---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They would drift away like people did if…"
description: "\"“They would drift away like people did if there was nothing to tie them down or hold them steady.”\" — Rebecca Forster"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/rebecca-forster-28272_drift_they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if_403717.jpg"
---

#  They would drift away like people did if there was nothing…

![“They would drift away like people did if there was nothing to tie them down or hold them steady.” quote by Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/rebecca-forster-28272_drift_they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if_403717.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/rebecca-forster-28272_drift_they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if_403717.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/rebecca-forster-28272_drift_they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if_403717.jpg)

> ““They would drift away like people did if there was nothing to tie them down or hold them steady.””

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

## 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 anchors or relationships to stay grounded; without them, they drift aimlessly.

**In simple terms:** Connections keep us stable.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate meaningful relationships.

Themes

relationships stability human nature

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

emotional motivational

When to use this quote

- friendship
- marriage
- teamwork
- community building

Key Concepts

attachment theory social bonds psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What anchors keep you grounded?
- Do you fear being alone?

A Different Perspective

It may romanticize dependence over healthy independence.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Drift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drift/)

## Related quotes

> [With Woods arms wrapped around me and the beat of his heart pressed against my chest, I knew he would hold me steady. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/with-woods-arms-wrapped-around-me-and-the-beat-of-his-heart-pressed/)

[Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/)

> [In football you tend to drift away and on to the next job; you bump into someone after two or three years and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-clarke/in-football-you-tend-to-drift-away-and-on-to-the-next-job-you-bump/)

[Steve Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-clarke/)

> [“I think it was C.S. Lewis that asked, 'Do not most people simply drift away?'. I've always been a reader and for the longest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-brindise/i-think-it-was-c-s-lewis-that-asked-do-not-most-people-simply-drift/)

[Benjamin Brindise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-brindise/)

> [Crazy how I was whilling to give you my darkness to balance out your light , you showed no slight of interest to your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/litha/crazy-how-i-was-whilling-to-give-you-my-darkness-to-balance-out-your/)

[Litha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/litha/)

> [I was a loner and would constantly find ways to drift away from crowd at social gatherings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepti-naval/i-was-a-loner-and-would-constantly-find-ways-to-drift-away-from-crowd/)

[Deepti Naval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepti-naval/)

> [People always have to say that distance will make love drift away,if out of sight we have to stay.Out of mind it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhisek-thapa/people-always-have-to-say-that-distance-will-make-love-drift-away-if/)

[Abhisek Thapa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhisek-thapa/)

> [Every time I drift away I lose myself in you. And now I see I can be me in every thing I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-branch/every-time-i-drift-away-i-lose-myself-in-you-and-now-i-see-i-can-be/)

[Michelle Branch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-branch/)

> [People always have to say that distanve will make love drift away,if out of sight we have to stay.Out of mind it will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhisek-thapa/people-always-have-to-say-that-distanve-will-make-love-drift-away-if/)

[Abhisek Thapa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhisek-thapa/)

> [Things tend to drift away every time I come close to you but I still don't understand why I cant speak to you ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/things-tend-to-drift-away-every-time-i-come-close-to-you-but-i-still/)

[Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/)

> [It's so hard to find a true friend who would not drift away from you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-so-hard-to-find-a-true-friend-who-would-not-drift-away-from-you/)

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

> [There are things that drift away like our endless, numbered days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iron-wine/there-are-things-that-drift-away-like-our-endless-numbered-days/)

[Iron & Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iron-wine/)

> [You write a song about how you think at the time, and then gradually you drift away from that, and when it's far enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarvis-cocker/you-write-a-song-about-how-you-think-at-the-time-and-then-gradually/)

[Jarvis Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarvis-cocker/)

> [“After this night is over, then you can drift away, they you can sleep for ever, for nothing will ever matter again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-morpurgo/after-this-night-is-over-then-you-can-drift-away-they-you-can-sleep/)

[Michael Morpurgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-morpurgo/)

> [“Friendships sail like any other ship... left unattended, it will drift away”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sensei-stokes/friendships-sail-like-any-other-ship-left-unattended-it-will-drift/)

Sensei Stokes

> [People get into metal and they don't drift away from it. They might have families and move away a little, but they certainly don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harris/people-get-into-metal-and-they-don-t-drift-away-from-it-they-might/)

[Steve Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harris/)

## More by Rebecca Forster

> [“A little gift from her mother who made Linda what she was –a damn survivor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/a-little-gift-from-her-mother-who-made-linda-what-she-was-a-damn/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“thirty-year legal career. His robes were tossed on the couch behind them. His desk served as a workstation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/thirty-year-legal-career-his-robes-were-tossed-on-the-couch-behind/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“Now Josie knew she kept them to remind her that broken things can be mended, but there is always a scar.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/now-josie-knew-she-kept-them-to-remind-her-that-broken-things-can-be/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“Crime was like litter tossed on the highway: once it was shoved out the window the only ones who cared were the ones close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/crime-was-like-litter-tossed-on-the-highway-once-it-was-shoved-out/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“Hannah had a future if she could just settle down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/hannah-had-a-future-if-she-could-just-settle-down/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“she was an army of one and was stronger than the invading force.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/she-was-an-army-of-one-and-was-stronger-than-the-invading-force/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“But love him? No. She was broken somewhere inside. She couldn’t love like other people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/but-love-him-no-she-was-broken-somewhere-inside-she-couldn-t-love/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“It was a week ago today that Judge Rayburn died in a fire that swept through his Pacific Palisades home in the early morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/it-was-a-week-ago-today-that-judge-rayburn-died-in-a-fire-that-swept/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“Hannah kept her eyes forward, trained on two rows of rusted showerheads stuck in facing walls. Sixteen in all. The room was paved with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/hannah-kept-her-eyes-forward-trained-on-two-rows-of-rusted/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“He hadn't actually lied to her about anything; she had erred in her assumptions about his life. What Archer knew about Josie was what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/he-hadn-t-actually-lied-to-her-about-anything-she-had-erred-in-her/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“No human being could live forever in the shadowy land of worry or carry the burden of righteousness every waking moment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/no-human-being-could-live-forever-in-the-shadowy-land-of-worry-or/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“She had learned that evil had the fattest wallet and most chaste face of all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/she-had-learned-that-evil-had-the-fattest-wallet-and-most-chaste-face/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“All this stuff was like air: essential and expected, missed only when taken away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/all-this-stuff-was-like-air-essential-and-expected-missed-only-when/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“Today California buried Supreme Court Justice, Fritz Rayburn. Governor Joe Davidson delivered the eulogy calling the judge a friend, a confidant, and his brother…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/today-california-buried-supreme-court-justice-fritz-rayburn-governor/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

> [“Every time I try to play by rules I get smashed into the ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/every-time-i-try-to-play-by-rules-i-get-smashed-into-the-ground/)

[Rebecca Forster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

[Explore all 19 Rebecca Forster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/)

## More Drift quotes

> [“When left alone, corporate cultures and values will erode over time. It can happen when companies or divisions are sold. It can happen when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-spradlin-lead-on-mission/when-left-alone-corporate-cultures-and-values-will-erode-over-time-it/)

[Becca Spradlin, Lead On Mission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-spradlin-lead-on-mission/)

> [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [“The night starts to drift in. The crimson fingers of the dyin sun bleed into gray. The first stars blink down at us. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moira-young/the-night-starts-to-drift-in-the-crimson-fingers-of-the-dyin-sun/)

[Moira Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moira-young/)

> [The biggest part of painting perhaps is faith, and waiting receptively, content to go any way, not planning or forcing. The fear, though, is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-carr/the-biggest-part-of-painting-perhaps-is-faith-and-waiting-receptively/)

[Emily Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-carr/)

> [“Most people drift through life without devoting much conscious energy to figuring out specifically what they want and what they need to do to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-hardy/most-people-drift-through-life-without-devoting-much-conscious-energy/)

[Darren Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-hardy/)

> [“Failing to plan for ownership transitions often leads to disappointing exits and drift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-spradlin-lead-on-mission-2/failing-to-plan-for-ownership-transitions-often-leads-to/)

Becca Spradlin Lead On Mission

> ['Baazigar' was the movie which initiated my drift towards acting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kartik-aaryan/baazigar-was-the-movie-which-initiated-my-drift-towards-acting/)

[Kartik Aaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kartik-aaryan/)

> [People change. Feelings fade. Lovers drift. Friends leave but… Life Goes On...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/people-change-feelings-fade-lovers-drift-friends-leave-but-life-goes/)

Senoraroy

> [“That is the germ of my great discovery. But you are wrong to say that we cannot move about in Time. For instance, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-g-wells-2/that-is-the-germ-of-my-great-discovery-but-you-are-wrong-to-say-that/)

[H.G. Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-g-wells-2/)

> [“Do not drift to deviate in life for tears, instead steer with the right gear of clarity, focus, and purpose; That is where the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ebinezar-gnanasekaran/do-not-drift-to-deviate-in-life-for-tears-instead-steer-with-the/)

Ebinezar Gnanasekaran

> [“A company’s success can contribute to its financial and cultural downfall.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-spradlin-lead-on-mission/a-company-s-success-can-contribute-to-its-financial-and-cultural/)

[Becca Spradlin, Lead On Mission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-spradlin-lead-on-mission/)

> [“A pleasing loneliness, don’t doubt it, to walk where so many swam. Back & forth, under the sun. All on my own I drift,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-rivard/a-pleasing-loneliness-don-t-doubt-it-to-walk-where-so-many-swam-back/)

David Rivard

> [“Faith Forward leaders set and model a higher standard in how they build their organization and culture around their core purpose. These leaders and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-spradlin-lead-on-mission/faith-forward-leaders-set-and-model-a-higher-standard-in-how-they/)

[Becca Spradlin, Lead On Mission](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-spradlin-lead-on-mission/)

> [And there’s been drift in Afghanistan over the last couple of years. That’s something that we intend to fix this.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/and-there-s-been-drift-in-afghanistan-over-the-last-couple-of-years/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [In football you tend to drift away and on to the next job; you bump into someone after two or three years and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-clarke/in-football-you-tend-to-drift-away-and-on-to-the-next-job-you-bump/)

[Steve Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-clarke/)

[Browse all 199 Drift quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drift/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“They would drift away like people did if there was nothing to tie them down or hold them steady.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Rebecca Forster"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if-there-was-nothing-to-tie/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Drift"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if-there-was-nothing-to-tie/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/rebecca-forster-28272_drift_they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if_403717.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/rebecca-forster-28272_drift_they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if_403717.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/459/rebecca-forster-28272_drift_they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if_403717.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“They would drift away like people did if there was nothing to tie them down or hold them steady.” — Rebecca Forster",
                "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": "Rebecca Forster",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-forster/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“They would drift away like people...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if-there-was-nothing-to-tie/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-forster/they-would-drift-away-like-people-did-if-there-was-nothing-to-tie/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```