--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are cases that I just can't…" description: "\"“There are cases that I just can't forget…What it is. I don't know. I think it's the ones where something small changes everything. Where the tiniest a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/laura-mcbride-28386_children_there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget_3092977.jpg" --- # There are cases that I just can't forget…What it is. I… ![“There are cases that I just can't forget…What it is. I don't know. I think it's the ones where something small changes everything. Where the tiniest act , the smallest space of time, the most inconsequential of decisions, changes a life. A split second separates the long-lost friends who either…” quote by Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/laura-mcbride-28386_children_there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget_3092977.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/laura-mcbride-28386_children_there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget_3092977.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/laura-mcbride-28386_children_there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget_3092977.jpg) > ““There are cases that I just can't forget…What it is. I don't know. I think it's the ones where something small changes everything. Where the tiniest act , the smallest space of time, the most inconsequential of decisions, changes a life. A split second separates the long-lost friends who either see or miss each other at an airport. And from that , a relationship does or does not develop, perhaps a lifetime partnership,, perhaps even children. Human beings who might or might not have existed. Whole lives built out of the most fragile of happenstance. And maybe that's why our lives are beautiful; why they're tragic. One perfect child can be born of an accidental encounter, and another lost to a split-second lapse in attention. If a motorist leans over to change a radio station at the same moment that it first occurs to a four year old that he can let go of his mother's hand as easily as hang onto it, and that if he lets go he will be across the road first, before his mother, and that she will certainly laugh and say, "How fast you are, Johnny!" If the child does this and the motorist does that , and if the world then changes forever and unbearably for everyone involved, then is that not life in its simplest form? That so little matters so much, and so much matters so little.”” [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) ## 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 dramatically alter life trajectories, highlighting the fragile, contingent nature of existence. **In simple terms:** Tiny actions can change whole lives. Key Takeaway Recognize the impact of small choices. Themes chance choice destiny fragility Mood reflective melancholic Type essay philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - parenting - career decisions - accidental encounters - critical moments Key Concepts determinism butterfly effect Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance awareness of chance with living confidently? - Can we find peace in uncertainty? A Different Perspective Focusing on minutiae may cause anxiety over uncontrollable events. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Happenstance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happenstance/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lost friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-friend/) [Lost Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-friends/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Radio station](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/radio-station/) [Small changes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-changes/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [Don't, Sir, accustom yourself to use big words for little matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/don-t-sir-accustom-yourself-to-use-big-words-for-little-matters/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Life is a matter of dealing with other people, in little matters and cataclysmic ones, and that means a series of conversations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/life-is-a-matter-of-dealing-with-other-people-in-little-matters-and/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Life can be harsh. But it matters little. What matters is how well you hold your tongue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-can-be-harsh-but-it-matters-little-what-matters-is-how-well-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“At the end of the day, if you’re not proud of who you are and the way you choose to live your life, little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-sonnenberg/at-the-end-of-the-day-if-you-re-not-proud-of-who-you-are-and-the-way/) [Frank Sonnenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-sonnenberg/) > [If spousal love and family love were akin.. then divorce would cease to exist. Love and tolerate your spouse as if you would love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leanne-stoddard/if-spousal-love-and-family-love-were-akin-then-divorce-would-cease-to/) Leanne Stoddard > [Treat your customers like lifetime partners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leboeuf/treat-your-customers-like-lifetime-partners/) [Michael LeBoeuf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leboeuf/) > [You cannot operate independently when you have a lifetime partnership and commitment with someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenya-moore/you-cannot-operate-independently-when-you-have-a-lifetime-partnership/) [Kenya Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenya-moore/) > [I think when you're looking for a lifetime partnership, intimacy is obviously a part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-bristowe/i-think-when-you-re-looking-for-a-lifetime-partnership-intimacy-is/) [Kaitlyn Bristowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaitlyn-bristowe/) > [“The social institution of marriage is first and foremost a covenant relationship in which a man and a woman pledge themselves to each other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/the-social-institution-of-marriage-is-first-and-foremost-a-covenant/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [One thing I'm sure of is that it's not easy to find your lifetime partner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heart-evangelista/one-thing-i-m-sure-of-is-that-it-s-not-easy-to-find-your-lifetime/) [Heart Evangelista](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heart-evangelista/) > [“HIs life was always a happenstance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/his-life-was-always-a-happenstance/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Adventures call a valiant few, happenstance upon calls many.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anastasia-bolinder/adventures-call-a-valiant-few-happenstance-upon-calls-many/) Anastasia Bolinder > [Becoming an astronaut was a little bit of happenstance for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunita-williams/becoming-an-astronaut-was-a-little-bit-of-happenstance-for-me/) [Sunita Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunita-williams/) > [I think of how life takes unexpected twists and turns, sometimes through sheer happenstance, sometimes through calculated decisions. In the end, it can all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-think-of-how-life-takes-unexpected-twists-and-turns-sometimes/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [Hey, this is weird. I ordered one frozen yogurt and they gave me two. You don’t happen to like frozen yogurt do you? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/hey-this-is-weird-i-ordered-one-frozen-yogurt-and-they-gave-me-two/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) ## More by Laura McBride > [“What are the words to say to someone who gave you back your life, who believed that you still had a soul, who acknowledged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/what-are-the-words-to-say-to-someone-who-gave-you-back-your-life-who/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“I’d rather live knowing I made a mistake than wondering if I could have made a difference if I’d tried. The way I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/i-d-rather-live-knowing-i-made-a-mistake-than-wondering-if-i-could/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“To always know how quickly life could change, how quickly everything important could disappear, to always be trying to feel this unexpectedly beautiful life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/to-always-know-how-quickly-life-could-change-how-quickly-everything/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“We never know how high we are Till we are called to rise; And then, if we are true to plan, Our statures touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/we-never-know-how-high-we-are-till-we-are-called-to-rise-and-then-if/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“That's one thing I learned from Ray Senior. You don't owe an explanation to anybody but the Lord, and most people will stop asking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/that-s-one-thing-i-learned-from-ray-senior-you-don-t-owe-an/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“It all matters. That someone turns out the lamp, picks up the windblown wrapper, says hello to the invalid, pays at the unattended lot,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/it-all-matters-that-someone-turns-out-the-lamp-picks-up-the-windblown/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“And what one thinks in the middle of the night is never true anyway. I never worry about the right thing in the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/and-what-one-thinks-in-the-middle-of-the-night-is-never-true-anyway-i/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“The way I see it, nothing in life is a rehearsal. It's not preparation for anything else. There's no getting ready for it. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/the-way-i-see-it-nothing-in-life-is-a-rehearsal-it-s-not-preparation/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“I shiver with anger and hold on to the beautiful strength of this clean emotion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/i-shiver-with-anger-and-hold-on-to-the-beautiful-strength-of-this/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“Mrs. Monaghan says we don’t always have to say what we like and what we don’t like. We should just practice dealing with it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/mrs-monaghan-says-we-don-t-always-have-to-say-what-we-like-and-what/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“But if, sometimes, an unspeakable horror arises from the smallest error, I choose to believe that it’s possible for an equally unimaginable grandeur to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/but-if-sometimes-an-unspeakable-horror-arises-from-the-smallest-error/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“And, really, if she had been given the choice- the whole choice, the good, and the bad, the pain and the glory,- she would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/and-really-if-she-had-been-given-the-choice-the-whole-choice-the-good/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“Life perfects us, if we let it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/life-perfects-us-if-we-let-it/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“We say 'Thank you very much' and 'I so appreciate what you have done' to people who fill our grocery bags, to people who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/we-say-thank-you-very-much-and-i-so-appreciate-what-you-have-done-to/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) > [“What I want is for the life I lived to matter still. I have already been young. I have…a child. I have reared another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/what-i-want-is-for-the-life-i-lived-to-matter-still-i-have-already/) [Laura McBride](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) [Explore all 19 Laura McBride quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There are cases that I just can't forget…What it is. I don't know. I think it's the ones where something small changes everything. Where the tiniest act , the smallest space of time, the most inconsequential of decisions, changes a life. A split second separates the long-lost friends who either see or miss each other at an airport. And from that , a relationship does or does not develop, perhaps a lifetime partnership,, perhaps even children. Human beings who might or might not have existed. Whole lives built out of the most fragile of happenstance. And maybe that's why our lives are beautiful; why they're tragic. One perfect child can be born of an accidental encounter, and another lost to a split-second lapse in attention. If a motorist leans over to change a radio station at the same moment that it first occurs to a four year old that he can let go of his mother's hand as easily as hang onto it, and that if he lets go he will be across the road first, before his mother, and that she will certainly laugh and say, \"How fast you are, Johnny!\" If the child does this and the motorist does that , and if the world then changes forever and unbearably for everyone involved, then is that not life in its simplest form? That so little matters so much, and so much matters so little.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laura McBride" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget-what-it-is-i-don-t-know-i/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget-what-it-is-i-don-t-know-i/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/laura-mcbride-28386_children_there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget_3092977.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/laura-mcbride-28386_children_there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget_3092977.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f74/laura-mcbride-28386_children_there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget_3092977.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are cases that I just can't forget…What it is. I don't know. I think it's the ones where something…” — Laura McBride", "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": "Laura McBride", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-mcbride/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“There are cases that I just...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget-what-it-is-i-don-t-know-i/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-mcbride/there-are-cases-that-i-just-can-t-forget-what-it-is-i-don-t-know-i/#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 } } ] } ```