--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This was what could happen to you: you…" description: "\"“This was what could happen to you: you could end up this far from where you thought you were going.”\" — Wally Lamb" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/wally-lamb-1817_going_this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-co_891801.png" --- # This was what could happen to you: you could end up this… ![“This was what could happen to you: you could end up this far from where you thought you were going.” quote by Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/wally-lamb-1817_going_this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-co_891801.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/wally-lamb-1817_going_this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-co_891801.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/wally-lamb-1817_going_this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-co_891801.png) > ““This was what could happen to you: you could end up this far from where you thought you were going.”” [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unexpected outcomes can take you far from your original expectations. **In simple terms:** Plans may lead to unforeseen places. Key Takeaway Stay adaptable to change. Themes expectation uncertainty growth Mood reflective thoughtful Type narrative inspirational When to use this quote - career shifts - travel plans - personal goals Key Concepts trajectory serendipity life paths Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle being far from your plan? - What can you learn from unplanned paths? A Different Perspective Unexpected results may still be positive or negative. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Far Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far-thought-1155714/) [Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) [Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen/) [Happen End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happen-end-1155713/) [Thought Going](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-going/) ## Related quotes > [“This was what could happen to you: you could end up this far from where you were going”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-could-end-up-this-far-from-2/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [A Library goes on as far as thought can reach.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/a-library-goes-on-as-far-as-thought-can-reach/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Ah, no, far be from me a thought which I loathe like poison.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-garibaldi/ah-no-far-be-from-me-a-thought-which-i-loathe-like-poison/) [Giuseppe Garibaldi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-garibaldi/) > [I don't really control the story. I just let it go where it wants to go. I have no idea what's going to happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-don-t-really-control-the-story-i-just-let-it-go-where-it-wants-to/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [That's the great thing about filmmaking: Things happen you don't know are going to happen at the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-schoonmaker/that-s-the-great-thing-about-filmmaking-things-happen-you-don-t-know/) [Thelma Schoonmaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-schoonmaker/) > [It's our own ability to have an idea and go after the idea and make it happen. That's what at the end of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/satya-nadella/it-s-our-own-ability-to-have-an-idea-and-go-after-the-idea-and-make/) [Satya Nadella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/satya-nadella/) > [You don’t know what’s going to happen in the end, and that’s what the best plays are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katori-hall/you-don-t-know-what-s-going-to-happen-in-the-end-and-that-s-what-the/) [Katori Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katori-hall/) > [“These things happen. It is not the end of the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-mccaughrean/these-things-happen-it-is-not-the-end-of-the-world/) [Geraldine McCaughrean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-mccaughrean/) > [Endings are scary and foreign. They split you up emotionally and put you in a place where you don't know what's going to happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-hirsch/endings-are-scary-and-foreign-they-split-you-up-emotionally-and-put/) [Alex Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-hirsch/) > [The best way to live is by not knowing what will happen to you at the end of the day...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-barthelme/the-best-way-to-live-is-by-not-knowing-what-will-happen-to-you-at-the/) [Donald Barthelme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-barthelme/) > [“After this, anything might happen. Anything at all. - The End”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/after-this-anything-might-happen-anything-at-all-the-end/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [When assumptions were made that I was going to bail out there was a little part of my brain that thought 'I am going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-stevens/when-assumptions-were-made-that-i-was-going-to-bail-out-there-was-a/) [Craig Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-stevens/) > [I no longer think in terms of, Ooh, this is a great role and what is it going to do for - actually, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-chastain/i-no-longer-think-in-terms-of-ooh-this-is-a-great-role-and-what-is-it/) [Jessica Chastain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-chastain/) > [I never thought I was going to be an actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-minchin/i-never-thought-i-was-going-to-be-an-actor/) [Tim Minchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-minchin/) > [You don't know whether he's thought through how this is going to affect the Middle East.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-matthews/you-don-t-know-whether-he-s-thought-through-how-this-is-going-to/) [Chris Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-matthews/) ## More by Wally Lamb > [“Sometimes we want something to be true so badly that we convince ourselves that it is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/sometimes-we-want-something-to-be-true-so-badly-that-we-convince/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [I like to write first-person because I like to become the character I'm writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-like-to-write-first-person-because-i-like-to-become-the-character-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [But I think this: that whatever prices I've paid, whatever sorrows I shoulder, well, I have blessings, too. Not just my family now, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/but-i-think-this-that-whatever-prices-i-ve-paid-whatever-sorrows-i/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“why would white dudes want to change things when they held all the cards?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/why-would-white-dudes-want-to-change-things-when-they-held-all-the/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“And in taking on the subject of themselves-making themselves vulnerable to the unseen reader-they have exchanged powerlessness for for the power that comes with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/and-in-taking-on-the-subject-of-themselves-making-themselves/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“People had always amazed him, he began. But they amazed him more since the sickness. For as long as the two of them had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/people-had-always-amazed-him-he-began-but-they-amazed-him-more-since/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“So I got my stuff and the girl at the register puts these other things in my bag, too. Little free samples: gum and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/so-i-got-my-stuff-and-the-girl-at-the-register-puts-these-other/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [What if I don’t like adventure? Then cultivate a taste for it. Take a chance. That’s how you grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/what-if-i-don-t-like-adventure-then-cultivate-a-taste-for-it-take-a/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“Guess what?' I said. 'I have a psychic.' His head tilted questioningly, birdlike. A sidekick?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/guess-what-i-said-i-have-a-psychic-his-head-tilted-questioningly/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [The evidence of God exists in the roundness of things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/the-evidence-of-god-exists-in-the-roundness-of-things/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [Life is a whoopee cushion, a chair pulled away just as you were taking a seat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/life-is-a-whoopee-cushion-a-chair-pulled-away-just-as-you-were-taking/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“What I remembered about those seesaw rides was the way Thomas would get mad at me, midride, and evacuate. Send me crashing back down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/what-i-remembered-about-those-seesaw-rides-was-the-way-thomas-would/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“I didn't respond to him. Couldn't speak at all. Couldn't look at his self-mutilation--not even the clean, bandaged version of it. Instead, I looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-didn-t-respond-to-him-couldn-t-speak-at-all-couldn-t-look-at-his/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [I write to find out what the story means to me, that is what I try to do especially with the first draft.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/i-write-to-find-out-what-the-story-means-to-me-that-is-what-i-try-to/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) > [“As anxious and limited as that love might have been, it had been love nonetheless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/as-anxious-and-limited-as-that-love-might-have-been-it-had-been-love/) [Wally Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) [Explore all 204 Wally Lamb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/) ## More Going quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [Keep the faith, and keep going strong!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doreen-virtue/keep-the-faith-and-keep-going-strong/) [Doreen Virtue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doreen-virtue/) > [Nobody has a crystal ball, and part of evolving a business plan is to say, 'I might have said we're going left, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-kavanaugh/nobody-has-a-crystal-ball-and-part-of-evolving-a-business-plan-is-to/) [Ryan Kavanaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-kavanaugh/) > [Think of these things, whence you came, where you are going, and to whom you must account.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/think-of-these-things-whence-you-came-where-you-are-going-and-to-whom/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [I really enjoy going to play for the national team and be with the guys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedi-osman/i-really-enjoy-going-to-play-for-the-national-team-and-be-with-the/) [Cedi Osman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedi-osman/) > [“I’m not even going to ask you where you got that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mackey/i-m-not-even-going-to-ask-you-where-you-got-that/) [Mark Mackey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mackey/) > [This is how McGregor is, waging mental warfare before the fights. There's no way that guy is going to get in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-mendes/this-is-how-mcgregor-is-waging-mental-warfare-before-the-fights-there/) [Chad Mendes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chad-mendes/) > [For me, going to Minneapolis is like going to Mecca.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephan-pastis/for-me-going-to-minneapolis-is-like-going-to-mecca/) [Stephan Pastis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephan-pastis/) > [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/) [Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/) > [It definitely helps to have the acting experience going into singing, because when you're singing, you have to portray the emotion you were feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-newman/it-definitely-helps-to-have-the-acting-experience-going-into-singing/) [Ryan Newman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-newman/) > [What I do miss that I don't get anymore? You're going to think I'm crazy, but you want the truth, so here it is.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-mandrell/what-i-do-miss-that-i-don-t-get-anymore-you-re-going-to-think-i-m/) [Barbara Mandrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-mandrell/) > [Any position I was going to be in, I was going to make the best of it. I always do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bledsoe/any-position-i-was-going-to-be-in-i-was-going-to-make-the-best-of-it/) [Eric Bledsoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bledsoe/) > [I want to help people struggling with whatever it is they're going through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santan-dave/i-want-to-help-people-struggling-with-whatever-it-is-they-re-going/) [Santan Dave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santan-dave/) [Browse all 15,485 Going quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This was what could happen to you: you could end up this far from where you thought you were going.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Wally Lamb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-could-end-up-this-far-from/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Going" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-could-end-up-this-far-from/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/wally-lamb-1817_going_this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-co_891801.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/wally-lamb-1817_going_this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-co_891801.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b85/wally-lamb-1817_going_this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-co_891801.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This was what could happen to you: you could end up this far from where you thought you were going.” — Wally Lamb", "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": "Wally Lamb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wally-lamb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This was what could happen to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-could-end-up-this-far-from/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wally-lamb/this-was-what-could-happen-to-you-you-could-end-up-this-far-from/#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 } } ] } ```