--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I think that's a good thing, really…" description: "\"“But I think that's a good thing, really, because if you did know it would be almost impossible to let go. When you do know, it's like being asked to s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/lauren-oliver-109_good-thing_but-i-think-that-s-a-good-thing-really-b_1506645.png" --- # But I think that's a good thing, really, because if you… ![“But I think that's a good thing, really, because if you did know it would be almost impossible to let go. When you do know, it's like being asked to step off a cliff: all you want to do is get down on your hands and knees and kiss the solid ground, smell it, hold on to it.:” quote by Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/lauren-oliver-109_good-thing_but-i-think-that-s-a-good-thing-really-b_1506645.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/lauren-oliver-109_good-thing_but-i-think-that-s-a-good-thing-really-b_1506645.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a2/lauren-oliver-109_good-thing_but-i-think-that-s-a-good-thing-really-b_1506645.png) > ““But I think that's a good thing, really, because if you did know it would be almost impossible to let go. When you do know, it's like being asked to step off a cliff: all you want to do is get down on your hands and knees and kiss the solid ground, smell it, hold on to it.:”” [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realizing a painful truth can feel terrifying, yet confronting it offers a chance to release fear and find stability. **In simple terms:** Facing truth is scary but leads to freedom. Key Takeaway Embrace truth, then let go. Themes growth fear acceptance Mood anxious hopeful Type motivational reflective When to use this quote - personal crisis - relationship breakup - career setback - health diagnosis Key Concepts psychology resilience mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What truth are you avoiding? - How can you ground yourself when fear rises? A Different Perspective Denial can keep you stuck, making the step forward harder. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cliff Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliff-want-5536455/) [Good thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) [Knees Kiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knees-kiss-3769657/) [Letting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting/) [Smell Hold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smell-hold-600513/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) ## Related quotes > [“when the whole world rests on your shoulders, never allow your knees to kiss the floor. Invite it in wholly. Let it sink into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hala-abdullah/when-the-whole-world-rests-on-your-shoulders-never-allow-your-knees/) [Hala Abdullah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hala-abdullah/) > [“There are two perfumes to a book. If a book is new, it smells great. If a book is old, it smells even better.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/there-are-two-perfumes-to-a-book-if-a-book-is-new-it-smells-great-if/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [A book has got to smell. You have to hold it in your hands and pray to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/a-book-has-got-to-smell-you-have-to-hold-it-in-your-hands-and-pray-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [(in response to the question: what do you think of e-books and Amazon’s Kindle?) Those aren’t books. You can’t hold a computer in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/in-response-to-the-question-what-do-you-think-of-e-books-and-amazon-s/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [I think just letting go is a really good thing to do in many areas of your life, songwriting included.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-michaelson/i-think-just-letting-go-is-a-really-good-thing-to-do-in-many-areas-of/) [Ingrid Michaelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-michaelson/) > [I don't get why people let go of a good thing for a new thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pretty-ladii/i-don-t-get-why-people-let-go-of-a-good-thing-for-a-new-thing/) [Pretty Ladii](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pretty-ladii/) > [Being authentic can be a good thing in that often people who are fixated on that are also fixated on having very high standards,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-meyer/being-authentic-can-be-a-good-thing-in-that-often-people-who-are/) [Edgar Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-meyer/) > [Hold tenderly that which you cherish, for it is precious and a tight grip may crush it. Do not let the fear of dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-alberti/hold-tenderly-that-which-you-cherish-for-it-is-precious-and-a-tight/) [Bob Alberti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-alberti/) > [Wise and purposeful letting alone is the best part of education.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mason/wise-and-purposeful-letting-alone-is-the-best-part-of-education/) [Charlotte Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mason/) > [Letting go a little brings a little peace. Letting go a lot brings a lot of peace. Letting go completely brings complete peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ajahn-chah/letting-go-a-little-brings-a-little-peace-letting-go-a-lot-brings-a/) [Ajahn Chah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ajahn-chah/) > [I don't know why we all hang on to something we know were better off letting go. Its like were scared to lose what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/i-don-t-know-why-we-all-hang-on-to-something-we-know-were-better-off/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [In the last few years in particular, I've found that it's okay to let go of culture rather than hold on to it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anoushka-shankar/in-the-last-few-years-in-particular-i-ve-found-that-it-s-okay-to-let/) [Anoushka Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anoushka-shankar/) > [Letting go of someone you love , is so hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/letting-go-of-someone-you-love-is-so-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some of the things that we hold onto the most, are the things that we need to let go of.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryaj-ablando-catayas/some-of-the-things-that-we-hold-onto-the-most-are-the-things-that-we/) [Ryaj Ablando Catayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryaj-ablando-catayas/) > [I feel as though I've fooled the world into thinking I'm an adult and now they're letting me procreate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-murray/i-feel-as-though-i-ve-fooled-the-world-into-thinking-i-m-an-adult-and/) [George Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-murray/) ## More by Lauren Oliver > [“My aunt Carol hasn’t heard her say a word in the whole six years and three months of Grace’s life—not a single syllable. Carol…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/my-aunt-carol-hasn-t-heard-her-say-a-word-in-the-whole-six-years-and/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [This is what happens when you try to help people. You get screwed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/this-is-what-happens-when-you-try-to-help-people-you-get-screwed/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [We'll walk together holding hands, and kiss in broad daylight, and love each other as much as we want to, and no one will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/we-ll-walk-together-holding-hands-and-kiss-in-broad-daylight-and-love/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“At least when I'm sleeping I can dream myself back to Alex, can dream myself into a different world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/at-least-when-i-m-sleeping-i-can-dream-myself-back-to-alex-can-dream/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [People are like ants: Just a few of them give all the orders. And most of them spend their lives getting squashed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/people-are-like-ants-just-a-few-of-them-give-all-the-orders-and-most/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Summer explodes into Portland. In early June the heat was there but not the color--the green were still pale and tentative, the morning had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/summer-explodes-into-portland-in-early-june-the-heat-was-there-but/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [Mistake, mistake, mistake. A strange word: stinging, somehow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/mistake-mistake-mistake-a-strange-word-stinging-somehow/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [I wonder if it's ever really possible to know the truth about someone else, or if the best we can do is just stumble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/i-wonder-if-it-s-ever-really-possible-to-know-the-truth-about-someone/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“Julian is somewhere among those lights, in that blur of people and buildings. I wonder whether he's scared. I wonder whether he's thinking of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/julian-is-somewhere-among-those-lights-in-that-blur-of-people-and/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [A room full of words that are nearly the truth but not quite, each note fluttering off the steam of its rose like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/a-room-full-of-words-that-are-nearly-the-truth-but-not-quite-each/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“She’s the kind of person who makes you feel drunk just by being around her, like suddenly the world’s edges are dulled and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/she-s-the-kind-of-person-who-makes-you-feel-drunk-just-by-being/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“Stop!” His voice rings out sharply, hard as a slap. He releases me and I stumble backward. “Alex is dead, do you hear me?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/stop-his-voice-rings-out-sharply-hard-as-a-slap-he-releases-me-and-i/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [..in that moment i realize how much i love the little everyday routines of my life..the details that are my life's special pattern, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/in-that-moment-i-realize-how-much-i-love-the-little-everyday-routines/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“You can't judge a book by its steel-toed combat boots.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/you-can-t-judge-a-book-by-its-steel-toed-combat-boots/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) [Explore all 1,181 Lauren Oliver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) ## More Good thing quotes > [It can sometimes make people fold into themselves and kind of run away, but I think in this case these characters are being forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-deschanel/it-can-sometimes-make-people-fold-into-themselves-and-kind-of-run/) [Emily Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-deschanel/) > [“Of the good things they do many will pass unnoticed, or will even not be considered good at all; but they need not fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-of-vila/of-the-good-things-they-do-many-will-pass-unnoticed-or-will-even-not/) [Teresa of Ávila](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-of-vila/) > [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [It is a sweet thing that we serve a dissatisfied God who has destinations in mind for us that we would never choose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-david-tripp/it-is-a-sweet-thing-that-we-serve-a-dissatisfied-god-who-has/) [Paul David Tripp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-david-tripp/) > [“At times, competition can be a good thing. But a person's value isn't something that can be ranked, is it?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hotaru-odagiri/at-times-competition-can-be-a-good-thing-but-a-person-s-value-isn-t/) [Hotaru Odagiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hotaru-odagiri/) > [Here are the good things about independent films: They do the more interesting, chancy scripts. They're run by love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-macy/here-are-the-good-things-about-independent-films-they-do-the-more/) [William H. Macy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-macy/) > [...Gratitude transforms the torment of memory of good things now gone into silent joy. One bears what was lovely in the past not as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/gratitude-transforms-the-torment-of-memory-of-good-things-now-gone/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [“The absence of judgment becomes a catalyst and an enabler for greater injustice. Contrary to popular thought, judgment is a GOOD thing when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-chace-gordon/the-absence-of-judgment-becomes-a-catalyst-and-an-enabler-for-greater/) [J. Chace Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-chace-gordon/) > [“I took that warm feeling running through my veins as a good thing and embraced the darkness for I knew it was only temporary.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cox/i-took-that-warm-feeling-running-through-my-veins-as-a-good-thing-and/) [James Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cox/) > [If good things come to those who wait then I must have something ridiculously awesome coming!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/if-good-things-come-to-those-who-wait-then-i-must-have-something/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [IVE LEARNED THE BEST WAY FOR YOU TO HAVE GOOD THINGS HAPPEN TO YOU , ALL THE TIME, IS TO DO GOOD THINGS FOR…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-paul-rose/ive-learned-the-best-way-for-you-to-have-good-things-happen-to-you/) [LEONARD PAUL ROSE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-paul-rose/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [“These are all good things, I said. But no one knows where your country is or who you are. You don't have a familiar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/these-are-all-good-things-i-said-but-no-one-knows-where-your-country/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [Good things come to those who hustle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-noll/good-things-come-to-those-who-hustle/) [Chuck Noll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-noll/) > [Too many good things all seem the same after a while.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-tan/too-many-good-things-all-seem-the-same-after-a-while/) [Amy Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-tan/) [Browse all 6,343 Good thing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-thing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But I think that's a good thing, really, because if you did know it would be almost impossible to let go. 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