--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People always think there's this huge…" description: "\"People always think there's this huge hundred-foot-high barrier that separates doing good from doing bad. But there's not. There's nothing. There's not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/matt-de-la-pena-15023_awful_people-always-think-there-s-this-huge-hu_3129698.jpg" --- # People always think there's this huge hundred-foot-high… ![“People always think there's this huge hundred-foot-high barrier that separates doing good from doing bad. But there's not. There's nothing. There's not even a little anthill. You just take one baby step in any direction and you're already there. You've doing something awful. And your life is…” quote by Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/matt-de-la-pena-15023_awful_people-always-think-there-s-this-huge-hu_3129698.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/matt-de-la-pena-15023_awful_people-always-think-there-s-this-huge-hu_3129698.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/matt-de-la-pena-15023_awful_people-always-think-there-s-this-huge-hu_3129698.jpg) > “People always think there's this huge hundred-foot-high barrier that separates doing good from doing bad. But there's not. There's nothing. There's not even a little anthill. You just take one baby step in any direction and you're already there. You've doing something awful. And your life is changed forever.” [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Small, decisive actions dissolve perceived barriers between good and bad outcomes. **In simple terms:** One tiny step can shift your life dramatically. Key Takeaway Take a baby step toward change. Themes change action psychology Mood hopeful encouraging Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - overcoming fear - personal growth - career pivot - relationship repair Key Concepts behavioral economics habit formation Questions to Reflect On - What tiny action could you take today? - How does breaking a barrier feel? A Different Perspective One step may not solve complex problems alone. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) [Baby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby/) [Baby steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baby-steps/) [Barrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barrier/) [Barriers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/barriers/) [Changed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/changed/) [Doing Awful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-awful-5530004/) [Doing Bad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-bad/) [Doing good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-good/) [Feet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feet/) [Forever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forever/) [High Barrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-barrier-5456567/) [Hundred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hundred/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Littles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/littles/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Steps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/steps/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [But once the ants and termites jumped the high barrier that prevents the vast variety of evolving animal groups from becoming fully social, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-o-wilson/but-once-the-ants-and-termites-jumped-the-high-barrier-that-prevents/) [E. 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Because am growing, starting to follow my dad's foot step, when I shouldn't...He's a bad influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dub-tepper/am-young-doing-bad-why-is-that-because-am-growing-starting-to-follow/) [DUB$TEPPER](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dub-tepper/) > [I'm no longer poppin' tags, I just let 'em hang. Sucka nigga doing bad, I just do my thang.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ti/i-m-no-longer-poppin-tags-i-just-let-em-hang-sucka-nigga-doing-bad-i/) [TI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ti/) ## More by Matt de la Pena > [As an author, you go into the school, it gets written about in the paper. It sucks that your book was banned, but you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/as-an-author-you-go-into-the-school-it-gets-written-about-in-the/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [Whenever I teach writing I tell them to never revise as you go. Finish the first draft. This is my writing advice. 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In my writing group, they would say, "I will never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/a-lot-of-people-think-that-they-are-really-cool-because-they-don-t/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [The second book, which was probably more from a professional standpoint - when I read Junot Díaz's Drown, I was like, Oh my god,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/the-second-book-which-was-probably-more-from-a-professional/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [When I was young, I grew up in a family of working-class people. Not just my parents, but my extended family, as well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/when-i-was-young-i-grew-up-in-a-family-of-working-class-people-not/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [Once I got into college, I discovered literature - in particular, multicultural literature. I just started to understand the power of story and narrative,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/once-i-got-into-college-i-discovered-literature-in-particular/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [The feeling it gave me was an odd combination of weightless self-pity and excitement. I understood my life was meaningless, and this knowledge freed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/the-feeling-it-gave-me-was-an-odd-combination-of-weightless-self-pity/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [When I finish a book, I'll go to that file and look through them. And I'll say, these are three that really excite me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/when-i-finish-a-book-i-ll-go-to-that-file-and-look-through-them-and-i/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) > [When I'm following what a character does in a book I don't have to think about my own life. 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Like, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-de-la-pena/i-guess-i-don-t-really-know-what-i-want-to-do-either-sometimes-i-feel/) [Matt de la Pena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) [Explore all 44 Matt de la Pena quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-de-la-pena/) ## More Awful quotes > [It must be that I am dreaming, and that I shall awaken in a moment to see that awful knife descending toward my heart-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-rice-burroughs/it-must-be-that-i-am-dreaming-and-that-i-shall-awaken-in-a-moment-to/) [Edgar Rice Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-rice-burroughs/) > [I spent two years in Palo Alto - what an awful, suffocating place for those of us who don't care about yoga, yogurts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeny-morozov/i-spent-two-years-in-palo-alto-what-an-awful-suffocating-place-for/) [Evgeny Morozov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeny-morozov/) > [Layla brought her arms around herself, no doubt because she was remembering the feel of another, stronger set. 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I am heartless. I am scared that these things are actually true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-am-awful-i-am-heartless-i-am-scared-that-these-things-are-actually/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Democracy is an awful way to run a country, but it's the best system we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/democracy-is-an-awful-way-to-run-a-country-but-it-s-the-best-system/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) [Browse all 1,826 Awful quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/awful/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "People always think there's this huge hundred-foot-high barrier that separates doing good from doing bad. But there's not. There's nothing. There's not even a little anthill. You just take one baby step in any direction and you're already there. You've doing something awful. 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