--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If it doesn't happen to you, it doesn't…" description: "\"“If it doesn't happen to you, it doesn't happen at all.”\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/john-green-12_quote_if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-h_1347311.jpg" --- # If it doesn't happen to you, it doesn't happen at all. ![“If it doesn't happen to you, it doesn't happen at all.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/john-green-12_quote_if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-h_1347311.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/john-green-12_quote_if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-h_1347311.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/john-green-12_quote_if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-h_1347311.jpg) > ““If it doesn't happen to you, it doesn't happen at all.”” [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It suggests that personal experience is the only valid reality, dismissing others' perspectives. **In simple terms:** Only what you experience matters. Key Takeaway Question your assumptions about others' experiences. Themes subjectivity experience reality Mood skeptical reflective Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - personal relationships - conflict resolution - empathy - communication Key Concepts phenomenology egoism Questions to Reflect On - How do you validate others' experiences? - What are the risks of assuming only your perspective counts? A Different Perspective It ignores that others can have valid experiences too. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doesn Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-happen/) [Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen/) [Happen Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen-doesn-1148838/) [Unexpected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unexpected/) ## Related quotes > [There's things I'd like to do, but I've found that pretty much anything that I try to will to happen doesn't happen, but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/there-s-things-i-d-like-to-do-but-i-ve-found-that-pretty-much/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [Once the opportunities knock on your door, you've got to try and go get them. If it doesn't happen, it doesn't happen. But at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grigor-dimitrov/once-the-opportunities-knock-on-your-door-you-ve-got-to-try-and-go/) [Grigor Dimitrov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grigor-dimitrov/) > [You can't concentrate on doing anything if you are thinking, “What's gonna happen if it doesn't go right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/you-can-t-concentrate-on-doing-anything-if-you-are-thinking-what-s/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [Just because something didn't happen doesn't mean it isn't true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/just-because-something-didn-t-happen-doesn-t-mean-it-isn-t-true/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [It didn't happen, that doesn't mean it cannot happen. Always have focus towards your goals. No matter how badly the road may be, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/it-didn-t-happen-that-doesn-t-mean-it-cannot-happen-always-have-focus/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [In life, bad things may happen, but that doesn't mean that you should shut the world out. For if you do, you could miss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-life-bad-things-may-happen-but-that-doesn-t-mean-that-you-should/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Faith makes things happen. It doesn't make them easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/faith-makes-things-happen-it-doesn-t-make-them-easy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've had some interesting stuff happen to me - so why doesn't anyone ask me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-marshall/i-ve-had-some-interesting-stuff-happen-to-me-so-why-doesn-t-anyone/) [Amanda Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-marshall/) > [Hey, I'd love to have a hit single, but if that doesn't happen, I'm not going to complain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-mcdonald/hey-i-d-love-to-have-a-hit-single-but-if-that-doesn-t-happen-i-m-not/) [Michael McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-mcdonald/) > [Nothing is everything that doesn't happen at this very moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-heidegger/nothing-is-everything-that-doesn-t-happen-at-this-very-moment/) [Martin Heidegger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-heidegger/) > [Success doesn't happen overnight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petra-collins/success-doesn-t-happen-overnight/) [Petra Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petra-collins/) > [This was the first time in my life that so many things would never happen again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/this-was-the-first-time-in-my-life-that-so-many-things-would-never/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Just because something isn't happening for you right now doesn't mean that it will never happen. You never know what's around the corner...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-because-something-isn-t-happening-for-you-right-now-doesn-t-mean/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Anything can happen. That's why sports are so great, the unexpected.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-bellinger/anything-can-happen-that-s-why-sports-are-so-great-the-unexpected/) [Cody Bellinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-bellinger/) > [How many things have to happen to you before something occurs to you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/how-many-things-have-to-happen-to-you-before-something-occurs-to-you/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) ## More by John Green > [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) [Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## More Happen quotes > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [“More, much more, will happen after this. Things involving maps and books and true love and tragedy, tragedy like you wouldn't believe. But fine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/more-much-more-will-happen-after-this-things-involving-maps-and-books/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [“What would happen if you didn’t do the thing you “have to” do?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brodie/what-would-happen-if-you-didn-t-do-the-thing-you-have-to-do/) [Richard Brodie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brodie/) > [I always knew I wanted to have a good career, so I made it happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chord-overstreet/i-always-knew-i-wanted-to-have-a-good-career-so-i-made-it-happen/) [Chord Overstreet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chord-overstreet/) > [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. I had all of that stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-wright/i-had-sort-of-had-a-21st-birthday-when-i-was-17-18-years-old-living/) [Sarah Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-wright/) > [“But if that was going to happen, it was going to happen whether or not he worried about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/but-if-that-was-going-to-happen-it-was-going-to-happen-whether-or-not/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [Films are tricky because for years you're getting told you're about to make it and you're about to be busy for four or six…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/films-are-tricky-because-for-years-you-re-getting-told-you-re-about/) [Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/) > [I'm an American, and always will be. I happen to love that big, awkward, sprawling country very much - and its big, awkward, sprawling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-jones/i-m-an-american-and-always-will-be-i-happen-to-love-that-big-awkward/) [James Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-jones/) > [Kittens can happen to anyone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gallico/kittens-can-happen-to-anyone/) [Paul Gallico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gallico/) > [I've been working with a holistic specialist, trying to bring my body into balance, and part of making that happen is putting my mom's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corbin-bernsen/i-ve-been-working-with-a-holistic-specialist-trying-to-bring-my-body/) [Corbin Bernsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corbin-bernsen/) > [Nothing bad can happen to a writer. Everything is material.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-roth/nothing-bad-can-happen-to-a-writer-everything-is-material/) [Philip Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-roth/) > [If you do what you're supposed to do, it will come to you - it will happen on its own. I don't count numbers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-chubb/if-you-do-what-you-re-supposed-to-do-it-will-come-to-you-it-will/) [Nick Chubb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-chubb/) > [“History mattered. But it could not guarantee what might happen next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-gable/history-mattered-but-it-could-not-guarantee-what-might-happen-next/) [Michelle Gable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-gable/) > [When I went to New York to try and make it, I never thought it wouldn't happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-burnett/when-i-went-to-new-york-to-try-and-make-it-i-never-thought-it-wouldn/) [Carol Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-burnett/) > [“Everything changes, sweetheart. The universe loves to happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lance-olsen/everything-changes-sweetheart-the-universe-loves-to-happen/) [Lance Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lance-olsen/) [Browse all 2,776 Happen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If it doesn't happen to you, it doesn't happen at all.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-happen-at-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happen" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-happen-at-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/john-green-12_quote_if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-h_1347311.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/john-green-12_quote_if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-h_1347311.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8b/john-green-12_quote_if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-h_1347311.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If it doesn't happen to you, it doesn't happen at all.” — John Green", "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": "John Green", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“If it doesn't happen to you,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-happen-at-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/if-it-doesn-t-happen-to-you-it-doesn-t-happen-at-all/#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 } } ] } ```