--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I wanted to live in Paris and write…" description: "\"I wanted to live in Paris and write nothing but fiction and be perfectly free. I had decided all this had to be settled by the time I was thirty, and s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/mavis-gallant-21083_breaths_i-wanted-to-live-in-paris-and-write-noth_1276128.jpg" --- # I wanted to live in Paris and write nothing but fiction… ![“I wanted to live in Paris and write nothing but fiction and be perfectly free. I had decided all this had to be settled by the time I was thirty, and so I gave up my job and moved to Paris at twenty-eight. I just held my breath and jumped. I didn’t even look to see if there was water in the pool.” quote by Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/mavis-gallant-21083_breaths_i-wanted-to-live-in-paris-and-write-noth_1276128.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/mavis-gallant-21083_breaths_i-wanted-to-live-in-paris-and-write-noth_1276128.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a78/mavis-gallant-21083_breaths_i-wanted-to-live-in-paris-and-write-noth_1276128.jpg) > “I wanted to live in Paris and write nothing but fiction and be perfectly free. I had decided all this had to be settled by the time I was thirty, and so I gave up my job and moved to Paris at twenty-eight. I just held my breath and jumped. I didn’t even look to see if there was water in the pool.” [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator abandons security to pursue artistic freedom in Paris, embracing risk without over‑analysis. **In simple terms:** She quits her job, moves to Paris, and jumps into a new life. Key Takeaway Take bold steps toward your dreams, trusting intuition over fear. Themes risk taking freedom creativity life transitions Mood determined adventurous Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - career change - relocation - creative projects - travel planning Key Concepts existentialism personal growth cultural immersion Questions to Reflect On - What practical steps could balance risk with preparation? - How does fear of failure shape your decisions? A Different Perspective Such impulsivity can lead to unforeseen hardships. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Breaths](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jobs/) [Paris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paris/) [Twenties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twenties/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [“Maybe away from Paris I could write about Paris as in Paris I could write about Michigan. I did not know it was too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/maybe-away-from-paris-i-could-write-about-paris-as-in-paris-i-could/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“The Stiff had jumped first. Even I didn't jump first. Her eyes were so stern, so insistent. Beautiful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/the-stiff-had-jumped-first-even-i-didn-t-jump-first-her-eyes-were-so/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [When her body first hit the net, all I registered was a gray blur. I pulled her across it and her hand was small,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/when-her-body-first-hit-the-net-all-i-registered-was-a-gray-blur-i/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“You the one that got jumped?” I didn’t think my blood-matted hair and debris ridden clothes needed an answer, but he was waiting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/you-the-one-that-got-jumped-i-didn-t-think-my-blood-matted-hair-and/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [I don't think I realized the extremes of my proportions until I moved to Paris. I thought I'd be 'normal' as a model, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-wren-scott/i-don-t-think-i-realized-the-extremes-of-my-proportions-until-i-moved/) [L'Wren Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-wren-scott/) > [I was born in a little village in the south of Holland called Mierlo. It was great growing up in Mierlo. It's a lovely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lara-stone/i-was-born-in-a-little-village-in-the-south-of-holland-called-mierlo/) [Lara Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lara-stone/) > [When I was 18, I left Dublin and moved to Paris. I didn't speak French. I didn't know anyone. I felt like a fish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitriona-balfe/when-i-was-18-i-left-dublin-and-moved-to-paris-i-didn-t-speak-french/) [Caitriona Balfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitriona-balfe/) > [When Niki and I moved to Paris, there was also the challenge of Paris, an extremely daunting city.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-mathews/when-niki-and-i-moved-to-paris-there-was-also-the-challenge-of-paris/) [Harry Mathews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-mathews/) > [Where I grew up, we spent a lot of time outside. I moved to Paris when I was 19, and from then on, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-maier/where-i-grew-up-we-spent-a-lot-of-time-outside-i-moved-to-paris-when/) [Tomas Maier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-maier/) > [When I first moved to Paris, I worked as an au pair for two girls aged eight and 11.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-khoo/when-i-first-moved-to-paris-i-worked-as-an-au-pair-for-two-girls-aged/) [Rachel Khoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-khoo/) > [I moved to Paris and I didn't really know what I wanted to do, but I moved in with a friend who had an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pauline-chalamet/i-moved-to-paris-and-i-didn-t-really-know-what-i-wanted-to-do-but-i/) [Pauline Chalamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pauline-chalamet/) > [I was born in the south of France, I moved to Paris 30 years ago. I was running nightclubs and restaurants, so that was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-seguin/i-was-born-in-the-south-of-france-i-moved-to-paris-30-years-ago-i-was/) [Patrick Seguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-seguin/) > [I moved to Paris around 1995 or 1996; my first collection on the runway was in 1997.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-scott/i-moved-to-paris-around-1995-or-1996-my-first-collection-on-the/) [Jeremy Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-scott/) > [I moved to Paris for two years, then to London, then New York in 2002. In that time, I also lived in Japan, Italy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitriona-balfe/i-moved-to-paris-for-two-years-then-to-london-then-new-york-in-2002/) [Caitriona Balfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitriona-balfe/) > [When I moved to Paris in the '70s, there wasn't very much going on in film in England. So when I started doing French…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/when-i-moved-to-paris-in-the-70s-there-wasn-t-very-much-going-on-in/) [Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/) ## More by Mavis Gallant > [“Like his father, like Jules Renard, he had been carried along the slow, steady swindle of history and experience.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/like-his-father-like-jules-renard-he-had-been-carried-along-the-slow/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [Success can only be measured in terms of distance traveled...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/success-can-only-be-measured-in-terms-of-distance-traveled/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [“Converts have it soft," said Mary. "They come to it late, without ever having had the Devil under the bed. They sail in and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/converts-have-it-soft-said-mary-they-come-to-it-late-without-ever/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [“If your life isn't exactly the way you want it to be by the time you are forty-five," said Walter's father, whom he admired,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/if-your-life-isn-t-exactly-the-way-you-want-it-to-be-by-the-time-you/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [All lives are interesting; no one life is more interesting than another. Its fascination depends on how much is revealed, and in what manner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/all-lives-are-interesting-no-one-life-is-more-interesting-than/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [I believed that if I was to call myself a writer, I should live on writing. If I could not live on it, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/i-believed-that-if-i-was-to-call-myself-a-writer-i-should-live-on/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [ \[My father\] had spent his own short time like a priest in charge of a relic, forever expecting the blessed blood to liquefy. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/my-father-had-spent-his-own-short-time-like-a-priest-in-charge-of-a/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [“There is a term for people caught on a street crossing after the light has changed: "pedestrian-traffic residue".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/there-is-a-term-for-people-caught-on-a-street-crossing-after-the/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [Like every other form of art, literature is no more and nothing less than a matter of life and death. The only question worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/like-every-other-form-of-art-literature-is-no-more-and-nothing-less/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [I write every day as a matter of course It is not a burden. It is the way I live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/i-write-every-day-as-a-matter-of-course-it-is-not-a-burden-it-is-the/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [No one is as real to me as people in the novel. It grows like a living thing. When I realize they do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/no-one-is-as-real-to-me-as-people-in-the-novel-it-grows-like-a-living/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [“My mother has lived every day of her life as if it were preparation for some kind of crisis.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/my-mother-has-lived-every-day-of-her-life-as-if-it-were-preparation/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [Against the sustained tick of a watch, fiction takes the measure of a life, a season, a look exchanged, the turning point, desire as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/against-the-sustained-tick-of-a-watch-fiction-takes-the-measure-of-a/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [“If you listen at doors, you hear what you deserve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/if-you-listen-at-doors-you-hear-what-you-deserve/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) > [There is something I keep wanting to say about reading short stories. I am doing it now, because I many never have another occasion.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mavis-gallant/there-is-something-i-keep-wanting-to-say-about-reading-short-stories/) [Mavis Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) [Explore all 30 Mavis Gallant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mavis-gallant/) ## More Breaths quotes > [Don't let a breath escape from your body without Krishna's name. That should be our determination throughout our life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/radhanath-swami/don-t-let-a-breath-escape-from-your-body-without-krishna-s-name-that/) [Radhanath Swami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/radhanath-swami/) > [Jazz is the music of the body. The breath comes through brass. It is the body's breath, and the strings' wails and moans are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/jazz-is-the-music-of-the-body-the-breath-comes-through-brass-it-is/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [Many years ago I was fishing, and as I was reeling in the poor fish, I realised, 'I am killing him - all for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-mccartney/many-years-ago-i-was-fishing-and-as-i-was-reeling-in-the-poor-fish-i/) [Paul McCartney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-mccartney/) > [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/) > [God is greater than anything that man can do or has done. He is not undone by just a train of powder. "Our God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-morris/god-is-greater-than-anything-that-man-can-do-or-has-done-he-is-not/) [Errol Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-morris/) > [One day I was running around playing with my son Connor when afterwards I was sweating, tired and out of breath. I was embarrassed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew-carey/one-day-i-was-running-around-playing-with-my-son-connor-when/) [Drew Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew-carey/) > [Dave Wann's recipes from his own experience in Simple Prosperity are a breath of fresh air, and just what we need for a saner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hazel-henderson/dave-wann-s-recipes-from-his-own-experience-in-simple-prosperity-are/) [Hazel Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hazel-henderson/) > [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/) > [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/) > [The river is motion, turmoil, rage. As the river flows, it wonders what it would be like to be so still, to take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kekla-magoon/the-river-is-motion-turmoil-rage-as-the-river-flows-it-wonders-what/) [Kekla Magoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kekla-magoon/) > [Remember that no matter how selfish, how cruel, how unfeeling you have been today, every time you take a breath, you make a flower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mort-sahl/remember-that-no-matter-how-selfish-how-cruel-how-unfeeling-you-have/) [Mort Sahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mort-sahl/) > [The trees are white with dust, that o'er their sleep Wave their broad curtains in the south-wind's breath, While underneath such leafy tents they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/the-trees-are-white-with-dust-that-o-er-their-sleep-wave-their-broad/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“Listen to this, Nimit. Follow Coleman Hawkins' improvised lines very carefully. He is using them to tell us something. Pay very close attention. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/listen-to-this-nimit-follow-coleman-hawkins-improvised-lines-very/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Every body resisted (the slaughterer) in its own fashion, tried to escape and seemed to argue with the Creator to its last breath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-bashevis-singer/every-body-resisted-the-slaughterer-in-its-own-fashion-tried-to/) [Isaac Bashevis Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-bashevis-singer/) > [We had a dog, Apples. He was 13 years old, toothless, blind and had the worst breath this side of Jabba the Hut. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlee-matlin/we-had-a-dog-apples-he-was-13-years-old-toothless-blind-and-had-the/) [Marlee Matlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlee-matlin/) [Browse all 1,609 Breaths quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breaths/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I wanted to live in Paris and write nothing but fiction and be perfectly free. I had decided all this had to be settled by the time I was thirty, and so I gave up my job and moved to Paris at twenty-eight. I just held my breath and jumped. 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