--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What chance?’ she had asked, bewildered…" description: "\"“What chance?’ she had asked, bewildered. ‘Your chance. Your chance to live your own life. Right now you have the look of a woman who is seeing ghosts...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/stephen-king-13_life_what-chance-she-had-asked-bewildered-you_861723.jpg" --- # What chance?’ she had asked, bewildered. ‘Your chance… ![“What chance?’ she had asked, bewildered. ‘Your chance. Your chance to live your own life. Right now you have the look of a woman who is seeing ghosts. Not everybody believes in ghosts, but I do. Do you know what they are, Trisha?’ She had shaken her head slowly. ‘Men and women who can’t get over…” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/stephen-king-13_life_what-chance-she-had-asked-bewildered-you_861723.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/stephen-king-13_life_what-chance-she-had-asked-bewildered-you_861723.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/038/stephen-king-13_life_what-chance-she-had-asked-bewildered-you_861723.jpg) > ““What chance?’ she had asked, bewildered. ‘Your chance. Your chance to live your own life. Right now you have the look of a woman who is seeing ghosts. Not everybody believes in ghosts, but I do. Do you know what they are, Trisha?’ She had shaken her head slowly. ‘Men and women who can’t get over the past,’ Aunt Evvie said. ‘That’s what ghosts are. Not them.’ She flapped her arm toward the coffin which stood on its bands beside the coincidentally fresh grave. ‘The dead are dead. We bury them, and buried they stay.”” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character confronts the lingering pain of loss, seeing past grief as haunting ghosts that prevent living fully. **In simple terms:** Grief can feel like ghosts that hold us back. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and release past pain. Themes grief healing memory life choices Mood reflective somber hopeful Type narrative emotional When to use this quote - therapy - journaling - support groups - creative expression Key Concepts psychology psychic literature life self-help mental health Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize your own “ghosts”? - What steps help you move beyond past hurts? A Different Perspective Ghosts may symbolize unresolved trauma, but confronting them can be painful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ghost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Live your own life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-your-own-life/) [Men and women](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-and-women/) ## Related quotes > [Not everybody believes in ghosts, but I do. Do you know what they are, Trisha? She had shaken her head slowly. Men and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/not-everybody-believes-in-ghosts-but-i-do-do-you-know-what-they-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Callum didn’t need a lifetime’s experience of seeing ghosts to know that the creature was not of this world. For a long moment, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-slater/callum-didn-t-need-a-lifetime-s-experience-of-seeing-ghosts-to-know/) [Adam Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-slater/) > [Nobody believes in ghosts, but everybody is afraid of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-mccloy/nobody-believes-in-ghosts-but-everybody-is-afraid-of-them/) [Helen McCloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-mccloy/) > [I am scared of ghosts, I know they don't exist, but still I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mimi-chakraborty/i-am-scared-of-ghosts-i-know-they-don-t-exist-but-still-i-am/) [Mimi Chakraborty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mimi-chakraborty/) > [“I write for ghosts; the ghosts I can’t see but I know stick around. Some I know are good. Others I know are bad.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-lynn-hope/i-write-for-ghosts-the-ghosts-i-can-t-see-but-i-know-stick-around/) [Donna Lynn Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-lynn-hope/) > [“I went to the lobby and asked Stan what he knew about the person who lived in 6A. He said 'Never seen anyone go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/i-went-to-the-lobby-and-asked-stan-what-he-knew-about-the-person-who/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [“Never mind," he said. "We all have our ghosts. And not many secrets between a telepath and a clairvoyant." "You really must believe we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-hooper/never-mind-he-said-we-all-have-our-ghosts-and-not-many-secrets/) [Kay Hooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-hooper/) > [True love is like seeing ghosts; we all talk about it, but few of us have ever seen one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/la-rochefoucauld/true-love-is-like-seeing-ghosts-we-all-talk-about-it-but-few-of-us/) [La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/la-rochefoucauld/) > [“Think about medieval times, Danny, like when this castle was built. People were constantly seeing ghosts, having visions—they thought Christ was sitting with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-egan/think-about-medieval-times-danny-like-when-this-castle-was-built/) [Jennifer Egan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-egan/) > [“I don't suppose you have to believe in ghosts to know that we are all haunted, all of us, by things we can see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-suppose-you-have-to-believe-in-ghosts-to-know-that-we-are-all/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The only ghosts, I believe, who creep into this world, are dead young mothers, returned to see how their children fare. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-barrie/the-only-ghosts-i-believe-who-creep-into-this-world-are-dead-young/) [J.M. Barrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-barrie/) > [“I don't--know about ghosts, but I do know that our souls can be made to go outside our bodies when we are alive... A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/i-don-t-know-about-ghosts-but-i-do-know-that-our-souls-can-be-made-to/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“I know these ghosts. I know what it's like to move around in the world, but not really be a part of it. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-know-these-ghosts-i-know-what-it-s-like-to-move-around-in-the-world/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [So what, ghosts can't hurt you. That's what I thought then.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/so-what-ghosts-can-t-hurt-you-that-s-what-i-thought-then/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Monsters are real. Ghosts are too. They live inside of us, and sometimes, they win.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/monsters-are-real-ghosts-are-too-they-live-inside-of-us-and-sometimes/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. 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The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Ghost quotes > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [I was overcome by the Holy Ghost one time, but in a Baptist way. I was six or seven, and I was saved. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/i-was-overcome-by-the-holy-ghost-one-time-but-in-a-baptist-way-i-was/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [“Who is this ghost ordered into music?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazuko-shiraishi/who-is-this-ghost-ordered-into-music/) Kazuko Shiraishi > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Maybe I could be friends with a ghost. I wouldn’t be able to kill him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/maybe-i-could-be-friends-with-a-ghost-i-wouldn-t-be-able-to-kill-him/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) > [I love ghost stories, I love to read them, and I love the idea of being haunted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/micah-perks/i-love-ghost-stories-i-love-to-read-them-and-i-love-the-idea-of-being/) [Micah Perks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/micah-perks/) > [The Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/the-holy-ghost-is-the-greatest-guarantor-of-inward-peace-in-our/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [I saw the gooseflesh on my skin. I did not know what made it. I was not cold. Had a ghost passed over? No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/i-saw-the-gooseflesh-on-my-skin-i-did-not-know-what-made-it-i-was-not/) [Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/) > [She knows not loves that kissed her She knows not where. Art thou the ghost, my sister, White sister there, Am I the ghost,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-charles-swinburne/she-knows-not-loves-that-kissed-her-she-knows-not-where-art-thou-the/) [Algernon Charles Swinburne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-charles-swinburne/) > [Pity the planet, all joy gone from this sweet volcanic cone; peace to our children when they fall in small war on the heel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-lowell/pity-the-planet-all-joy-gone-from-this-sweet-volcanic-cone-peace-to/) [Robert Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-lowell/) > [What the Church needs to-day is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more and novel methods, but men whom the Holy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-the-church-needs-to-day-is-not-more-machinery-or-better-not-new/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Do I believe in ghosts?...I am prepared to consider evidence and accept it if it satisfies me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-james/do-i-believe-in-ghosts-i-am-prepared-to-consider-evidence-and-accept/) [M. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-r-james/) > [Just live that life. It doesn't matter whether it is life or hell, life of the hungry ghost, life of the animal, it's okay;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taizan-maezumi/just-live-that-life-it-doesn-t-matter-whether-it-is-life-or-hell-life/) [Taizan Maezumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taizan-maezumi/) [Browse all 2,175 Ghost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What chance?’ she had asked, bewildered. ‘Your chance. Your chance to live your own life. Right now you have the look of a woman who is seeing ghosts. Not everybody believes in ghosts, but I do. Do you know what they are, Trisha?’ She had shaken her head slowly. ‘Men and women who can’t get over the past,’ Aunt Evvie said. ‘That’s what ghosts are. 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