--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I lost the conviction that lights would…" description: "\"I lost the conviction that lights would always turn green for me, the pleasant certainty that those rather passive virtues which had won me approval as..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/joan-didion-497_amulets_i-lost-the-conviction-that-lights-would_1784127.jpg" --- # I lost the conviction that lights would always turn green… ![“I lost the conviction that lights would always turn green for me, the pleasant certainty that those rather passive virtues which had won me approval as a child automatically guaranteed me not only Phi Beta Kappa keys but happiness, honor, and the love of a good man; lost a certain touching faith…” quote by Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/joan-didion-497_amulets_i-lost-the-conviction-that-lights-would_1784127.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/joan-didion-497_amulets_i-lost-the-conviction-that-lights-would_1784127.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/21f/joan-didion-497_amulets_i-lost-the-conviction-that-lights-would_1784127.jpg) > “I lost the conviction that lights would always turn green for me, the pleasant certainty that those rather passive virtues which had won me approval as a child automatically guaranteed me not only Phi Beta Kappa keys but happiness, honor, and the love of a good man; lost a certain touching faith in the totem power of good manners, clean hair, and a proven competence on the Stanford-Binet scale. To such doubtful amulets had my self-respect been pinned, and I faced myself that day with the non-plused apprehension of someone who has come across a vampire and has no crucifix at hand.” [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She lost confidence that external markers of success would guarantee happiness, realizing that reliance on superficial achievements is fragile. **In simple terms:** Success symbols don’t ensure fulfillment. Key Takeaway Seek internal validation over external accolades. Themes identity success disillusionment Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical introspective When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - academic pursuits - self‑assessment Key Concepts self‑worth social expectations psychological resilience Questions to Reflect On - What internal values guide you? - How do you redefine success? A Different Perspective External validation can be fleeting and unreliable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Amulets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amulets/) [Apprehension](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apprehension/) [Approval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval/) [Certainty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certainty/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Conviction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conviction/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Good manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-manners/) [Hair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hair/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Honor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/honor/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Manners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/manners/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self respect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-respect/) [Totems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/totems/) [Touching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/touching/) [Vampire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vampire/) [Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/virtue/) ## Related quotes > [In grasping at uncertainties we lost that which is certain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/in-grasping-at-uncertainties-we-lost-that-which-is-certain/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [“I’m like Mary Annette, but I’m not a marionette. Who’s Mary Annette? The first woman of color to be elected to Phi Beta Kappa.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-like-mary-annette-but-i-m-not-a-marionette-who-s-mary-annette-the/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“He calls you occasionally at the office to ask how you are. You doodle numbers and curlicues on the corners of Rolodex cards. Fiddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/he-calls-you-occasionally-at-the-office-to-ask-how-you-are-you-doodle/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“Why, that dog is practically a Phi Beta Kappa. She can sit up and beg, and she can give her paw -- I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/why-that-dog-is-practically-a-phi-beta-kappa-she-can-sit-up-and-beg/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [The quasi-peaceable gentleman of leisure, then, not only consumes of the staff of life beyond the minimum required for subsistence and physical efficiency, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/the-quasi-peaceable-gentleman-of-leisure-then-not-only-consumes-of/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [It is in virtue of his own desires and curiosities that any man continues to exist with even patience, that he is charmed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-in-virtue-of-his-own-desires-and-curiosities-that-any-man/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [When Catholicism goes bad it becomes the religion of amulets and holy places and priestcraft: Protestantism, in its corresponding decay, becomes a vague mist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-catholicism-goes-bad-it-becomes-the-religion-of-amulets-and-holy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Then why does Kenneth Anger wear a picture locket on a chain around his neck? On one side of the locket there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/then-why-does-kenneth-anger-wear-a-picture-locket-on-a-chain-around/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [“Greer outfitted us with rowan amulets as a means of protection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-harper/greer-outfitted-us-with-rowan-amulets-as-a-means-of-protection/) [Juliette Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-harper/) > [To love is the great amulet that makes this world a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-love-is-the-great-amulet-that-makes-this-world-a-garden/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Lately I’d begun carrying pain amulets in my bag, like some people have breath mints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/lately-i-d-begun-carrying-pain-amulets-in-my-bag-like-some-people/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [When Catholicism goes bad it becomes the world-old, world-wide religio of amulets and holy places and priestcraft. Protestantism,in its corresponding decay, becomes a vague…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/when-catholicism-goes-bad-it-becomes-the-world-old-world-wide-religio/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The title of Christian is a reproach to us, if we estrange ourselves from Him after whom we are denominated. The name of Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/the-title-of-christian-is-a-reproach-to-us-if-we-estrange-ourselves/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [Uh... ," Ivy stammered, and I glanced up to see her eyes wide in consideration. "I'm kidding," I said. "It passed the lethal-amulet test,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/uh-ivy-stammered-and-i-glanced-up-to-see-her-eyes-wide-in/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [The casinos believe in math (and I don't mean numerology).They believe in the power of percentages and short pays, not in the power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-scoblete/the-casinos-believe-in-math-and-i-don-t-mean-numerology-they-believe/) [Frank Scoblete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-scoblete/) ## More by Joan Didion > [To shift the structure of a sentence alters the meaning of that sentence, as definitely and inflexibly as the position of a camera alters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-shift-the-structure-of-a-sentence-alters-the-meaning-of-that/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I work every day. Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [Style is character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/style-is-character/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [California is a place in which a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/california-is-a-place-in-which-a-boom-mentality-and-a-sense-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I went because I was interested in the alchemy of issues.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-went-because-i-was-interested-in-the-alchemy-of-issues/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Why did I write it down? In order to remember, of course, but exactly what was it I wanted to remember? How much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/why-did-i-write-it-down-in-order-to-remember-of-course-but-exactly/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I no longer want reminders of what was, what got broken, what got lost, what got wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-no-longer-want-reminders-of-what-was-what-got-broken-what-got-lost/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [My mother 'gave teas' the way other mothers breathed. Her own mother 'gave teas.' All of their friends 'gave teas,' each involving butter cookies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/my-mother-gave-teas-the-way-other-mothers-breathed-her-own-mother/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [I'm not very interested in people. I recognize it in myself - there is a basic indifference toward people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-m-not-very-interested-in-people-i-recognize-it-in-myself-there-is-a/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Was there ever in anyone's life span a point free in time, devoid of memory, a point when choice was any more than sum…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/was-there-ever-in-anyone-s-life-span-a-point-free-in-time-devoid-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“Research to date has shown that, like many other stressors, grief frequently leads to changes in the endocrine, immune, autonomic nervous, and cardiovascular systems;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/research-to-date-has-shown-that-like-many-other-stressors-grief/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“By the end of the week she was thinking constantly about where her body stopped and the air began about the exact point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/by-the-end-of-the-week-she-was-thinking-constantly-about-where-her/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“I just can't see the upside in this," I heard myself say by way of explanation. Later he said that if John had been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-just-can-t-see-the-upside-in-this-i-heard-myself-say-by-way-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [ I read so ravenously that I would read through whole categories. I was crazy about reading biographies. \[...\] I think biographies are very urgent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-read-so-ravenously-that-i-would-read-through-whole-categories-i-was/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [To those of us who remained committed mainly to the exploration of moral distinctions and ambiguities, the feminist analysis may have seemed a particularly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/to-those-of-us-who-remained-committed-mainly-to-the-exploration-of/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) [Explore all 515 Joan Didion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) ## More Amulets quotes > [The casinos believe in math (and I don't mean numerology).They believe in the power of percentages and short pays, not in the power of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-scoblete/the-casinos-believe-in-math-and-i-don-t-mean-numerology-they-believe/) [Frank Scoblete](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-scoblete/) > [Uh... ," Ivy stammered, and I glanced up to see her eyes wide in consideration. "I'm kidding," I said. "It passed the lethal-amulet test,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/uh-ivy-stammered-and-i-glanced-up-to-see-her-eyes-wide-in/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [The title of Christian is a reproach to us, if we estrange ourselves from Him after whom we are denominated. The name of Jesus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wilberforce/the-title-of-christian-is-a-reproach-to-us-if-we-estrange-ourselves/) [William Wilberforce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wilberforce/) > [When Catholicism goes bad it becomes the world-old, world-wide religio of amulets and holy places and priestcraft. Protestantism,in its corresponding decay, becomes a vague…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/when-catholicism-goes-bad-it-becomes-the-world-old-world-wide-religio/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Lately I’d begun carrying pain amulets in my bag, like some people have breath mints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/lately-i-d-begun-carrying-pain-amulets-in-my-bag-like-some-people/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [To love is the great amulet that makes this world a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/to-love-is-the-great-amulet-that-makes-this-world-a-garden/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [“Greer outfitted us with rowan amulets as a means of protection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliette-harper/greer-outfitted-us-with-rowan-amulets-as-a-means-of-protection/) [Juliette Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliette-harper/) > [Then why does Kenneth Anger wear a picture locket on a chain around his neck? On one side of the locket there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/truman-capote/then-why-does-kenneth-anger-wear-a-picture-locket-on-a-chain-around/) [Truman Capote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/truman-capote/) > [When Catholicism goes bad it becomes the religion of amulets and holy places and priestcraft: Protestantism, in its corresponding decay, becomes a vague mist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-catholicism-goes-bad-it-becomes-the-religion-of-amulets-and-holy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is in virtue of his own desires and curiosities that any man continues to exist with even patience, that he is charmed by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/it-is-in-virtue-of-his-own-desires-and-curiosities-that-any-man/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The quasi-peaceable gentleman of leisure, then, not only consumes of the staff of life beyond the minimum required for subsistence and physical efficiency, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorstein-veblen/the-quasi-peaceable-gentleman-of-leisure-then-not-only-consumes-of/) [Thorstein Veblen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorstein-veblen/) > [Not only in peasant homes, but also in city skyscrapers, there lives alongside the twentieth century, the thirteenth. A hundred million people use electricity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leon-trotsky/not-only-in-peasant-homes-but-also-in-city-skyscrapers-there-lives/) [Leon Trotsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leon-trotsky/) > [The eyes are the amulets of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-vaughan/the-eyes-are-the-amulets-of-the-mind/) [Bill Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-vaughan/) > [Adversity is a natural part of being human. It is the height of arrogance to prescribe a moral code or health regimen or spiritual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/adversity-is-a-natural-part-of-being-human-it-is-the-height-of-2/) [Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/) > [I read the signs,I got all my stars aligned,My amulets, my charms,I set all my false alarms,So I'll be someoneWho won't be forgotten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-vincent/i-read-the-signs-i-got-all-my-stars-aligned-my-amulets-my-charms-i/) [St. Vincent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-vincent/) [Browse all 27 Amulets quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amulets/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I lost the conviction that lights would always turn green for me, the pleasant certainty that those rather passive virtues which had won me approval as a child automatically guaranteed me not only Phi Beta Kappa keys but happiness, honor, and the love of a good man; lost a certain touching faith in the totem power of good manners, clean hair, and a proven competence on the Stanford-Binet scale. 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