your heart. For the first time in my life, I’ve found something worth fighting for, someone more important than me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelle-bliss/i-won-t-break-your-heart-for-the-first-time-in-my-life-i-ve-found/) [Chelle Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelle-bliss/) > [Life is like a parachute jump: you have to get it right the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/life-is-like-a-parachute-jump-you-have-to-get-it-right-the-first-time/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [When I was in my twenties and just so sexually prolific, the first time I went to Machu Picchu, this guy, a spiritual teacher,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/when-i-was-in-my-twenties-and-just-so-sexually-prolific-the-first/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [When my kids were in the school play for the first time, I decided I had to make the costumes from scratch and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-alexander/when-my-kids-were-in-the-school-play-for-the-first-time-i-decided-i/) [Sarah Alexander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-alexander/) > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) Mennah al refaey > [“Or maybe your magic isn't that destructive after all. The rain of Doritos, the bed thing,this...Maybe it's just that you create too big, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawkins/or-maybe-your-magic-isn-t-that-destructive-after-all-the-rain-of/) [Rachel Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawkins/) > [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [I don't know why, but everybody thinks that I'm short. When they see me for the first time, women are always surprised to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/i-don-t-know-why-but-everybody-thinks-that-i-m-short-when-they-see-me/) [Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/) > [“I met Suffering on a quiet road, just as the sun was setting behind me. Its presence was heavy, like an old coat I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjo-jendayi/i-met-suffering-on-a-quiet-road-just-as-the-sun-was-setting-behind-me/) [Sanjo Jendayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjo-jendayi/) > [“You never talk to the pitcher when…” He shook his head. “You just never talk to the pitcher when--” “I just wanted to congratulate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hawthorne/you-never-talk-to-the-pitcher-when-he-shook-his-head-you-just-never/) [Rachel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hawthorne/) Browse all 9,309 First time quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And for the first time in his life Peter understood what the opposite of lost was: that it had nothing to do with maps or directions or staying on course; that it was, in fact, nothing more than being found.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jennifer E. Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter-understood-what-the-opposite/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First time" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter-understood-what-the-opposite/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/jennifer-e-smith-1454_first-time_and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter_1461479.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/jennifer-e-smith-1454_first-time_and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter_1461479.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/015/jennifer-e-smith-1454_first-time_and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter_1461479.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“And for the first time in his life Peter understood what the opposite of lost was: that it had nothing to do…” — Jennifer E. Smith", "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": "Jennifer E. Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“And for the first time in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter-understood-what-the-opposite/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/and-for-the-first-time-in-his-life-peter-understood-what-the-opposite/#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 } } ] } ```