--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's only when we have nothing else to…" description: "\"It's only when we have nothing else to hold onto that we're willing to try something very audacious and scary.\" — Sonia Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f86/sonia-johnson-17072_audacious_it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-h_1341722.jpg" --- # It's only when we have nothing else to hold onto that… ![“It's only when we have nothing else to hold onto that we're willing to try something very audacious and scary.” quote by Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f86/sonia-johnson-17072_audacious_it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-h_1341722.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f86/sonia-johnson-17072_audacious_it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-h_1341722.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f86/sonia-johnson-17072_audacious_it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-h_1341722.jpg) > “It's only when we have nothing else to hold onto that we're willing to try something very audacious and scary.” [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When we lack security, we become open to daring, frightening actions. **In simple terms:** Desperation can spark boldness. Key Takeaway Embrace risk when you have nothing to lose. Themes courage risk desperation growth Mood anxious determined Type motivational inspirational When to use this quote - career change - entrepreneurship - personal challenges - creative projects Key Concepts psychology motivation fear management Questions to Reflect On - What audacious goal have you avoided? - How can fear be a motivator? A Different Perspective Bold moves may still fail without planning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Audacious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audacious/) ## Related quotes > [To hold on, you have to find something you’re willing to die for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/to-hold-on-you-have-to-find-something-you-re-willing-to-die-for/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [You have to sit with your life and feel how you hold it, and be willing for the release to happen. It will happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reb-anderson/you-have-to-sit-with-your-life-and-feel-how-you-hold-it-and-be/) [Reb Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reb-anderson/) > [“I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to live for. It isn’t. To hold on, you have to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-thought-the-only-way-to-hold-on-was-to-find-something-to-live-for/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [I had it all wrong," he says. "Before I found you, I thought the only way to hold on was to find something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-yancey/i-had-it-all-wrong-he-says-before-i-found-you-i-thought-the-only-way/) [Rick Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-yancey/) > [“I have seen your dispatch expressing your unwillingness to break your hold where you are. Neither am I willing. Hold on with a bulldog…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-have-seen-your-dispatch-expressing-your-unwillingness-to-break-your/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [With no chance to take off, I had to play my role, searching for the rendezvous spot, which gave me the excuse to look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/with-no-chance-to-take-off-i-had-to-play-my-role-searching-for-the/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [If you want to play the game and win, you've got to play 'full out.' You've got to be willing to feel stupid, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/if-you-want-to-play-the-game-and-win-you-ve-got-to-play-full-out-you/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [I'm always tempted to say, 'Nah, that won't work.' But I think you should be willing to try ideas out before saying no. Be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/issa-rae/i-m-always-tempted-to-say-nah-that-won-t-work-but-i-think-you-should/) [Issa Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/issa-rae/) > [It's taken me a long time to learn to accept the risks and just be willing to try it over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/uma-thurman/it-s-taken-me-a-long-time-to-learn-to-accept-the-risks-and-just-be/) [Uma Thurman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/uma-thurman/) > [That's why I'm willing to try things. I want to be part of moving pop culture forward. As big a task as that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naughty-boy/that-s-why-i-m-willing-to-try-things-i-want-to-be-part-of-moving-pop/) [Naughty Boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naughty-boy/) > [“One day, kid, you'll be willing to mortgage your fucking soul for somebody.” “I don't think you should say fucking around me. In case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/one-day-kid-you-ll-be-willing-to-mortgage-your-fucking-soul-for/) [Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/) > [No relationship is ever perfect and I know I'm far from perfect but as long as you're willing to try, I'm willing to stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-relationship-is-ever-perfect-and-i-know-i-m-far-from-perfect-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You never know when big things hit, unless you're willing to try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-gunn/you-never-know-when-big-things-hit-unless-you-re-willing-to-try/) [Billy Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-gunn/) > [No one can hate petitions worse than I, and no one has less faith in them than I. But for my champion I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltairine-de-cleyre/no-one-can-hate-petitions-worse-than-i-and-no-one-has-less-faith-in/) [Voltairine de Cleyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltairine-de-cleyre/) > [Risk is the essence of any reward - to try the thing that no one else is willing to try.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bozoma-saint-john/risk-is-the-essence-of-any-reward-to-try-the-thing-that-no-one-else/) [Bozoma Saint John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bozoma-saint-john/) ## More by Sonia Johnson > [How desperately we wish to maintain our trust in those we love! In the face of everything, we try to find reasons to trust.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/how-desperately-we-wish-to-maintain-our-trust-in-those-we-love-in-the/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [I like to remind people what radical means -- 'at the root of things.' It shouldn't be considered a pejorative. There isn't a great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/i-like-to-remind-people-what-radical-means-at-the-root-of-things-it/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [Women have to risk civil disobedience for their rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/women-have-to-risk-civil-disobedience-for-their-rights/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [I still feel Mormon. Those men in Salt Lake City can't decide who's Mormon and who isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/i-still-feel-mormon-those-men-in-salt-lake-city-can-t-decide-who-s/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [Freedom is necessary for honesty, honesty for integrity, integrity for power, power for creativity, and all of them for intimacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/freedom-is-necessary-for-honesty-honesty-for-integrity-integrity-for/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [In our home we grew up thinking we were Mormons first and human beings second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/in-our-home-we-grew-up-thinking-we-were-mormons-first-and-human/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [I liked the name of the amendment. I couldn't help feeling uneasy that the church was opposing something with a name as beautiful as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/i-liked-the-name-of-the-amendment-i-couldn-t-help-feeling-uneasy-that/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [people are strong despite suffering, not because of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/people-are-strong-despite-suffering-not-because-of-it/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [What we resist persists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/what-we-resist-persists/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [There has been only one war fought literally worldwide, affecting every living thing, and that has been men's all-out, non-stop, millennia-long war against women,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/there-has-been-only-one-war-fought-literally-worldwide-affecting/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [We don't need someone to show us the ropes. We are the ones we've been waiting for. Deep inside us we know the feelings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/we-don-t-need-someone-to-show-us-the-ropes-we-are-the-ones-we-ve-been/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [We survive day by day on this planet by adjusting down, adjusting down. Little by little, imperceptibly, we adjust to increasingly deadly conditions, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/we-survive-day-by-day-on-this-planet-by-adjusting-down-adjusting-down/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [I came from the most orthodox background you could ask for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/i-came-from-the-most-orthodox-background-you-could-ask-for/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [Some people always assume that if you mention a problem, you caused it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/some-people-always-assume-that-if-you-mention-a-problem-you-caused-it/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) > [Sometimes I think we can tell how important it is to risk by how dangerous it is to do so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/sometimes-i-think-we-can-tell-how-important-it-is-to-risk-by-how/) [Sonia Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) [Explore all 38 Sonia Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/) ## More Audacious quotes > [The most radical, audacious thing to think is that there might be some point to working hard and thinking hard and reading hard and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-radical-audacious-thing-to-think-is-that-there-might-be-some/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am, what you call, an audacious man. I could walk into the room of Warren Buffet, and he may not give me the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anubhav-sinha/i-am-what-you-call-an-audacious-man-i-could-walk-into-the-room-of/) [Anubhav Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anubhav-sinha/) > [I look forward to growing old and wise and audacious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenda-jackson/i-look-forward-to-growing-old-and-wise-and-audacious/) [Glenda Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenda-jackson/) > [I respect the astute and rigorously unsentimental David Horowitz as one of America's most original and courageous political analysts. He has the true 1960s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-respect-the-astute-and-rigorously-unsentimental-david-horowitz-as/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [You can call it what you like, categorize it, vivisect it, qualify, quantify, or dismiss it, and none of it will make grace anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-falsani/you-can-call-it-what-you-like-categorize-it-vivisect-it-qualify/) [Cathleen Falsani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-falsani/) > [We must move forward in the days ahead with audacious faith. The moral arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-move-forward-in-the-days-ahead-with-audacious-faith-the-moral/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Holiness is a disposition of the heart that makes us humble and little in the arms of God, aware of our weakness, and confident…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-of-lisieux/holiness-is-a-disposition-of-the-heart-that-makes-us-humble-and/) [Therese of Lisieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-of-lisieux/) > [Think about how audacious it is to really believe in yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-ford/think-about-how-audacious-it-is-to-really-believe-in-yourself/) [Debbie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-ford/) > [There's something to be said for going right into people's living rooms. I think actors have always loved that medium - you're right in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigourney-weaver/there-s-something-to-be-said-for-going-right-into-people-s-living/) [Sigourney Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigourney-weaver/) > [Live. Love. Smile. Hug. Laugh. Dream. Do. Create. Have fun. Be intense. Be audacious. Be unreasonable. Act impeccably. Breathe. Be you. Be different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-johnson/live-love-smile-hug-laugh-dream-do-create-have-fun-be-intense-be/) [Brian Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-johnson/) > [Audacious faith is the raw material that authentic Christianity is made of. It's the stuff that triggers ordinarily level-headed people like you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-furtick/audacious-faith-is-the-raw-material-that-authentic-christianity-is/) [Steven Furtick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-furtick/) > [I like Diaspora because it's audacious, it's driven by passion, and it's very, very hard to do. After all, who in their right mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/i-like-diaspora-because-it-s-audacious-it-s-driven-by-passion-and-it/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [It's an audacious thing to build a model of the cosmos. It's exciting how little we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shea-hembrey/it-s-an-audacious-thing-to-build-a-model-of-the-cosmos-it-s-exciting/) [Shea Hembrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shea-hembrey/) > [People need BHAGs - big hairy audacious goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-c-collins/people-need-bhags-big-hairy-audacious-goals/) [James C. Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-c-collins/) > [I think it is conceded that I generally do pretty big things as a manager, am audacious in my outlays and risks, give much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-t-barnum/i-think-it-is-conceded-that-i-generally-do-pretty-big-things-as-a/) [P. T. Barnum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-t-barnum/) [Browse all 113 Audacious quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/audacious/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's only when we have nothing else to hold onto that we're willing to try something very audacious and scary.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sonia Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-hold-onto-that-we-re-willing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Audacious" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-hold-onto-that-we-re-willing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f86/sonia-johnson-17072_audacious_it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-h_1341722.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f86/sonia-johnson-17072_audacious_it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-h_1341722.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f86/sonia-johnson-17072_audacious_it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-h_1341722.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's only when we have nothing else to hold onto that we're willing to try something very audacious and scary.” — Sonia Johnson", "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": "Sonia Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonia-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's only when we have nothing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-hold-onto-that-we-re-willing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonia-johnson/it-s-only-when-we-have-nothing-else-to-hold-onto-that-we-re-willing/#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 } } ] } ```