--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Danny had no idea what the thing was. All…" description: "\"“Danny had no idea what the thing was. All he knew was that he lived more or less in a constant state of expecting something any day, any hour, that wo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jennifer-egan-825_making-money_danny-had-no-idea-what-the-thing-was-all_162897.jpg" --- # Danny had no idea what the thing was. All he knew was that… ![“Danny had no idea what the thing was. All he knew was that he lived more or less in a constant state of expecting something any day, any hour, that would change everything, knock the world upside down and put Danny's whole life into perspective as a story of complete success, because every twist…” quote by Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jennifer-egan-825_making-money_danny-had-no-idea-what-the-thing-was-all_162897.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jennifer-egan-825_making-money_danny-had-no-idea-what-the-thing-was-all_162897.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c11/jennifer-egan-825_making-money_danny-had-no-idea-what-the-thing-was-all_162897.jpg) > ““Danny had no idea what the thing was. All he knew was that he lived more or less in a constant state of expecting something any day, any hour, that would change everything, knock the world upside down and put Danny's whole life into perspective as a story of complete success, because every twist and turn and snag and fuckup would always have been leading up to this. Unexpected stuff could hit him like the thing at first: a girl he'd forgotten giving his number to suddenly calling up out of the blue, a friend with some genius plan for making money, better yet a person he'd never heard of who wanted to talk. Danny got an actual physical head rush from messages like these, but as soon as he called back and found out the details, the calls would turn out to just be about more projects, possibilities, schemes that boiled down to everything staying exactly like it was.”” [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Constant anticipation of life-changing events can create excitement but often leads to disappointment when reality stays the same. **In simple terms:** Always expecting big changes can feel thrilling yet end in letdown. Key Takeaway Ground expectations in realistic goals. Themes expectation disappointment hope Mood anxious hopeful Type narrative reflective When to use this quote - career planning - relationship building - creative projects Key Concepts psychology storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What small steps can you take toward meaningful change? - How do you differentiate realistic opportunities from fantasies? A Different Perspective Focusing on improbable events may cause chronic dissatisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Danny Idea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danny-idea-1781743/) [Danny Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/danny-life-1781741/) [Making money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Talk Danny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talk-danny-1781742/) [Thing Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-knew-407287/) [Upside Danny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/upside-danny-1781744/) [Whole life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-life/) ## Related quotes > [“You’ve gotta be the best thing I never knew I wanted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariana-zapata/you-ve-gotta-be-the-best-thing-i-never-knew-i-wanted/) [Mariana Zapata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariana-zapata/) > [What a good thing Adam had. When he said a good thing he knew nobody had said it before.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/what-a-good-thing-adam-had-when-he-said-a-good-thing-he-knew-nobody/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [What a subtle, treacherous thing it was to let yourself go that way! Because once you've started it was terribly difficult to stop; soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-yates/what-a-subtle-treacherous-thing-it-was-to-let-yourself-go-that-way/) [Richard Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-yates/) > [I never fantasized or invented a thing, not one thing. I knew every single thing I ever wrote about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-young/i-never-fantasized-or-invented-a-thing-not-one-thing-i-knew-every/) [Marguerite Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-young/) > [The thing is, I knew from the very first audition that I did not fit the classic 'X Factor' criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-arthur/the-thing-is-i-knew-from-the-very-first-audition-that-i-did-not-fit/) [James Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-arthur/) > [I think the only thing I knew for sure is that I wanted to, whatever I did, I wanted to travel with my work,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/i-think-the-only-thing-i-knew-for-sure-is-that-i-wanted-to-whatever-i/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [“If there was one thing I knew, it was that our demons were what shaped who we were. 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I felt, 'This is my thing,' and I knew that someday I'd make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johan-renck/the-first-time-i-went-behind-the-camera-was-in-1993-i-felt-this-is-my/) [Johan Renck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johan-renck/) ## More by Jennifer Egan > [“Behind the desk was nothing but view-the whole city flung out in front of us the way street vendors fling out their towels packed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/behind-the-desk-was-nothing-but-view-the-whole-city-flung-out-in/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I just think that, for my particular personality, feeling slightly invisible is always a help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-just-think-that-for-my-particular-personality-feeling-slightly/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Between books, I have to throw out everything I did before, because the tools I've used to write the previous book will not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/between-books-i-have-to-throw-out-everything-i-did-before-because-the/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [As a reader and a writer, I'm happiest when apparently mutually exclusive states can somehow coexist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/as-a-reader-and-a-writer-i-m-happiest-when-apparently-mutually/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I teach intermittently, and while I enjoy it, I don't find that it's a calling for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-teach-intermittently-and-while-i-enjoy-it-i-don-t-find-that-it-s-a/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Like all failed experiments, that one taught me something I didn’t expect: one key ingredient of so-called experience is the delusional faith that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/like-all-failed-experiments-that-one-taught-me-something-i-didn-t/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [“Thousands of solar panels lift and tilt at the same time, in the same way. 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I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-had-this-idea-that-i-could-hire-myself-out-as-a-person-to-go-on/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [At night, the house thick with sleep, she would peer out her bedroom window at the trees and sky and feel the presence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/at-night-the-house-thick-with-sleep-she-would-peer-out-her-bedroom/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I number my drafts, and by the time a book is done, I'll have 75 or 80 drafts of some sections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/i-number-my-drafts-and-by-the-time-a-book-is-done-i-ll-have-75-or-80/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [Read at the level at which you want to write. Reading is the nourishment that feeds the kind of writing you want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/read-at-the-level-at-which-you-want-to-write-reading-is-the/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [I was a stepchild in two different families. 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I drive a corvette and live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-drake/i-m-loving-life-making-money-doing-what-i-love-to-do-making-good/) [Eli Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-drake/) [Browse all 1,765 Making money quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-money/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Danny had no idea what the thing was. All he knew was that he lived more or less in a constant state of expecting something any day, any hour, that would change everything, knock the world upside down and put Danny's whole life into perspective as a story of complete success, because every twist and turn and snag and fuckup would always have been leading up to this. Unexpected stuff could hit him like the thing at first: a girl he'd forgotten giving his number to suddenly calling up out of the blue, a friend with some genius plan for making money, better yet a person he'd never heard of who wanted to talk. 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