--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I said that you could still want…" description: "\"But I said that you could still want something that is very unlikely to happen.\" — Mark Haddon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/mark-haddon-1056_said_but-i-said-that-you-could-still-want-som_9836.png" --- # But I said that you could still want something that is… ![“But I said that you could still want something that is very unlikely to happen.” quote by Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/mark-haddon-1056_said_but-i-said-that-you-could-still-want-som_9836.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/mark-haddon-1056_said_but-i-said-that-you-could-still-want-som_9836.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e9/mark-haddon-1056_said_but-i-said-that-you-could-still-want-som_9836.png) > “But I said that you could still want something that is very unlikely to happen.” [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It highlights the persistence of desire for improbable outcomes, reflecting human optimism or irrational hope. **In simple terms:** Desire for unlikely events Key Takeaway Hope drives action despite odds Themes optimism irrationality human desire probability psychology Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - making long‑term plans - investing in speculative ventures - pursuing rare achievements Key Concepts hope expectation risk Practical Applications - risk assessment - motivational coaching Questions to Reflect On - What drives us to pursue improbable goals? - When does hope become detrimental? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said/) [Said Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-want-353754/) [Stills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stills/) [Unlikely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlikely/) [Unlikely Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlikely-happen-358766/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) [Want Unlikely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-unlikely-358765/) ## Related quotes > [“Also I didn't have 20/20 vision which you needed to be a pilot. But I said you could still want something that is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/also-i-didn-t-have-20-20-vision-which-you-needed-to-be-a-pilot-but-i/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I'm a single guy now and can do what I like. As my agent said, so long as it's not a live man or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/i-m-a-single-guy-now-and-can-do-what-i-like-as-my-agent-said-so-long/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [By the laws of statistics we could probably approximate just how unlikely it is that it would happen. But people forget especially those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/by-the-laws-of-statistics-we-could-probably-approximate-just-how/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [“This is quite unlikely to happen to Linux,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-s-raymond/this-is-quite-unlikely-to-happen-to-linux/) [Eric S. Raymond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-s-raymond/) > [My biggest desire and everyone knows this is to have a cross-promotional fight between Bellator and UFC. That is unlikely to happen, though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricio-freire/my-biggest-desire-and-everyone-knows-this-is-to-have-a-cross/) [Patricio Freire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricio-freire/) > [It wasn’t a touch that said I need more. It was a touch that said I want this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/it-wasn-t-a-touch-that-said-i-need-more-it-was-a-touch-that-said-i/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [He said, 'I want peace.' And what the world found out is when Donald Trump wants something and he says it, he means it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-britt/he-said-i-want-peace-and-what-the-world-found-out-is-when-donald/) [Katie Britt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-britt/) > [“All I want is someone who likes me." "All I want is a clear sign," I said. "All I want is a magical horse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/all-i-want-is-someone-who-likes-me-all-i-want-is-a-clear-sign-i-said/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“One day she marched around the side of the house and confronted me. "I've seen you out there every day for the past week,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/one-day-she-marched-around-the-side-of-the-house-and-confronted-me-i/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“I need you to hug Wallace for me.” Wallace spluttered. “Wow,” Mei said. “I’m so glad I ran out here for this.” She tapped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-j-klune/i-need-you-to-hug-wallace-for-me-wallace-spluttered-wow-mei-said-i-m/) [T.J. Klune](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-j-klune/) > [“We say our souls want joy, but they don’t,” she said. “They want what they already know, joyful or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-abraham/we-say-our-souls-want-joy-but-they-don-t-she-said-they-want-what-they/) [Daniel Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-abraham/) > [Great seas," he said. "What do you want?" He held the candle up to her face. "Po, what do you want?" "She did a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-cashore/great-seas-he-said-what-do-you-want-he-held-the-candle-up-to-her-face/) [Kristin Cashore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-cashore/) > [“I don’t want to do that,” Aomame said. “What I want is for the two of us to meet somewhere by chance one day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-don-t-want-to-do-that-aomame-said-what-i-want-is-for-the-two-of-us/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Right-ho, love,’ he said. ‘If that’s what you want to do, we’ll find out about it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diney-costeloe/right-ho-love-he-said-if-that-s-what-you-want-to-do-we-ll-find-out/) [Diney Costeloe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diney-costeloe/) > [I hear what people have said about what they want to see the Opera House used for and what they don't want to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gladys-berejiklian/i-hear-what-people-have-said-about-what-they-want-to-see-the-opera/) [Gladys Berejiklian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gladys-berejiklian/) ## More by Mark Haddon > [“So often these days she seemed to hover between worlds, none of them wholly real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/so-often-these-days-she-seemed-to-hover-between-worlds-none-of-them/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [And I know I can do this because I went to London on my own, and because I solved the mystery…and I was brave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-i-know-i-can-do-this-because-i-went-to-london-on-my-own-and/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [And what he meant was that maths wasn't like life because in life there are no straightforward answers in the end](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-what-he-meant-was-that-maths-wasn-t-like-life-because-in-life/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [You love someone, you've got to let something go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/you-love-someone-you-ve-got-to-let-something-go/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“when you describe something by using a word for something that it isn’t. This means that the word metaphor is a metaphor. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/when-you-describe-something-by-using-a-word-for-something-that-it-isn/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“They are very logical but you could never work out the rules, even if you spent all your time thinking about them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/they-are-very-logical-but-you-could-never-work-out-the-rules-even-if/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“Places remained and time flowed through them like wind through the grass. Right now. This was the future turning into the past. One thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/places-remained-and-time-flowed-through-them-like-wind-through-the/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I suffer depression only in the sense that I am a writer. We don't have proper jobs to go to. We are on our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-suffer-depression-only-in-the-sense-that-i-am-a-writer-we-don-t/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I better make the plot good. I wanted to make it grip people on the first page and have a big turning point in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-better-make-the-plot-good-i-wanted-to-make-it-grip-people-on-the/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“And it was strange because he was calling, "Christopher. . . ? Christopher. . . ?" and I could see my name written out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/and-it-was-strange-because-he-was-calling-christopher-christopher-and/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [A lot of roles for people with disabilities are quite patronising. It's a real pity when they are just used to give dull PC…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/a-lot-of-roles-for-people-with-disabilities-are-quite-patronising-it/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I do not like strangers because I do not like people I have never met before. They are hard to understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/i-do-not-like-strangers-because-i-do-not-like-people-i-have-never-met/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [“Lots of people wrote to the magazine to say that Marilyn vos Savant was wrong, even when she explained very carefully why she was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-haddon/lots-of-people-wrote-to-the-magazine-to-say-that-marilyn-vos-savant/) [Mark Haddon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-haddon/) > [I read very, very little fiction as a kid. 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But, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-are-well-mannered-towards-those-whose-views-are-similar-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [I'm proud to say I had a bet with a guy from Chicago who said Chicago is windier and colder than Wyoming. Wyoming dominated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-leach/i-m-proud-to-say-i-had-a-bet-with-a-guy-from-chicago-who-said-chicago/) [Mike Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-leach/) > [Clarissa," he said, "here with the vampire, I see. When things have settled a bit, we really must discuss you choice in pets..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/clarissa-he-said-here-with-the-vampire-i-see-when-things-have-settled/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [If you're texting Magnus to say 'I think u r kewl,' I'm going to kill you." "Who's Magnus?" Max inquired. 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