--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I guess it was hard for him to look at…" description: "\"“I guess it was hard for him to look at the logic behind the draft lotteries, because that same logic had taken away his father. And, anyway, what’s so..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/a-s-king-2293_cruel-joke_i-guess-it-was-hard-for-him-to-look-at-t_2071028.png" --- # I guess it was hard for him to look at the logic behind… ![“I guess it was hard for him to look at the logic behind the draft lotteries, because that same logic had taken away his father. And, anyway, what’s so logical about the day you were born deciding when you might die? That’s just a cruel joke, as I see it.” quote by A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/a-s-king-2293_cruel-joke_i-guess-it-was-hard-for-him-to-look-at-t_2071028.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/a-s-king-2293_cruel-joke_i-guess-it-was-hard-for-him-to-look-at-t_2071028.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/474/a-s-king-2293_cruel-joke_i-guess-it-was-hard-for-him-to-look-at-t_2071028.png) > ““I guess it was hard for him to look at the logic behind the draft lotteries, because that same logic had taken away his father. And, anyway, what’s so logical about the day you were born deciding when you might die? That’s just a cruel joke, as I see it.”” [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The randomness of birth and death feels cruel, exposing the absurdity of fate and the unfairness of lotteries that decide life’s length. **In simple terms:** Life’s lottery feels unfair. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty, find meaning. Themes fate justice absurdity mortality lotteries Mood somber reflective philosophical Type existential literary When to use this quote - health decisions - risk assessment - personal philosophy - social policy Key Concepts existentialism randomness ethical critique Questions to Reflect On - How do you find agency amid randomness? - What actions counteract perceived unfairness? 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I don’t care who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-only-hope-that-for-right-now-you-remember-that-there-is-no-place/) [A.s. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“I don't even use the stupid shampoo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-don-t-even-use-the-stupid-shampoo/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“Maybe if I hadn’t been so hell-bent on not becoming my parents, I could have saved Charlie. Maybe I would have been his girlfriend.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/maybe-if-i-hadn-t-been-so-hell-bent-on-not-becoming-my-parents-i/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [But that's a side effect of alcohol, isn't it? Stopping to think about other people is not on the bar menu.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/but-that-s-a-side-effect-of-alcohol-isn-t-it-stopping-to-think-about/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“Most people don't think past themselves. 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King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“But they keep saving me because they know I stand for something. They're just not sure what yet. -The Pagoda”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/but-they-keep-saving-me-because-they-know-i-stand-for-something-they/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [I was also built from delusional optimism and folly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-was-also-built-from-delusional-optimism-and-folly/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [How can we say nobody's perfect if there is no perfect to compare to? Perfection implies that there really is a right and wrong…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/how-can-we-say-nobody-s-perfect-if-there-is-no-perfect-to-compare-to/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“My toaster could have a soul,and the walnut grove to the east of my house could be just a bunch of trees or could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/my-toaster-could-have-a-soul-and-the-walnut-grove-to-the-east-of-my/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“I bring my hand to my face and pull away tiny pieces of the jagged scab. My face reflects in the rounded airplane window,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-bring-my-hand-to-my-face-and-pull-away-tiny-pieces-of-the-jagged/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“I didn't have the time to slice a hundred shallow cuts into his lips and make him suck limes. I was too busy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/i-didn-t-have-the-time-to-slice-a-hundred-shallow-cuts-into-his-lips/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) > [“As I drive home, I picture other signs- one for everyone who has a secret. Bill Corso's would say, I CAN'T READ, BUT I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-s-king/as-i-drive-home-i-picture-other-signs-one-for-everyone-who-has-a/) [A.S. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) [Explore all 173 A.S. King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-s-king/) ## More Cruel joke quotes > [“my power is as cruel a joke as it can get? That’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-d-anderson/my-power-is-as-cruel-a-joke-as-it-can-get-that-s/) [Katie D. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-d-anderson/) > [“I'm afraid it's not nonsense," Genghis said, shaking his turbaned head and continuing his story. 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But now I've come to realise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cee-lo-green/there-was-a-time-when-i-didn-t-like-myself-at-all-i-thought-i-was-a/) [Cee Lo Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cee-lo-green/) [Browse all 11 Cruel joke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruel-joke/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I guess it was hard for him to look at the logic behind the draft lotteries, because that same logic had taken away his father. And, anyway, what’s so logical about the day you were born deciding when you might die? That’s just a cruel joke, as I see it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A.S. 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