--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And when it happens that you are broken…" description: "\"“And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the app..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/louise-erdrich-1271_death_and-when-it-happens-that-you-are-broken_929171.png" --- # And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or… ![“And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could.” quote by Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/louise-erdrich-1271_death_and-when-it-happens-that-you-are-broken_929171.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/louise-erdrich-1271_death_and-when-it-happens-that-you-are-broken_929171.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f6/louise-erdrich-1271_death_and-when-it-happens-that-you-are-broken_929171.png) > ““And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. Tell yourself that you tasted as many as you could.”” [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In moments of pain, find a quiet place to reflect on loss, acknowledging both sorrow and the sweetness of lived experience. **In simple terms:** Sit with grief and remember the good. Key Takeaway Practice mindful acceptance. Themes grief reflection healing Mood somber reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - dealing with bereavement - processing trauma - personal growth Key Concepts psychology mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - How can you transform sorrow into gratitude? - What rituals help you honor loss? A Different Perspective May lead to rumination if not balanced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ## Related quotes > [You know what they feed people on an indi set, Vinnie? Nothing! They dont give you a trailer. They tell you to go sit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ari-gold/you-know-what-they-feed-people-on-an-indi-set-vinnie-nothing-they/) [Ari Gold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ari-gold/) > [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [This / is the use of trampolines / I will remember, the broken sunlight / Coming through the trees in a strange / Land,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-woodward/this-is-the-use-of-trampolines-i-will-remember-the-broken-sunlight/) Gerard Woodward > [“I wanted to be a tree so that I could listen for trouble in the woods.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lynch/i-wanted-to-be-a-tree-so-that-i-could-listen-for-trouble-in-the-woods/) [Jennifer Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lynch/) > [“Don’t look for leadership just at the top of the tree. Listen to leadership wherever it is expressed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-dourado/don-t-look-for-leadership-just-at-the-top-of-the-tree-listen-to/) [Phil Dourado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-dourado/) > [When you chop down a tree you can look at the rings and see what the tree's been through. That's what you can do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xzibit/when-you-chop-down-a-tree-you-can-look-at-the-rings-and-see-what-the/) [Xzibit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xzibit/) > [The apple tree never asks the beech how he shall grow, nor the lion, the horse, how he shall take his prey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/the-apple-tree-never-asks-the-beech-how-he-shall-grow-nor-the-lion/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) > [“The world is ripe, and we'll pluck it like an apple from a tree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-rash/the-world-is-ripe-and-we-ll-pluck-it-like-an-apple-from-a-tree/) [Ron Rash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-rash/) > [She had learned, in her life, that time lived inside you. You are time, you breathe time. When she'd been young, she'd had an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wroblewski/she-had-learned-in-her-life-that-time-lived-inside-you-you-are-time/) [David Wroblewski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wroblewski/) > [It is remarkable how closely the history of the apple tree is connected with that of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/it-is-remarkable-how-closely-the-history-of-the-apple-tree-is/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“In my poetry a rhyme Would seem to me almost insolent. Inside me contend Delight at the apple tree in blossom And horror at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/in-my-poetry-a-rhyme-would-seem-to-me-almost-insolent-inside-me/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) > [Life will break you. Nobody can protect you from that, and living alone won't either, for solitude will also break you with its yearning.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-will-break-you-nobody-can-protect-you-from-that-and-living-alone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A good woman is like an apple on a tree, the best ones are on the top of the tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-good-woman-is-like-an-apple-on-a-tree-the-best-ones-are-on-the-top/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Therefore all seasons shall be sweet to thee, Whether the summer clothe the general earth With greenness, or the redbreast sit and sing Betwixt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/therefore-all-seasons-shall-be-sweet-to-thee-whether-the-summer/) [Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/) > [A comely sight indeed it is to see, a world of blossoms on an apple tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-bunyan/a-comely-sight-indeed-it-is-to-see-a-world-of-blossoms-on-an-apple/) [John Bunyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-bunyan/) ## More by Louise Erdrich > [Can you stop your mother from singing to you? Who would do such a thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/can-you-stop-your-mother-from-singing-to-you-who-would-do-such-a-thing/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [“Emotions unreel in her like spools of cotton.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/emotions-unreel-in-her-like-spools-of-cotton/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [“Other freshmen were already moving into their dormitory rooms when we arrived, with their parents helping haul. I saw boxes of paperbacks, stereo equipment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/other-freshmen-were-already-moving-into-their-dormitory-rooms-when-we/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [My father is my biggest literary influence. Recently, I've been looking through his letters. He was in the National Guard when I was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/my-father-is-my-biggest-literary-influence-recently-i-ve-been-looking/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [What is this life but the sound of an appalling love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/what-is-this-life-but-the-sound-of-an-appalling-love/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [Looking at the shape of the world, I see how we're in a time where women are the subject of hatred, fear, and we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/looking-at-the-shape-of-the-world-i-see-how-we-re-in-a-time-where/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [She had always been a reader… but now she was obsessed. Since her discovery of the book hoard downstairs from her job, she’d been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/she-had-always-been-a-reader-but-now-she-was-obsessed-since-her/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [Time was rushing around me like water around a big wet rock. The only difference is, I was not so durable as stones. Very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/time-was-rushing-around-me-like-water-around-a-big-wet-rock-the-only/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [The greatest wisdom doesn't know itself. The richest plan is not to have one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/the-greatest-wisdom-doesn-t-know-itself-the-richest-plan-is-not-to/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [“Delphine began to read with a mad attention when she wanted to talk to Clarisse. She saw that in her life there was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/delphine-began-to-read-with-a-mad-attention-when-she-wanted-to-talk/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [But if there was embellishment, it only had to do with the facts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/but-if-there-was-embellishment-it-only-had-to-do-with-the-facts/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [Things which do not grow and change are dead things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/things-which-do-not-grow-and-change-are-dead-things/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [I have to write. I have to be an artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/i-have-to-write-i-have-to-be-an-artist/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [“The Creator made us for each other. Me here. Zelia there. Space was put between us by human error. But our hearts listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/the-creator-made-us-for-each-other-me-here-zelia-there-space-was-put/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) > [So many things in the world have happened before. But it's like they never did. Every new thing that happens to a person, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-erdrich/so-many-things-in-the-world-have-happened-before-but-it-s-like-they/) [Louise Erdrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) [Explore all 262 Louise Erdrich quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-erdrich/) ## More Death quotes > [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/) [Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/) > [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/) J. Anthony Torino > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/) Alan W. Powers > [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/) [Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) > [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/) [Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) [Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And when it happens that you are broken, or betrayed, or left, or hurt, or death brushes near, let yourself sit by an apple tree and listen to the apples falling all around you in heaps, wasting their sweetness. 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