--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Yes. The fundamental mistake I had always…" description: "\"“Yes. The fundamental mistake I had always made—and that she had, in fairness, always led me to make—was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-green-12_adventure_yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always_625215.jpg" --- # Yes. The fundamental mistake I had always made—and that… ![“Yes. The fundamental mistake I had always made—and that she had, in fairness, always led me to make—was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-green-12_adventure_yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always_625215.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-green-12_adventure_yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always_625215.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-green-12_adventure_yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always_625215.jpg) > ““Yes. The fundamental mistake I had always made—and that she had, in fairness, always led me to make—was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.”” [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. The narrator realizes the girl is ordinary, not a mythic ideal, and accepts her humanity. **In simple terms:** She is just a girl, not a miracle. Key Takeaway Accept people as they are. Themes realism relationships expectations Mood reflective melancholic Type literary conversational When to use this quote - dating - friendship - personal growth Key Concepts humanity idealization selfawareness Questions to Reflect On - Do you see people as myths? - How does realism affect love? A Different Perspective Idealizing others can blind you to reality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Fairness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairness/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Justice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/justice/) [Miracle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miracle/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Precious things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/precious-things/) ## Related quotes > [“Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/margo-was-not-a-miracle-she-was-not-an-adventure-she-was-not-a-fine/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I conclude that it is a fundamental mistake to think that salvation, justice, or virtue come through merely human institutions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeane-kirkpatrick/i-conclude-that-it-is-a-fundamental-mistake-to-think-that-salvation/) [Jeane Kirkpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeane-kirkpatrick/) > [Many people don't understand that in filmmaking, if you make a fundamental mistake, everything goes wrong - but you don't realise it till the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-gopal-varma/many-people-don-t-understand-that-in-filmmaking-if-you-make-a/) [Ram Gopal Varma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-gopal-varma/) > [“Q: What is a fundamental mistake of man's? A: To think that he is alive, when he has merely fallen asleep in life's waiting-room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idries-shah/q-what-is-a-fundamental-mistake-of-man-s-a-to-think-that-he-is-alive/) [Idries Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idries-shah/) > [She was not an adventure, she was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-was-not-an-adventure-she-was-not-a-fine-and-precious-thing-she/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I have three precious things which I hold fast and prize. The first is gentleness; the second is frugality; the third is humility, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-three-precious-things-which-i-hold-fast-and-prize-the-first-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Health is a precious thing, and the only one, in truth, meriting that a man should lay out not only his time, sweat, labor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/health-is-a-precious-thing-and-the-only-one-in-truth-meriting-that-a/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [The vulnerability of precious things is beautiful because vulnerability is a mark of existence. The destruction of Troy. The fall of the petals from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/the-vulnerability-of-precious-things-is-beautiful-because/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [Fearlessness may be a gift but perhaps more precious is the courage acquired through endeavour, courage that comes from cultivating the habit of refusing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aung-san-suu-kyi/fearlessness-may-be-a-gift-but-perhaps-more-precious-is-the-courage/) [Aung San Suu Kyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aung-san-suu-kyi/) > [I have neither silver nor gold, but I bring with me the most precious thing given to me: Jesus Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/i-have-neither-silver-nor-gold-but-i-bring-with-me-the-most-precious/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [Love - true love - is a precious thing. It is painful, uncomfortable, makes fools of us all, but it is what breathes meaning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mosse/love-true-love-is-a-precious-thing-it-is-painful-uncomfortable-makes/) [Kate Mosse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mosse/) > [Who can now deny the loss of natural light, of skin tones, of real place, and common but precious things in our movies, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-jay-epstein/who-can-now-deny-the-loss-of-natural-light-of-skin-tones-of-real/) [Edward Jay Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-jay-epstein/) > [The most precious thing in the world: me, because if there was no me, nothing could work out in this world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-heechul/the-most-precious-thing-in-the-world-me-because-if-there-was-no-me/) [Kim Heechul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-heechul/) > [You think if you work hard enough, you can fix the precious things you've broken - rather than being careful with them in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillermo-del-toro/you-think-if-you-work-hard-enough-you-can-fix-the-precious-things-you/) [Guillermo del Toro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guillermo-del-toro/) > [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/) [Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/) ## 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 Adventure quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/) [Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/) Jessica Yu > [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/) Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless > [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/) [Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/) Kevin McLeod > [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/) [John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/) > [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/) [D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/) > [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/) [Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/) > [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) [Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Yes. The fundamental mistake I had always made—and that she had, in fairness, always led me to make—was this: Margo was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always-made-and-that-she-had-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adventure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always-made-and-that-she-had-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-green-12_adventure_yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always_625215.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-green-12_adventure_yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always_625215.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7f4/john-green-12_adventure_yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always_625215.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Yes. The fundamental mistake I had always made—and that she had, in fairness, always led me to make—was…” — 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": "“Yes. The fundamental mistake I had...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always-made-and-that-she-had-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/yes-the-fundamental-mistake-i-had-always-made-and-that-she-had-in/#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 } } ] } ```