--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Without ever exactly putting his mind to…" description: "\"“Without ever exactly putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is standard trajectory. Something new appears in the world—a baby, say, or..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/ben-fountain-3198_loss_without-ever-exactly-putting-his-mind-to_80432.png" --- # Without ever exactly putting his mind to it, he's come to… ![“Without ever exactly putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is standard trajectory. Something new appears in the world—a baby, say, or a car or a house, or an individual shows some special talent—with luck and huge expenditures of soul and effort you might keep the project stoked…” quote by Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/ben-fountain-3198_loss_without-ever-exactly-putting-his-mind-to_80432.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/ben-fountain-3198_loss_without-ever-exactly-putting-his-mind-to_80432.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dbb/ben-fountain-3198_loss_without-ever-exactly-putting-his-mind-to_80432.png) > ““Without ever exactly putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is standard trajectory. Something new appears in the world—a baby, say, or a car or a house, or an individual shows some special talent—with luck and huge expenditures of soul and effort you might keep the project stoked for a while, but eventually, ultimately, it's going down. This is a truth so brutally self-evident that he can't fathom why it's not more widely perceived, hence his contempt for the usual public shock and outrage when a particular situation goes to hell.”” [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) ## 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 argues that loss is inevitable and that people mistakenly expect lasting success without recognizing this natural decline. **In simple terms:** Loss is inevitable; expectations of permanence are misguided. Key Takeaway Accept impermanence to avoid frustration. Themes impermanence expectation disillusionment human nature resilience Mood reflective cynical thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - career planning - relationship expectations - investment outlook - creative projects - personal growth Key Concepts entropy psychology of disappointment cognitive bias Practical Applications - risk management - long‑term strategy Questions to Reflect On - How does recognizing inevitable loss change your goals? - What habits help you adapt to decline? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“As if sorrow is the true reality? Without ever putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is the standard trajectory.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/as-if-sorrow-is-the-true-reality-without-ever-putting-his-mind-to-it/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“Without ever exactly putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is the standard trajectory. Something new appears in the world-a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/without-ever-exactly-putting-his-mind-to-it-he-s-come-to-believe-that-2/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [We call them faerie. We don't believe in them. Our loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-de-lint/we-call-them-faerie-we-don-t-believe-in-them-our-loss/) [Charles de Lint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-de-lint/) > [I enjoy putting my mind into different situations rather than my body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-moore/i-enjoy-putting-my-mind-into-different-situations-rather-than-my-body/) [Alan Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-moore/) > [Let's listen to different people. Let's get different people focusing, putting their mind to it, and coming out with the best ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-hoyle/let-s-listen-to-different-people-let-s-get-different-people-focusing/) [Lindsay Hoyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-hoyle/) > [Meditation is nothing but putting the mind aside, putting the mind out of the way, and bringing a witnessing which is always there but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/meditation-is-nothing-but-putting-the-mind-aside-putting-the-mind-out/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“You find your purpose by putting the mind in the service of the heart and not the other way around. (from The Amazing You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/you-find-your-purpose-by-putting-the-mind-in-the-service-of-the-heart/) [Dragos Bratasanu, Ph.D](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dragos-bratasanu-ph-d/) > [“I can see that you've been crying You can't hide it with a lie What's the use in you denying That what you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/backstreet-boys/i-can-see-that-you-ve-been-crying-you-can-t-hide-it-with-a-lie-what-s/) [Backstreet Boys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/backstreet-boys/) > [Hey baby. You say you wanna be my girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omarion/hey-baby-you-say-you-wanna-be-my-girl/) [Omarion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omarion/) > [“I want to take a snapshot of this moment. 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Can someone say winning?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/90-s-baby-with-no-baby-can-someone-say-winning/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Hey baby. You say you wanna be with a star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omarion/hey-baby-you-say-you-wanna-be-with-a-star/) [Omarion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omarion/) > [“So baby, if you say you want me to drive, to KFC”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-horan/so-baby-if-you-say-you-want-me-to-drive-to-kfc/) [Niall Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-horan/) ## More by Ben Fountain > [“The singing triggers a soft detonation at his core, molten parts of him are flying everywhere and his ears ring to the tune of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/the-singing-triggers-a-soft-detonation-at-his-core-molten-parts-of/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“Even harder was describing his sense that Shroom’s death might have ruined him for anything else, because when he died? when I felt his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-fountain/even-harder-was-describing-his-sense-that-shroom-s-death-might-have/) [Ben Fountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-fountain/) > [“But I am scared. Everybody's scared." "You know what I mean, like scared scared. 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Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [Certainly, it is. Love is love, and loss is loss. We all love, and we all die, and everyone suffers the pain of grieving.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynsay-sands/certainly-it-is-love-is-love-and-loss-is-loss-we-all-love-and-we-all/) [Lynsay Sands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynsay-sands/) > [Shhh.” He put a finger to her lips. “Hear me out. I cannot deny that I would've liked to have made babies with you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/shhh-he-put-a-finger-to-her-lips-hear-me-out-i-cannot-deny-that-i/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [“Good morning,” one of the soldiers said. “I’m Captain Joseph Walker and this is Sergeant James Vanetten. 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But research now reveals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zig-ziglar/many-companies-have-long-contended-that-stress-in-the-home-causes/) [Zig Ziglar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zig-ziglar/) > [My idea for 'BoneMan's Daughters' came from the loss of my own daughter when she left home to live with a monster at age…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-dekker/my-idea-for-boneman-s-daughters-came-from-the-loss-of-my-own-daughter/) [Ted Dekker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-dekker/) > [A lost love. Deny it who will, ridicule it, treat it as mere imagination and sentiment, the thing is and will be; and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/a-lost-love-deny-it-who-will-ridicule-it-treat-it-as-mere-imagination/) [Dinah Maria Murlock Craik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-maria-murlock-craik/) > [“This book is written in a barren period of loss with an attempt to move forward towards substance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phindiwe-nkosi/this-book-is-written-in-a-barren-period-of-loss-with-an-attempt-to/) [Phindiwe Nkosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phindiwe-nkosi/) > [My mind shrank from the menace sweeping down on us, as children's do from belief in death and misfortune, vainly clinging to the fancy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-pankhurst/my-mind-shrank-from-the-menace-sweeping-down-on-us-as-children-s-do/) [Sylvia Pankhurst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-pankhurst/) > [“...what happens when you return and find nothing but a hollowed shell, shingles and floor, walls and echoes and the light that lead you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kellie-elmore/what-happens-when-you-return-and-find-nothing-but-a-hollowed-shell/) [Kellie Elmore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kellie-elmore/) > [Sorrow and happiness are the heresies of virtue; joy and anger lead astray from TAO; love and hate cause loss of virtue. The heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/sorrow-and-happiness-are-the-heresies-of-virtue-joy-and-anger-lead/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [“...our loves ones truly are ever-present. We may bury their bodies or scatter their ashes, but their spirits are boundless and do not accompany…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/april-slaughter/our-loves-ones-truly-are-ever-present-we-may-bury-their-bodies-or/) April Slaughter [Browse all 6,621 Loss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Without ever exactly putting his mind to it, he's come to believe that loss is standard trajectory. Something new appears in the world—a baby, say, or a car or a house, or an individual shows some special talent—with luck and huge expenditures of soul and effort you might keep the project stoked for a while, but eventually, ultimately, it's going down. 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