--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But mostly, I remembered what I’ve always…" description: "\"“But mostly, I remembered what I’ve always believed. What my mom taught me. That while some things are just plain awful, most things in life can be see..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/katherine-applegate-3304_animorphs_but-mostly-i-remembered-what-i-ve-always_1649399.jpg" --- # But mostly, I remembered what I’ve always believed. What… ![“But mostly, I remembered what I’ve always believed. What my mom taught me. That while some things are just plain awful, most things in life can be seen either tragic or comic. And it’s your choice. Is life a big, long, tiresome slog from sadness to regret to guilt to resentment to self-pity? Or is…” quote by Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/katherine-applegate-3304_animorphs_but-mostly-i-remembered-what-i-ve-always_1649399.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/katherine-applegate-3304_animorphs_but-mostly-i-remembered-what-i-ve-always_1649399.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dab/katherine-applegate-3304_animorphs_but-mostly-i-remembered-what-i-ve-always_1649399.jpg) > ““But mostly, I remembered what I’ve always believed. What my mom taught me. That while some things are just plain awful, most things in life can be seen either tragic or comic. And it’s your choice. Is life a big, long, tiresome slog from sadness to regret to guilt to resentment to self-pity? Or is life weird, outrageous, bizarre, ironic, and just stupid? Gotta go with stupid. It’s not the easy way out. Self-pity is the easiest thing in the world. Finding the humor, the irony, the slight justification for a skewed, skeptical optimism, that’s tough.”” [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life can be viewed as tragic or comic; choosing humor over self‑pity transforms suffering into resilience. **In simple terms:** Choose humor over self‑pity. Key Takeaway Embrace irony, avoid self‑pity. Themes choice humor resilience optimism self‑pity Mood reflective hopeful determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal crises - daily setbacks - mental health challenges - creative work - relationship conflicts Key Concepts Existentialism cognitive reframing psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you practice seeing irony in daily frustrations? - When is humor insufficient? A Different Perspective Humor may not fully address deep trauma; some situations need serious action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animorphs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animorphs/) [Easy way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy-way/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Ironic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ironic/) [Irony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/irony/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Things in life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-in-life/) ## Related quotes > [But mostly, I remembered what I’ve always believed. What my mom taught me. That while some things are just plain awful, most things in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/but-mostly-i-remembered-what-i-ve-always-believed-what-my-mom-taught/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“Sticking your tongue in an electrical socket is dangerous- not to mention painful." -Marco”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/sticking-your-tongue-in-an-electrical-socket-is-dangerous-not-to/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“Jake? Do me a favor. Don't ever say 'so far, so good'. The only time anyone ever says 'so far, so good' is right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/jake-do-me-a-favor-don-t-ever-say-so-far-so-good-the-only-time-anyone/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“Ax-man. Cardboard isn’t one of the major food groups, remember?”-Marco”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/ax-man-cardboard-isn-t-one-of-the-major-food-groups-remember-marco/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“I've fought for more than three years. I was just thirteen when I started. I'm sixteen now, though that fact, like so many facts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/i-ve-fought-for-more-than-three-years-i-was-just-thirteen-when-i/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“So, there we were. The five of us - Marco, Tobias, Rachel, Cassie, and me. Five normal mallrats heading home. Sometimes I think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/so-there-we-were-the-five-of-us-marco-tobias-rachel-cassie-and-me/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“I've always believed that to some extent you get to decide for yourself what your life will be like. You can either look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/i-ve-always-believed-that-to-some-extent-you-get-to-decide-for/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“And that we call enos ermarf." "What?" I didn't see what he was pointing at. "That. The way the lake curves forward into t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/and-that-we-call-enos-ermarf-what-i-didn-t-see-what-he-was-pointing/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [Humor, together with irony,forms a safeguard against idolatry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krister-stendahl/humor-together-with-irony-forms-a-safeguard-against-idolatry/) Krister Stendahl > [“Let me not be sentimental, let the distance in time give me humor and irony and a shrewd, if loving, eye.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/let-me-not-be-sentimental-let-the-distance-in-time-give-me-humor-and/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [Humor is everywhere in that there's irony in just about anything a human does.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/humor-is-everywhere-in-that-there-s-irony-in-just-about-anything-a/) [Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/) > [My two souls, the socially conscious one and the lighthearted one, are always in my movies because they find a perfect habitat in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lina-wertmuller/my-two-souls-the-socially-conscious-one-and-the-lighthearted-one-are/) [Lina Wertmuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lina-wertmuller/) > [“Get off me you dirty turnip!" "Dirty turnip? well, pardon me Signor Cabbage-Head!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-newmark/get-off-me-you-dirty-turnip-dirty-turnip-well-pardon-me-signor/) [Elle Newmark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-newmark/) > [“I read for someone a week ago,” she says. “He was young, younger than I was when I met you. Tall in the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-read-for-someone-a-week-ago-she-says-he-was-young-younger-than-i/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“There was some sort of commotion going on outside, and I decided I’d had enough. I went to the door and stuck my head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-chance/there-was-some-sort-of-commotion-going-on-outside-and-i-decided-i-d/) [Karen Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-chance/) ## More by Katherine Applegate > [It's hard to put into words. Gorillas are not complainers. We're dreamers, poets, philosophers, nap takers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/it-s-hard-to-put-into-words-gorillas-are-not-complainers-we-re/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“Pleasure fades, gets old, gets thrown out with last year's fad. Fear, guilt, all that stuff stays fresh. Maybe that's why people get so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/pleasure-fades-gets-old-gets-thrown-out-with-last-year-s-fad-fear/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“Humans. Violent but peace-loving. Passionate but cerebral. Humane but cruel. Impulsive but calculating. Generous but selfish. Humans. Altogether a contradictory and deeply flawed species.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/humans-violent-but-peace-loving-passionate-but-cerebral-humane-but/) [katherine applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“She got up and went to her tiny kitchen. On the way she turned on her radio. "You want something to eat?" she called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/she-got-up-and-went-to-her-tiny-kitchen-on-the-way-she-turned-on-her/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [A good zoo," Stella said, "is a large domain. A wild cage. A safe place to be. It has room to roam and humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/a-good-zoo-stella-said-is-a-large-domain-a-wild-cage-a-safe-place-to/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“In dreams you lose normal cause and effect. You jump around in time. This is reality. Jalil”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/in-dreams-you-lose-normal-cause-and-effect-you-jump-around-in-time/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“It's an alien toilet!" -Cassie”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/it-s-an-alien-toilet-cassie/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“Trees can’t tell jokes. But we can certainly tell stories. And if all you hear is the whisper of leaves, don’t worry. Most trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/trees-can-t-tell-jokes-but-we-can-certainly-tell-stories-and-if-all/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [Her eyes hold the pale moon in them, the way a still pond holds stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/her-eyes-hold-the-pale-moon-in-them-the-way-a-still-pond-holds-stars/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [Memories are precious ... they help tell us who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/memories-are-precious-they-help-tell-us-who-we-are/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“She batted her eyelashes at me to show she was kidding. I love it when she does that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/she-batted-her-eyelashes-at-me-to-show-she-was-kidding-i-love-it-when/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [Anger is precious. A silverback uses anger to maintain order and warn his troops of danger. When my father beat his chest, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/anger-is-precious-a-silverback-uses-anger-to-maintain-order-and-warn/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“But even I have enough sense to know the words “we have to win” are the first four steps on the road to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/but-even-i-have-enough-sense-to-know-the-words-we-have-to-win-are-the/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“Ax swiveled his stalk eyes toward me. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/ax-swiveled-his-stalk-eyes-toward-me/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“I’d broken the rule because I wanted something. I wanted to matter. I wanted to do something meaningful before I died.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/i-d-broken-the-rule-because-i-wanted-something-i-wanted-to-matter-i/) [Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) [Explore all 130 Katherine Applegate quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) ## More Animorphs quotes > [“Must I carry this?" he asked, indicating his empty coffee cup. "No, you can just throw it away." Bad choice of words. Ax threw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate-2/must-i-carry-this-he-asked-indicating-his-empty-coffee-cup-no-you-can/) [K.A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate-2/) > [“ I asked. -Animorphs #4, The Visitor page 22”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/i-asked-animorphs-4-the-visitor-page-22/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) > [“Humans. Violent but peace-loving. Passionate but cerebral. Humane but cruel. Impulsive but calculating. Generous but selfish. Humans. Altogether a contradictory and deeply flawed species.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/humans-violent-but-peace-loving-passionate-but-cerebral-humane-but/) [katherine applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/) > [“So let me get this straight, - we are now making decisions based on Tobias and Cassie's dreams, right?" Marco said. "And yet my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/so-let-me-get-this-straight-we-are-now-making-decisions-based-on/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) > [“I guess no one else watched the news last night?" "I was busy watching my taped reruns of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," Marco said, giving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/i-guess-no-one-else-watched-the-news-last-night-i-was-busy-watching/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) > [“I think he's noticed us," Marco said. "I think he knows we're here, Jake. I think hes looking right at us! Look at his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/i-think-he-s-noticed-us-marco-said-i-think-he-knows-we-re-here-jake-i/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) > [“Scientists believe that sharks are one of the oldest species of animals still in existence. Nature built them as perfect predators. Perfect killing machines.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate-2/scientists-believe-that-sharks-are-one-of-the-oldest-species-of/) [K.A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate-2/) > [“We need to find another way to get at them," I said angrily. "Get at who?" Marco asked suspiciously. "The French, Marco," I said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/we-need-to-find-another-way-to-get-at-them-i-said-angrily-get-at-who/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) > [“Now I'm really mad at the Yeerks," Marco said. "They're getting in the way of my showbiz career. I could be a millionaire. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/now-i-m-really-mad-at-the-yeerks-marco-said-they-re-getting-in-the/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) > [“It was a symbiotic relationship. Or codependent, whatever. They needed me to be the bad guy. And I needed them to be the good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/it-was-a-symbiotic-relationship-or-codependent-whatever-they-needed/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) > [“... how often is it possible to see the big picture, really?" Rachel said. "Things happen fast. You just have to make the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/how-often-is-it-possible-to-see-the-big-picture-really-rachel-said/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) > [Give me liberty or give me death.' A human named Patrick Henry said that. I wonder if the Yeerks knew before they came to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-liberty-or-give-me-death-a-human-named-patrick-henry-said/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I don't hate anybody," Tobias said calmly. "It's strange, but right now, I don't even hate the Yeerks. It's like, they're trying to survive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/i-don-t-hate-anybody-tobias-said-calmly-it-s-strange-but-right-now-i/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) > [“Elfangor laughed in my mind. "You don't have to give up your principles to win. Isn't there always an alternative to sacrifice if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/elfangor-laughed-in-my-mind-you-don-t-have-to-give-up-your-principles/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) > [“ "What?" I didn't see what he was pointing at. "You have a word for something like that?" I asked? -Animorphs #4, The Visitor page 63”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-a-applegate/what-i-didn-t-see-what-he-was-pointing-at-you-have-a-word-for/) [K. A. Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-a-applegate/) [Browse all 44 Animorphs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animorphs/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But mostly, I remembered what I’ve always believed. What my mom taught me. That while some things are just plain awful, most things in life can be seen either tragic or comic. And it’s your choice. Is life a big, long, tiresome slog from sadness to regret to guilt to resentment to self-pity? Or is life weird, outrageous, bizarre, ironic, and just stupid? Gotta go with stupid. It’s not the easy way out. Self-pity is the easiest thing in the world. 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