--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was a small thing, but it was a thing…" description: "\"It was a small thing, but it was a thing, and things have a way of either dying or growing, and it wasn’t dying.\" — Miranda July" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/miranda-july-1600_dying_it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing_1565298.jpg" --- # It was a small thing, but it was a thing, and things have… ![“It was a small thing, but it was a thing, and things have a way of either dying or growing, and it wasn’t dying.” quote by Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/miranda-july-1600_dying_it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing_1565298.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/miranda-july-1600_dying_it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing_1565298.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/miranda-july-1600_dying_it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing_1565298.jpg) > “It was a small thing, but it was a thing, and things have a way of either dying or growing, and it wasn’t dying.” [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Small actions can have lasting impact, persisting and growing rather than ending. **In simple terms:** Small things can endure and grow. Key Takeaway Recognize and nurture seemingly minor actions. Themes growth resilience impact perseverance Mood reflective hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - personal projects - relationships - creative endeavors - community building Key Concepts cause and effect emergent properties Questions to Reflect On - What minor action could you nurture today? - How do you decide which small things matter? A Different Perspective Not all small things lead to growth; some may stagnate or regress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Dying Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying-growing-5880689/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing Wasn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-wasn-395420/) [Small thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-thing/) [Small things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-things/) [Things Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-way/) [Wasn Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasn-dying-422130/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) > [Such a small thing to cause so much trouble.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/such-a-small-thing-to-cause-so-much-trouble/) [Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/) > [It is no small thing, this, for a woman: freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippa-gregory/it-is-no-small-thing-this-for-a-woman-freedom/) [Philippa Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippa-gregory/) > [Most of my books begin with an image or a voice - one small thing - and I don't know what it is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/most-of-my-books-begin-with-an-image-or-a-voice-one-small-thing-and-i/) [Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/) > [For you its just a small thing, but for me it's a big thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-alapan/for-you-its-just-a-small-thing-but-for-me-it-s-a-big-thing/) [Mitch Alapan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-alapan/) > [One without health cannot achieve any small thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sathya-sai-baba/one-without-health-cannot-achieve-any-small-thing/) [Sathya Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sathya-sai-baba/) > [You never know when some small thing will lead to a big idea. Travel is very inspirational - but it's in the ordinary that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/you-never-know-when-some-small-thing-will-lead-to-a-big-idea-travel/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [You become great by going small thing in a great way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/you-become-great-by-going-small-thing-in-a-great-way/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [“We passed more people, unsure of who was running and who was chasing. I saw parents carrying their young children, and pulling along older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/we-passed-more-people-unsure-of-who-was-running-and-who-was-chasing-i/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [“I wasn’t afraid of death. If I died, it would be over. My worst fear wasn’t of dying, it was of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-goodwin/i-wasn-t-afraid-of-death-if-i-died-it-would-be-over-my-worst-fear/) [Emily Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-goodwin/) > [“I wasn’t dying alone. My beloved was dying with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jannat-bhat/i-wasn-t-dying-alone-my-beloved-was-dying-with-me/) [Jannat Bhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jannat-bhat/) > [“My decision to say no to the transplant wasn't about dying. It's about living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsty-jones/my-decision-to-say-no-to-the-transplant-wasn-t-about-dying-it-s-about/) [Kirsty Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsty-jones/) > [“It wasn’t dying that she feared, it was dying bad: leaving her grandboy alone in the world, unprotected, his wounds unhealed. Death, which walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-brown/it-wasn-t-dying-that-she-feared-it-was-dying-bad-leaving-her-grandboy/) [Taylor Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-brown/) > [As an adult I wasn't dying to participate in sci-fi projects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malik-yoba/as-an-adult-i-wasn-t-dying-to-participate-in-sci-fi-projects/) [Malik Yoba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malik-yoba/) > [“If she'd been bleeding in the street, you would've run to get help. It's the same thing!" "Typical," I could hear you saying back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/if-she-d-been-bleeding-in-the-street-you-would-ve-run-to-get-help-it/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) ## More by Miranda July > [Would she understand that time had stopped while she was gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/would-she-understand-that-time-had-stopped-while-she-was-gone/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [I like embracing kind of normal forms but am always trying to approach them as if no one's ever done that before. As if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/i-like-embracing-kind-of-normal-forms-but-am-always-trying-to/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [“It wasn't good, he wasn't good, he did not have good intentions. I stood there, and he stood there. He breathed out the bitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/it-wasn-t-good-he-wasn-t-good-he-did-not-have-good-intentions-i-stood/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [The whole thing of working in all these different mediums, it's just so that I can always be playing hooky from one of them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/the-whole-thing-of-working-in-all-these-different-mediums-it-s-just/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [The thing I am most interested in is power relations - it is so easy in a relationship like that \[of an artist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/the-thing-i-am-most-interested-in-is-power-relations-it-is-so-easy-in/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [Are you angry? Punch a pillow. Was it satisfying? Not hardly. These days people are too angry for punching. What you might try is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/are-you-angry-punch-a-pillow-was-it-satisfying-not-hardly-these-days/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [It was a tiny sound but it woke me up because it was a human sound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/it-was-a-tiny-sound-but-it-woke-me-up-because-it-was-a-human-sound/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [I'm not a cinephile. My films don't reference films. I'm more interested in rhythm and feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/i-m-not-a-cinephile-my-films-don-t-reference-films-i-m-more/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [“We were anxious to begin our life as people who had no people. And it was easy to find an apartment because we had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/we-were-anxious-to-begin-our-life-as-people-who-had-no-people-and-it/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [I'm always the kind of friend or girlfriend who suggests, when there's some cataclysmic problem in the relationship, I'm like, "Well, maybe we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/i-m-always-the-kind-of-friend-or-girlfriend-who-suggests-when-there-s/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [I wrestle my fears with every big decision I make. Ultimately, maybe all that wrestling does is make you sick of your own thoughts,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/i-wrestle-my-fears-with-every-big-decision-i-make-ultimately-maybe/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [When I had a baby, I was consumed with my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/when-i-had-a-baby-i-was-consumed-with-my-body/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [I'm quite a cerebral person. Often I feel quite stuck in that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/i-m-quite-a-cerebral-person-often-i-feel-quite-stuck-in-that/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [Somewhat predictably, I'm much more comfortable in front of an audience - and a big audience is even better - than faced with one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/somewhat-predictably-i-m-much-more-comfortable-in-front-of-an/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) > [We humans are here because nothing can be perfect. There always have to be some living things that are unsatisfied, itchy, trying too hard.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/we-humans-are-here-because-nothing-can-be-perfect-there-always-have/) [Miranda July](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) [Explore all 223 Miranda July quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/) ## More Dying 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/) > [Just living my life till I die...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willie-mixer/just-living-my-life-till-i-die/) [Willie Mixer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willie-mixer/) > [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/) > [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/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [I don't want to just die a normal death, I wanna be killed twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/i-don-t-want-to-just-die-a-normal-death-i-wanna-be-killed-twice/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [Poor David Hume is dying fast, but with more real cheerfulness and good humor and with more real resignation to the necessary course of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/poor-david-hume-is-dying-fast-but-with-more-real-cheerfulness-and/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [Got to say, dying would really wreck my best day. Been there, done that, and now that I think about it, Artemis forgot to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/got-to-say-dying-would-really-wreck-my-best-day-been-there-done-that/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [“There is more to living than not dying.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/there-is-more-to-living-than-not-dying/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I want people to think they can't die until they see me play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-want-people-to-think-they-can-t-die-until-they-see-me-play/) [Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/) > [... there are far, far worse things in the living world than dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/there-are-far-far-worse-things-in-the-living-world-than-dying/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [Life has no guarantees, though. What good is living if all you think about is dying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-garvis-graves/life-has-no-guarantees-though-what-good-is-living-if-all-you-think/) [Tracey Garvis-Graves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-garvis-graves/) > [“And if you can’t say yes, answer anyway. Because I’d rather live with the answer than die with the question.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ellis/and-if-you-can-t-say-yes-answer-anyway-because-i-d-rather-live-with/) [Jon Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ellis/) > [If you feel like you want to die, it's time to sit down and make a list of all the things you haven't done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deacon-jones/if-you-feel-like-you-want-to-die-it-s-time-to-sit-down-and-make-a/) [Deacon Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deacon-jones/) > [Lord, send Your life throughout the entire church. Visit Your church; restore sound doctrine and holy, earnest living. Take away from professing Christians their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/lord-send-your-life-throughout-the-entire-church-visit-your-church/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) [Browse all 6,374 Dying quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It was a small thing, but it was a thing, and things have a way of either dying or growing, and it wasn’t dying.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Miranda July" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing-and-things-have-a-way-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dying" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing-and-things-have-a-way-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/miranda-july-1600_dying_it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing_1565298.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/miranda-july-1600_dying_it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing_1565298.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b1/miranda-july-1600_dying_it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing_1565298.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was a small thing, but it was a thing, and things have a way of either dying or growing, and it wasn’t…” — Miranda July", "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": "Miranda July", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-july/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It was a small thing, but...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing-and-things-have-a-way-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-july/it-was-a-small-thing-but-it-was-a-thing-and-things-have-a-way-of/#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 } } ] } ```