--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In another universe I probably came out…" description: "\"In another universe I probably came out OK, ended up with mad novias and jobs and a sea of love in which to swim, but in this world I had a brother who..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/junot-diaz-531_black_in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out_1370751.jpg" --- # In another universe I probably came out OK, ended up with… ![“In another universe I probably came out OK, ended up with mad novias and jobs and a sea of love in which to swim, but in this world I had a brother who was dying of cancer and a long dark patch of life like a mile of black ice waiting for me up ahead.” quote by Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/junot-diaz-531_black_in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out_1370751.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/junot-diaz-531_black_in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out_1370751.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/junot-diaz-531_black_in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out_1370751.jpg) > “In another universe I probably came out OK, ended up with mad novias and jobs and a sea of love in which to swim, but in this world I had a brother who was dying of cancer and a long dark patch of life like a mile of black ice waiting for me up ahead.” [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s alternate possibilities highlight how personal loss and hardship shape our reality, contrasting imagined perfection with painful truth. **In simple terms:** Imagined lives differ from real hardships. Key Takeaway Accept reality, cherish resilience. Themes loss family alternatives hope pain Mood somber hopeful Type literary reflective When to use this quote - grief counseling - family support - creative writing - mental health awareness Key Concepts existentialism narrative contrast Questions to Reflect On - What would you change if you could? - How do you find meaning amid loss? A Different Perspective Idealized visions can distract from present suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-ice/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Brother Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother-dying-797914/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Dying Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying-cancer-882225/) [Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mad/) [Miles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miles/) [Patches](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/patches/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Sea of love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea-of-love/) [Swim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/swim/) [This world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-world/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-brother-779924/) ## Related quotes > [Even with my father and brother dying, I didn't quite process the grief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-forster/even-with-my-father-and-brother-dying-i-didn-t-quite-process-the-grief/) [Marc Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-forster/) > [My brother dying changed me. I didn't realize how strong I was until I lost my brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-sherald/my-brother-dying-changed-me-i-didn-t-realize-how-strong-i-was-until-i/) [Amy Sherald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-sherald/) > [Suppose atomic bombs had reduced the population of the world to one brother and sister; should they let the human race die out?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/suppose-atomic-bombs-had-reduced-the-population-of-the-world-to-one/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“In the wicked outside world, my brother told me, there were sins the church didn't know enough to forbid. I couldn't wait.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/in-the-wicked-outside-world-my-brother-told-me-there-were-sins-the/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [I am really lucky to have Jeff. He is my best friend in the whole world, not only my brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hardy/i-am-really-lucky-to-have-jeff-he-is-my-best-friend-in-the-whole/) [Matt Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hardy/) > [When the 'Superfly' flies, it's the most beautiful thing in the world, brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-snuka/when-the-superfly-flies-it-s-the-most-beautiful-thing-in-the-world/) [Jimmy Snuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-snuka/) > [“As far as Nattapong Chamroon was concerned, he ruled the world. Well… he and his brother did. He was twenty-eight years old and handsome;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-greaney/as-far-as-nattapong-chamroon-was-concerned-he-ruled-the-world-well-he/) [Mark Greaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-greaney/) > [I couldn't ask for anything in the world than to be with my brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquem-griffin/i-couldn-t-ask-for-anything-in-the-world-than-to-be-with-my-brother/) [Shaquem Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquem-griffin/) > [It’s a new world, brother. And we, the downtrodden, are taking it back. (Madoc)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/it-s-a-new-world-brother-and-we-the-downtrodden-are-taking-it-back/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [I closed my eyes and listened to the occasional chirps of tiny birds hidden in the trees around us, the bubbling of water over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessi-kirby/i-closed-my-eyes-and-listened-to-the-occasional-chirps-of-tiny-birds/) [Jessi Kirby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessi-kirby/) > [It gives me great pleasure to be on nationwide TV again. I always look forward to being in front of the greatest fans in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-snuka/it-gives-me-great-pleasure-to-be-on-nationwide-tv-again-i-always-look/) [Jimmy Snuka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-snuka/) > [He who walking on the sea could calm the bitter waves, who gives life to the dying seeds of the earth; he who was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-damasus-i/he-who-walking-on-the-sea-could-calm-the-bitter-waves-who-gives-life/) [Pope Damasus I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-damasus-i/) > [Sometimes when you look at life really closely and you realise that things are not as smooth or as kind as they should be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kubra-sait/sometimes-when-you-look-at-life-really-closely-and-you-realise-that/) [Kubra Sait](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kubra-sait/) > [The men who learn endurance, are they who call the whole world, brother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/the-men-who-learn-endurance-are-they-who-call-the-whole-world-brother/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [If responability is lacking towards the rest of the world as your brother's keeper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/if-responability-is-lacking-towards-the-rest-of-the-world-as-your/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) ## More by Junot Diaz > [It might interest you that just as the U.S. was ramping up its involvement in Vietnam, LBJ launched an illegal invasion of the Dominican…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-might-interest-you-that-just-as-the-u-s-was-ramping-up-its/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Tell her that you love her hair, that you love her skin, her lips, because, in truth, you love them more than you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/tell-her-that-you-love-her-hair-that-you-love-her-skin-her-lips/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [It took me sixteen years to write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/it-took-me-sixteen-years-to-write/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You ask everybody you know: How long does it usually take to get over it? There are many formulas. One year for every year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-ask-everybody-you-know-how-long-does-it-usually-take-to-get-over/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The one thing about being a dude and writing from a female perspective is that the baseline is, you suck. The baseline is it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-one-thing-about-being-a-dude-and-writing-from-a-female/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I used to think those were the barrio rules, Latinos and blacks in, whites out —a place we down cats weren’t supposed to go.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-used-to-think-those-were-the-barrio-rules-latinos-and-blacks-in/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“I put my hand on her knee. I just wish you'd say you love me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-put-my-hand-on-her-knee-i-just-wish-you-d-say-you-love-me/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [I've always thought that you don't love a country by turning a blind eye to its crimes and to a problem. The way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/i-ve-always-thought-that-you-don-t-love-a-country-by-turning-a-blind/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Called her a whore and attacked her walls, tearing down her posters and throwing her books everywhere. I found out because some whitegirl ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/called-her-a-whore-and-attacked-her-walls-tearing-down-her-posters/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [You're Dominican only if you do this, this, and that. And if you do this and that, you'll be accepted to a certain degree…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/you-re-dominican-only-if-you-do-this-this-and-that-and-if-you-do-this/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“Ramfis fled the country after Trujillo's death, lived dissolutely off his father's swag, and ended up dying in a car crash of his own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/ramfis-fled-the-country-after-trujillo-s-death-lived-dissolutely-off/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [If you didn't grow up like I did then you don't know, and if you don't know it's probably better you don't judge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-didn-t-grow-up-like-i-did-then-you-don-t-know-and-if-you-don-t/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [“If you ask me I don't think there are any such things as curses. I think there is only life. That's enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/if-you-ask-me-i-don-t-think-there-are-any-such-things-as-curses-i/) [Junot Díaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [The only difference between a published and unpublished writer is a tolerance for imperfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/the-only-difference-between-a-published-and-unpublished-writer-is-a/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) [Explore all 486 Junot Diaz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) ## More Black quotes > [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/) > [When you go to a club it's not about being black or white or heavy or thick. I'm shaking my ass because I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/when-you-go-to-a-club-it-s-not-about-being-black-or-white-or-heavy-or/) [Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/) [Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/) > [How can you be more subject; black woman in a white man's world?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-duffy/how-can-you-be-more-subject-black-woman-in-a-white-man-s-world/) [Maureen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-duffy/) > [We have to build our own power. We have to win every single political office we can, where we have a majority of black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fannie-lou-hamer/we-have-to-build-our-own-power-we-have-to-win-every-single-political/) [Fannie Lou Hamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fannie-lou-hamer/) > [There is only one party in the United States, the Property Party...and it has two right wings: Republican and Democrat. Republicans are a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/there-is-only-one-party-in-the-united-states-the-property-party-and/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Black music has always known, and not been afraid to acknowledge just how high the stakes of Black thought are. To summarize the final…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-b-wilderson-iii/black-music-has-always-known-and-not-been-afraid-to-acknowledge-just/) [Frank B. Wilderson III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-b-wilderson-iii/) > [I know how hard it is to be a woman, especially a black woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-tyson/i-know-how-hard-it-is-to-be-a-woman-especially-a-black-woman/) [Mike Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-tyson/) > [If soot stains your tunic, dye it black. This is vengeance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-scott-bakker/if-soot-stains-your-tunic-dye-it-black-this-is-vengeance/) [R. Scott Bakker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-scott-bakker/) > [Hollywood is so fixated on keeping it that way because it's generating the buzz, but that representation isn't right. I definitely feel like it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyega/hollywood-is-so-fixated-on-keeping-it-that-way-because-it-s/) [John Boyega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyega/) > [Nowadays most people wear black most of the time anyway: go to a literary party and one would imagine everyone there was in perpetual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fay-weldon/nowadays-most-people-wear-black-most-of-the-time-anyway-go-to-a/) [Fay Weldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fay-weldon/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) [Browse all 11,655 Black quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In another universe I probably came out OK, ended up with mad novias and jobs and a sea of love in which to swim, but in this world I had a brother who was dying of cancer and a long dark patch of life like a mile of black ice waiting for me up ahead.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Junot Diaz" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out-ok-ended-up-with-mad-novias/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Black" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out-ok-ended-up-with-mad-novias/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/junot-diaz-531_black_in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out_1370751.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/junot-diaz-531_black_in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out_1370751.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d0/junot-diaz-531_black_in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out_1370751.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In another universe I probably came out OK, ended up with mad novias and jobs and a sea of love in which to…” — Junot Diaz", "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": "Junot Diaz", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In another universe I probably came...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out-ok-ended-up-with-mad-novias/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/in-another-universe-i-probably-came-out-ok-ended-up-with-mad-novias/#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 } } ] } ```