---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s like life: sometimes the littlest…"
description: "\"“It’s like life: sometimes the littlest thing turns out to be the most important.”\" — Joyce Maynard"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/joyce-maynard-7181_important_it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-th_194271.jpg"
---

#  It’s like life: sometimes the littlest thing turns out to…

![“It’s like life: sometimes the littlest thing turns out to be the most important.” quote by Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/joyce-maynard-7181_important_it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-th_194271.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/joyce-maynard-7181_important_it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-th_194271.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/joyce-maynard-7181_important_it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-th_194271.jpg)

> ““It’s like life: sometimes the littlest thing turns out to be the most important.””

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Small, seemingly insignificant moments can have profound impact on life’s direction.

**In simple terms:** Tiny things can be crucial.

Key Takeaway

Pay attention to minor details.

Themes

attention impact life perception

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

observational inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- career decisions
- creative projects
- daily routines

Key Concepts

psychology meaning-making serendipity

Questions to Reflect On

- What small detail has changed your path?
- How can you recognize hidden importance?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on minor events may distract from larger patterns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Small things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-things/)

## Related quotes

> [“sometimes the littlest thing turns out to be the most important.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/sometimes-the-littlest-thing-turns-out-to-be-the-most-important/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [The littlest thing can have the strongest connection when you're grieving. Your Proustian, poetic nerve is turned up to ten.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-mills/the-littlest-thing-can-have-the-strongest-connection-when-you-re/)

[Mike Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-mills/)

> [It turns out it's important to build a product and not just a bunch of data models.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-mason/it-turns-out-it-s-important-to-build-a-product-and-not-just-a-bunch/)

[Hilary Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-mason/)

> [Wrong turns are as important as right turns. More important, sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/wrong-turns-are-as-important-as-right-turns-more-important-sometimes/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Even for practical purposes theory generally turns out the most important thing in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/even-for-practical-purposes-theory-generally-turns-out-the-most/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [America is rather like life. You can usually find in it what you look for It will probably be interesting, and it is sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-m-forster/america-is-rather-like-life-you-can-usually-find-in-it-what-you-look/)

[E. M. Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-m-forster/)

> [Our friendship is like my life, it sucks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/our-friendship-is-like-my-life-it-sucks/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [And what he meant was that maths wasn't like life because in life there are no straightforward answers in the end](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-what-he-meant-was-that-maths-wasn-t-like-life-because-in-life/)

[Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/)

> [If you take every challenge everyone has in their life and multiply it in severity you get what it's like in the life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-wallace/if-you-take-every-challenge-everyone-has-in-their-life-and-multiply/)

[Dee Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-wallace/)

> [“But you go through with it, continue to fight, because you hope one day it won’t be like this. Life can be so cruel.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marisha-pessl/but-you-go-through-with-it-continue-to-fight-because-you-hope-one-day/)

[Marisha Pessl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marisha-pessl/)

> [Golf is a lot like life. When you make a decision, stick with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/byron-nelson/golf-is-a-lot-like-life-when-you-make-a-decision-stick-with-it/)

[Byron Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/byron-nelson/)

> [Yes, life in Chechnya so far looks more like a life after a natural disaster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/yes-life-in-chechnya-so-far-looks-more-like-a-life-after-a-natural/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [The worst thing about movie-making is that it's like life: nobody can go back to correct the mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-kael/the-worst-thing-about-movie-making-is-that-it-s-like-life-nobody-can/)

[Pauline Kael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-kael/)

> [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/)

> [Therefore, I see whatever exists as good, death is to me like life, sin like holiness, wisdom like foolishness, everything has to be as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/therefore-i-see-whatever-exists-as-good-death-is-to-me-like-life-sin/)

[Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/)

## More by Joyce Maynard

> [The silence was part of the story I wanted to tell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/the-silence-was-part-of-the-story-i-wanted-to-tell/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [A person who deserves my loyalty receives it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/a-person-who-deserves-my-loyalty-receives-it/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [No, I said. I didn't remember that. There was so much to remember, sometimes the best thing was to forget.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/no-i-said-i-didn-t-remember-that-there-was-so-much-to-remember/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [“I tried to think of what my father would tell me. 'Don't let any boy give you shit.' But he'd never said how we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-tried-to-think-of-what-my-father-would-tell-me-don-t-let-any-boy/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [Growing up in the fifties and sixties, I can only remember knowing one child, ever, whose parents got a divorce, and hardly any whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/growing-up-in-the-fifties-and-sixties-i-can-only-remember-knowing-one/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [“She was in love with love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/she-was-in-love-with-love/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [I believe every one of us possesses a fundamental right to tell our own story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-believe-every-one-of-us-possesses-a-fundamental-right-to-tell-our/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [I compromised my ability to tell my story, at the most basic level.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-compromised-my-ability-to-tell-my-story-at-the-most-basic-level/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [I have no doubt that over the years my children will find plenty of things about me to criticize. But something tells me that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-have-no-doubt-that-over-the-years-my-children-will-find-plenty-of/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [I believed my story would be helpful to young women my daughter's age, who are still in the process of forming themselves as women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/i-believed-my-story-would-be-helpful-to-young-women-my-daughter-s-age/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [Not only did I avoid speaking of Salinger; I resisted thinking about him. I did not reread his letters to me. The experience had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/not-only-did-i-avoid-speaking-of-salinger-i-resisted-thinking-about/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [When people ask what I write about, that's what I tell them: 'The drama of human relationships.' I'm not even close to running out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/when-people-ask-what-i-write-about-that-s-what-i-tell-them-the-drama/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [“They seemed to arrive at some form of friendship. Maybe they were like a couple of weary soldiers who went through a war together,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/they-seemed-to-arrive-at-some-form-of-friendship-maybe-they-were-like/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [In the event of an oxygen shortage on airplanes, mothers of young children are always reminded to put on their own oxygen mask first,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/in-the-event-of-an-oxygen-shortage-on-airplanes-mothers-of-young/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

> [“He himself did not eat. I had been hungry, but sitting there now, at the table with the two of them, it felt as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/he-himself-did-not-eat-i-had-been-hungry-but-sitting-there-now-at-the/)

[Joyce Maynard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

[Explore all 92 Joyce Maynard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/)

## More Important quotes

> [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/)

[Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/)

> [I wanted to write about voodoo tradition that I feel has been very important to survival of black people here: people of the African…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-wanted-to-write-about-voodoo-tradition-that-i-feel-has-been-very/)

[Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/)

> [Fiscal prudence is very important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smriti-irani/fiscal-prudence-is-very-important/)

[Smriti Irani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smriti-irani/)

> [Regardless of the criticisms I receive from the left, the right and the middle, I think it's important to maintain a prolific writing jab,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-reed/regardless-of-the-criticisms-i-receive-from-the-left-the-right-and/)

[Ishmael Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-reed/)

> [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/)

[Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/)

> [It’s so important to create in your own voice, to hold onto what makes you unique, and have faith in your vision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/it-s-so-important-to-create-in-your-own-voice-to-hold-onto-what-makes/)

[John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [If I had learned how to get along in the quotidian world while keeping up the search for the hidden realm, I might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-woodring/if-i-had-learned-how-to-get-along-in-the-quotidian-world-while/)

[Jim Woodring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-woodring/)

> [Modeling is more important than the talking we do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-williams/modeling-is-more-important-than-the-talking-we-do/)

Wayne Williams

> [There are more important things to focus on in life than how you look.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arden-cho/there-are-more-important-things-to-focus-on-in-life-than-how-you-look/)

[Arden Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arden-cho/)

> [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/)

[Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/)

> [To me, Caribbean food is about fresh, seasonal produce - using what's in season to create vibrant and great tasting food. The spicing is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ainsley-harriott/to-me-caribbean-food-is-about-fresh-seasonal-produce-using-what-s-in/)

[Ainsley Harriott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ainsley-harriott/)

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

Browse all 30,993 Important quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It’s like life: sometimes the littlest thing turns out to be the most important.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Joyce Maynard"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-thing-turns-out-to-be-the-most/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Important"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-thing-turns-out-to-be-the-most/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/joyce-maynard-7181_important_it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-th_194271.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/joyce-maynard-7181_important_it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-th_194271.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/182/joyce-maynard-7181_important_it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-th_194271.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It’s like life: sometimes the littlest thing turns out to be the most important.” — Joyce Maynard",
                "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": "Joyce Maynard",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-maynard/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It’s like life: sometimes the littlest...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-thing-turns-out-to-be-the-most/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-maynard/it-s-like-life-sometimes-the-littlest-thing-turns-out-to-be-the-most/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
