--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And as things fell apart, nobody paid…" description: "\"And as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention\" — Bret Easton Ellis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/bret-easton-ellis-1028_attention_and-as-things-fell-apart-nobody-paid-muc_1380177.jpg" --- # And as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention ![“And as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention” quote by Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/bret-easton-ellis-1028_attention_and-as-things-fell-apart-nobody-paid-muc_1380177.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/bret-easton-ellis-1028_attention_and-as-things-fell-apart-nobody-paid-muc_1380177.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/78b/bret-easton-ellis-1028_attention_and-as-things-fell-apart-nobody-paid-muc_1380177.jpg) > “And as things fell apart, nobody paid much attention” [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When everything collapses, people ignore the chaos, showing indifference. **In simple terms:** People ignore collapse. Key Takeaway Notice and address systemic failures. Themes apathy collapse indifference Mood detached critical Type literary observational When to use this quote - economic downturns - environmental disasters - organizational failures Key Concepts social decay crisis response collective responsibility Questions to Reflect On - Why do we ignore warning signs? - How to foster proactive engagement? A Different Perspective Indifference can exacerbate problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ## Related quotes > [“There was something about the fear of death that kept humanity on its toes. Without it, things fell apart fast.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-d-cooper/there-was-something-about-the-fear-of-death-that-kept-humanity-on-its/) M.D. Cooper > [In the end, one has to feel lucky that things fell out O.K. I've felt that all the years I've been writing plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/in-the-end-one-has-to-feel-lucky-that-things-fell-out-o-k-i-ve-felt/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [“He didn’t want her to cry alone, he wanted her to be in his arms, each and every time her life fell apart.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jagears/he-didn-t-want-her-to-cry-alone-he-wanted-her-to-be-in-his-arms-each/) [Melissa Jagears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jagears/) > [“Everything fell apart in me. How are things with you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/everything-fell-apart-in-me-how-are-things-with-you/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I wanted to create jobs and create something that had a very longstanding world-changing effect. We were close. We were close to getting there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curt-schilling/i-wanted-to-create-jobs-and-create-something-that-had-a-very/) [Curt Schilling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/curt-schilling/) > [I used to have a lot of philosophies of acting; they all fell apart over the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-arkin/i-used-to-have-a-lot-of-philosophies-of-acting-they-all-fell-apart/) [Alan Arkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-arkin/) > [“fell apart many times. so. what does that say about me besides i live through wars.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nayyirah-waheed/fell-apart-many-times-so-what-does-that-say-about-me-besides-i-live/) [Nayyirah Waheed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nayyirah-waheed/) > [I've never paid much attention to those who have written me off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/humza-yousaf/i-ve-never-paid-much-attention-to-those-who-have-written-me-off/) [Humza Yousaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/humza-yousaf/) > [I feel like I've paid attention to all the great coaches who have coached me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penny-hardaway/i-feel-like-i-ve-paid-attention-to-all-the-great-coaches-who-have/) [Penny Hardaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penny-hardaway/) > [“The splendid thing about falling apart silently... is that you can start over as many times as you like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanober-khan/the-splendid-thing-about-falling-apart-silently-is-that-you-can-start/) [Sanober Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanober-khan/) > [You have to age gracefully. 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Not everything's going to come together in the third act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/this-isn-t-a-script-julian-says-it-s-not-going-to-add-up-not/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [“I want to watch it again tonight even though I know I won't have enough time to masturbate over the scene where the woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/i-want-to-watch-it-again-tonight-even-though-i-know-i-won-t-have/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [“On my way over to Park Avenue to find a cab I pass an ugly, homeless bum-- a member of the genetic underclass-- and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/on-my-way-over-to-park-avenue-to-find-a-cab-i-pass-an-ugly-homeless/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [I've forgotten who I had lunch with earlier, and even more important, where.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/i-ve-forgotten-who-i-had-lunch-with-earlier-and-even-more-important/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [Every book for me is an exorcism in some way or another, working through my feelings at the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bret-easton-ellis/every-book-for-me-is-an-exorcism-in-some-way-or-another-working/) [Bret Easton Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bret-easton-ellis/) > [Why was I holding on to something that would never be mine? 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Maybe it's here in the U.S. that we find a healing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fionnula-flanagan/i-m-irish-and-always-will-be-but-america-has-taught-me-so-much-maybe/) [Fionnula Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fionnula-flanagan/) > [Child actors going on to become adult actors never really works, apart from a few. Jodie Foster was the exception.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lester/child-actors-going-on-to-become-adult-actors-never-really-works-apart/) Mark Lester > [War tore my family apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alek-wek/war-tore-my-family-apart/) [Alek Wek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alek-wek/) > [It is in the genes of cities to bounce back from disasters - whether natural or man made. 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