--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Once upon a time there was a girl who…" description: "\"Once upon a time there was a girl who discovered that if she played a certain tune on a jade flute, she could summon up jade gnomes, a peculiar, harmle..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/ursula-vernon-21101_certain_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-di_1293933.jpg" --- # Once upon a time there was a girl who discovered that if… ![“Once upon a time there was a girl who discovered that if she played a certain tune on a jade flute, she could summon up jade gnomes, a peculiar, harmless, but rather creepy looking spirit of the underground. The fact is that many of us have talents like this, but generally never discover them due…” quote by Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/ursula-vernon-21101_certain_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-di_1293933.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/ursula-vernon-21101_certain_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-di_1293933.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/ursula-vernon-21101_certain_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-di_1293933.jpg) > “Once upon a time there was a girl who discovered that if she played a certain tune on a jade flute, she could summon up jade gnomes, a peculiar, harmless, but rather creepy looking spirit of the underground. The fact is that many of us have talents like this, but generally never discover them due to lack of opportunity, since one can go one's entire life without playing a jade flute, or discovering that one can speak the language of ground sloths, or turning fruitcake into solid tungsten by singing Sinatra tunes to it under a quarter moon.” [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Hidden talents often remain dormant without chance or encouragement, limiting personal growth. **In simple terms:** Talents stay hidden without opportunity. Key Takeaway Seek experiences that reveal unknown abilities. Themes potential creativity exploration Mood inspired playful Type narrative imaginative When to use this quote - career workshops - art classes - hobby clubs - creative retreats Key Concepts self‑actualization latent skills imagination Questions to Reflect On - What steps can you take to explore new abilities? - How do you balance curiosity with practicality? A Different Perspective Not every hidden skill is useful or safe to develop. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Creepy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/creepy/) [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/) [Fruitcake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruitcake/) [Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/girl/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Once upon a time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/once-upon-a-time/) [Opportunity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opportunity/) [Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/singing/) [Sloth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sloth/) [Spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirit/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [From some home a jade flute sends dark notes drifting, Scattering on the spring wind that fills Lo-yang. Tonight, if we should hear the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-bai/from-some-home-a-jade-flute-sends-dark-notes-drifting-scattering-on/) [Li Bai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-bai/) > [The worst gift is a fruitcake. There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/the-worst-gift-is-a-fruitcake-there-is-only-one-fruitcake-in-the/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) > [The joke may be that no one likes fruitcake, but if that were the case, they wouldn't appear on store shelves every holiday season!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harley-pasternak/the-joke-may-be-that-no-one-likes-fruitcake-but-if-that-were-the-case/) [Harley Pasternak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harley-pasternak/) > [I didn't believe in systems. Everything human was imperfect and ultimately absurd. What did I believe in then? In humor. In laughing at systems,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/i-didn-t-believe-in-systems-everything-human-was-imperfect-and/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [Most people don't ever want to use a gun to protect themselves - that's the last thing they want to do - but if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murphy-j-foster-jr/most-people-don-t-ever-want-to-use-a-gun-to-protect-themselves-that-s/) Murphy J. Foster, Jr > [the ultimate in longevity is the Christmas fruitcake. It is a cake made during the holidays with fruits that make it heavier than the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erma-bombeck/the-ultimate-in-longevity-is-the-christmas-fruitcake-it-is-a-cake/) [Erma Bombeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erma-bombeck/) > [We need more fruitcakes in this world and less bakers! We need people that care! I'm mad as hell! And I don't want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-buffett/we-need-more-fruitcakes-in-this-world-and-less-bakers-we-need-people/) [Jimmy Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-buffett/) > [Have you ever known anyone who bought a fruitcake for himself? Of course not. They are purchased as Christmas gifts, mostly for people you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-diller/have-you-ever-known-anyone-who-bought-a-fruitcake-for-himself-of/) [Phyllis Diller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-diller/) > [“A sharp bolt of hunger hit Luther hard. His knees almost buckled, his poker face almost grimaced. For two weeks now his sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/a-sharp-bolt-of-hunger-hit-luther-hard-his-knees-almost-buckled-his/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [I would eat fruitcake if there'd been a nuclear war and I'd run out of canned goods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/i-would-eat-fruitcake-if-there-d-been-a-nuclear-war-and-i-d-run-out/) [Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/) > [You little fruitcake, you little fruitcake, I said you are a fruitcake.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-stark/you-little-fruitcake-you-little-fruitcake-i-said-you-are-a-fruitcake/) [Pete Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-stark/) > [“It is amazing how the world can change, he thought, during the life span of a fruitcake.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-edsel/it-is-amazing-how-the-world-can-change-he-thought-during-the-life/) [Robert M. Edsel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-edsel/) > [“Wonderful. Gives a whole new meaning to flour power. You'll undoubtedly change the world, one fruitcake at a time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberly-frost/wonderful-gives-a-whole-new-meaning-to-flour-power-you-ll-undoubtedly/) [Kimberly Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-frost/) > [“You are nuttier than a fruitcake, that’s what you are!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-t-suzuki/you-are-nuttier-than-a-fruitcake-that-s-what-you-are/) [L.T. Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-t-suzuki/) > [Friends are the fruitcake of life - some nutty, some soaked in alcohol, some sweet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-ronson/friends-are-the-fruitcake-of-life-some-nutty-some-soaked-in-alcohol/) [Jon Ronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-ronson/) ## More by Ursula Vernon > [“And now you will ask me about the musicians that played for the jackalope wives. Well, if you can find a place where they’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/and-now-you-will-ask-me-about-the-musicians-that-played-for-the/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [“I love boats. Boats are great. You can get all kinds of places and meet all kinds of interesting people, and you never know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/i-love-boats-boats-are-great-you-can-get-all-kinds-of-places-and-meet/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [ If I do manage to come up with a scheme \[to naming\], however, I stick to it, which is why my cats are named… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/if-i-do-manage-to-come-up-with-a-scheme-to-naming-however-i-stick-to/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [“Maps? There are no maps. I go by dark ways, unclean ways. If such a map existed, it would be beyond price. Nameless cults…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/maps-there-are-no-maps-i-go-by-dark-ways-unclean-ways-if-such-a-map/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [“She was a good witch and a decent person, but decent people aren’t always easy to live with.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/she-was-a-good-witch-and-a-decent-person-but-decent-people-aren-t/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [It's a reality of art that the fewer lines you get, the harder it is. Cartooning is actually harder than realism. You have less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/it-s-a-reality-of-art-that-the-fewer-lines-you-get-the-harder-it-is/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [I don't know why people don't paint more warthogs. Warthogs are fantastic. They have the most marvelous faces, like cracked mud with tusks. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/i-don-t-know-why-people-don-t-paint-more-warthogs-warthogs-are/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [Air and Water can just swirl around being swirly, and Fire is just kind of aggressive, but my gut feeling is that Earth needs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/air-and-water-can-just-swirl-around-being-swirly-and-fire-is-just/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [“So we have this eyesore on the property. No, it’s not the beagle. I can understand why you’d think that, though.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/so-we-have-this-eyesore-on-the-property-no-it-s-not-the-beagle-i-can/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [“The last time Wendell's mother had caught them playing cowboys and Indians, she'd read them a twenty-minute lecture on the history of Native American…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/the-last-time-wendell-s-mother-had-caught-them-playing-cowboys-and/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [“The world was hard and fierce, but it also contained tomato sandwiches, and if that didn’t make it a world worth living in, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/the-world-was-hard-and-fierce-but-it-also-contained-tomato-sandwiches/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [I really wish there had been a way to phrase this as 'A thunder of worms.' Because I like that phrase. That's a phrase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/i-really-wish-there-had-been-a-way-to-phrase-this-as-a-thunder-of/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [The minute I sit down and think 'Okay, this must be KID SAFE!' my Muse develops Tourrette's and goes to lunch with Clive Barker,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/the-minute-i-sit-down-and-think-okay-this-must-be-kid-safe-my-muse/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [“I suppose we should contact the local authorities?” said Wilbur. “I’m a princess,” said Harriet. “We’re in the hamster kingdom. I kinda am the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/i-suppose-we-should-contact-the-local-authorities-said-wilbur-i-m-a/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) > [Once upon a time, there was a little creature that was rather small and rather wicked and it lived all alone in the woods.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-little-creature-that-was-rather-small/) [Ursula Vernon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) [Explore all 29 Ursula Vernon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/) ## More Certain quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [One can put some trust in the gratitude of a sovereign, and also in that of his family; under certain conditions, one can even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-von-bismarck/one-can-put-some-trust-in-the-gratitude-of-a-sovereign-and-also-in/) [Otto von Bismarck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-von-bismarck/) > [For successful education there must always be a certain freshness in the knowledge dealt with. It must be either new in itself or invested…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/for-successful-education-there-must-always-be-a-certain-freshness-in/) [Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [Faith gives you a certain structure and meaning to your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/riffat-hassan/faith-gives-you-a-certain-structure-and-meaning-to-your-life/) Riffat Hassan > [I started out dancing on a reality TV show, but always with the intention of making my way over to film. I transitioned into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-hough/i-started-out-dancing-on-a-reality-tv-show-but-always-with-the/) [Julianne Hough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-hough/) > [One of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/one-of-the-deepest-and-strangest-of-all-human-moods-is-the-mood-which/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [I mean those people who are interested in good government will certainly contribute in order to make certain there's some counter-balance to those whose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-breyer/i-mean-those-people-who-are-interested-in-good-government-will/) [Stephen Breyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-breyer/) > [Why do we love certain homes, and why do they seem to love us? It is the warmth of our individual hearts reflected in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-robsjohn-gibbings/why-do-we-love-certain-homes-and-why-do-they-seem-to-love-us-it-is/) T. H. 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But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [If a person does not listen to the demands of their own spiritual and heart life and insists on a certain program, you're going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/if-a-person-does-not-listen-to-the-demands-of-their-own-spiritual-and/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) Browse all 13,673 Certain quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Once upon a time there was a girl who discovered that if she played a certain tune on a jade flute, she could summon up jade gnomes, a peculiar, harmless, but rather creepy looking spirit of the underground. The fact is that many of us have talents like this, but generally never discover them due to lack of opportunity, since one can go one's entire life without playing a jade flute, or discovering that one can speak the language of ground sloths, or turning fruitcake into solid tungsten by singing Sinatra tunes to it under a quarter moon.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ursula Vernon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-discovered-that-if-she-played-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Certain" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-discovered-that-if-she-played-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/ursula-vernon-21101_certain_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-di_1293933.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/ursula-vernon-21101_certain_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-di_1293933.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7fe/ursula-vernon-21101_certain_once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-di_1293933.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Once upon a time there was a girl who discovered that if she played a certain tune on a jade flute, she…” — Ursula Vernon", "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": "Ursula Vernon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-vernon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Once upon a time there was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-discovered-that-if-she-played-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-vernon/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-girl-who-discovered-that-if-she-played-a/#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 } } ] } ```