--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: (T)here are worse things than falling on…" description: "\"“(T)here are worse things than falling on your face right out of college...Like instant, unearned success. Like getting your first novel accepted by th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/jincy-willett-19202_falling_t-here-are-worse-things-than-falling-on_2925449.png" --- # (T)here are worse things than falling on your face right… ![“(T)here are worse things than falling on your face right out of college...Like instant, unearned success. Like getting your first novel accepted by the first publisher you send it to. Like getting your first rejection slip at the age of thirty-five.” quote by Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/jincy-willett-19202_falling_t-here-are-worse-things-than-falling-on_2925449.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/jincy-willett-19202_falling_t-here-are-worse-things-than-falling-on_2925449.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/jincy-willett-19202_falling_t-here-are-worse-things-than-falling-on_2925449.png) > ““(T)here are worse things than falling on your face right out of college...Like instant, unearned success. Like getting your first novel accepted by the first publisher you send it to. Like getting your first rejection slip at the age of thirty-five.”” [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early successes and failures can be disorienting; both can be unsettling after college. **In simple terms:** Success and failure both unsettle. Key Takeaway Embrace both outcomes. Themes career expectations growth Mood encouraging realistic Type career motivational When to use this quote - job hunting - creative pursuits - personal development Key Concepts psychology life transitions Questions to Reflect On - How to handle sudden success? - What lessons come from early rejection? A Different Perspective Focus on process over results. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Rejection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rejection/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I cant stop the tears from falling down my face I try and hold them back but I cant...He really is over me &…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-cant-stop-the-tears-from-falling-down-my-face-i-try-and-hold-them/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [ One of my favorite moments in that book \[As Easy as Falling Off the Face of the Earth\] was when something happened that I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-rae-perkins/one-of-my-favorite-moments-in-that-book-as-easy-as-falling-off-the/) [Lynne Rae Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-rae-perkins/) > [... there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/there-are-far-far-worse-things-in-the-living-world-than-dying/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [There are worse things in life to be attached to then seven seasons of Hap and Leonard: Mucho Mojo. It's in Atlanta, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-k-williams/there-are-worse-things-in-life-to-be-attached-to-then-seven-seasons/) [Michael K. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-k-williams/) > [“There are worse things in this world than monsters, and somehow, they always manage to find me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-thomas/there-are-worse-things-in-this-world-than-monsters-and-somehow-they/) [Kara Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-thomas/) > [It is one of the worse things you can say about somebody, they are racist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-hannity/it-is-one-of-the-worse-things-you-can-say-about-somebody-they-are/) [Sean Hannity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-hannity/) > [There are so many worse things than death. Not to be loved or not to be able to love: that is worse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/there-are-so-many-worse-things-than-death-not-to-be-loved-or-not-to/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I've faced worse things in my life than prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cece-mcdonald/i-ve-faced-worse-things-in-my-life-than-prison/) [CeCe McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cece-mcdonald/) > [Being frightened of things is worse than the things themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-maud-montgomery/being-frightened-of-things-is-worse-than-the-things-themselves/) [Lucy Maud Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-maud-montgomery/) > [There are worse things to be called than a dreamer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-are-worse-things-to-be-called-than-a-dreamer/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [There's a lot of worse things going on in the world than me hitting a bad five wood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-fleetwood/there-s-a-lot-of-worse-things-going-on-in-the-world-than-me-hitting-a/) [Tommy Fleetwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-fleetwood/) > [There are worse things than poverty, though I can't for the moment remember what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-mitford/there-are-worse-things-than-poverty-though-i-can-t-for-the-moment/) [Nancy Mitford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-mitford/) > [“There are worse things you can do to the people you love than kill them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/there-are-worse-things-you-can-do-to-the-people-you-love-than-kill/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [We didn't want to do any more interviews. The more we talked, the worse things got.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-pilatus/we-didn-t-want-to-do-any-more-interviews-the-more-we-talked-the-worse/) [Rob Pilatus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-pilatus/) > [There are worse things than being called 'the camel lady,' I suppose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robyn-davidson/there-are-worse-things-than-being-called-the-camel-lady-i-suppose/) [Robyn Davidson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robyn-davidson/) ## More by Jincy Willett > [“I thought, you see, that there must be some connection between money and memorable experience; between rare wine and rare intelligence. In short, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/i-thought-you-see-that-there-must-be-some-connection-between-money/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [I'm not exactly the zeitgeist queen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/i-m-not-exactly-the-zeitgeist-queen/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [Just start the sentence...and see what happens. This is how we write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/just-start-the-sentence-and-see-what-happens-this-is-how-we-write/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [“I love you," Kenneth said, with terrible dispassion, "but I would not burn the Library of Alexandria for you"; and Anita, drily sobbing, cried,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/i-love-you-kenneth-said-with-terrible-dispassion-but-i-would-not-burn/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [“With this book I hope what I always hope—that readers will nod their heads (not constantly, you know, but at the odd juncture) and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/with-this-book-i-hope-what-i-always-hope-that-readers-will-nod-their/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [“(D)ialogue is generally the worst choice for exposition. 'When you're writing lines...you need to focus on the way people actually talk. And when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/d-ialogue-is-generally-the-worst-choice-for-exposition-when-you-re/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [“Arithmetic is the death of story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/arithmetic-is-the-death-of-story/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [“You might ask yourself why you want to surprise your readers in the first place. A surprise ending is sort of like a surprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/you-might-ask-yourself-why-you-want-to-surprise-your-readers-in-the/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [That's the hard work of writing. The imagining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/that-s-the-hard-work-of-writing-the-imagining/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [“...(W)here there's drama, there's crap.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/w-here-there-s-drama-there-s-crap/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [“Fiction, when it's done right, does in the daylight what dreams do at night: we leave the confines of our own experiences and go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/fiction-when-it-s-done-right-does-in-the-daylight-what-dreams-do-at/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [Honestly, my sales pitch when I was a kid was, 'You don't want these Girl Scout cookies, do you?' If I had to push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/honestly-my-sales-pitch-when-i-was-a-kid-was-you-don-t-want-these/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [“When it comes to books, I am a sensuous woman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/when-it-comes-to-books-i-am-a-sensuous-woman/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [“But all this was beside the point. What scared Amy was the mere fact of what looked inescapably like recreational malevolence. The poem had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/but-all-this-was-beside-the-point-what-scared-amy-was-the-mere-fact/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) > [“(T)hey were at ease with each other, which was essential to a productive workshop.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jincy-willett/t-hey-were-at-ease-with-each-other-which-was-essential-to-a/) [Jincy Willett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) [Explore all 33 Jincy Willett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jincy-willett/) ## More Falling quotes > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [What if I tell you I'm falling again? what if I tell you I'm willing to stand there till you notice me again? what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana/what-if-i-tell-you-i-m-falling-again-what-if-i-tell-you-i-m-willing/) [Ana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana/) > [“We will all, at some point in our lives, fall. Every single one of us. We shouldn't spend our time trying to avoid falling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/we-will-all-at-some-point-in-our-lives-fall-every-single-one-of-us-we/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [When you see how fragile and delicate life can be, all else fades into the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenna-morasca/when-you-see-how-fragile-and-delicate-life-can-be-all-else-fades-into/) [Jenna Morasca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenna-morasca/) > [“If you ever falling but can't see the bottom be glad you can't because at the bottom it's either a soft land or rocks!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelseigh-ashton/if-you-ever-falling-but-can-t-see-the-bottom-be-glad-you-can-t/) Kelseigh Ashton > [They say that if you give your children too much, they don't get the joy out of work. They just want the unearned things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-rinehart/they-say-that-if-you-give-your-children-too-much-they-don-t-get-the/) [Gina Rinehart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-rinehart/) > [Falling for someone who will never notice you no matter how hard you try to get their attention...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/falling-for-someone-who-will-never-notice-you-no-matter-how-hard-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a man as great as the gods… But even the great can tremble with fear. Even the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-e-pearson/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-man-as-great-as-the-gods-but-even-the/) [Mary E. Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-e-pearson/) > [“Falling in love is not the problem; hitting your head on the way down is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/falling-in-love-is-not-the-problem-hitting-your-head-on-the-way-down/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [maybe tonight you're scared of falling, and maybe there's somebody here or somewhere else you're thinking about, worrying over, fretting over, trying to figure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/maybe-tonight-you-re-scared-of-falling-and-maybe-there-s-somebody/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [Sometimes when things seem to be falling apart, they are actually falling into place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-things-seem-to-be-falling-apart-they-are-actually/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The tides which flow and lapse in the Bristol Channel are often distained by the freshets of many streams falling through wooded coombes below…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-williamson/the-tides-which-flow-and-lapse-in-the-bristol-channel-are-often/) [Henry Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-williamson/) > [Remember those walls I built? Well, baby they're tumbling down And they didn't even put up a fight They didn't even make a sound.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prettyblueeyes/remember-those-walls-i-built-well-baby-they-re-tumbling-down-and-they/) PrettyBlueEyes > [“When you were young you talked about "falling in love" with such amusing gravity, as if it were an actual recordable event, when what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liane-moriarty/when-you-were-young-you-talked-about-falling-in-love-with-such/) [Liane Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liane-moriarty/) Browse all 2,510 Falling quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“(T)here are worse things than falling on your face right out of college...Like instant, unearned success. Like getting your first novel accepted by the first publisher you send it to. 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