--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now we’re talking about celebration…" description: "\"“Now we’re talking about celebration. Celebration when you think you’re calling the shots? Easy. Celebration when your plan is working? Anyone can do t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc0/shauna-niequist-3042_courage_now-we-re-talking-about-celebration-cele_1502161.jpg" --- # Now we’re talking about celebration. Celebration when you… ![“Now we’re talking about celebration. Celebration when you think you’re calling the shots? Easy. Celebration when your plan is working? Anyone can do that. But when you realize that the story of your life could be told a thousand different ways, that you could tell it over and over as a tragedy…” quote by Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc0/shauna-niequist-3042_courage_now-we-re-talking-about-celebration-cele_1502161.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc0/shauna-niequist-3042_courage_now-we-re-talking-about-celebration-cele_1502161.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bc0/shauna-niequist-3042_courage_now-we-re-talking-about-celebration-cele_1502161.jpg) > ““Now we’re talking about celebration. Celebration when you think you’re calling the shots? Easy. Celebration when your plan is working? Anyone can do that. But when you realize that the story of your life could be told a thousand different ways, that you could tell it over and over as a tragedy, but you choose to call it an epic, that’s when you start to learn what celebration is. When what you see in front of you is so far outside of what you dreamed, but you have the belief, the boldness, the courage to call it beautiful instead of calling it wrong, that’s celebration.”” [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Celebration is choosing to view life's story as an epic, embracing the unexpected with belief and courage. **In simple terms:** Celebrate by seeing life as an epic, not a tragedy. Key Takeaway Adopt a bold, hopeful perspective. Themes celebration perspective belief courage beauty Mood hopeful empowering Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - artistic creation - career pivots - personal setbacks - relationship challenges - health journeys Key Concepts psychology storytelling optimism Questions to Reflect On - How can you transform perceived failures into triumphs? - What does “calling it beautiful” mean to you? A Different Perspective Denial of pain can hinder growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Celebration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebration/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [Story of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/story-of-your-life/) ## Related quotes > [“But when you realize that the story of your life could be told a thousand different ways, that you could tell it over and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/but-when-you-realize-that-the-story-of-your-life-could-be-told-a/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“As author Shauna Niequist describes in her book Cold Tangerines, it takes a kind of courage to choose the genre of your own story:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-westlake/as-author-shauna-niequist-describes-in-her-book-cold-tangerines-it/) [Courtney Westlake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-westlake/) > [“Celebration when your plan is working? Anyone can do that. But when you realize that the story of your life could be told a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/celebration-when-your-plan-is-working-anyone-can-do-that-but-when-you/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [ At the heart of the celebration, there are the poor. If \[they\] are excluded, it is not longer a celebration. \[...\] A celebration must… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-vanier/at-the-heart-of-the-celebration-there-are-the-poor-if-they-are/) [Jean Vanier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-vanier/) > [It's not the NBA Finals, it's not even a regular-season game. It's the All-Star game, it's a celebration. A celebration of talent, speed, grace.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-stern/it-s-not-the-nba-finals-it-s-not-even-a-regular-season-game-it-s-the/) [David Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-stern/) > [Whatsoever you can be you are. There is no goal. And we are not going anywhere. We are simply celebrating here. Existence is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/whatsoever-you-can-be-you-are-there-is-no-goal-and-we-are-not-going/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I think the game of football, from a commentating standpoint, is missing something. I think it should be a celebration, and I think it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-mcafee/i-think-the-game-of-football-from-a-commentating-standpoint-is/) [Pat McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-mcafee/) > [“The way you live your day is a sentence in the story of your life. Each day you make the choice whether the sentence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/the-way-you-live-your-day-is-a-sentence-in-the-story-of-your-life/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [The story of your life is really the story of the relations between yourself and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmet-fox/the-story-of-your-life-is-really-the-story-of-the-relations-between/) [Emmet Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmet-fox/) > [“Each of us, along with our ancestors, inhabits the same cosmos. When we tell stories, we enter the stream of human consciousness; we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/each-of-us-along-with-our-ancestors-inhabits-the-same-cosmos-when-we/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [I don't like the word 'autobiography.' I rather like the term 'autofiction.' The second you make a script out of the story of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-don-t-like-the-word-autobiography-i-rather-like-the-term/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [“Life is a collection of memories and feelings. Mawkish sentimentally urges us to engage in artistic overtures, we yearn to share with other people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/life-is-a-collection-of-memories-and-feelings-mawkish-sentimentally/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“There are transitions in life whether we want them or not. You get older. You lose jobs and loves and people. The story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hodgman/there-are-transitions-in-life-whether-we-want-them-or-not-you-get/) [John Hodgman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hodgman/) > [He was born. He grew up. He got married. He finally died.Make sure the story of your life is more than this. Do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-was-born-he-grew-up-he-got-married-he-finally-died-make-sure-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“We take creative license with the fictional narratives that become our memories. Anthologized, these are the tales that become the story of your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-ganek/we-take-creative-license-with-the-fictional-narratives-that-become/) [Danielle Ganek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-ganek/) ## More by Shauna Niequist > [...what I can do is offer myself, wholehearted and present, to walk with the people I love through the fear and the mess. That's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/what-i-can-do-is-offer-myself-wholehearted-and-present-to-walk-with/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“We decide where the time goes. There's so much freedom in that, and so much responsibility.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/we-decide-where-the-time-goes-there-s-so-much-freedom-in-that-and-so/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“To all the secret writers, late-night painters, would-be singers, lapsed and scared artists of every stripe, dig out your paintbrush, or your flute, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/to-all-the-secret-writers-late-night-painters-would-be-singers-lapsed/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“When things fall apart, the broken pieces allow all sorts of things to enter, and one of them is the presence of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/when-things-fall-apart-the-broken-pieces-allow-all-sorts-of-things-to/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“The world is alive, blinking and clicking, winking at us slyly, inviting us to get up and dance to the music that’s been playing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/the-world-is-alive-blinking-and-clicking-winking-at-us-slyly-inviting/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“I have always, essentially, been waiting. Waiting to become something else, waiting to be that person I always thought I was on the verge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/i-have-always-essentially-been-waiting-waiting-to-become-something/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“I am still surprised on a regular basis at the love I feel for the spirit of God, the deep respect and emotion that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/i-am-still-surprised-on-a-regular-basis-at-the-love-i-feel-for-the/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“...now that I am a mother, I understand what Mother's Day is about: it's about looking through our lives and recognizing the act of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/now-that-i-am-a-mother-i-understand-what-mother-s-day-is-about-it-s/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“We have, each one of us, been entrusted with one life, made up of days and hours and minutes. We're spending them according to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/we-have-each-one-of-us-been-entrusted-with-one-life-made-up-of-days/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“Years ago, Aaron and I were talking with the pastor of a fast-growing church, and another friend, a more seasoned pastor. The first pastor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/years-ago-aaron-and-i-were-talking-with-the-pastor-of-a-fast-growing/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“I believe deeply that God does his best work in our lives during times of great heartbreak and loss, and I believe that much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/i-believe-deeply-that-god-does-his-best-work-in-our-lives-during/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“one of the chief aspects of mothering is prayer,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/one-of-the-chief-aspects-of-mothering-is-prayer/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“Our friend Ian, an Episcopal priest, taught us something I’d never heard, something that shaped all of us: on a rainy night, with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/our-friend-ian-an-episcopal-priest-taught-us-something-i-d-never/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“When you haven’t yet had your heart really broken, the gospel isn’t about death and rebirth. It’s about life and more life. It’s about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/when-you-haven-t-yet-had-your-heart-really-broken-the-gospel-isn-t/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) > [“Present over perfect living is real over image, connecting over comparing, meaning over mania, depth over artifice. Present over perfect living is the risky…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shauna-niequist/present-over-perfect-living-is-real-over-image-connecting-over/) [Shauna Niequist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) [Explore all 141 Shauna Niequist quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shauna-niequist/) ## More Celebration quotes > [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/) [Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/) > [The official independence celebration was going to be held over four or five days, and a group of journalists from all over the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryszard-kapuscinski/the-official-independence-celebration-was-going-to-be-held-over-four/) [Ryszard Kapuscinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryszard-kapuscinski/) > [Missouri has a rich history and diverse heritage that deserves a proper celebration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-parson/missouri-has-a-rich-history-and-diverse-heritage-that-deserves-a/) [Mike Parson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-parson/) > [Every day we have a special reason to make a good celebration! And that reason is our very existence!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/every-day-we-have-a-special-reason-to-make-a-good-celebration-and/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“At the water's edge, barrels of pitch blazed like huge bonfires. Their reflection, crimson as the rising moon, crept to meet us in long,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/at-the-water-s-edge-barrels-of-pitch-blazed-like-huge-bonfires-their/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [One of my earliest memories is being backstage at 'Bran Nue Dae' in Darwin when I was about eight. It's such a fun, happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shari-sebbens/one-of-my-earliest-memories-is-being-backstage-at-bran-nue-dae-in/) [Shari Sebbens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shari-sebbens/) > [God does not ask your ability Or your inability. He asks only your availability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-kay-ash/god-does-not-ask-your-ability-or-your-inability-he-asks-only-your/) [Mary Kay Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-kay-ash/) > [My 'Idea of India' calls not just for tolerance, but a celebration of all points of view. Where the sensibilities of every individual are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narendra-modi/my-idea-of-india-calls-not-just-for-tolerance-but-a-celebration-of/) [Narendra Modi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narendra-modi/) > [Growing up, there were a lot of funerals that I attended, and the adults at the funerals went out of their way to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-fuller/growing-up-there-were-a-lot-of-funerals-that-i-attended-and-the/) [Bryan Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryan-fuller/) > [So your life becomes a vital celebration, your relationship becomes a festive thing. Whatsoever you do, every moment is a festival. You eat, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/so-your-life-becomes-a-vital-celebration-your-relationship-becomes-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [What I love about the East End is that there's a great perseverance, determination and courage. What I dislike about it is that there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-marsan/what-i-love-about-the-east-end-is-that-there-s-a-great-perseverance/) [Eddie Marsan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-marsan/) > [“This was the image Angeline had of him at the time; always moving to the edges of some sort of celebration.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-coplin/this-was-the-image-angeline-had-of-him-at-the-time-always-moving-to/) [Amanda Coplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-coplin/) > [People of our time are losing the power of celebration. Instead of celebrating we seek to be amused or entertained. Celebration is an active…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-joshua-heschel/people-of-our-time-are-losing-the-power-of-celebration-instead-of/) [Abraham Joshua Heschel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-joshua-heschel/) > [Thinking about writing as an act of celebration is sometimes a helpful framework for me. It allows me to prioritize what I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/thinking-about-writing-as-an-act-of-celebration-is-sometimes-a/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [Tolerance and celebration of individual differences is the fire that fuels lasting love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hannah/tolerance-and-celebration-of-individual-differences-is-the-fire-that/) Tom Hannah [Browse all 963 Celebration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/celebration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Now we’re talking about celebration. 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