--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Things falling apart is a kind of testing…" description: "\"“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testin_1575340.jpg" --- # Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind… ![“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just…” quote by Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testin_1575340.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testin_1575340.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testin_1575340.jpg) > ““Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.”” [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s cycles of disruption and repair teach that healing arises from accepting both pain and joy, not from forcing resolution. **In simple terms:** Healing comes from accepting cycles of loss and joy. Key Takeaway Allow space for all emotions. Themes resilience acceptance healing Mood reflective calm Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grief counseling - relationship repair - personal growth - stress management Key Concepts Buddhist philosophy impermanence Questions to Reflect On - How can you create space for grief? - What does it mean to heal without solving? A Different Perspective Healing may feel stagnant without active effort to integrate lessons. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Dharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dharma/) [Grief](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grief/) [Healing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/healing/) [Mindfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mindfulness/) ## Related quotes > [“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testing-and-also-a-kind-of-healing/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Perhaps the real point of life is simply to wear us down until we have no choice but to start abandoning our defenses. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kenison/perhaps-the-real-point-of-life-is-simply-to-wear-us-down-until-we/) [Katrina Kenison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kenison/) > [“I guess the whole world is made up of things coming together and things falling apart,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-wing-smith/i-guess-the-whole-world-is-made-up-of-things-coming-together-and/) [Emily Wing Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-wing-smith/) > [Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testing-and-also-a-kind-of-healing-3/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“In her classic book "When Things Fall Apart," Pema Chodron says that everyone and everything is always falling apart. At times we are benefited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zenju-earthlyn-manuel/in-her-classic-book-when-things-fall-apart-pema-chodron-says-that/) [Zenju Earthlyn Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zenju-earthlyn-manuel/) > [“We think that the point is to pass the test or overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don't really get solved.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/we-think-that-the-point-is-to-pass-the-test-or-overcome-the-problem/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [I liked turning 40. Maybe I had a crisis earlier or something. Maybe I had it in my 30s. One thing that sucks though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-pitt/i-liked-turning-40-maybe-i-had-a-crisis-earlier-or-something-maybe-i/) [Brad Pitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-pitt/) > [“You could study the connections for years and never work it out-it was all about things coming together,things falling apart,time warp, my mother standing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/you-could-study-the-connections-for-years-and-never-work-it-out-it/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [Everything is falling together perfectly, even though it looks as if some things are falling apart. Trust in the process you are now experiencing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/everything-is-falling-together-perfectly-even-though-it-looks-as-if/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [Sometimes when things are falling apart, They may actually be falling into place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-things-are-falling-apart-they-may-actually-be-falling/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes when things seem falling apart, they might actually be falling into place. Just have patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/sometimes-when-things-seem-falling-apart-they-might-actually-be/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Keep your chin up when things around you are falling apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-your-chin-up-when-things-around-you-are-falling-apart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Things that are falling apart encourage me: whatever else, I’m in better shape than they are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/things-that-are-falling-apart-encourage-me-whatever-else-i-m-in/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Sometimes when things seem to be falling apart, they are actually falling into place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-when-things-seem-to-be-falling-apart-they-are-actually/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“To play the country-game, we have to choose a country. Everybody wants to be the USA and Britain and Canada and Australia and Switzerland…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noviolet-bulawayo/to-play-the-country-game-we-have-to-choose-a-country-everybody-wants/) [NoViolet Bulawayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noviolet-bulawayo/) ## More by Pema Chödrön > [“LIFE’S work is to wake up, to let the things that enter into your life wake you up rather than put you to sleep.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/life-s-work-is-to-wake-up-to-let-the-things-that-enter-into-your-life/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Since death is certain and the time of death is uncertain, what is the most important thing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/since-death-is-certain-and-the-time-of-death-is-uncertain-what-is-the/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Buddhist words such as compassion and emptiness don't mean much until we start cultivating our innate ability simply to be there with pain with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/buddhist-words-such-as-compassion-and-emptiness-don-t-mean-much-until/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [The essence of generosity is letting go. Pain is always a sign that we are holding on to something - usually ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-generosity-is-letting-go-pain-is-always-a-sign-that-we/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If the object of meditation were something concrete, something solid and graspable - an image or a statue or a dot on the floor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-the-object-of-meditation-were-something-concrete-something-solid/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [It's a transformative experience to simply pause instead of immediately fill up the space. By waiting, we begin to connect with fundamental restlessness as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/it-s-a-transformative-experience-to-simply-pause-instead-of/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The essence of life is that it’s challenging. Sometimes it is sweet, and sometimes it is bitter. Sometimes your body tenses, and sometimes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-essence-of-life-is-that-it-s-challenging-sometimes-it-is-sweet/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If we run a hundred miles an hour to the other end of the continent in order to get away from the obstacle, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-we-run-a-hundred-miles-an-hour-to-the-other-end-of-the-continent/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But in this meditation technique, we are with the out-breath; there's no particular instruction about what to do until the next out-breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-in-this-meditation-technique-we-are-with-the-out-breath-there-s/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Nothing ever goes away until it has taught us what we need to know. Nothing ever really attacks us except our own confusion. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/nothing-ever-goes-away-until-it-has-taught-us-what-we-need-to-know/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [So even if the hot loneliness is there, and for 1.6 seconds we sit with that restlessness when yesterday we couldn't sit for even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/so-even-if-the-hot-loneliness-is-there-and-for-1-6-seconds-we-sit/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If you have rage and righteously act it out and blame it all on others, it's really you who suffers. The other people and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-you-have-rage-and-righteously-act-it-out-and-blame-it-all-on/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“When we realize that the path is the goal, there’s a sense of workability. Trungpa Rinpoche said, “Whatever occurs in the confused mind is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/when-we-realize-that-the-path-is-the-goal-there-s-a-sense-of/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [Every day is a new opportunity to work with what you have inside toward enlightenment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/every-day-is-a-new-opportunity-to-work-with-what-you-have-inside/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [If someone comes along and shoots an arrow into your heart, it’s fruitless to stand there and yell at the person. It would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/if-someone-comes-along-and-shoots-an-arrow-into-your-heart-it-s/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) [Explore all 664 Pema Chödrön quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) ## More Buddhism quotes > [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/) [Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/) > [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/) [Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/) > [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/) [Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/) > [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/) [Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/) > [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/) [Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/) > [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/) [Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the test or to overcome the problem, but the truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and they fall apart. Then they come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, for relief, for misery, for joy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Pema Chödrön" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testing-and-also-a-kind-of-healing-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Buddhism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testing-and-also-a-kind-of-healing-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testin_1575340.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testin_1575340.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f2/pema-ch-dr-n-327_buddhism_things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testin_1575340.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Things falling apart is a kind of testing and also a kind of healing. We think that the point is to pass the…” — Pema Chödrön", "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": "Pema Chödrön", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Things falling apart is a kind...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testing-and-also-a-kind-of-healing-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/things-falling-apart-is-a-kind-of-testing-and-also-a-kind-of-healing-2/#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 } } ] } ```