--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That's real life. Things don't always…" description: "\"“That's real life. Things don't always work out the way you think they will. They're not so neat and tidy. But people come into your life with a purpos..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/rebecca-serle-4076_footprints_that-s-real-life-things-don-t-always-wor_2423737.jpg" --- # That's real life. Things don't always work out the way you… ![“That's real life. Things don't always work out the way you think they will. They're not so neat and tidy. But people come into your life with a purpose--I see that now. Claire likes to say that people cross your paths for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Astor was a reason. Hayley, though?…” quote by Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/rebecca-serle-4076_footprints_that-s-real-life-things-don-t-always-wor_2423737.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/rebecca-serle-4076_footprints_that-s-real-life-things-don-t-always-wor_2423737.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/406/rebecca-serle-4076_footprints_that-s-real-life-things-don-t-always-wor_2423737.jpg) > ““That's real life. Things don't always work out the way you think they will. They're not so neat and tidy. But people come into your life with a purpose--I see that now. Claire likes to say that people cross your paths for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Astor was a reason. Hayley, though? Hayley is a lifetime.”” [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life brings people for specific purposes, some brief, some lasting **In simple terms:** People appear for reasons, sometimes fleeting, sometimes lifelong Key Takeaway Recognize and value each relationship Themes relationships purpose timing Mood curious hopeful Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - friendship - career mentorship - family dynamics Key Concepts psychology storytelling Questions to Reflect On - What purpose does a recent encounter serve? - How do you honor fleeting connections? A Different Perspective Not all encounters have clear purpose ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Footprints](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/footprints/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Neat and tidy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/neat-and-tidy/) [People Come Into Your Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-come-into-your-life/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) ## Related quotes > [“Mastema prefers absolutes. He wants fences on the world and everything in its place, neat and tidy as a churchyard garden. God is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirby-crow/mastema-prefers-absolutes-he-wants-fences-on-the-world-and-everything/) Kirby Crow > [“Johnstone railway station was small, neat and tidy, quite attractive. On the platforms, I noticed that the signs also had the name in Gaelic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-davies/johnstone-railway-station-was-small-neat-and-tidy-quite-attractive-on/) Hunter Davies > [We got to his place and it looked a lot like his personality. Just a bunch of space filler, nothing to really wow you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-handler/we-got-to-his-place-and-it-looked-a-lot-like-his-personality-just-a/) [Chelsea Handler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-handler/) > [“My mom always said to wear clean underwear in case of an accident. What she didn’t say was make sure your underwear drawer is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-abbott/my-mom-always-said-to-wear-clean-underwear-in-case-of-an-accident/) [Katrina Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-abbott/) > [“...that's the way to tell a true story from a made-up one. A made-up story always has a neat and tidy end. But true…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elspeth-huxley/that-s-the-way-to-tell-a-true-story-from-a-made-up-one-a-made-up/) [Elspeth Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elspeth-huxley/) > [“They looked like the people you see on the six o’clock news—refugees, sent to wait in some strange ugly place, with all their boxes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-robinson/they-looked-like-the-people-you-see-on-the-six-o-clock-news-refugees/) Barbara Robinson > [I guess they needed a maze in Japan, where everything's neat and tidy. In America everybody's already wandering around lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/i-guess-they-needed-a-maze-in-japan-where-everything-s-neat-and-tidy/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“So does that mean you're neat and tidy, since you're a woman ?" I scrunched up my face. "Are you kidding ? I used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/so-does-that-mean-you-re-neat-and-tidy-since-you-re-a-woman-i/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [“..chaos is the neighbour of God: but everything's usually neat and tidy in hell...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-kan-nesser/chaos-is-the-neighbour-of-god-but-everything-s-usually-neat-and-tidy/) [Håkan Nesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-kan-nesser/) > [“What a mess. Truths are messy and lies are messy, and I don’t care what Da said, it’s impossible to cut a person into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/what-a-mess-truths-are-messy-and-lies-are-messy-and-i-don-t-care-what/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“I had money...But for some reason, I couldn't go anywhere. Apparently, finding a warm place to belong...Takes something other than money. Several years later,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kabi-nagata/i-had-money-but-for-some-reason-i-couldn-t-go-anywhere-apparently/) Kabi Nagata > [I'm quite ragged. People say 'raw,' and some people don't like raw. They prefer it neat and tidy but you can't be neat and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michail-antonio/i-m-quite-ragged-people-say-raw-and-some-people-don-t-like-raw-they/) [Michail Antonio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michail-antonio/) > [“And when grades come up in my coaching conversations (and they always do), I find myself asking teachers what forms of student evidence will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-r-sweeney/and-when-grades-come-up-in-my-coaching-conversations-and-they-always/) Diane R Sweeney > [“The room was so neat and tidy it made me feel quite depressed...I do not allow myself to repine about what cannot be helped;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-peters/the-room-was-so-neat-and-tidy-it-made-me-feel-quite-depressed-i-do/) [Elizabeth Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-peters/) > [If you insist on playing Jorginho, who is neat and tidy but not a goal threat, you have to have goal threats on either…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graeme-souness/if-you-insist-on-playing-jorginho-who-is-neat-and-tidy-but-not-a-goal/) [Graeme Souness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graeme-souness/) ## More by Rebecca Serle > [I love that the collapse of The Other Side is being felt in both 'The Vampire Diaries' and 'The Originals' universes - as someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/i-love-that-the-collapse-of-the-other-side-is-being-felt-in-both-the/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > ['Wuthering Heights' by Emily Bronte has been my all-time favorite book since I was in middle school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/wuthering-heights-by-emily-bronte-has-been-my-all-time-favorite-book/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [My first book, 'When You Were Mine,' got optioned for film and went into preproduction as 'Rosaline.' That was the classic model: Hollywood calls,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/my-first-book-when-you-were-mine-got-optioned-for-film-and-went-into/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > ['Ready Player One' has it all - nostalgia, trivia, adventure, romance, heart, and, dare I say it, some very fascinating social commentary. The novel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/ready-player-one-has-it-all-nostalgia-trivia-adventure-romance-heart/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [By refusing to lend a hand, we are not only robbing our colleagues and peers of the opportunity to gain guidance, but we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/by-refusing-to-lend-a-hand-we-are-not-only-robbing-our-colleagues-and/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [I've said it before, and I'll say it again: writing picture books is an art - the art of word choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/i-ve-said-it-before-and-i-ll-say-it-again-writing-picture-books-is-an/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [When someone around you succeeds, it does not mean they've taken that spot from you. What it means is that you are in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/when-someone-around-you-succeeds-it-does-not-mean-they-ve-taken-that/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [American fantasy is not a genre we think about too often. Sure, we are familiar with the worlds of English boarding school houses and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/american-fantasy-is-not-a-genre-we-think-about-too-often-sure-we-are/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [“No one ever died from having too much information. It’s the misunderstandings that are the problem.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/no-one-ever-died-from-having-too-much-information-it-s-the/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [“They died together; they'll always be remembered together. It's decided, once and for all. He was hers. The rumors don't matter; they'll fade...People may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/they-died-together-they-ll-always-be-remembered-together-it-s-decided/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [So many tend to brand the Internet as the downfall of youth, but 'Ready Player One' hints that it's more complicated than that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/so-many-tend-to-brand-the-internet-as-the-downfall-of-youth-but-ready/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [At its heart, 'Mostly Good Girls' is about the pressures we put on ourselves to live up to ideas of perfection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/at-its-heart-mostly-good-girls-is-about-the-pressures-we-put-on/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [Of course YA authors have a responsibility to their audience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/of-course-ya-authors-have-a-responsibility-to-their-audience/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [The adult fiction and writing for children portions of my MFA program were kept very separate, and there was a stigma around those 'kid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/the-adult-fiction-and-writing-for-children-portions-of-my-mfa-program/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) > [“It’s not that most girls are delusional, per se. It’s just that they have this subtle ability to warp actual circumstances into something different.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-serle/it-s-not-that-most-girls-are-delusional-per-se-it-s-just-that-they/) [Rebecca Serle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) [Explore all 116 Rebecca Serle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-serle/) ## More Footprints quotes > [People come into your life for a reason, a season or a lifetime...so you gotta choose who is good for you! Be wise, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-come-into-your-life-for-a-reason-a-season-or-a-lifetime-so-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone leaves footprints in your memory... But the ones that leave footprints in your heart are the ones you will truly remember...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/everyone-leaves-footprints-in-your-memory-but-the-ones-that-leave/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Why tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-tell-me-the-sky-s-the-limit-when-there-are-footprints-on-the-moon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-come-into-your-life-for-a-reason-a-season-or-a-lifetime/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some people walk into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts. Others walk into our lives and we want to leave footprints on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-walk-into-our-lives-and-leave-footprints-on-our-hearts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Customers are speaking to you implicitly via their behavior, captured in the footprints they leave behind in your systems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-thompson/customers-are-speaking-to-you-implicitly-via-their-behavior-captured/) [Robert G. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-g-thompson/) > [Some friends leave footprints in your heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/some-friends-leave-footprints-in-your-heart/) [Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/) > [I believe that certain people come into your life for a reason, they change your life when you don't expect it. These are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/i-believe-that-certain-people-come-into-your-life-for-a-reason-they/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“The sky is not the limit when there are footprints on the moon”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-ryan/the-sky-is-not-the-limit-when-there-are-footprints-on-the-moon/) H D Ryan > [There are footprints on my heart. Are you just trying to distance yourself? Or were you never really there?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/there-are-footprints-on-my-heart-are-you-just-trying-to-distance/) [Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/) > [If you walk in the footprints of others, you wont make any of your own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gusso-montanna/if-you-walk-in-the-footprints-of-others-you-wont-make-any-of-your-own/) [Gusso Montanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gusso-montanna/) > [Sometimes people come in and out of our lives for a reason. It is the people that taught you something valuable about life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/sometimes-people-come-in-and-out-of-our-lives-for-a-reason-it-is-the/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) > [You reflect on the people who used to be in your life, and it's like, 'Wow, I can't believe that person was ever really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-gomez/you-reflect-on-the-people-who-used-to-be-in-your-life-and-it-s-like/) [Selena Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-gomez/) > [“ He spake well who said that graves are the footprints of angels. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/he-spake-well-who-said-that-graves-are-the-footprints-of-angels-henry/) [Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/) > [Don't reach for the sky, when there are footprints on the moon...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-reyes/don-t-reach-for-the-sky-when-there-are-footprints-on-the-moon/) [JOHN REYES](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-reyes/) [Browse all 256 Footprints quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/footprints/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“That's real life. 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