--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's only just beginning to occur to me…" description: "\"“It's only just beginning to occur to me that it's important to have something going on somewhere, at work or at home, otherwise you're just clinging o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/nick-hornby-325_actor_it-s-only-just-beginning-to-occur-to-me_995714.jpg" --- # It's only just beginning to occur to me that it's… ![“It's only just beginning to occur to me that it's important to have something going on somewhere, at work or at home, otherwise you're just clinging on. [...] You need as much ballast as possible to stop you floating away; you need people around you, things going on, otherwise life is like some…” quote by Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/nick-hornby-325_actor_it-s-only-just-beginning-to-occur-to-me_995714.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/nick-hornby-325_actor_it-s-only-just-beginning-to-occur-to-me_995714.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/472/nick-hornby-325_actor_it-s-only-just-beginning-to-occur-to-me_995714.jpg) > ““It's only just beginning to occur to me that it's important to have something going on somewhere, at work or at home, otherwise you're just clinging on. \[...\] You need as much ballast as possible to stop you floating away; you need people around you, things going on, otherwise life is like some film where the money ran out, and there are no sets, or locations, or supporting actors, and it's just one guy on his own staring into the camera with nothing to do and nobody to speak to, and who'd believe in this character then? I've got to get more stuff, more clutter, more detail in here, because at the moment I'm in danger of falling off the edge.”” [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People need purposeful engagement and social connection to avoid feeling adrift; without activity or relationships, life feels empty and directionless. **In simple terms:** Stay busy and connected to stay grounded. Key Takeaway Build meaningful routines and relationships. Themes purpose connection balance mental health Mood concerned hopeful Type advice motivational When to use this quote - career - home life - creative projects - social circles - personal growth Key Concepts Anchoring social support activity planning Questions to Reflect On - What activities give you purpose? - How can you foster supportive relationships? A Different Perspective Overcommitting can lead to burnout; not all activity is beneficial. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Floating away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/floating-away/) [Money](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/money/) ## Related quotes > [“…it's important to have something going on somewhere, at work or at home, otherwise you're just clinging on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/it-s-important-to-have-something-going-on-somewhere-at-work-or-at/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I used to get a shiver if I thought about holding balloons, because I was scared of floating away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fiona-apple/i-used-to-get-a-shiver-if-i-thought-about-holding-balloons-because-i/) [Fiona Apple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fiona-apple/) > [“Jess is too big for her skin, as if she might float away in the exhilarating possibility of the moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-b-lee/jess-is-too-big-for-her-skin-as-if-she-might-float-away-in-the/) [C.B. Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-b-lee/) > [“Sometimes I feel like I'm slowly floating away. I'm constantly looking for something to grab on to so I don't lose myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kasie-west/sometimes-i-feel-like-i-m-slowly-floating-away-i-m-constantly-looking/) [Kasie West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kasie-west/) > [I feel like I'm playing chess underwater. The pieces keep floating away. I don't know where things are. I can't figure out tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/i-feel-like-i-m-playing-chess-underwater-the-pieces-keep-floating/) [Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/) > [These are the times of love and meaning. Ice of the heart has melted away and found the light. These are the days of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-cullum/these-are-the-times-of-love-and-meaning-ice-of-the-heart-has-melted/) [Jamie Cullum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-cullum/) > [“As Maia turned to go, hardly believing that there could be such happiness, she heard a loud splash. Miss Minton was leaning over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-ibbotson/as-maia-turned-to-go-hardly-believing-that-there-could-be-such/) [Eva Ibbotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-ibbotson/) > [You need as much ballast as possible to stop you from floating away; you need people around you, things going on, otherwise life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-need-as-much-ballast-as-possible-to-stop-you-from-floating-away/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to tear myself from this place, from this reality, rise up like a cloud and float away, melt into this humid summer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-hosseini/i-want-to-tear-myself-from-this-place-from-this-reality-rise-up-like/) [Khaled Hosseini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-hosseini/) > [Clouds come floating into my life from other days no longer to shed rain or usher storm but to give colour to my sunset…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/clouds-come-floating-into-my-life-from-other-days-no-longer-to-shed/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The royal navy of England hath ever been its greatest defence and ornament; it is its ancient and natural strength, - the floating bulwark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blackstone/the-royal-navy-of-england-hath-ever-been-its-greatest-defence-and/) [William Blackstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blackstone/) > ['Cause I don't wanna fall in love If you don't wanna try, But all that I've been thinking of Is maybe that you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-ware/cause-i-don-t-wanna-fall-in-love-if-you-don-t-wanna-try-but-all-that/) [Jessie Ware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-ware/) > [I think those of us who use language are always trying for this, trying to keep everything from floating away by trying to write…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-ronk/i-think-those-of-us-who-use-language-are-always-trying-for-this/) [Martha Ronk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-ronk/) > [Date night is important, even if it's going to Schlotzsky's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/date-night-is-important-even-if-it-s-going-to-schlotzsky-s/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) > [Whether or not we can save Lake Michigan, whether or not we can avoid a breakdown in our criminal justice system are more important…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-scott/whether-or-not-we-can-save-lake-michigan-whether-or-not-we-can-avoid/) [Bill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-scott/) ## More by Nick Hornby > [You can wait forever for the muse to sit on your shoulder, but most of the time you know what has to be done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/you-can-wait-forever-for-the-muse-to-sit-on-your-shoulder-but-most-of/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > […I've had a bad week." What's happened?" Nothing's happened. I've had a bad week in my head, is all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-ve-had-a-bad-week-what-s-happened-nothing-s-happened-i-ve-had-a-bad/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“When they – I cannot bring myself to use the first-person plural in this instance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/when-they-i-cannot-bring-myself-to-use-the-first-person-plural-in/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“What you don't ever catch a glimpse of on your wedding day - because how could you? - is that some days you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/what-you-don-t-ever-catch-a-glimpse-of-on-your-wedding-day-because/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [A good compilation tape, like breaking up, is hard to do and takes ages longer than it might seem. You've got to kick off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/a-good-compilation-tape-like-breaking-up-is-hard-to-do-and-takes-ages/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I'm still not a very good white wine, but I'm drinkable - you could put me in a punch, anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-m-still-not-a-very-good-white-wine-but-i-m-drinkable-you-could-put/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I never mind the accusations of domesticity, as long as people recognise that all of us, even the luckiest, will live lives in which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-never-mind-the-accusations-of-domesticity-as-long-as-people/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [I wasted the 1980s. I wasted every minute at Cambridge talking to people who knew more about music than I did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-wasted-the-1980s-i-wasted-every-minute-at-cambridge-talking-to/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“I took her outside on to a little roof terrace that looked like it never got the sun at nay time of the day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-took-her-outside-on-to-a-little-roof-terrace-that-looked-like-it/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“I feel as though I have been having conversations like this all my life. None of us is young anymore, but what has just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-feel-as-though-i-have-been-having-conversations-like-this-all-my/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“I'm OK. Really. I can find people. I'll be all right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/i-m-ok-really-i-can-find-people-i-ll-be-all-right/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“Read any women's magazine and you'll see the same complaint over and over again: men - those little boys ten or twenty or thirty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/read-any-women-s-magazine-and-you-ll-see-the-same-complaint-over-and/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [“Defansçılar her zaman forvetçilerden daha iyi analizcilerdir.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/defans-lar-her-zaman-forvet-ilerden-daha-iyi-analizcilerdir/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [On New Year's Eve he ould make a resolution to recover some his previous scepticism, but until then he would do as the Romans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/on-new-year-s-eve-he-ould-make-a-resolution-to-recover-some-his/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) > [It's no good looking to writers for definitions of what constitutes proper writing, because you will drive yourself crazy, and you won't find anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-hornby/it-s-no-good-looking-to-writers-for-definitions-of-what-constitutes/) [Nick Hornby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) [Explore all 645 Nick Hornby quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-hornby/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It's only just beginning to occur to me that it's important to have something going on somewhere, at work or at home, otherwise you're just clinging on. 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