--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This, perhaps, is how lives are measured…" description: "\"“This, perhaps, is how lives are measured, a series of abandonments that we hope beyond reason will eventually be reconciled.”\" — Anthony Doerr" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/anthony-doerr-886_life_this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a_654532.png" --- # This, perhaps, is how lives are measured, a series of… ![“This, perhaps, is how lives are measured, a series of abandonments that we hope beyond reason will eventually be reconciled.” quote by Anthony Doerr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/anthony-doerr-886_life_this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a_654532.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/anthony-doerr-886_life_this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a_654532.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/anthony-doerr-886_life_this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a_654532.png) > ““This, perhaps, is how lives are measured, a series of abandonments that we hope beyond reason will eventually be reconciled.”” [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 seen as a sequence of losses we cling to, hoping they will make sense later. **In simple terms:** We measure life by what we lose and later reconcile. Key Takeaway Accept loss, seek meaning over time. Themes loss hope meaning resilience Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative writing - relationship healing - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism psychology narrative Questions to Reflect On - How do you find meaning after loss? - Can hope be rational? A Different Perspective Reconciliation may never fully resolve the pain of abandonment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abandonments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandonments-5227856/) [Abandonments Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abandonments-hope-5227853/) [Eventually Reconciled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eventually-reconciled-5227854/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Lives Measured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-measured-2165867/) [Reason Eventually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-eventually-5227855/) ## Related quotes > [Our lives can't be measured by our final years, of this I am sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/our-lives-can-t-be-measured-by-our-final-years-of-this-i-am-sure/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Most civilized lives are measured out with coffee spoons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bergen-evans/most-civilized-lives-are-measured-out-with-coffee-spoons/) [Bergen Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bergen-evans/) > [“Our lives are not measured by the mistakes we make, but by the moments we live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-s-johnson/our-lives-are-not-measured-by-the-mistakes-we-make-but-by-the-moments/) [R.S. 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That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [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/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“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/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“This, perhaps, is how lives are measured, a series of abandonments that we hope beyond reason will eventually be reconciled.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anthony Doerr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a-series-of-abandonments-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a-series-of-abandonments-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/anthony-doerr-886_life_this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a_654532.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/anthony-doerr-886_life_this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a_654532.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a11/anthony-doerr-886_life_this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a_654532.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This, perhaps, is how lives are measured, a series of abandonments that we hope beyond reason will…” — Anthony Doerr", "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": "Anthony Doerr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-doerr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“This, perhaps, is how lives are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a-series-of-abandonments-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-doerr/this-perhaps-is-how-lives-are-measured-a-series-of-abandonments-that/#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 } } ] } ```