--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the beginning, I had considered these…" description: "\"In the beginning, I had considered these stops on my journey as interruptions - but I'm coming to understand that perhaps these detours are my journey...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/richard-paul-evans-1002_detours_in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these_1553351.png" --- # In the beginning, I had considered these stops on my… ![“In the beginning, I had considered these stops on my journey as interruptions - but I'm coming to understand that perhaps these detours are my journey.” quote by Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/richard-paul-evans-1002_detours_in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these_1553351.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/richard-paul-evans-1002_detours_in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these_1553351.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/richard-paul-evans-1002_detours_in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these_1553351.png) > “In the beginning, I had considered these stops on my journey as interruptions - but I'm coming to understand that perhaps these detours are my journey.” [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He sees setbacks as part of the journey, reframing them as purposeful detours. **In simple terms:** Setbacks are purposeful detours. Key Takeaway Reframe setbacks as learning detours. Themes resilience growth perspective Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career change - personal loss - travel delays - project pivots Key Concepts narrative life philosophy Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn a setback into a lesson? - When should you accept a detour? A Different Perspective Not all interruptions lead to growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Detours](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detours/) [Interruptions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interruptions/) [Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey/) ## Related quotes > [“For the third time since I began, my walk has been delayed. In the beginning, I had considered these stops on my journey as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/for-the-third-time-since-i-began-my-walk-has-been-delayed-in-the/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [“Someone grabbed his coat Again, he stops his journey To be there with her”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-overby/someone-grabbed-his-coat-again-he-stops-his-journey-to-be-there-with/) [Eric Overby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-overby/) > [We plan our lives in long, unbroken stretches that intersect our dreams the way highways connect the city dots on a road map. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/we-plan-our-lives-in-long-unbroken-stretches-that-intersect-our/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [There are no short cuts, no detours in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reuven-rivlin/there-are-no-short-cuts-no-detours-in-the-middle-east/) [Reuven Rivlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reuven-rivlin/) > [In the armed forces, the chances of success are quite high. That's due to the clarity of the military structure - everything is sketched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdel-fattah-el-sisi/in-the-armed-forces-the-chances-of-success-are-quite-high-that-s-due/) [Abdel Fattah el-Sisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdel-fattah-el-sisi/) > [Sometimes -- she knows this from her own life -- to get to the other side, you must travel through grief. No detours are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/sometimes-she-knows-this-from-her-own-life-to-get-to-the-other-side/) [Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/) > [Obstacles are not opposing you, but merely and gently re-routing you. It is important not to view that which stands in your way as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/obstacles-are-not-opposing-you-but-merely-and-gently-re-routing-you/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [There are no choices that are really a detour that will take you far from where you're wanting to be - because your Inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-no-choices-that-are-really-a-detour-that-will-take-you-far/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [It amazes me how easy it is for things to change, how easy it is to start off down the same road you always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-amazes-me-how-easy-it-is-for-things-to-change-how-easy-it-is-to/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [I tell you all this because it's worth recognizing that there is no such thing as an overnight success. You will do well to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-tell-you-all-this-because-it-s-worth-recognizing-that-there-is-no/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [Ideally a painter (and, generally, an artist) should not become conscious of his insights: without taking the detour through his reflective processes, and incomprehensibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/ideally-a-painter-and-generally-an-artist-should-not-become-conscious/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-marks-are-the-traffic-signals-of-language-they-tell-us-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [And from the moment that I saw you, I knew you was trouble, But I disregarded detour signs, And did not stop til you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/and-from-the-moment-that-i-saw-you-i-knew-you-was-trouble-but-i/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-make-a-lot-of-detours-but-we-re-always-heading-for-the-same/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [I believe that on any trip to heaven, there are always detours through hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-finney/i-believe-that-on-any-trip-to-heaven-there-are-always-detours-through/) [Richard Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-finney/) ## More by Richard Paul Evans > [ The smells of Christmas are the smells of childhood \[p. 53\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/the-smells-of-christmas-are-the-smells-of-childhood-p-53/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [We are chained to that which we do not forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/we-are-chained-to-that-which-we-do-not-forgive/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [“I've found that when someone is beautiful on the outside, but spiritually dark inside, all that outer beauty is just lipstick on a pig.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/i-ve-found-that-when-someone-is-beautiful-on-the-outside-but/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [There are none so impoverished as those who do not acknowledge the abundance of their lives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/there-are-none-so-impoverished-as-those-who-do-not-acknowledge-the/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [It's our memories that make us who we are. Without them, we're nothing. If that means we have to hurt sometimes, it's worth it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/it-s-our-memories-that-make-us-who-we-are-without-them-we-re-nothing/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [At one time in my career, Barnes and Noble bookstores categorized my books as religious fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/at-one-time-in-my-career-barnes-and-noble-bookstores-categorized-my/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [“I'm no one important or famous, no matter. It is better to be loved by one person who knows your soul than millions who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/i-m-no-one-important-or-famous-no-matter-it-is-better-to-be-loved-by/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [The first step of a journey is always the longest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/the-first-step-of-a-journey-is-always-the-longest/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [“Simply stated, earth is a school-a divine educational process custom-fit to each of us.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/simply-stated-earth-is-a-school-a-divine-educational-process-custom/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [So much of young adult literature has turned dark, almost pathological. It's almost as if there is a race to see who can be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/so-much-of-young-adult-literature-has-turned-dark-almost-pathological/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [If the errors of my life have profited me one great truth it is this: believe. Believe in your destiny and the star from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/if-the-errors-of-my-life-have-profited-me-one-great-truth-it-is-this/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [Some people in this world have stopped looking for beauty, then wonder why their lives are so ugly. Don't be like them. The ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/some-people-in-this-world-have-stopped-looking-for-beauty-then-wonder/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [“There's a big difference between us. I write non-fiction, you write fiction. I write truths that tell lies. You write lies that tell truths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/there-s-a-big-difference-between-us-i-write-non-fiction-you-write/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [As a boy I heard this story in church. A man was patching a pitched roof of a tall building when he began sliding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/as-a-boy-i-heard-this-story-in-church-a-man-was-patching-a-pitched/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) > [I am facing the most difficult thing of my life, my own greatest failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/i-am-facing-the-most-difficult-thing-of-my-life-my-own-greatest/) [Richard Paul Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) [Explore all 311 Richard Paul Evans quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/) ## More Detours quotes > [I believe that on any trip to heaven, there are always detours through hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-finney/i-believe-that-on-any-trip-to-heaven-there-are-always-detours-through/) [Richard Finney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-finney/) > [We make a lot of detours, but we're always heading for the same destination](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/we-make-a-lot-of-detours-but-we-re-always-heading-for-the-same/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [And from the moment that I saw you, I knew you was trouble, But I disregarded detour signs, And did not stop til you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mos-def/and-from-the-moment-that-i-saw-you-i-knew-you-was-trouble-but-i/) [Mos Def](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mos-def/) > [Punctuation marks are the traffic signals of language: they tell us to slow down, notice this, take a detour, and stop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-truss/punctuation-marks-are-the-traffic-signals-of-language-they-tell-us-to/) [Lynne Truss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-truss/) > [Ideally a painter (and, generally, an artist) should not become conscious of his insights: without taking the detour through his reflective processes, and incomprehensibly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/ideally-a-painter-and-generally-an-artist-should-not-become-conscious/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [I tell you all this because it's worth recognizing that there is no such thing as an overnight success. You will do well to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-tell-you-all-this-because-it-s-worth-recognizing-that-there-is-no/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [It amazes me how easy it is for things to change, how easy it is to start off down the same road you always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-amazes-me-how-easy-it-is-for-things-to-change-how-easy-it-is-to/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [There are no choices that are really a detour that will take you far from where you're wanting to be - because your Inner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-no-choices-that-are-really-a-detour-that-will-take-you-far/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [Obstacles are not opposing you, but merely and gently re-routing you. It is important not to view that which stands in your way as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/obstacles-are-not-opposing-you-but-merely-and-gently-re-routing-you/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [Sometimes -- she knows this from her own life -- to get to the other side, you must travel through grief. No detours are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/sometimes-she-knows-this-from-her-own-life-to-get-to-the-other-side/) [Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chitra-banerjee-divakaruni/) > [In the armed forces, the chances of success are quite high. That's due to the clarity of the military structure - everything is sketched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdel-fattah-el-sisi/in-the-armed-forces-the-chances-of-success-are-quite-high-that-s-due/) [Abdel Fattah el-Sisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdel-fattah-el-sisi/) > [There are no short cuts, no detours in the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reuven-rivlin/there-are-no-short-cuts-no-detours-in-the-middle-east/) [Reuven Rivlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reuven-rivlin/) > [I see exercise taking this perverted detour. The original intention of exercise was to heal and maintain health. Now I see it as having…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-kest/i-see-exercise-taking-this-perverted-detour-the-original-intention-of/) [Bryan Kest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-kest/) > [I've been lonely for so long. And I've been hurt so deeply. If only I could have met you again a long time ago,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-ve-been-lonely-for-so-long-and-i-ve-been-hurt-so-deeply-if-only-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Whenever you notice your thoughts detour into attack mode, say out loud or to yourself: Happiness is a choice I make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/whenever-you-notice-your-thoughts-detour-into-attack-mode-say-out/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) [Browse all 146 Detours quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/detours/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "In the beginning, I had considered these stops on my journey as interruptions - but I'm coming to understand that perhaps these detours are my journey.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Paul Evans" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these-stops-on-my-journey-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Detours" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these-stops-on-my-journey-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/richard-paul-evans-1002_detours_in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these_1553351.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/richard-paul-evans-1002_detours_in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these_1553351.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5a/richard-paul-evans-1002_detours_in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these_1553351.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“In the beginning, I had considered these stops on my journey as interruptions - but I'm coming to understand…” — Richard Paul Evans", "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": "Richard Paul Evans", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-paul-evans/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "In the beginning, I had considered...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these-stops-on-my-journey-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-paul-evans/in-the-beginning-i-had-considered-these-stops-on-my-journey-as/#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 } } ] } ```