--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Way It Is There’s a thread you…" description: "\"The Way It Is There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/079/william-stafford-8165_hurt_the-way-it-is-there-s-a-thread-you-follo_100017.jpg" --- # The Way It Is There’s a thread you follow. It goes among… ![“The Way It Is There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold it you can’t get lost. Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die; and…” quote by William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/079/william-stafford-8165_hurt_the-way-it-is-there-s-a-thread-you-follo_100017.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/079/william-stafford-8165_hurt_the-way-it-is-there-s-a-thread-you-follo_100017.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/079/william-stafford-8165_hurt_the-way-it-is-there-s-a-thread-you-follo_100017.jpg) > “The Way It Is There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold it you can’t get lost. Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die; and you suffer and get old. Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding. You don’t ever let go of the thread. ~ William Stafford ~” [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A personal purpose or guiding principle remains constant despite life's changes; holding onto it provides direction amid suffering and aging. **In simple terms:** A steady inner thread guides you through life's flux. Key Takeaway Maintain a core purpose despite external change. Themes purpose resilience time suffering Mood steady hopeful Type spiritual motivational When to use this quote - career planning - grief counseling - long‑term project management Key Concepts existential continuity inner compass Practical Applications - identify personal core values - regularly revisit them Questions to Reflect On - What is your personal 'thread'? - When might letting go be healthier? A Different Perspective Rigid attachment can prevent adaptation to new realities. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Explain Thread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/explain-thread-305568/) [Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) [Letting go](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letting-go/) [Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Stop time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stop-time/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [Thread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thread/) [Thread Follow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thread-follow-1216374/) [Time Unfolding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-unfolding-1216372/) [Tragedies Happen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedies-happen-1216375/) [Tragedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tragedy/) [Unfolding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unfolding/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Way Thread](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-thread-1216373/) [Wonder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wonder/) ## Related quotes > [People wander about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/people-wander-about-what-you-are-pursuing-you-have-to-explain-about/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [Some things you're not letting happen right now because the timing isn't perfect for you. Some you're not letting happen because you are very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-things-you-re-not-letting-happen-right-now-because-the-timing/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [You've got all these parents who are projecting their pathologies of fear onto their kids and those kids are understandably messed up. Tragedies happen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-almond/you-ve-got-all-these-parents-who-are-projecting-their-pathologies-of/) [Steve Almond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-almond/) > [Tragedies happen, accidents happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-hanson-young/tragedies-happen-accidents-happen/) [Sarah Hanson-Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-hanson-young/) > [I think when tragedies happen a lot of people go to therapy, psychiatrists, whatever, because they need to have someone to talk to. There's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-morgan/i-think-when-tragedies-happen-a-lot-of-people-go-to-therapy/) [Lorrie Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-morgan/) > [We often think that tragedies happen because of great earthquakes in people's lives. I think they sometimes occur because of small things that become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-cormier/we-often-think-that-tragedies-happen-because-of-great-earthquakes-in/) [Robert Cormier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-cormier/) > [Tragedies do happen. We can discover the reason, blame others, imagine how different our lives would be had they not occurred. But none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/tragedies-do-happen-we-can-discover-the-reason-blame-others-imagine/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [There are tragedies that happen all the time in America, but there are certain types of tragedies that kind of pull us together and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-wilmore/there-are-tragedies-that-happen-all-the-time-in-america-but-there-are/) [Larry Wilmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-wilmore/) > [“A brick could be used to stop time. 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But music also keeps time,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/questlove/music-has-the-power-to-stop-time-but-music-also-keeps-time/) [Questlove](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/questlove/) > [“Time was never neutral and often felt dangerous. We either think we have all the time in the world or time moves too fast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-reay/time-was-never-neutral-and-often-felt-dangerous-we-either-think-we/) [Katherine Reay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-reay/) ## More by William Stafford > [People wander about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/people-wander-about-what-you-are-pursuing-you-have-to-explain-about/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [Anyone who breathes is in the rhythm business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/anyone-who-breathes-is-in-the-rhythm-business/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [I don't see writing as a communication of something already discovered, as "truths" already known. Rather, I see writing as a job of experiment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/i-don-t-see-writing-as-a-communication-of-something-already/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [An owl sound wandered along the road with me. I didn't hear it--I breathed it into my ears.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/an-owl-sound-wandered-along-the-road-with-me-i-didn-t-hear-it-i/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [It's love,' they say. You touch the right one and a whole half of the universe wakes up, a new half.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/it-s-love-they-say-you-touch-the-right-one-and-a-whole-half-of-the/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [“We think it is calm here, or that our storm is the right size.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/we-think-it-is-calm-here-or-that-our-storm-is-the-right-size/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [“There may be losses too great to understand That rove after you and--faint and terrible-- rip unknown through your hand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/there-may-be-losses-too-great-to-understand-that-rove-after-you-and/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [It is as if the ordinary language we use every day has a hidden set of signals, a kind of secret code.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/it-is-as-if-the-ordinary-language-we-use-every-day-has-a-hidden-set/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [My question is "when did other people give up the idea of being a poet?" You know, when we are kids we make up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/my-question-is-when-did-other-people-give-up-the-idea-of-being-a-poet/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [The things you do not have to say make you rich. Saying the things you do not have to say weakens your talk. Hearing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/the-things-you-do-not-have-to-say-make-you-rich-saying-the-things-you/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [“I am your own way of looking at things," she said. "When you allow me to live with you, every glance at the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/i-am-your-own-way-of-looking-at-things-she-said-when-you-allow-me-to/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [I heard a bird congratulating itself all day for being a jay. Nobody cared. But it was glad all over again, and said so,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/i-heard-a-bird-congratulating-itself-all-day-for-being-a-jay-nobody/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [The earth says have a place, be what that place requires; hear the sound the birds imply and see as deep as ridges go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/the-earth-says-have-a-place-be-what-that-place-requires-hear-the/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [You can lie at a banquet but you have to be honest in the kitchen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/you-can-lie-at-a-banquet-but-you-have-to-be-honest-in-the-kitchen/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) > [I am not learning definitions as established in even the latest dictionaries. I am not a dictionary-maker. I am a person a dictionary-maker has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-stafford/i-am-not-learning-definitions-as-established-in-even-the-latest/) [William Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) [Explore all 83 William Stafford quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-stafford/) ## More Hurt quotes > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [It is easier to say you're mad, rather than admitting you're hurt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-easier-to-say-you-re-mad-rather-than-admitting-you-re-hurt/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [Good girls don't hurt other people's feelings. Good girls are not overly aggressive, competitive, or boastful. Good girls please others. But what good girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jane-gilman/good-girls-don-t-hurt-other-people-s-feelings-good-girls-are-not/) [Susan Jane Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jane-gilman/) > [There's only so much for a man to take...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirsten-gilchrist/there-s-only-so-much-for-a-man-to-take/) [Kirsten Gilchrist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirsten-gilchrist/) > [A HURTED HEART IS LIKE SMALL BABY WHICH CAN ONLY CRY BT IT WONT B ABLE 2 EXPRESS ITS FEELINGS.SO DONT HURT ANYBODY IN…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/butterfly-kisses/a-hurted-heart-is-like-small-baby-which-can-only-cry-bt-it-wont-b/) [Butterfly\_Kisses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/butterfly-kisses/) > [The greatest gift you can give to those around you is honesty. Sometimes honest words may sting the heart, but dishonesty pierces deep into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/the-greatest-gift-you-can-give-to-those-around-you-is-honesty/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) [Mennah al refaey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mennah-al-refaey/) > [Some things hurt, you know, and there's pain. But we magnify the suffering of it often, I think, by our reactions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/some-things-hurt-you-know-and-there-s-pain-but-we-magnify-the/) [Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/) > [You can't force any one to love you, and fighting it, you just gonna hurt yourself badly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-mongotleng/you-can-t-force-any-one-to-love-you-and-fighting-it-you-just-gonna/) [Edward Mongotleng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-mongotleng/) > [This goes out to someone that was Once the most important person in my life I didn't realize it at the time I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aviation/this-goes-out-to-someone-that-was-once-the-most-important-person-in/) [Aviation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aviation/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Browse all 13,577 Hurt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hurt/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Way It Is There’s a thread you follow. It goes among things that change. But it doesn’t change. People wonder about what you are pursuing. You have to explain about the thread. But it is hard for others to see. While you hold it you can’t get lost. Tragedies happen; people get hurt or die; and you suffer and get old. Nothing you do can stop time’s unfolding. 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