---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And yet, anything real, anything strong…"
description: "\"And yet, anything real, anything strong, was never easy. She'd been taught from an early age that the things that mattered most were the hardest to obt..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/nora-roberts-128_age_and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-wa_2649616.jpg"
---

#  And yet, anything real, anything strong, was never easy…

![“And yet, anything real, anything strong, was never easy. She'd been taught from an early age that the things that mattered most were the hardest to obtain.” quote by Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/nora-roberts-128_age_and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-wa_2649616.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/nora-roberts-128_age_and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-wa_2649616.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/nora-roberts-128_age_and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-wa_2649616.jpg)

> “And yet, anything real, anything strong, was never easy. She'd been taught from an early age that the things that mattered most were the hardest to obtain.”

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Real, strong things are hard to obtain; the quote emphasizes that valuable achievements require effort and perseverance.

**In simple terms:** Hard things are valuable; effort is needed.

Key Takeaway

Persist through difficulty to achieve meaningful goals.

Themes

perseverance value strength

Mood

determined realistic

Type

motivational philosophical

When to use this quote

- career advancement
- relationship building
- skill development

Key Concepts

psychology motivation

Questions to Reflect On

- What makes a goal worth the struggle?
- How do you balance effort with wellbeing?

A Different Perspective

Not all hard things are worth the cost.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Hardest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardest/) [Hardest Obtain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hardest-obtain-1032188/) [Mattered Hardest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mattered-hardest-2339279/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Strong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strong/) [Taught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught/) [Taught Early](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taught-early-625585/) [Things Mattered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-mattered-669546/)

## Related quotes

> [“It was almost impossible to operate with the best gear. The most effective weapons were the ones most hardest to obtain. More often than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wood/it-was-almost-impossible-to-operate-with-the-best-gear-the-most/)

[Tom Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wood/)

> [I wish the children could be taught early on that our thinking creates our experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-the-children-could-be-taught-early-on-that-our-thinking/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Most people are taught from an early age on, to conceive of themselves as losers. They are taught that there are a very special…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/most-people-are-taught-from-an-early-age-on-to-conceive-of-themselves/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [My mother taught me early on not to be afraid to put myself out there - especially as a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-guilfoyle/my-mother-taught-me-early-on-not-to-be-afraid-to-put-myself-out-there/)

[Kimberly Guilfoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-guilfoyle/)

> [I was taught from a very early age that it was probably the most American thing you can do is to question what's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moore/i-was-taught-from-a-very-early-age-that-it-was-probably-the-most/)

[Michael Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moore/)

> [I was taught very early on how you treat people is actually what matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-chertavian/i-was-taught-very-early-on-how-you-treat-people-is-actually-what/)

[Gerald Chertavian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-chertavian/)

> [I was taught very early on that the state can be, and is, a liar and a murderer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/i-was-taught-very-early-on-that-the-state-can-be-and-is-a-liar-and-a/)

[Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/)

> [My mother taught me very early to believe I could achieve any accomplishment I wanted to. The first was to walk without braces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilma-rudolph/my-mother-taught-me-very-early-to-believe-i-could-achieve-any/)

[Wilma Rudolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilma-rudolph/)

> [Father was bold, and Mother was cautious. They never shouted at each other but argued constantly about strategy, and they taught me very early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benoit-mandelbrot/father-was-bold-and-mother-was-cautious-they-never-shouted-at-each/)

[Benoit Mandelbrot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benoit-mandelbrot/)

> [Where crime is taught from early years, it becomes a part of nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/where-crime-is-taught-from-early-years-it-becomes-a-part-of-nature/)

[Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/)

> [I'd been taught from an early age that I was in the 'other' category on the standardized tests. You know, I had to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-peele/i-d-been-taught-from-an-early-age-that-i-was-in-the-other-category-on/)

[Jordan Peele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-peele/)

> [Unfortunately, in some parts of the country, some kids are taught at an early age that being different is somehow bad or wrong or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-bomer/unfortunately-in-some-parts-of-the-country-some-kids-are-taught-at-an/)

[Matt Bomer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-bomer/)

> [The Bible should be taught so early and so thoroughly that it sinks straight to the bottom of the mind where everything that comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/northrop-frye/the-bible-should-be-taught-so-early-and-so-thoroughly-that-it-sinks/)

[Northrop Frye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/northrop-frye/)

> [I was taught from a very early age that I had to work twice as hard to get half as much. That was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/i-was-taught-from-a-very-early-age-that-i-had-to-work-twice-as-hard/)

[Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/)

> [“I, too, had set out to be remembered. I had wanted to create something permanent in my life- some proof that everything in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-too-had-set-out-to-be-remembered-i-had-wanted-to-create-something/)

[Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/)

## More by Nora Roberts

> [“Why stop now? Seduce me, Brian.I dare you." "I've always found it hard to turn aside a dare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/why-stop-now-seduce-me-brian-i-dare-you-i-ve-always-found-it-hard-to/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“Flowers that had bloomed brilliant from spring through autumn blackened under the killing frost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/flowers-that-had-bloomed-brilliant-from-spring-through-autumn/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“He's back in Maine now.She did say he badgered her with questions. Of course, she didn't have the answer until she spoke to me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/he-s-back-in-maine-now-she-did-say-he-badgered-her-with-questions-of/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“Every professor worth his PhD should have a fireplace in his study.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/every-professor-worth-his-phd-should-have-a-fireplace-in-his-study/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“Sorry, bad wing." When Theo kissed him, surprise and pleasure flustered him. He couldn't remember the last time this boy, this young man, had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/sorry-bad-wing-when-theo-kissed-him-surprise-and-pleasure-flustered/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“Because it's hard not to matter, even to someone you dislike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/because-it-s-hard-not-to-matter-even-to-someone-you-dislike/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“No point in wishing for what you can't have. - Blair What's the point in wishing for what you can and do? - Larken”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/no-point-in-wishing-for-what-you-can-t-have-blair-what-s-the-point-in/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“Grayson: Fiction is just a lie anyway. Brianna: But it's not - it's a different kind of truth - it would be your truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/grayson-fiction-is-just-a-lie-anyway-brianna-but-it-s-not-it-s-a/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“I was going to make a confession. Then I remembered I don't make them very well. We still need to see the monkeys." "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/i-was-going-to-make-a-confession-then-i-remembered-i-don-t-make-them/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [I've wanted to be with you when I didn't have the right to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/i-ve-wanted-to-be-with-you-when-i-didn-t-have-the-right-to/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [You can't write well what you don't read for pleasure. If it doesn't entertain you, it's not going to entertain anyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/you-can-t-write-well-what-you-don-t-read-for-pleasure-if-it-doesn-t/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [You can't edit a blank page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/you-can-t-edit-a-blank-page/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“There was a boy down at the stables." She laughed suddenly with her back comfortably nestled against Grant's chest. "Oh,Lord,he was a bit like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/there-was-a-boy-down-at-the-stables-she-laughed-suddenly-with-her/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“Some people refuse to take the next step. You could refuse to take what you wanted most, because you're afraid someday you might lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/some-people-refuse-to-take-the-next-step-you-could-refuse-to-take/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“Oh, i'm going to kick his ass, and when i'm done, i'm going to squeeze his balls blue.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/oh-i-m-going-to-kick-his-ass-and-when-i-m-done-i-m-going-to-squeeze/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

[Explore all 1,138 Nora Roberts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [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/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "And yet, anything real, anything strong, was never easy. She'd been taught from an early age that the things that mattered most were the hardest to obtain.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nora Roberts"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-was-never-easy-she-d-been/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-was-never-easy-she-d-been/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/nora-roberts-128_age_and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-wa_2649616.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/nora-roberts-128_age_and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-wa_2649616.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4c/nora-roberts-128_age_and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-wa_2649616.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“And yet, anything real, anything strong, was never easy. She'd been taught from an early age that the things…” — Nora Roberts",
                "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": "Nora Roberts",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "And yet, anything real, anything strong,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-was-never-easy-she-d-been/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/and-yet-anything-real-anything-strong-was-never-easy-she-d-been/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
