--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a terrible thing to go through life…" description: "\"It's a terrible thing to go through life thinking that you have a rock on your side when you haven't.\" — Maria Callas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/322/maria-callas-13765_life_it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life_1817743.jpg" --- # It's a terrible thing to go through life thinking that you… ![“It's a terrible thing to go through life thinking that you have a rock on your side when you haven't.” quote by Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/322/maria-callas-13765_life_it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life_1817743.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/322/maria-callas-13765_life_it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life_1817743.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/322/maria-callas-13765_life_it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life_1817743.jpg) > “It's a terrible thing to go through life thinking that you have a rock on your side when you haven't.” [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Believing you have support when you lack it leads to false confidence and vulnerability. **In simple terms:** False confidence harms you. Key Takeaway Seek real support, not imagined. Themes confidence vulnerability selfawareness Mood reflective cautious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - mental health - risk assessment Key Concepts psychology social support Questions to Reflect On - Do you rely on imagined allies? - How can you verify real support? A Different Perspective Assuming support can backfire when challenges arise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rock/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [I just want to go back to rockin', but I'm uncertain as to what to actually do. The truth is, I never stopped thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-strummer/i-just-want-to-go-back-to-rockin-but-i-m-uncertain-as-to-what-to/) [Joe Strummer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-strummer/) > [I am not sure that it is best for us, once safe and secure on the Rock of Ages, to ask ourselves too closely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-prentiss/i-am-not-sure-that-it-is-best-for-us-once-safe-and-secure-on-the-rock/) [Elizabeth Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-prentiss/) > [The terrible thing about being an actor is that it's not a solo occupation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-coyote/the-terrible-thing-about-being-an-actor-is-that-it-s-not-a-solo/) [Peter Coyote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-coyote/) > [It's a terrible thing that your life turns into a good story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/it-s-a-terrible-thing-that-your-life-turns-into-a-good-story/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Without publicity a terrible thing happens: nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-t-barnum/without-publicity-a-terrible-thing-happens-nothing/) [P. T. Barnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-t-barnum/) > [The expectation of an unpleasantness is more terrible than the thing itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-bashkirtseff/the-expectation-of-an-unpleasantness-is-more-terrible-than-the-thing/) [Marie Bashkirtseff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-bashkirtseff/) > [This is the most terrible thing that can happen in a friendly country if Thai people have to escape from the backdoor of an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thaksin-shinawatra/this-is-the-most-terrible-thing-that-can-happen-in-a-friendly-country/) [Thaksin Shinawatra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thaksin-shinawatra/) > [You know, right now, the most important thing in my life is to make sure you understand that, first of all, I thank God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-ray-vaughan/you-know-right-now-the-most-important-thing-in-my-life-is-to-make/) [Stevie Ray Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-ray-vaughan/) > [There is always room in your life for thinking bigger, pushing limits and imagining the impossible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/there-is-always-room-in-your-life-for-thinking-bigger-pushing-limits/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [Nothing in Life can keep us down except our own thinking, If we want a good quality of life then we must have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/nothing-in-life-can-keep-us-down-except-our-own-thinking-if-we-want-a/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [I'm not spitting in my own soup, I love having spent my life thinking about these things-but you don't have to know anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-greenblatt/i-m-not-spitting-in-my-own-soup-i-love-having-spent-my-life-thinking/) [Stephen Greenblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-greenblatt/) > [“If his conversation is more about your physical qualities than your goals in life, he’s not thinking long-term.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wilson/if-his-conversation-is-more-about-your-physical-qualities-than-your/) [James Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wilson/) > [“You'll have a good, secure life when being alive means more to you than security, love more than money, your freedom more than public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-reich/you-ll-have-a-good-secure-life-when-being-alive-means-more-to-you/) [Wilhelm Reich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-reich/) > [“Some people live their entire life not knowing who they are, others live their life thinking they are something they are not. Only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-hawkins/some-people-live-their-entire-life-not-knowing-who-they-are-others/) Robert Hawkins > [You always live your life, never thinking of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yes-band/you-always-live-your-life-never-thinking-of-the-future/) [Yes (Band](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yes-band/) ## More by Maria Callas > [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I was always too mature for my age - and not very happy. I had no young friends. I wish I could go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/i-was-always-too-mature-for-my-age-and-not-very-happy-i-had-no-young/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [Good teachers make the best of a pupil's means; great teachers foresee a pupil's ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/good-teachers-make-the-best-of-a-pupil-s-means-great-teachers-foresee/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I admire Tebaldi's tone; it's beautiful - also some beautiful phrasing. Sometimes, I actually wish I had her voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/i-admire-tebaldi-s-tone-it-s-beautiful-also-some-beautiful-phrasing/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I don't need the money, dear. I work for art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/i-don-t-need-the-money-dear-i-work-for-art/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [To me, the art of music is magnificent, and I cannot bear to see it treated in a shabby way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/to-me-the-art-of-music-is-magnificent-and-i-cannot-bear-to-see-it/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [Don't talk to me about rules, dear. Wherever I stay I make the god dam rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/don-t-talk-to-me-about-rules-dear-wherever-i-stay-i-make-the-god-dam/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [Some say I have a beautiful voice, some say I have not. It is a matter of opinion. All I can say, those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/some-say-i-have-a-beautiful-voice-some-say-i-have-not-it-is-a-matter/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [Real friends are very special, but you have to be careful because sometimes you have a friend and you think they are made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/real-friends-are-very-special-but-you-have-to-be-careful-because/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [On stage, I am in the dark.On stage, I am in the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/on-stage-i-am-in-the-dark-on-stage-i-am-in-the-dark/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I will always be as difficult as necessary to achieve the best,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/i-will-always-be-as-difficult-as-necessary-to-achieve-the-best/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [That is the difference between good teachers and great teachers: good teachers make the best of a pupil's means; great teachers foresee a pupil's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/that-is-the-difference-between-good-teachers-and-great-teachers-good/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [First I lost weight, then I lost my voice, and now I've lost Onassis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/first-i-lost-weight-then-i-lost-my-voice-and-now-i-ve-lost-onassis/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I am not an angel and do not pretend to be. That is not one of my roles. But I am not the devil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/i-am-not-an-angel-and-do-not-pretend-to-be-that-is-not-one-of-my/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [ What \[Tulio Serafin\] said that impressed me was: "When one wants to find a gesture, when you want to find how to act on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/what-tulio-serafin-said-that-impressed-me-was-when-one-wants-to-find/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) [Explore all 49 Maria Callas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [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/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a terrible thing to go through life thinking that you have a rock on your side when you haven't.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maria Callas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life-thinking-that-you-have-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life-thinking-that-you-have-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/322/maria-callas-13765_life_it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life_1817743.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/322/maria-callas-13765_life_it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life_1817743.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/322/maria-callas-13765_life_it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life_1817743.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's a terrible thing to go through life thinking that you have a rock on your side when you haven't.” — Maria Callas", "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": "Maria Callas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's a terrible thing to go...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life-thinking-that-you-have-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-s-a-terrible-thing-to-go-through-life-thinking-that-you-have-a/#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 } } ] } ```