--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to think...that I had to be…" description: "\"I used to think...that I had to be careful with how much I lived. As if life was a pocketful of coins. You only got so much and you didn't want to spen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/anthony-doerr-886_be-careful_i-used-to-think-that-i-had-to-be-careful_1966557.jpg" --- # I used to think...that I had to be careful with how much I… ![“I used to think...that I had to be careful with how much I lived. As if life was a pocketful of coins. You only got so much and you didn't want to spend it all in one place...But now I know that life is the one thing in the world that never runs out. I might run out of mine, and you might run out…” quote by Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/anthony-doerr-886_be-careful_i-used-to-think-that-i-had-to-be-careful_1966557.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/anthony-doerr-886_be-careful_i-used-to-think-that-i-had-to-be-careful_1966557.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/907/anthony-doerr-886_be-careful_i-used-to-think-that-i-had-to-be-careful_1966557.jpg) > “I used to think...that I had to be careful with how much I lived. As if life was a pocketful of coins. You only got so much and you didn't want to spend it all in one place...But now I know that life is the one thing in the world that never runs out. I might run out of mine, and you might run out of yours, but the world will never run out of life. And we're all very lucky to be part of something like that.” [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is an inexhaustible resource; unlike material wealth, it never depletes, encouraging generosity and shared experience. **In simple terms:** Life never runs out. Key Takeaway Share life’s abundance. Themes generosity abundance interconnectedness Mood hopeful inspirational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - community service - creative projects - teaching Key Concepts existential humanism Questions to Reflect On - How can you nurture others without depleting yourself? - What practices sustain your sense of abundance? A Different Perspective Life’s finiteness for individuals can cause fear. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lucky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lucky/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [I'm a different immigrant. My life is so lucky compared to so many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-a-different-immigrant-my-life-is-so-lucky-compared-to-so-many/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are jobs that come along in your life, if you're lucky enough, that elevate you in a considerable way. And 'Homeland' was definitely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-lewis/there-are-jobs-that-come-along-in-your-life-if-you-re-lucky-enough/) [Damian Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-lewis/) > [“The only thing your life teaches you is how to live your life. And that’s only if you’re very lucky. And you listen very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-slouka/the-only-thing-your-life-teaches-you-is-how-to-live-your-life-and/) [Mark Slouka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-slouka/) > [You can win the lottery but you need to buy the ticket first. 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My fear after my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-besson/i-said-if-i-made-10-films-in-my-life-i-would-be-very-lucky-that-s-how/) [Luc Besson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-besson/) > [At the end of your life, you're lucky if you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-mckenzie/at-the-end-of-your-life-you-re-lucky-if-you-die/) [Bret McKenzie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-mckenzie/) > [You need some luck in life and I have been lucky with God's help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/masai-ujiri/you-need-some-luck-in-life-and-i-have-been-lucky-with-god-s-help/) [Masai Ujiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/masai-ujiri/) > [Everyone has a friend during each stage of life. But only lucky ones have the same friend in all stages of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-has-a-friend-during-each-stage-of-life-but-only-lucky-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I simply have a marvellous life, a very lucky life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-newton-john/i-simply-have-a-marvellous-life-a-very-lucky-life/) [Olivia Newton-John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-newton-john/) > [“Nothing about my life is lucky - it's all about hard work, it is all an uphill struggle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/nothing-about-my-life-is-lucky-it-s-all-about-hard-work-it-is-all-an/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I've met so many real heroes, people whose service has given me the life I'm lucky to live on U.S. soil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-rockhold/i-ve-met-so-many-real-heroes-people-whose-service-has-given-me-the/) [Luke Rockhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-rockhold/) > [“If you become a writer you'll be trying to describe the ?Thing all your life: and lucky if, out of dozens of books, one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-you-become-a-writer-you-ll-be-trying-to-describe-the-thing-all/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [You know, we all become parts of our parents later on in life, and I was lucky enough to latch onto their values but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-doocy/you-know-we-all-become-parts-of-our-parents-later-on-in-life-and-i/) [Steve Doocy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-doocy/) ## More by Anthony Doerr > [I was a nerdy kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-was-a-nerdy-kid/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“he moved neither forward nor backward in time, but merely endured variations of the same day over and over. Maybe he was the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/he-moved-neither-forward-nor-backward-in-time-but-merely-endured/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“Open your eyes, the Frenchman on the radio used to say, and see what you can with them before they close forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/open-your-eyes-the-frenchman-on-the-radio-used-to-say-and-see-what/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“Just when we think we have a system, ...the system collapses. Just when we know our way around, we get lost. Just when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/just-when-we-think-we-have-a-system-the-system-collapses-just-when-we/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“An hour passed and another and then, like a glass of water overfilled - the meniscus inverting, going convex, gravity pulling at the edges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/an-hour-passed-and-another-and-then-like-a-glass-of-water-overfilled/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“For dinner, he orders wild boar cooked with fresh mushrooms. And a full bottle of Bordeaux. Especially during wartime, such things remain important. 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But the thing is, you don't even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/you-ever-hope-for-something-so-much-so-much-you-can-t-sleep-so-much/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“Hope was a sunrise, a friend in the alley, a whisper in an empty corridor.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/hope-was-a-sunrise-a-friend-in-the-alley-a-whisper-in-an-empty/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [Time is a slippery thing: lose hold of it once, and its string might sail out of your hands forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/time-is-a-slippery-thing-lose-hold-of-it-once-and-its-string-might/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“...the air a library and the record of every life lived, every sentence spoken, every word transmitted still reverberating within it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/the-air-a-library-and-the-record-of-every-life-lived-every-sentence/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“silent desperation of everything they never said - gaps and absences in every conversation, the past circumscribing the present, the future hemming in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/silent-desperation-of-everything-they-never-said-gaps-and-absences-in/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [“She is in charge of everything, but no one knows. It is a tremendous burden, she says, to be responsible for every little thing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/she-is-in-charge-of-everything-but-no-one-knows-it-is-a-tremendous/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [I guess you could say I've been writing all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/i-guess-you-could-say-i-ve-been-writing-all-my-life/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) > [Only Numbers. Pure math. You have to accustom yourself to thinking that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/only-numbers-pure-math-you-have-to-accustom-yourself-to-thinking-that/) [Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) [Explore all 336 Anthony Doerr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/) ## More Be careful quotes > [Be careful. I wouldn’t want anything to happen to the worst Spanish student in the history of the language.” I laughed. “No problemo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/be-careful-i-wouldn-t-want-anything-to-happen-to-the-worst-spanish/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [If I held all the thoughts of the world in my hand, I would be careful not to open it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/if-i-held-all-the-thoughts-of-the-world-in-my-hand-i-would-be-careful/) [Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/) > [You've got to be careful against classy fighters, especially counter-punchers because if you go for the finish too early, you can end up getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-froch/you-ve-got-to-be-careful-against-classy-fighters-especially-counter/) [Carl Froch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-froch/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character--that is the goal of true education. The complete education gives one not only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/we-must-remember-that-intelligence-is-not-enough-intelligence-plus/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [I have to be careful to get out before I become the grotesque caricature of a hatchet-faced woman with big knockers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-lee-curtis/i-have-to-be-careful-to-get-out-before-i-become-the-grotesque/) [Jamie Lee Curtis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-lee-curtis/) > [Our communications reflect in our countenance. Therefore, we must be careful not only what we communicate, but also how we do so. Souls can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-lionel-kendrick/our-communications-reflect-in-our-countenance-therefore-we-must-be/) [L. Lionel Kendrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-lionel-kendrick/) > [Well sometimes, culture can stifle talent, so you have to be careful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-williams/well-sometimes-culture-can-stifle-talent-so-you-have-to-be-careful/) [Monty Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-williams/) > [And so we have to be careful with looking at additional stimulus that we don't provoke an increase in the bond rate and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-raines/and-so-we-have-to-be-careful-with-looking-at-additional-stimulus-that/) [Franklin Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-raines/) > [Be careful who you might trust the Devil was once an angel too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-careful-who-you-might-trust-the-devil-was-once-an-angel-too/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One must always be careful of books," said Tessa, "and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/one-must-always-be-careful-of-books-said-tessa-and-what-is-inside/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/he-who-believes-in-god-is-not-careful-for-the-morrow-but-labors/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [Be careful, once water is spilled, it can never return to its container](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciel-phantomhive/be-careful-once-water-is-spilled-it-can-never-return-to-its-container/) [Ciel Phantomhive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciel-phantomhive/) > [We used to tell our receivers, 'If you want to run an inside breaking route, and you want to fight for yardage after the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gruden/we-used-to-tell-our-receivers-if-you-want-to-run-an-inside-breaking/) [Jon Gruden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-gruden/) > [A bad investment is going for quantity over quality. If you're trying to be careful with your wallet, especially with the economy right now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-siriano/a-bad-investment-is-going-for-quantity-over-quality-if-you-re-trying/) [Christian Siriano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-siriano/) Browse all 989 Be careful quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to think...that I had to be careful with how much I lived. As if life was a pocketful of coins. You only got so much and you didn't want to spend it all in one place...But now I know that life is the one thing in the world that never runs out. I might run out of mine, and you might run out of yours, but the world will never run out of life. 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