--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T…" description: "\"WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T SAVED HIM? \"Yes! The sun would have risen just the same, yes?\" NO \"Oh, come on. You can't expect me to believe t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/terry-pratchett-19_balls_what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-s_350430.jpg" --- # WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T SAVED HIM? "Yes!… ![“WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T SAVED HIM? "Yes! The sun would have risen just the same, yes?" NO "Oh, come on. You can't expect me to believe that. It's an astronomical fact." THE SUN WOULD NOT HAVE RISEN. ... "Really? Then what would have happened, pray?" A MERE BALL OF FLAMING GAS WOULD…” quote by Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/terry-pratchett-19_balls_what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-s_350430.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/terry-pratchett-19_balls_what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-s_350430.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/terry-pratchett-19_balls_what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-s_350430.jpg) > “WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T SAVED HIM? "Yes! The sun would have risen just the same, yes?" NO "Oh, come on. You can't expect me to believe that. It's an astronomical fact." THE SUN WOULD NOT HAVE RISEN. ... "Really? Then what would have happened, pray?" A MERE BALL OF FLAMING GAS WOULD HAVE ILLUMINATED THE WORLD.” [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote humorously highlights the absurdity of blaming a single person for cosmic events, emphasizing that the universe operates independently of individual actions. **In simple terms:** The sun rises regardless of any one person’s fate. Key Takeaway Recognize the limits of personal influence. Themes humor philosophy existentialism Mood wry thoughtful Type satirical reflective When to use this quote - daily decisions - ethical dilemmas - life planning - coping with loss Key Concepts cause and effect cosmic indifference personal responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever feel responsible for outcomes beyond your control? - How does recognizing cosmic indifference affect your choices? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex systems by reducing them to single causes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Praying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praying/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“He had himself in hand for now, but a lesson of a period such as the one he'd lived through was that control is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristel-thornell/he-had-himself-in-hand-for-now-but-a-lesson-of-a-period-such-as-the/) Kristel Thornell > [Everybody says that 'Balika Vadhu' is the best thing to have happened to me, but I pray for the strength to work hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-massey/everybody-says-that-balika-vadhu-is-the-best-thing-to-have-happened/) [Vikrant Massey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-massey/) > [Of course, then you nearly crushed to death in front of my eyes. Later I thought of a perfectly good excuse for why I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/of-course-then-you-nearly-crushed-to-death-in-front-of-my-eyes-later/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Kahaa Toh Tha' just happened. We hadn't planned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vatsal-sheth/kahaa-toh-tha-just-happened-we-hadn-t-planned/) [Vatsal Sheth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vatsal-sheth/) > [“Fuck. This was bad. It had happened, hadn't it? The thing she thought would never happen, the thing she was always so careful not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacia-kane/fuck-this-was-bad-it-had-happened-hadn-t-it-the-thing-she-thought/) [Stacia Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacia-kane/) > [“That never would have happened if I hadn’t stopped dreaming of becoming her and gotten busy becoming myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shonda-rhimes/that-never-would-have-happened-if-i-hadn-t-stopped-dreaming-of/) [Shonda Rhimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shonda-rhimes/) > [“You don't know what would have happened if I hadn't pushed. Nobody knows. I did it the way I did it, and it worked.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-don-t-know-what-would-have-happened-if-i-hadn-t-pushed-nobody/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t heard her coming.” “Screw you,” I growled, and grabbed his collar to drag him out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-allison-moulton/imagine-what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-heard-her-coming-screw/) [Courtney Allison Moulton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-allison-moulton/) > [It's funny how you can look back in life and there are all these 'if's' - if this hadn't happened would I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/it-s-funny-how-you-can-look-back-in-life-and-there-are-all-these-if-s/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [“So it's not even a decision, really. You stay. It's only later - years later - that you begin to wonder what might've happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ransom-riggs/so-it-s-not-even-a-decision-really-you-stay-it-s-only-later-years/) [Ransom Riggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ransom-riggs/) > [I don't know what would have happened to me if I hadn't been able to hear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-charles/i-don-t-know-what-would-have-happened-to-me-if-i-hadn-t-been-able-to/) [Ray Charles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-charles/) > [My father was a coal hewer from Goldthorpe, a coal-mining village in South Yorkshire. He played for the Yorkshire second team as an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-blessed/my-father-was-a-coal-hewer-from-goldthorpe-a-coal-mining-village-in/) [Brian Blessed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-blessed/) > [Whatever happens, they say afterwards, it must have been fate. People are always a little confused about this, as they are in the case…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/whatever-happens-they-say-afterwards-it-must-have-been-fate-people/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I'm stranded all alone in the gas station of love, and I have to use the self service pump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-stranded-all-alone-in-the-gas-station-of-love-and-i-have-to-use/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The improved American highway system isolated the American-in-transit. On his speedway he had no contact with the towns which he by-passed. If he stopped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-boorstin/the-improved-american-highway-system-isolated-the-american-in-transit/) [Daniel J. Boorstin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-boorstin/) ## More by Terry Pratchett > [“This one’s mental.’ ‘Eccentric.’ ‘What’s the difference?’ ‘A bag of cash.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/this-one-s-mental-eccentric-what-s-the-difference-a-bag-of-cash/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“But I did not return until half past four this morning and I distinctly remember stubbing my toe on the stairs. I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Someone broke from the scrum and, punching and kicking, staggered towards the Klatchian goal. "Isn't that man your butler?" said Ahmed. "Yes." "One of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/someone-broke-from-the-scrum-and-punching-and-kicking-staggered/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [It's an interesting fact that fewer than 17 % of Real cats end their lives with the same name they started with. Much family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-s-an-interesting-fact-that-fewer-than-17-of-real-cats-end-their/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [You can't trust folk songs. They always sneak up on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-can-t-trust-folk-songs-they-always-sneak-up-on-you/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Either dragons should exist completely or fail to exist at all, he felt. A dragon only half-existing was worse than the extremes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/either-dragons-should-exist-completely-or-fail-to-exist-at-all-he/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Magrat wondered what it was like, spending your whole life doing something you didn’t want to do. Like being dead, she considered, only worse,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/magrat-wondered-what-it-was-like-spending-your-whole-life-doing/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [A hardback's harder at Christmas time because that's a good hardback buying time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-hardback-s-harder-at-christmas-time-because-that-s-a-good-hardback/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There were more old people. The world was full of them,' said the wizard. 'Yes, I know. And now it's full of young people.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-were-more-old-people-the-world-was-full-of-them-said-the-wizard/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Hobson was big and heavyset, but not exactly fat; he was probably what you’d get if you shaved a bear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/hobson-was-big-and-heavyset-but-not-exactly-fat-he-was-probably-what/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“There is a night that never comes to an end… The clock of the world turns under its own shadow. Midnight is a moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/there-is-a-night-that-never-comes-to-an-end-the-clock-of-the-world/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You'd like Freedom, Truth, and Justice, wouldn't you, Comrade Sergeant?' said Reg encouragingly. 'I'd like a hard-boiled egg,' said Vimes, shaking the match out.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-d-like-freedom-truth-and-justice-wouldn-t-you-comrade-sergeant/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“You are not apprehensive, are you? I can't detect no trace of fear none whatsoever Roomy cranium all possible videos of all possible outcomes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/you-are-not-apprehensive-are-you-i-can-t-detect-no-trace-of-fear-none/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Imagination, not intelligence, made us human.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/imagination-not-intelligence-made-us-human/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Explore all 3,328 Terry Pratchett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) ## More Balls quotes > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [Once you pull the trigger, you've got to throw balls aggressively and with conviction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-smith/once-you-pull-the-trigger-you-ve-got-to-throw-balls-aggressively-and/) [Alex Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-smith/) > [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/) [Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/) > [Play small ball. Get back to basics. I would say that you need to be a conservative, but you need to maintain your independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-tantaros/play-small-ball-get-back-to-basics-i-would-say-that-you-need-to-be-a/) [Andrea Tantaros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-tantaros/) > [Donald Trump is a different ball of wax. I've been trying to say for I don't know how many months now that the traditional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/donald-trump-is-a-different-ball-of-wax-i-ve-been-trying-to-say-for-i/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Well, you can certainly teach free-throwing. And you can teach the boys to pass at angles and run in curves. - University of Kansas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-dawkins/well-you-can-certainly-teach-free-throwing-and-you-can-teach-the-boys/) [Darryl Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-dawkins/) > [Maybe bring in sponge balls to learn the technique and gain that experience of actually challenging for a header.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-mason/maybe-bring-in-sponge-balls-to-learn-the-technique-and-gain-that/) [Ryan Mason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-mason/) > [I like René Descartes' theory about a ball of wax. You can change its form from solid to liquid, but it's still the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmy-rossum/i-like-ren-descartes-theory-about-a-ball-of-wax-you-can-change-its/) [Emmy Rossum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmy-rossum/) > [It wasn't really touching to be young; it was touching not to be young, because you had less of life left. Touching to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-macaulay/it-wasn-t-really-touching-to-be-young-it-was-touching-not-to-be-young/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-macaulay/) > [This ball was so crowded that it took me - a trained professional journalist with vast experience in this area - forty five minutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/this-ball-was-so-crowded-that-it-took-me-a-trained-professional/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [Common sense is the guy who tells you that you ought to have had your brakes relined last week before you smashed a front…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-chandler/common-sense-is-the-guy-who-tells-you-that-you-ought-to-have-had-your/) [Raymond Chandler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-chandler/) > [Throwing a ball is not natural, whether it's overhand or underhand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennie-finch/throwing-a-ball-is-not-natural-whether-it-s-overhand-or-underhand/) [Jennie Finch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennie-finch/) > [I don't feel like I have to live up to anything because I've proven that I can play. Give me the ball and let's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clinton-portis/i-don-t-feel-like-i-have-to-live-up-to-anything-because-i-ve-proven/) [Clinton Portis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clinton-portis/) > [And if we seem nutty to you and if we seem like an odd ball to you, just remember one thing. The mighty oak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-turner/and-if-we-seem-nutty-to-you-and-if-we-seem-like-an-odd-ball-to-you/) [Glenn Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-turner/) > [You run the football for toughness. You run the ball to tell your opponent that you're as tough as they are. But you throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-glanville/you-run-the-football-for-toughness-you-run-the-ball-to-tell-your/) Jerry Glanville Browse all 3,005 Balls quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T SAVED HIM? \"Yes! The sun would have risen just the same, yes?\" NO \"Oh, come on. You can't expect me to believe that. It's an astronomical fact.\" THE SUN WOULD NOT HAVE RISEN. ... \"Really? Then what would have happened, pray?\" A MERE BALL OF FLAMING GAS WOULD HAVE ILLUMINATED THE WORLD.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Terry Pratchett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-saved-him-yes-the-sun-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Balls" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-saved-him-yes-the-sun-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/terry-pratchett-19_balls_what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-s_350430.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/terry-pratchett-19_balls_what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-s_350430.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/334/terry-pratchett-19_balls_what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-s_350430.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU HADN'T SAVED HIM? \"Yes! The sun would have risen just the same, yes?\" NO…” — Terry Pratchett", "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": "Terry Pratchett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-saved-him-yes-the-sun-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/what-would-have-happened-if-you-hadn-t-saved-him-yes-the-sun-would/#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 } } ] } ```