--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: For one moment we are not failed tests…" description: "\"“For one moment we are not failed tests and broken condoms and cheating on essays; we are crayons and lunch boxes and swinging so high our sneakers pun..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/laurie-halse-anderson-623_breath_for-one-moment-we-are-not-failed-tests-a_2900016.png" --- # For one moment we are not failed tests and broken condoms… ![“For one moment we are not failed tests and broken condoms and cheating on essays; we are crayons and lunch boxes and swinging so high our sneakers punch holes in the clouds. For one breath everything feels better. Then” quote by Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/laurie-halse-anderson-623_breath_for-one-moment-we-are-not-failed-tests-a_2900016.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/laurie-halse-anderson-623_breath_for-one-moment-we-are-not-failed-tests-a_2900016.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/403/laurie-halse-anderson-623_breath_for-one-moment-we-are-not-failed-tests-a_2900016.png) > ““For one moment we are not failed tests and broken condoms and cheating on essays; we are crayons and lunch boxes and swinging so high our sneakers punch holes in the clouds. For one breath everything feels better. Then”” [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Briefly shedding self‑criticism allows us to feel youthful freedom and optimism, even if temporary. **In simple terms:** Letting go of self‑judgment brings fleeting joy. Key Takeaway Allow yourself moments of carefree confidence. Themes self‑acceptance joy freedom Mood hopeful uplifting Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - stress relief - creative work - sports - public speaking Key Concepts psychology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What practices help you sustain the uplift after a brief escape? - How can you balance carefree joy with realistic responsibility? A Different Perspective Such moments may be short‑lived and can lead to complacency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath/) [Breath Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath-feels-382269/) [Feels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels/) [Feels Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feels-better/) [Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moment/) ## Related quotes > [A simple child. That lightly draws its breath. And feels its life in every limb. What should it know of death?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-wordsworth/a-simple-child-that-lightly-draws-its-breath-and-feels-its-life-in/) [William Wordsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-wordsworth/) > [“It seems that the merest breeze causes me to bleed. Each breath feels like I'm swallowing glass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaori-ozaki/it-seems-that-the-merest-breeze-causes-me-to-bleed-each-breath-feels/) [Kaori Ozaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kaori-ozaki/) > [There's nothing like overcoming something that scares you so much. Nothing feels better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-wilkinson/there-s-nothing-like-overcoming-something-that-scares-you-so-much/) [Laura Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-wilkinson/) > [Nothing feels better than knowing God loves you, that he is always there for you, and that he will always take care of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-feels-better-than-knowing-god-loves-you-that-he-is-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nothing feels better than knowing God loves you. He is always there for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-feels-better-than-knowing-god-loves-you-he-is-always-there/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nothing feels better then coming home. Nothing feels better then leaving home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nothing-feels-better-then-coming-home-nothing-feels-better-then/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There's something about being told you're worthy from another person that feels better than when you tell yourself in a mirror.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-the-drag-queen/there-s-something-about-being-told-you-re-worthy-from-another-person/) [Bob the Drag Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-the-drag-queen/) > [Everyone looks and feels better when they have a tan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vogue-williams/everyone-looks-and-feels-better-when-they-have-a-tan/) [Vogue Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vogue-williams/) > [“I'm an evil, nature-hating girl now, but for some reason, that feels better than pretending to like things I don't. I'm done smiling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-mcdonald/i-m-an-evil-nature-hating-girl-now-but-for-some-reason-that-feels/) [Abby McDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-mcdonald/) > [I don't know why but it feels better listening to your favorite song over the radio rather than through your music player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-don-t-know-why-but-it-feels-better-listening-to-your-favorite-song/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [My first win feels better than a draw!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jurgen-klopp/my-first-win-feels-better-than-a-draw/) [Jurgen Klopp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jurgen-klopp/) > [Feels so much better now that I don't have you all in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/feels-so-much-better-now-that-i-don-t-have-you-all-in-my-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It always feels better when you just be honest instead of hiding the truth and living in fear and guilt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-always-feels-better-when-you-just-be-honest-instead-of-hiding-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Winning the second title feels better to me than the first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hikaru-nakamura/winning-the-second-title-feels-better-to-me-than-the-first/) [Hikaru Nakamura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hikaru-nakamura/) > [There's nothing that feels better than to do something nice for somebody. I mean nothing feels better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/there-s-nothing-that-feels-better-than-to-do-something-nice-for/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) ## More by Laurie Halse Anderson > [“The word ghost sounds like memory. The word therapy means exorcism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/the-word-ghost-sounds-like-memory-the-word-therapy-means-exorcism/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/censorship-is-the-child-of-fear-and-the-father-of-ignorance/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“I have this halfway place, a rest stop on the road to sleep, where I can stay for hours. I don't even need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-have-this-halfway-place-a-rest-stop-on-the-road-to-sleep-where-i/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I can see us, living in the woods, her wearing that A, me with a S maybe, S for silent, S for stupid, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-can-see-us-living-in-the-woods-her-wearing-that-a-me-with-a-s-maybe/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Eating plain toast will detonate her. "I'll have some honey." When the bread is done I scrape on a microscopic layer of it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/eating-plain-toast-will-detonate-her-i-ll-have-some-honey-when-the/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Cutting pain was a different flavor of hurt. It made it easier not to think about having my body and my family and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/cutting-pain-was-a-different-flavor-of-hurt-it-made-it-easier-not-to/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I am learning how to be angry and sad and lonely and joyful and excited and afraid and happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-am-learning-how-to-be-angry-and-sad-and-lonely-and-joyful-and/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“Leaning against my father, the sadness finally broke open inside me, hollowing out my heart and leaving me bleeding. My feet felt rooted in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/leaning-against-my-father-the-sadness-finally-broke-open-inside-me/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I like cheeseburgers too much to be a model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-like-cheeseburgers-too-much-to-be-a-model/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I am getting better at smiling when people expect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-am-getting-better-at-smiling-when-people-expect-it/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/all-that-crap-you-hear-on-tv-about-communication-and-expressing/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I doubt trees are ever told to 'be the screwed-up ninth-grader.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-doubt-trees-are-ever-told-to-be-the-screwed-up-ninth-grader/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“It was the most eloquent silence I ever heard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/it-was-the-most-eloquent-silence-i-ever-heard/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I've dealt with depression my entire life, on and off, which makes me the perfect author for teenage readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-ve-dealt-with-depression-my-entire-life-on-and-off-which-makes-me/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“What did it feel like to die? Was it a peaceful sleep? Some thought it was full of either trumpet-blowing angels or angry devils.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/what-did-it-feel-like-to-die-was-it-a-peaceful-sleep-some-thought-it/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) [Explore all 437 Laurie Halse Anderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) ## More Breath quotes > [“The days may last forever, but the years pass by in a blink; the secret to survival is actually remembering to take a deep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-smokler/the-days-may-last-forever-but-the-years-pass-by-in-a-blink-the-secret/) [Jill Smokler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-smokler/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [Take a deep breath. It,s just a bad day not a bad life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/take-a-deep-breath-it-s-just-a-bad-day-not-a-bad-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I stopped loving you today, But OMG..., Seeing your Body takes my breath away…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becka-miller/i-stopped-loving-you-today-but-omg-seeing-your-body-takes-my-breath/) [Becka Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becka-miller/) > [So we must do our very best Whatever life may bring And look beyond the winter chill To smell the breath of spring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-we-must-do-our-very-best-whatever-life-may-bring-and-look-beyond/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Poetry should be vital--either stirring our blood by its divine movements or snatching our breath by its divine perfection. To do both is supreme…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine-birrell/poetry-should-be-vital-either-stirring-our-blood-by-its-divine/) [Augustine Birrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine-birrell/) > [“The first step in awareness is to be watchful of your body. Slowly,slowly one becomes alert about each gesture,each movement. And as you become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/the-first-step-in-awareness-is-to-be-watchful-of-your-body-slowly/) [Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/) > [Tic Tacs are the maracas of breath mints.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/tic-tacs-are-the-maracas-of-breath-mints/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [“To control your life, control your mind. To control your mind, control your breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/to-control-your-life-control-your-mind-to-control-your-mind-control/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [“He’s sitting so close, I can feel his breath on my cheek. My stomach flip-flops again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-s-sitting-so-close-i-can-feel-his-breath-on-my-cheek-my-stomach/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My life to yours. My breath beecome yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/my-life-to-yours-my-breath-beecome-yours/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [“My heart is your heart," she whispers, and wow that takes my breath away, this line from my childhood that she always used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annabel-pitcher/my-heart-is-your-heart-she-whispers-and-wow-that-takes-my-breath-away/) [Annabel Pitcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annabel-pitcher/) > [Good manners and bad breath will get you nowhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-costello/good-manners-and-bad-breath-will-get-you-nowhere/) [Elvis Costello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-costello/) > [“Being able to be myself was like being able to exhale for the first time after holding my breath for years. It’s only when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/404-ink/being-able-to-be-myself-was-like-being-able-to-exhale-for-the-first/) [404 Ink](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/404-ink/) [Browse all 1,839 Breath quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breath/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“For one moment we are not failed tests and broken condoms and cheating on essays; we are crayons and lunch boxes and swinging so high our sneakers punch holes in the clouds. For one breath everything feels better. 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