--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was too late to change anything. Too…" description: "\"“It was too late to change anything. Too late to make different choices. To be a better mother than she had been. Kate could only be the mother that sh..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/kimberly-mccreight-29809_different-choices_it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-l_2128284.jpg" --- # It was too late to change anything. Too late to make… ![“It was too late to change anything. Too late to make different choices. To be a better mother than she had been. Kate could only be the mother that she was, Amelia’s mother—the curator of her memory, the keeper of her secrets, the cherisher of her heart. That, she would always be.” quote by Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/kimberly-mccreight-29809_different-choices_it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-l_2128284.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/kimberly-mccreight-29809_different-choices_it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-l_2128284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/kimberly-mccreight-29809_different-choices_it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-l_2128284.jpg) > ““It was too late to change anything. Too late to make different choices. To be a better mother than she had been. Kate could only be the mother that she was, Amelia’s mother—the curator of her memory, the keeper of her secrets, the cherisher of her heart. That, she would always be.”” [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A mother’s love is defined by acceptance and memory‑keeping, not by changing the past or striving for perfection. **In simple terms:** Motherhood is about love and remembrance, not perfection. Key Takeaway Cherish and honor memories without self‑judgment. Themes family motherhood memory Mood nostalgic reflective Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - parenting counseling - journaling - legacy projects Key Concepts acceptance self‑compassion Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor past loved ones without self‑criticism? - What rituals help preserve cherished memories? A Different Perspective Idealizing motherhood can cause unnecessary guilt. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Different choices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-choices/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) ## Related quotes > [“Kate, the mother of thirteen, is forty-nine; delicately made; her skin creamlike where the weather has not got at it. She is smaller than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/kate-the-mother-of-thirteen-is-forty-nine-delicately-made-her-skin/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [“This was an adventure. She was alive and awake and in charge, and Devin needed to see that. A kaleidoscope of landscapes passed like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/this-was-an-adventure-she-was-alive-and-awake-and-in-charge-and-devin/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“Mom! Look. This one is my favorite," Devin said, pulling out a faded pink dress with a red plaid sash. The crinoline petticoat underneath…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-addison-allen/mom-look-this-one-is-my-favorite-devin-said-pulling-out-a-faded-pink/) [Sarah Addison Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-addison-allen/) > [“Kate's mother's life was ruled by naps. Good news, bad news, hard work or lack of work, all resulted in a little nap. Lately…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-williams-melody-malone/kate-s-mother-s-life-was-ruled-by-naps-good-news-bad-news-hard-work/) Amelia Williams melody malone > [You wanna be a better mother? Do what my mama did, make sacrifices. My mama worked her fingers to the bone for me. -Carlos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desperate-housewives/you-wanna-be-a-better-mother-do-what-my-mama-did-make-sacrifices-my/) Desperate Housewives > [“‎"There is an easy standoff between the two kinds of mother which sometimes makes it hard for us to talk to each other. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pearson/there-is-an-easy-standoff-between-the-two-kinds-of-mother-which/) [Allison Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pearson/) > [I think I'm a better mother because of work, because I'm happy. If I wasn't working, I would just be waiting for the kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-massenet/i-think-i-m-a-better-mother-because-of-work-because-i-m-happy-if-i/) [Natalie Massenet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-massenet/) > [I want my daughters to see me and know me as a woman who works. I want that example set for them... I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/i-want-my-daughters-to-see-me-and-know-me-as-a-woman-who-works-i-want/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [I am a better person when I am writing, and I am probably a better mother because I can focus all that laser attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mackenzie-scott/i-am-a-better-person-when-i-am-writing-and-i-am-probably-a-better/) [MacKenzie Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mackenzie-scott/) > [I would much rather be a better mother or better human being than I would be a singer. Fortunately for me singing makes me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tanya-tucker/i-would-much-rather-be-a-better-mother-or-better-human-being-than-i/) [Tanya Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tanya-tucker/) > [I'm a much better mother at 46... than if I were like, 21 or 25.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halle-berry/i-m-a-much-better-mother-at-46-than-if-i-were-like-21-or-25/) [Halle Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/halle-berry/) > [I'm a better mother if I also work. Leaving home for little spurts is actually a good thing. Things don't fall apart. It empowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-pfeiffer/i-m-a-better-mother-if-i-also-work-leaving-home-for-little-spurts-is/) [Michelle Pfeiffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-pfeiffer/) > [“I could welcome someone else into my world, and it would be better than anything I'd ever had before because . . . because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiera-cass/i-could-welcome-someone-else-into-my-world-and-it-would-be-better/) [Kiera Cass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiera-cass/) > [“The things that others have always seem better than what you have,” his mother said.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/the-things-that-others-have-always-seem-better-than-what-you-have-his/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [But I think half the battle is figuring out what works for you, and I am much better at being a mother than I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/but-i-think-half-the-battle-is-figuring-out-what-works-for-you-and-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) ## More by Kimberly McCreight > [ “...\[E\]ven I know that being a parent is awful ninety-five percent of the time...As far as I can tell, it's that last five percent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/e-ven-i-know-that-being-a-parent-is-awful-ninety-five-percent-of-the/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“One of the things that was great about my mom, as a mom, was that she always knew when she was being kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/one-of-the-things-that-was-great-about-my-mom-as-a-mom-was-that-she/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“So much of what people believe makes no sense, Wylie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/so-much-of-what-people-believe-makes-no-sense-wylie/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Barbara had stopped by the PTA office to talk to some of the mothers there, and she may have said a thing or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/barbara-had-stopped-by-the-pta-office-to-talk-to-some-of-the-mothers/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“I can live with you hating me for that. I'll have to. I can even live with you not hating him. Just dont forgive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/i-can-live-with-you-hating-me-for-that-i-ll-have-to-i-can-even-live/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Everyone has beacons. Lights that guide them home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/everyone-has-beacons-lights-that-guide-them-home/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“But the tour did remind me that my life had been bigger than just that one moment. One girl. One set of words on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/but-the-tour-did-remind-me-that-my-life-had-been-bigger-than-just/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [ “...\[T\]here's a fine line between wild and full-on whack job.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/t-here-s-a-fine-line-between-wild-and-full-on-whack-job/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Clothes were to Sylvia what books were to me: the only thing that really mattered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/clothes-were-to-sylvia-what-books-were-to-me-the-only-thing-that/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Contrary to previous assumptions, maternal depression can also manifest in a myriad of ways, many far different from what some might consider traditional depressive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/contrary-to-previous-assumptions-maternal-depression-can-also/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“No one wanted to talk to a mother whose only child had just killed herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/no-one-wanted-to-talk-to-a-mother-whose-only-child-had-just-killed/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“ONE CAN'T BUILD LITTLE WHITE PICKET FENCES TO KEEP NIGHTMARES OUT. -Anne Sexton”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/one-can-t-build-little-white-picket-fences-to-keep-nightmares-out-2/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“It wouldn't have been so bad if I hadn't been counting the minutes until I could forgive her. But it's a lot harder to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/it-wouldn-t-have-been-so-bad-if-i-hadn-t-been-counting-the-minutes/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Because there are 176 definitions for the word loser on urbandictionary.com. Don't Be a Statistic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/because-there-are-176-definitions-for-the-word-loser-on/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) > [“Staying home ended up being easier said than done. Kate had spent the first days after Amelia’s death surrounded by her three closest friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/staying-home-ended-up-being-easier-said-than-done-kate-had-spent-the/) [Kimberly McCreight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) [Explore all 18 Kimberly McCreight quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/) ## More Different choices quotes > [If you have a different mindset, you will have a different outcome: if you make different choices from your peers, your life will then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-ma/if-you-have-a-different-mindset-you-will-have-a-different-outcome-if/) [Jack Ma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-ma/) > [There are times when I wish I could go back and change the course of my life. Make different choices...But the past cannot be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/there-are-times-when-i-wish-i-could-go-back-and-change-the-course-of/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [I really like the risk takers. I like people who make those different choices on the carpet. I really like Charlize Theron. I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genesis-rodriguez/i-really-like-the-risk-takers-i-like-people-who-make-those-different/) [Genesis Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genesis-rodriguez/) > [“like to think that somewhere out there, on a planet exactly like ours, two people exactly like you and me made totally different choices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/like-to-think-that-somewhere-out-there-on-a-planet-exactly-like-ours/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For any actor - not just talking about myself - but if you've been fortunate enough to work for a long period of time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haley-bennett/for-any-actor-not-just-talking-about-myself-but-if-you-ve-been/) [Haley Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haley-bennett/) > [I used to write travel essays, and I was struck by how the fact of writing about a place would change my relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-cain/i-used-to-write-travel-essays-and-i-was-struck-by-how-the-fact-of/) [Chelsea Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-cain/) > [“Anthony’s current wealth is 1 million. Betty’s current wealth is 4 million. They are both offered a choice between a gamble and a sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kahneman/anthony-s-current-wealth-is-1-million-betty-s-current-wealth-is-4/) [Daniel Kahneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kahneman/) > [Don't fear failure so much that you refuse to try new things. The saddest summary of a life contains two descriptions: could have and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemmy-nola/don-t-fear-failure-so-much-that-you-refuse-to-try-new-things-the/) [Kemmy Nola](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemmy-nola/) > [“But when we make choices that are different than what our friends are doing, it might seem to them that we are questioning their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennetta-billhimer/but-when-we-make-choices-that-are-different-than-what-our-friends-are/) Jennetta Billhimer > [“People everywhere hear the excuse “there’s not enough money”. In actuality, there is enough money… just different priorities. New stadium, heathcare for all, faster…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-steves/people-everywhere-hear-the-excuse-there-s-not-enough-money-in/) [Rick Steves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-steves/) > [“Insight 1: Human decision making serves evolutionary goals. The traditional way of thinking about human behavior is based almost completely on a consideration of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/insight-1-human-decision-making-serves-evolutionary-goals-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are all the same. We just make different choices in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/we-are-all-the-same-we-just-make-different-choices-in-life/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [Yes, I could have made some different choices in life but I didn what I did, both good and bad and I am not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/yes-i-could-have-made-some-different-choices-in-life-but-i-didn-what/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you have a boat to sail, land becomes a choice! If you do not have a boat to sail, land becomes a fate!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/if-you-have-a-boat-to-sail-land-becomes-a-choice-if-you-do-not-have-a/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Our enemies send other people's children on missions of suicide and murder. They embrace tyranny and death as a cause and a creed. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/our-enemies-send-other-people-s-children-on-missions-of-suicide-and/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) [Browse all 74 Different choices quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/different-choices/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was too late to change anything. Too late to make different choices. To be a better mother than she had been. Kate could only be the mother that she was, Amelia’s mother—the curator of her memory, the keeper of her secrets, the cherisher of her heart. That, she would always be.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kimberly McCreight" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-late-to-make-different-choices/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Different choices" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-late-to-make-different-choices/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/kimberly-mccreight-29809_different-choices_it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-l_2128284.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/kimberly-mccreight-29809_different-choices_it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-l_2128284.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ed4/kimberly-mccreight-29809_different-choices_it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-l_2128284.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was too late to change anything. Too late to make different choices. To be a better mother than she had…” — Kimberly McCreight", "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": "Kimberly McCreight", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-mccreight/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was too late to change...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-late-to-make-different-choices/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-mccreight/it-was-too-late-to-change-anything-too-late-to-make-different-choices/#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 } } ] } ```