--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here are the top three things I’ve…" description: "\"“Here are the top three things I’ve learned in my twenty-two years on the planet: 1. Never wipe your butt with poison ivy. 2. People are like ants: Jus..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/lauren-oliver-109_happy-ending_here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learn_123966.png" --- # Here are the top three things I’ve learned in my… ![“Here are the top three things I’ve learned in my twenty-two years on the planet: 1. Never wipe your butt with poison ivy. 2. People are like ants: Just a few of them give all the orders. And most of them spend their lives getting squashed. 3. There are no happy endings, only breaks in the regular…” quote by Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/lauren-oliver-109_happy-ending_here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learn_123966.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/lauren-oliver-109_happy-ending_here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learn_123966.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/lauren-oliver-109_happy-ending_here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learn_123966.png) > ““Here are the top three things I’ve learned in my twenty-two years on the planet: 1. Never wipe your butt with poison ivy. 2. People are like ants: Just a few of them give all the orders. And most of them spend their lives getting squashed. 3. There are no happy endings, only breaks in the regular action. Of all of them, number three is really the only one you have to keep in mind”” [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. The speaker shares three hard‑won lessons: avoid harmful habits, recognize that a few dominate while most are oppressed, and remember that life lacks neat conclusions, only pauses in ongoing action. **In simple terms:** Avoid danger, notice power imbalances, accept life’s unfinished nature. Key Takeaway Life is messy; power is concentrated; stay aware. Themes humor life lessons power dynamics impermanence Mood wry reflective Type personal anecdote philosophical observation When to use this quote - personal health decisions - workplace leadership - navigating grief Key Concepts existential realism social hierarchy Practical Applications - Practice mindfulness of risks - Challenge dominant voices Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify who truly influences your environment? - What habits can you replace with healthier alternatives? A Different Perspective The advice is anecdotal and may oversimplify complex social structures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happy ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-ending/) [Happy endings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-endings/) [Poison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison/) [Poison ivy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poison-ivy/) ## Related quotes > [I don't get why people put designs on toilet paper. its not like someones going to wipe their butt & be like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlean/i-don-t-get-why-people-put-designs-on-toilet-paper-its-not-like/) Charlean > [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/) > [There are no happy endings, only breaks in the regular action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/there-are-no-happy-endings-only-breaks-in-the-regular-action/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“My boss is like an angry bear with a sore head and poison ivy up his ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/my-boss-is-like-an-angry-bear-with-a-sore-head-and-poison-ivy-up-his/) [E.L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james/) > [Honesty was a tough customer... Once you started allowing yourself some honesty, it couldn't easily be contained or limited to one part of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-brashares/honesty-was-a-tough-customer-once-you-started-allowing-yourself-some/) [Ann Brashares](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-brashares/) > [There's something very, very liberating about Harley Quinn. Much more so than a character like Catwoman or Poison Ivy. Those are great characters. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/there-s-something-very-very-liberating-about-harley-quinn-much-more/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) > [“In North Carolina, I stopped to gas up at a Humble Oil station, then walked around the corner to use the toilet. There were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-north-carolina-i-stopped-to-gas-up-at-a-humble-oil-station-then/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Poison Ivy tastes like an itch when you have it on your tongue, and I’d say that love tastes the same, only itchier.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/poison-ivy-tastes-like-an-itch-when-you-have-it-on-your-tongue-and-i/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Not today. I was late getting in, and my boss is like an angry bear with a sore head and poison ivy up his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-l-james/not-today-i-was-late-getting-in-and-my-boss-is-like-an-angry-bear/) [E.L. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-l-james/) > [“I can tell you think being a romantic is a bad thing, and while I freely admit to wanting to find a man to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-stoker/i-can-tell-you-think-being-a-romantic-is-a-bad-thing-and-while-i/) [Susan Stoker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-stoker/) > [“Poison ivy and deer crap and rocks. Oh, my!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-reeves/poison-ivy-and-deer-crap-and-rocks-oh-my/) [Dia Reeves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-reeves/) > [“Ever seen a two-year-old tattering around a garden? There might be a poison ivy, or rose bushes or hawthorne around the edges. There might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-lane/ever-seen-a-two-year-old-tattering-around-a-garden-there-might-be-a/) [Andy Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-lane/) > [Golf's ultimate moral instruction directs us to find within ourselves a pivotal center of enjoyment: relax into a rhythm that fits the hills and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/golf-s-ultimate-moral-instruction-directs-us-to-find-within-ourselves/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Everywhere the devil spits, poison ivy grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-chadwick/everywhere-the-devil-spits-poison-ivy-grows/) [Alan Chadwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-chadwick/) > [You can have villains like the Penguin, who strut around in a tuxedo with an umbrella, and Poison Ivy and all of the fantastic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-dini/you-can-have-villains-like-the-penguin-who-strut-around-in-a-tuxedo/) [Paul Dini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-dini/) ## 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 Happy ending quotes > [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/) [Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/) > [There are no such things as happy endings. Never. They're totally manufactured by fiction writers who choose to end the story on a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-david/there-are-no-such-things-as-happy-endings-never-they-re-totally/) [Peter David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-david/) > [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/) [Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/) > [“The consolation of fairy-stories, the joy of the happy ending; or more correctly of the good catastrophe, the sudden joyous "turn" (for there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/the-consolation-of-fairy-stories-the-joy-of-the-happy-ending-or-more/) [J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/) > [ “\[pitching the proposal for Mononoke-hime (1997)\] There cannot be a happy ending to the fight between the raging gods and humans. However, even in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/pitching-the-proposal-for-mononoke-hime-1997-there-cannot-be-a-happy/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/maybe-my-movie-isn-t-over-i-say-because-sometimes-moviemakers-trick/) [Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/) > [Happy endings come in different packages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-f-wright/happy-endings-come-in-different-packages/) [Jason F. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-f-wright/) > [I don't believe in happy endings. Children have got to face death sooner or later. Granny and Grandpa die, dogs die, cats die, gerbils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-briggs/i-don-t-believe-in-happy-endings-children-have-got-to-face-death/) Raymond Briggs > [“A diamond's happy ending is on a crown, but its beauty was formed in dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/a-diamond-s-happy-ending-is-on-a-crown-but-its-beauty-was-formed-in/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [ “How are you, Rory?' \[the Doctor\] asked. I \[Rory\]... answered him. 'It's been odd being you.' 'Isn't it?' The Doctor's smile didn't quite reach… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goss/how-are-you-rory-the-doctor-asked-i-rory-answered-him-it-s-been-odd/) [James Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goss/) > [“I won, goddammit. I beat Kollberg. I beat you. I got everything I goddamn wanted: fame, wealth, power. Shit, I even got the girl."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stover/i-won-goddammit-i-beat-kollberg-i-beat-you-i-got-everything-i-goddamn/) [Matthew Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stover/) > [This is a modern fairytale. No happy endings. No wind in our sails. But I can't imagine a life without. Breathless moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-gomez/this-is-a-modern-fairytale-no-happy-endings-no-wind-in-our-sails-but/) [Selena Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-gomez/) > [When your parents split up, it's impossible to delude yourself about fairytale romance and happy endings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-aniston/when-your-parents-split-up-it-s-impossible-to-delude-yourself-about/) [Jennifer Aniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-aniston/) > [“Most of us begin, aided by almost every aspect of our culture, hoping for a perfect marriage. What this means is that we accept…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-g-heilbrun/most-of-us-begin-aided-by-almost-every-aspect-of-our-culture-hoping/) Carolyn G. Heilbrun [Browse all 959 Happy ending quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-ending/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Here are the top three things I’ve learned in my twenty-two years on the planet: 1. Never wipe your butt with poison ivy. 2. People are like ants: Just a few of them give all the orders. And most of them spend their lives getting squashed. 3. There are no happy endings, only breaks in the regular action. Of all of them, number three is really the only one you have to keep in mind”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lauren Oliver" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learned-in-my-twenty-two-years-on/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happy ending" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learned-in-my-twenty-two-years-on/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/lauren-oliver-109_happy-ending_here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learn_123966.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/lauren-oliver-109_happy-ending_here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learn_123966.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77e/lauren-oliver-109_happy-ending_here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learn_123966.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Here are the top three things I’ve learned in my twenty-two years on the planet: 1. Never wipe your butt…” — Lauren Oliver", "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": "Lauren Oliver", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Here are the top three things...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learned-in-my-twenty-two-years-on/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/here-are-the-top-three-things-i-ve-learned-in-my-twenty-two-years-on/#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 } } ] } ```