--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You had to know when it made sense to try…" description: "\"“You had to know when it made sense to try to untangle something and when to just cut the motherfucker loose.”\" — Joe Hill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/joe-hill-1162_untangle_you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-tr_2127784.png" --- # You had to know when it made sense to try to untangle… ![“You had to know when it made sense to try to untangle something and when to just cut the motherfucker loose.” quote by Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/joe-hill-1162_untangle_you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-tr_2127784.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/joe-hill-1162_untangle_you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-tr_2127784.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/joe-hill-1162_untangle_you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-tr_2127784.png) > ““You had to know when it made sense to try to untangle something and when to just cut the motherfucker loose.”” [Joe Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Know when to persist and when to let go of a problem. **In simple terms:** Choose battles wisely. Key Takeaway Assess effort vs. payoff before acting. Themes decision making perseverance letting go Mood analytical pragmatic Type philosophical strategic When to use this quote - business projects - personal relationships - creative pursuits Key Concepts cost‑benefit analysis stress management Questions to Reflect On - When have you persisted too long? - What signs indicate it’s time to cut losses? A Different Perspective Risk of abandoning too early. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cut Motherfucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cut-motherfucker-4371337/) [Know Sense](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-sense-2331569/) [Motherfucker Loose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motherfucker-loose-4371338/) [Untangle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untangle-1199012/) [Untangle Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untangle-just-4371339/) ## Related quotes > [I don't know how to describe my sense of humor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-angarano/i-don-t-know-how-to-describe-my-sense-of-humor/) [Michael Angarano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-angarano/) > [We're people of the Orient. We know everything. 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Always forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-gatiss/i-know-that-what-s-done-is-done-no-sense-living-in-the-past-the-only/) [Mark Gatiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-gatiss/) > [“But before you leap forward into a new life, you have to untangle yourself from the old one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/but-before-you-leap-forward-into-a-new-life-you-have-to-untangle/) [Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/) > [I used to love to untangle chains when I was a child. I had thin, busy fingers, and I never gave up. Perhaps there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-used-to-love-to-untangle-chains-when-i-was-a-child-i-had-thin-busy/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Your life is always under construction. 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Or with someone else's hands.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-just-got-my-signals-crossed-first-thing-i-have-to-untangle-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Love is like knotted yarn. If you cant untangle it, its better to cut it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-knotted-yarn-if-you-cant-untangle-it-its-better-to-cut-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know your talented when you can untangle your headphones in the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-your-talented-when-you-can-untangle-your-headphones-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But one had to go back to the beginning of things, always. 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It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cal-newport/it-s-worth-taking-the-time-to-untangle-however-because-properly/) [Cal Newport](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cal-newport/) > [“Your life is always under construction. It is your job to learn how to untangle the threads and weave a tapestry that matches your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dannye-williamsen/your-life-is-always-under-construction-it-is-your-job-to-learn-how-to/) [Dannye Williamsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dannye-williamsen/) > [I used to love to untangle chains when I was a child. I had thin, busy fingers, and I never gave up. Perhaps there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-used-to-love-to-untangle-chains-when-i-was-a-child-i-had-thin-busy/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“But before you leap forward into a new life, you have to untangle yourself from the old one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vishen-lakhiani/but-before-you-leap-forward-into-a-new-life-you-have-to-untangle/) [Vishen Lakhiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vishen-lakhiani/) > [But one had to go back to the beginning of things, always. Trace the thread of life - find the knot - untangle it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ostenso/but-one-had-to-go-back-to-the-beginning-of-things-always-trace-the/) [Martha Ostenso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ostenso/) [Browse all 11 Untangle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/untangle-1199012/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You had to know when it made sense to try to untangle something and when to just cut the motherfucker loose.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joe Hill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-try-to-untangle-something-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Untangle" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-try-to-untangle-something-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/joe-hill-1162_untangle_you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-tr_2127784.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/joe-hill-1162_untangle_you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-tr_2127784.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/87b/joe-hill-1162_untangle_you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-tr_2127784.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You had to know when it made sense to try to untangle something and when to just cut the motherfucker loose.” — Joe Hill", "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 Hill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“You had to know when it...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-try-to-untangle-something-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hill/you-had-to-know-when-it-made-sense-to-try-to-untangle-something-and/#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 } } ] } ```