--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes I wake at 2 A.M. worrying that…" description: "\"Sometimes I wake at 2 A.M. worrying that my great-granddaughter will have to march through her distant, broiling future gathering all the plastic I eve..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/anthony-doerr-886_future_sometimes-i-wake-at-2-a-m-worrying-that_1066193.png" --- # Sometimes I wake at 2 A.M. worrying that my… ![“Sometimes I wake at 2 A.M. worrying that my great-granddaughter will have to march through her distant, broiling future gathering all the plastic I ever disposed of.” quote by Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/anthony-doerr-886_future_sometimes-i-wake-at-2-a-m-worrying-that_1066193.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/anthony-doerr-886_future_sometimes-i-wake-at-2-a-m-worrying-that_1066193.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e45/anthony-doerr-886_future_sometimes-i-wake-at-2-a-m-worrying-that_1066193.png) > “Sometimes I wake at 2 A.M. worrying that my great-granddaughter will have to march through her distant, broiling future gathering all the plastic I ever disposed of.” [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. The speaker fears that future generations will inherit a world polluted by current waste, especially plastics, and must confront the consequences of environmental neglect. **In simple terms:** Worry about plastic waste harming future generations. Key Takeaway Act now to reduce plastic use. Themes environment future generations responsibility pollution legacy Mood concerned reflective Type ethical environmental When to use this quote - personal reflection - policy advocacy - education - community clean‑up - product design Key Concepts sustainability intergenerational ethics environmental impact Questions to Reflect On - How can individuals influence systemic waste reduction? - What responsibilities do we have to future descendants? A Different Perspective The quote dramatizes personal anxiety, which may not translate into concrete policy change without collective action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Granddaughter March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/granddaughter-march-2630770/) [Her](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/her/) [March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/march/) [Plastic Disposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plastic-disposed-2630769/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Wake Worrying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-worrying-2630767/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) [Worrying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worrying/) [Worrying Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worrying-great-2630768/) ## Related quotes > [The only reason why I stop worrying is because I have a great God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-reason-why-i-stop-worrying-is-because-i-have-a-great-god/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I know that sometimes when you are really worried about something, it ends up not being nearly as bad as you think it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-moriarty/i-know-that-sometimes-when-you-are-really-worried-about-something-it/) [Laura Moriarty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-moriarty/) > [You can't play worrying about, like, what will other people say about me. That's not how I've ever approached the game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-rivers/you-can-t-play-worrying-about-like-what-will-other-people-say-about/) [Austin Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-rivers/) > [I spend a lot of time thinking and worrying about fatigue. It is the thing I struggle with the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kadeena-cox/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-thinking-and-worrying-about-fatigue-it-is-the/) [Kadeena Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kadeena-cox/) > [“Don't lose today by worrying about tomorrow!!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-herbert/don-t-lose-today-by-worrying-about-tomorrow/) [John F. 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It's the worry that gets you, not the lack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/if-you-can-t-sleep-then-get-up-and-do-something-instead-of-lying/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [I do some kind of work, whether writing or painting or recording, on a daily basis. And it's so essential that when I'm involved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/i-do-some-kind-of-work-whether-writing-or-painting-or-recording-on-a/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [Most of us are worrying about the future so much that we can't enjoy the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-sherman/most-of-us-are-worrying-about-the-future-so-much-that-we-can-t-enjoy/) [Harold Sherman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-sherman/) > [“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, focus your energy on what you can create.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-bennett/instead-of-worrying-about-what-you-cannot-control-focus-your-energy/) [Roy Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-bennett/) > [Worrying does not take away tomorrow's troubles,it takes away today's peace. If you really enjoy this,please pass to others.It may brighten someone's day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/worrying-does-not-take-away-tomorrow-s-troubles-it-takes-away-today-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Today I will refuse to spend any time worrying about what might happen, and spend that time on what I want to have happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/today-i-will-refuse-to-spend-any-time-worrying-about-what-might/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“As far as I can tell, a leader ends up doing all the worrying and still needs to pitch in for the regular work.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-ee/as-far-as-i-can-tell-a-leader-ends-up-doing-all-the-worrying-and/) [Susan Ee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-ee/) > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) [Nagisa Tatsumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nagisa-tatsumi/) ## 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 Future quotes > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. 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On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you can connect people, you can create the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-heiferman/if-you-can-connect-people-you-can-create-the-future/) [Scott Heiferman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-heiferman/) > [A strong, durable Puerto Rican economy will leave the island better prepared to handle future natural disasters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-campos-duffy/a-strong-durable-puerto-rican-economy-will-leave-the-island-better/) [Rachel Campos-Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-campos-duffy/) > [“We have no idea, now, of who or what the inhabitants of our future might be. In that sense, we have no future. Not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/we-have-no-idea-now-of-who-or-what-the-inhabitants-of-our-future/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [“You are destiny for greatness. Your future is in the hands of the Lord.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-are-destiny-for-greatness-your-future-is-in-the-hands-of-the-lord/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I'm just always looking forwards. I spend very little time, looking backwards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-vaynerchuk/i-m-just-always-looking-forwards-i-spend-very-little-time-looking/) [Gary Vaynerchuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-vaynerchuk/) > [Football is my passion, and who knows where I will play in the future - you cannot foresee that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edinson-cavani/football-is-my-passion-and-who-knows-where-i-will-play-in-the-future/) [Edinson Cavani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edinson-cavani/) > [When I was 17, I broke up with my future wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-allen/when-i-was-17-i-broke-up-with-my-future-wife/) [Kris Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-allen/) > [I think everybody in the future has stopped talking to each other and we all just use emojis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scarlett-moffatt/i-think-everybody-in-the-future-has-stopped-talking-to-each-other-and/) [Scarlett Moffatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scarlett-moffatt/) > [When you continue to dwell on the past, there's no chance for a future. History repeats itself, thus, it's ok to LOOK back at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-continue-to-dwell-on-the-past-there-s-no-chance-for-a-future/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I am no different from a lot of people. I am concerned for the future of my children and concerned for the future of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-barnes/i-am-no-different-from-a-lot-of-people-i-am-concerned-for-the-future/) [John Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-barnes/) > [Starting a new job can be nerve-racking , but it's also exciting. 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