--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Perfect endings... they don't exist…" description: "\"“Perfect endings... they don't exist, 'Phie. Only in stories, where nothing ever really changes. Here, right now, isn't a story. There is no happy endi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/joe-ducie-47367_happy-ending_perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-on_1444265.jpg" --- # Perfect endings... they don't exist, 'Phie. Only in… ![“Perfect endings... they don't exist, 'Phie. Only in stories, where nothing ever really changes. Here, right now, isn't a story. There is no happy ending, because it's not the end. Do you understand?” quote by Joe Ducie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/joe-ducie-47367_happy-ending_perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-on_1444265.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/joe-ducie-47367_happy-ending_perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-on_1444265.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/joe-ducie-47367_happy-ending_perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-on_1444265.jpg) > ““Perfect endings... they don't exist, 'Phie. Only in stories, where nothing ever really changes. Here, right now, isn't a story. There is no happy ending, because it's not the end. Do you understand?”” [Joe Ducie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ducie/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker argues that perfect endings are fictional; reality is ongoing and unresolved. **In simple terms:** Perfect endings are fictional; life continues. Key Takeaway Accept ongoing change. Themes change imperfection reality Mood melancholic thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - creative projects - life planning Key Concepts narrative closure storytelling Questions to Reflect On - How do you cope with lack of closure? - Can unfinished stories be valuable? A Different Perspective Some may find comfort in hopeful endings. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happy ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-ending/) ## Related quotes > [“And even after supposedly happy endings...well, we don't know for sure what happens after the final credits. Elizabeth probably dies in childbirth while Darcy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-mcdonald/and-even-after-supposedly-happy-endings-well-we-don-t-know-for-sure/) [Abby McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-mcdonald/) > [If a relationship is over, just remember it was bound to happen, keep movin! There's no perfect endings!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rev-run-2/if-a-relationship-is-over-just-remember-it-was-bound-to-happen-keep/) [Rev Run](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rev-run-2/) > [“Sometimes, the best endings are the ones that surprise you. Sometimes, the best are the ones that have everything happening exactly how you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/sometimes-the-best-endings-are-the-ones-that-surprise-you-sometimes/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [Princes don't come around everyday, and happy endings don't grow on trees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/princes-don-t-come-around-everyday-and-happy-endings-don-t-grow-on/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [That’s why love stories don’t have endings! They don’t have endings because love doesn’t end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/that-s-why-love-stories-don-t-have-endings-they-don-t-have-endings/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) > [“Endings don’t have to be failures, especially when you choose to end a project or shut down a business. . . . Even the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-ferriss/endings-don-t-have-to-be-failures-especially-when-you-choose-to-end-a/) [Timothy Ferriss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-ferriss/) > [It is already becoming clear that a chapter which had a Western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/it-is-already-becoming-clear-that-a-chapter-which-had-a-western/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [There is no such thing as a happy ending. It's always better to have a happy start because endings will be always the saddest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-no-such-thing-as-a-happy-ending-it-s-always-better-to-have-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I used to feel defensive when people would say, 'Yes, but your books have happy endings', as if that made them worthless, or unrealistic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marian-keyes/i-used-to-feel-defensive-when-people-would-say-yes-but-your-books/) [Marian Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marian-keyes/) > [“In wrapping things up the writer had a choice: the "happy" ending in which the two former enemies are rescued and we can imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-wrapping-things-up-the-writer-had-a-choice-the-happy-ending-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What did a happy ending even mean in real life, anyway? In stories you simply said, 'They lived happily ever after,' and that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/what-did-a-happy-ending-even-mean-in-real-life-anyway-in-stories-you/) [Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/) > [Go for the happy endings, because life doesn't have any sequels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/go-for-the-happy-endings-because-life-doesn-t-have-any-sequels/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [Too many movies with happy endings. Too many real people with terrible endings. Don't walk away if there is a way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mccarty/too-many-movies-with-happy-endings-too-many-real-people-with-terrible/) [Kevin McCarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-mccarty/) > [Closing the door, turning the page, moving on, etc. It doesnt matter what you call it; what matters is that you leave the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/closing-the-door-turning-the-page-moving-on-etc-it-doesnt-matter-what/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [I don't like false happy endings, and I don't think the real world is such a forgiving place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hozier/i-don-t-like-false-happy-endings-and-i-don-t-think-the-real-world-is/) [Hozier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hozier/) ## More by Joe Ducie > [“Sometime later, halfway between midnight and dawn, I fell asleep with my head against the polished mahogany and my hand clutching a bottle full…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/sometime-later-halfway-between-midnight-and-dawn-i-fell-asleep-with/) [Joe Ducie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ducie/) > [“I could do anything—be anything. I could be a blackberry farmer. I could worry about phone bills and nipping out to the corner shop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/i-could-do-anything-be-anything-i-could-be-a-blackberry-farmer-i/) [Joe Ducie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ducie/) > [“I think certain people resonate in our lives, and no matter how much time or how many worlds stand between us, we often gravitate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/i-think-certain-people-resonate-in-our-lives-and-no-matter-how-much/) [Joe Ducie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ducie/) > [“Did you see a future for us, Tal?" I asked, but she only stared. "Did you see us waking up together? Smiling in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/did-you-see-a-future-for-us-tal-i-asked-but-she-only-stared-did-you/) [Joe Ducie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ducie/) > [“Annie and I had spun together across worlds and universes and dreams. But the chaos had swallowed her whole, absorbed her warmth, and scattered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/annie-and-i-had-spun-together-across-worlds-and-universes-and-dreams/) [Joe Ducie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ducie/) > [“And we were all of us alone, clinging to a rock spinning through the star-strewn darkness and trying desperately to matter. To make some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/and-we-were-all-of-us-alone-clinging-to-a-rock-spinning-through-the/) [Joe Ducie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ducie/) > [“A third army entered the fray. They came from below, from the shallow graves that littered the vast ridge. Rotting skeletal arms burst through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/a-third-army-entered-the-fray-they-came-from-below-from-the-shallow/) [Joe Ducie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ducie/) [Explore all 8 Joe Ducie quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ducie/) ## More Ending quotes > [So many times in television, you get cancelled arbitrarily as a result of your ratings in the off season, and you don't have an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-wyle/so-many-times-in-television-you-get-cancelled-arbitrarily-as-a-result/) [Noah Wyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-wyle/) > [So ,you're thinking it's ending but it's only just began.Your whole life is there right-right in front of you! Life's a story that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/so-you-re-thinking-it-s-ending-but-it-s-only-just-began-your-whole/) Unkown > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [It doesn't matter to me if it has a surprise ending or not. I usually go for the material or the project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-wahlberg/it-doesn-t-matter-to-me-if-it-has-a-surprise-ending-or-not-i-usually/) [Donnie Wahlberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-wahlberg/) > [Business, much like life, is not a movie, and not everyone gets to have a storybook ending.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/om-malik/business-much-like-life-is-not-a-movie-and-not-everyone-gets-to-have/) [Om Malik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/om-malik/) > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [Pagan Romans started their midwinter celebrations with the feast of Saturnalia on 17 December, ending them with a new year festival, the Kalendae Januariae,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/pagan-romans-started-their-midwinter-celebrations-with-the-feast-of/) [Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/) > [Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/maybe-my-movie-isn-t-over-i-say-because-sometimes-moviemakers-trick/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [I loathe people who say, 'I always read the ending of the book first.' That really irritates me, It's like someone coming to dinner,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-loathe-people-who-say-i-always-read-the-ending-of-the-book-first/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Friendship doesn't has ending...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-doesn-t-has-ending/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In 2010, Republicans took control of politics in Alabama by advocating for increased transparency and an end to government corruption, but instead of ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-crumpton/in-2010-republicans-took-control-of-politics-in-alabama-by-advocating/) [Ron Crumpton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-crumpton/) > [Yesterday brought the beginning, tomorrow brings the end, and somewhere in the middle we became the best of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yesterday-brought-the-beginning-tomorrow-brings-the-end-and-somewhere/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Break ups arent always meant for make ups. Sometimes relationships end in order for you to wake up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nix-mae/break-ups-arent-always-meant-for-make-ups-sometimes-relationships-end/) [Nix Mae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nix-mae/) > [Everything we do really is just a little marker on the long road to death. And sometimes that’s overwhelmingly depressing to me, and sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/everything-we-do-really-is-just-a-little-marker-on-the-long-road-to/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) Browse all 1,316 Ending quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Perfect endings... they don't exist, 'Phie. Only in stories, where nothing ever really changes. Here, right now, isn't a story. There is no happy ending, because it's not the end. Do you understand?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Ducie" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-only-in-stories-where-nothing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ending" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-only-in-stories-where-nothing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/joe-ducie-47367_happy-ending_perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-on_1444265.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/joe-ducie-47367_happy-ending_perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-on_1444265.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/joe-ducie-47367_happy-ending_perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-on_1444265.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Perfect endings... they don't exist, 'Phie. Only in stories, where nothing ever really changes. Here, right…” — Joe Ducie", "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": "Joe Ducie", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ducie/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Perfect endings... they don't exist, 'Phie....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-only-in-stories-where-nothing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ducie/perfect-endings-they-don-t-exist-phie-only-in-stories-where-nothing/#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 } } ] } ```