--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'd been drifting and in a very…" description: "\"I'd been drifting and in a very self-destructive bent ever since my mother died and as soon as I dealt with the grief, for the first time in 10 years, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/panos-cosmatos-10908_clarity_i-d-been-drifting-and-in-a-very-self-des_3000313.jpg" --- # I'd been drifting and in a very self-destructive bent ever… ![“I'd been drifting and in a very self-destructive bent ever since my mother died and as soon as I dealt with the grief, for the first time in 10 years, I had clarity and I realized: 'I need to make a movie, now, cause if I don't make it now, I might never do it.' That's what pushed me forward, and…” quote by Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/panos-cosmatos-10908_clarity_i-d-been-drifting-and-in-a-very-self-des_3000313.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/panos-cosmatos-10908_clarity_i-d-been-drifting-and-in-a-very-self-des_3000313.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c4/panos-cosmatos-10908_clarity_i-d-been-drifting-and-in-a-very-self-des_3000313.jpg) > “I'd been drifting and in a very self-destructive bent ever since my mother died and as soon as I dealt with the grief, for the first time in 10 years, I had clarity and I realized: 'I need to make a movie, now, cause if I don't make it now, I might never do it.' That's what pushed me forward, and I immediately moved to Vancouver.” [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. After processing grief, the speaker gained clarity and urgency to pursue a lifelong dream of making a movie, prompting immediate action. **In simple terms:** Grief can catalyze decisive action toward dreams. Key Takeaway Use loss as motivation to act now. Themes grief clarity creativity urgency Mood inspirational reflective Type personal motivational When to use this quote - career change - creative projects - life transitions Key Concepts personal transformation artistic drive goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What dream have you delayed? - How can you balance urgency with preparation? A Different Perspective Immediate action may overlook planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clarity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) [Clarity Realized](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity-realized-634473/) [Drifting Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drifting-self-4759656/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Forward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forward/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Immediately Moved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immediately-moved-4759657/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-died/) [Moved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moved/) [Moved Vancouver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moved-vancouver-3263489/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I'm Canadian - I came from a small island off Vancouver. I moved to Vancouver and a couple months later moved to Los Angeles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-sipos/i-m-canadian-i-came-from-a-small-island-off-vancouver-i-moved-to/) [Shaun Sipos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-sipos/) > [The word 'epiphany' gets thrown around, but truly, the first time I stepped on stage, I had that moment of clarity. I realized God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-mencia/the-word-epiphany-gets-thrown-around-but-truly-the-first-time-i/) [Carlos Mencia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-mencia/) > [A great moment of clarity when I realized I'm dying. There's no reason to wait to do the things we want to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tesh/a-great-moment-of-clarity-when-i-realized-i-m-dying-there-s-no-reason/) [John Tesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tesh/) > [My mother died in 1997 and I spiralled into this self-destructive vortex of trying to annihilate my consciousness. I was afraid to face the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/my-mother-died-in-1997-and-i-spiralled-into-this-self-destructive/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [Your mother died to save you. If there is one thing Voldemort cannot understand, it is love. Love as powerful as your mother's for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling-2/your-mother-died-to-save-you-if-there-is-one-thing-voldemort-cannot/) [J. K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling-2/) > [When my mother died of cancer in 2014, my father was quick to reinvent himself. Within a year, he moved to Thailand, became obsessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-zauner/when-my-mother-died-of-cancer-in-2014-my-father-was-quick-to-reinvent/) [Michelle Zauner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-zauner/) > [“Liberated in Germany by the Americans, seven-year-old Valya Brekeleva and her family of slave labourers went home to Novgorod as non-persons. “Most of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-hastings/liberated-in-germany-by-the-americans-seven-year-old-valya-brekeleva/) [Max Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-hastings/) > [After my mother died, I found, a little book of hers which recorded everything I had ever done, how I had done it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-veidt/after-my-mother-died-i-found-a-little-book-of-hers-which-recorded/) [Conrad Veidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conrad-veidt/) > [“My name is Mila, and this is my journey. There are so many places where I could begin the story. I could start in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-gerritsen/my-name-is-mila-and-this-is-my-journey-there-are-so-many-places-where/) [Tess Gerritsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-gerritsen/) > [“Nine months ago, my mother died. This was the saddest, most painful time of my life, but somehow unexpected laughter managed to eke its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meredith-spidel/nine-months-ago-my-mother-died-this-was-the-saddest-most-painful-time/) [Meredith Spidel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meredith-spidel/) > [My natural mother died one month after I was born, apparently due to giving birth at an advanced age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koichi-tanaka/my-natural-mother-died-one-month-after-i-was-born-apparently-due-to/) [Koichi Tanaka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koichi-tanaka/) > [Since his mother died I have seen him steam a cucumber thinking it was zucchini. That's the kind of thing that turns my heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hempel/since-his-mother-died-i-have-seen-him-steam-a-cucumber-thinking-it/) [Amy Hempel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hempel/) > [“Charles Snow had been as spiritually curious as a fence post, and Pete doubted that his father had ever changed in any meaningful way,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smith-henderson/charles-snow-had-been-as-spiritually-curious-as-a-fence-post-and-pete/) [Smith Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/smith-henderson/) > [“Her own mother had died when Anna was twelve and since then father and daughter had faced the world like a pair of nineteenth-century…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/her-own-mother-had-died-when-anna-was-twelve-and-since-then-father/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [Now that our mother has died, we're two orphans, Angie and I, so she has a deep understanding of the orphans she adopts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/now-that-our-mother-has-died-we-re-two-orphans-angie-and-i-so-she-has/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) ## More by Panos Cosmatos > [I've had a VHS collection for many, many years. But I would prefer to watch a movie in the best format possible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/i-ve-had-a-vhs-collection-for-many-many-years-but-i-would-prefer-to/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [My goal from the very beginning was to make very visually lush, juicy films that you can really sink your teeth into. That's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/my-goal-from-the-very-beginning-was-to-make-very-visually-lush-juicy/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [I try to look at the films as I make them from a distance, in a way. I think of them as kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/i-try-to-look-at-the-films-as-i-make-them-from-a-distance-in-a-way-i/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [In the night there's sometimes a sort of cursed quality to the Pacific Northwest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/in-the-night-there-s-sometimes-a-sort-of-cursed-quality-to-the/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [Well, when I was really young and we lived in Sweden, the only films that were around at that point were... We had this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/well-when-i-was-really-young-and-we-lived-in-sweden-the-only-films/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [I think what I was unconsciously expressing in 'Black Rainbow' was a very abstract and metaphorical grief, in the way I had suppressed my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/i-think-what-i-was-unconsciously-expressing-in-black-rainbow-was-a/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [I think most religious belief structures are essentially like mind viruses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/i-think-most-religious-belief-structures-are-essentially-like-mind/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [I don't know anybody who goes horseback riding at sunset, but everybody watches TV and eats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/i-don-t-know-anybody-who-goes-horseback-riding-at-sunset-but/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [Certain things just rub me the wrong way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/certain-things-just-rub-me-the-wrong-way/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [We moved around a lot when I was younger. I never really felt at home until we moved to Canada, but even then, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/we-moved-around-a-lot-when-i-was-younger-i-never-really-felt-at-home/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [I just find there's nothing funnier and more scary than a delusional man who thinks they're the center of the universe, and in fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/i-just-find-there-s-nothing-funnier-and-more-scary-than-a-delusional/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [My mother died in 1997 and I spiralled into this self-destructive vortex of trying to annihilate my consciousness. I was afraid to face the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/my-mother-died-in-1997-and-i-spiralled-into-this-self-destructive/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [A lot of films mistake convolutedness for complexity. To me, a simple story can be a powerful spine to build around.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/a-lot-of-films-mistake-convolutedness-for-complexity-to-me-a-simple/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [The thing I do miss about the way some sequels were in the past was that each film felt like its own unique, complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/the-thing-i-do-miss-about-the-way-some-sequels-were-in-the-past-was/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) > [I was, like, 'I really wanna see an Eric Rohmer movie take place in a Bert I. Gordon universe.' Where there's a story going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/panos-cosmatos/i-was-like-i-really-wanna-see-an-eric-rohmer-movie-take-place-in-a/) [Panos Cosmatos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) [Explore all 62 Panos Cosmatos quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/panos-cosmatos/) ## More Clarity quotes > [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/) > [Its a lack of clarity that creates chaos and frustration. Those emotions are poison to any living goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/its-a-lack-of-clarity-that-creates-chaos-and-frustration-those/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Anything well written with good language and clarity and honesty is worth doing. It comes out of the same tradition as Shakespeare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-moriarty/anything-well-written-with-good-language-and-clarity-and-honesty-is/) [Michael Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-moriarty/) > [“Writers whose thoughts are expressed with clarity and precision are assumed by readers to be superficial. Where the meaning is obscured, then readers give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/writers-whose-thoughts-are-expressed-with-clarity-and-precision-are/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [It comes a moment that someone says something really small, but fits so perfect into your heart that everything start to make sense!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laylablack/it-comes-a-moment-that-someone-says-something-really-small-but-fits/) [Laylablack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laylablack/) > [“Replaying the past in your mind won't change the present; it only steals the clarity needed to shape what comes next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-meyering-sr/replaying-the-past-in-your-mind-won-t-change-the-present-it-only/) [Joseph Meyering Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-meyering-sr/) > [Rain is good for me. I feel like I achieve clarity actually when it rains. The longer I have to sit and wait, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/rain-is-good-for-me-i-feel-like-i-achieve-clarity-actually-when-it/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [It's my feeling that any writer can get an emotion into a story without being sentimental as long as the emotion is dealt with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baxter/it-s-my-feeling-that-any-writer-can-get-an-emotion-into-a-story/) [Charles Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baxter/) > [President Obama has never summarized the Obama Doctrine with such clarity, but here is what it would look like: 'I will undertake any military…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-abrams/president-obama-has-never-summarized-the-obama-doctrine-with-such/) [Elliott Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-abrams/) > [The law of polarity brings forth clarity to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-mercado/the-law-of-polarity-brings-forth-clarity-to-your-life/) [Joseph Mercado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-mercado/) > [In meditation you withdraw from others and focus your attention inside to gain purity of mind and wisdom energy. Then you must become extroverted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-n-goenka/in-meditation-you-withdraw-from-others-and-focus-your-attention/) [S. N. Goenka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-n-goenka/) > [In stillness the muddied water returns to clarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/in-stillness-the-muddied-water-returns-to-clarity/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [I think clarity is the real risk in poetry because you are exposed. You're out in the open field. You're actually saying things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-collins/i-think-clarity-is-the-real-risk-in-poetry-because-you-are-exposed/) [Billy Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-collins/) > [I decided to be a filmmaker when I was 12. I had utter clarity that this would be my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hooper/i-decided-to-be-a-filmmaker-when-i-was-12-i-had-utter-clarity-that/) [Tom Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hooper/) > [The translucence that comes when life hardens into a bead of such cruel perfection you see it with the purest clarity. Everything suddenly there--life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-translucence-that-comes-when-life-hardens-into-a-bead-of-such/) [Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/) [Browse all 1,601 Clarity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clarity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'd been drifting and in a very self-destructive bent ever since my mother died and as soon as I dealt with the grief, for the first time in 10 years, I had clarity and I realized: 'I need to make a movie, now, cause if I don't make it now, I might never do it.' 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