--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Acceptance of what has happened is the…" description: "\"Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.\" — William James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/william-james-228_acceptance_acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-f_2916950.png" --- # Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to… ![“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/william-james-228_acceptance_acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-f_2916950.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/william-james-228_acceptance_acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-f_2916950.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/william-james-228_acceptance_acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-f_2916950.png) > “Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.” [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Accepting reality is the first step toward dealing with its outcomes. **In simple terms:** Accept reality to move forward. Key Takeaway Acknowledge events to change them. Themes acceptance psychology resilience Mood reflective determined Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - grief - conflict resolution Key Concepts cognitive therapy mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What can you control after acceptance? - How does denial hinder recovery? A Different Perspective Acceptance alone may not fix the problem. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acceptance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) [First step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-step/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) ## Related quotes > [“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step in overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.” Being”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ban-breathnach/acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-first-step-in-overcoming-the/) [Sarah Ban Breathnach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ban-breathnach/) > [Be willing to have it so. Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/be-willing-to-have-it-so-acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-first/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step in overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-first-step-in-overcoming-the-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune. Sometimes knowing when to give up is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-mamerto/acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-first-step-to-overcoming-the/) [Edwin Mamerto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-mamerto/) > [The whole process of nature is an integrated process of immense complexity and it is really impossible to tell whether something that happens in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-whole-process-of-nature-is-an-integrated-process-of-immense/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [I know I will have to come to forgiveness and acceptance of what has happened for me to go on and be happy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elin-nordegren/i-know-i-will-have-to-come-to-forgiveness-and-acceptance-of-what-has/) [Elin Nordegren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elin-nordegren/) > [“I met his eyes and smiled back. His easy acceptance of everything that happened finished melting my heart. ‘I love you’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-haag/i-met-his-eyes-and-smiled-back-his-easy-acceptance-of-everything-that/) [Melissa Haag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-haag/) > [The first step to improvement, whether mental, moral, or religious, is to know ourselves - our weakness, errors, deficiencies, and sins, that, by divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tryon-edwards/the-first-step-to-improvement-whether-mental-moral-or-religious-is-to/) [Tryon Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tryon-edwards/) > [“To accept what we can’t do is the first step to doing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/to-accept-what-we-can-t-do-is-the-first-step-to-doing-it/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [Acceptance is not a talent you either have or don't have. It's a learned response. My meditation teacher made a great point about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morrie-schwartz/acceptance-is-not-a-talent-you-either-have-or-don-t-have-it-s-a/) [Morrie Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morrie-schwartz/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Larry Kramer wisely realized so early on that to change the world, people have to know you. If they know you and see that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-murphy/larry-kramer-wisely-realized-so-early-on-that-to-change-the-world/) [Ryan Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-murphy/) > [At least before my hip replacement, I had a quick first step. I could get by you off the dribble. My business game is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/at-least-before-my-hip-replacement-i-had-a-quick-first-step-i-could/) [Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/) > [“I remember wondering, within a year or two of taking my first steps, why only men sat to drink tea and converse, and why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-hill/i-remember-wondering-within-a-year-or-two-of-taking-my-first-steps/) [Lawrence Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-hill/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) ## More by William James > [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/woe-to-him-whose-beliefs-play-fast-and-loose-with-the-order-which/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is your friends who make your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-your-friends-who-make-your-world/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) [Explore all 854 William James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## More Acceptance quotes > [We only enter into the full life if our faith gives thanks. Because how else do we accept His free gift of salvation if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/we-only-enter-into-the-full-life-if-our-faith-gives-thanks-because/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [You dont choose your life; it chooses you. Theres no point asking why life has reserved certain joys or griefs, you just accept them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/you-dont-choose-your-life-it-chooses-you-theres-no-point-asking-why/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Losing someone is easy, but accepting it is hard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-easy-but-accepting-it-is-hard/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Acceptance of death when it arrives is one thing, but to allow it to upstage the joys of living is ingratitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-blythe/acceptance-of-death-when-it-arrives-is-one-thing-but-to-allow-it-to/) [Ronald Blythe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-blythe/) > [“Loving someone who does not love you back hurts, alot, i know. It is liking seeing these pair of shoes at the retail store…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nomthandazo-tsembeni/loving-someone-who-does-not-love-you-back-hurts-alot-i-know-it-is/) [Nomthandazo Tsembeni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nomthandazo-tsembeni/) > [Take responsibily for your past, the bad memories of poor decisions you took were your choices once, and you liked them for the moment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aruho-marvin/take-responsibily-for-your-past-the-bad-memories-of-poor-decisions/) [Aruho Marvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aruho-marvin/) > [Let us learn to accept and appreciate things now, and we'll find more happiness in every moment we live. Happiness comes when we stop…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/let-us-learn-to-accept-and-appreciate-things-now-and-we-ll-find-more/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [“Love first; ask questions later.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-courtney/love-first-ask-questions-later/) [Jeremy Courtney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-courtney/) > [“There was beauty in chaos, she'd just never known it before.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-linsmeier/there-was-beauty-in-chaos-she-d-just-never-known-it-before/) [Amanda Linsmeier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-linsmeier/) > [Accepting the challenges in life makes it interesting and overcoming them makes it eloquent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/accepting-the-challenges-in-life-makes-it-interesting-and-overcoming/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Acceptance is the only thing you should teach. Be it Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Dalit, you must inculcate acceptance, not tolerance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-haasan/acceptance-is-the-only-thing-you-should-teach-be-it-christian-muslim/) [Kamal Haasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-haasan/) > [There just seems to be more acceptance now of other kinds of British films, than the picture-postcard ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-roth/there-just-seems-to-be-more-acceptance-now-of-other-kinds-of-british/) [Tim Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-roth/) > [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 3,960 Acceptance quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acceptance/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-first-step-to-overcoming-the-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Acceptance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-first-step-to-overcoming-the-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/william-james-228_acceptance_acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-f_2916950.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/william-james-228_acceptance_acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-f_2916950.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/william-james-228_acceptance_acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-f_2916950.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune.” — William James", "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": "William James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Acceptance of what has happened is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-first-step-to-overcoming-the-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/acceptance-of-what-has-happened-is-the-first-step-to-overcoming-the-2/#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 } } ] } ```