--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His life had been divided into a before…" description: "\"“His life had been divided into a before and an after, and he would always be comparing the two.”\" — Celeste Ng" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/celeste-ng-1718_comparing_his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before_2625861.jpg" --- # His life had been divided into a before and an after, and… ![“His life had been divided into a before and an after, and he would always be comparing the two.” quote by Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/celeste-ng-1718_comparing_his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before_2625861.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/celeste-ng-1718_comparing_his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before_2625861.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/celeste-ng-1718_comparing_his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before_2625861.jpg) > ““His life had been divided into a before and an after, and he would always be comparing the two.”” [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## 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 split into before and after, prompting constant comparison. **In simple terms:** Life divided into before/after. Key Takeaway Accept change without endless comparison. Themes change memory identity Mood reflective hopeful Type literary psychological When to use this quote - career transitions - relationships - personal milestones - grief processing Key Concepts psychology narrative theory Questions to Reflect On - What does “after” mean for you? - How can you honor the past without being stuck? A Different Perspective Comparisons can hinder present growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Comparing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparing/) [Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided/) [Divided Comparing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divided-comparing-2148746/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Divided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-divided-292951/) ## Related quotes > [We, all who live, have A life that is lived And another life that is thought, And the only life we have It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/we-all-who-live-have-a-life-that-is-lived-and-another-life-that-is/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Here is an eternal truth. 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The horrible are like, I don't know, terminal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-feel-that-life-is-divided-into-the-horrible-and-the-miserable-that/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [“Well, a man’s life is divided into two parts: there is his work and there is his own private life. Two small worlds which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-macinnes/well-a-man-s-life-is-divided-into-two-parts-there-is-his-work-and/) [Helen MacInnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-macinnes/) > [“I am writing all this down in full knowledge that it will not now seem important, for the reason that that is just what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-west/i-am-writing-all-this-down-in-full-knowledge-that-it-will-not-now/) [Rebecca West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-west/) > [I think of my life as divided between a lot of different periods. I grew up in the country, but as I got older…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reed-krakoff/i-think-of-my-life-as-divided-between-a-lot-of-different-periods-i/) [Reed Krakoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reed-krakoff/) > [“My life is now divided into two periods: With June and After June. I can't wrap my mind around the idea of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-harrington/my-life-is-now-divided-into-two-periods-with-june-and-after-june-i/) [Hannah Harrington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-harrington/) > [“I used to imagine life divided into separate compartments, consisting, for example, of such dual abstractions as pleasure and pain, love and hate, friendship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-powell/i-used-to-imagine-life-divided-into-separate-compartments-consisting/) [Anthony Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-powell/) ## More by Celeste Ng > [When you mention to people growing up in Cleveland they bring up the river catching on fire, or LeBron James leaving, they have these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/when-you-mention-to-people-growing-up-in-cleveland-they-bring-up-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [It's so easy, as a writer, to get stuck in your own head, to live in the little worlds you create. To forget that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/it-s-so-easy-as-a-writer-to-get-stuck-in-your-own-head-to-live-in-the/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“All up and down the street the houses looked like any others—but inside them were people who might be happy, or taking refuge, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/all-up-and-down-the-street-the-houses-looked-like-any-others-but/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [No reader wants to sit through the same scene four times in a row, unless they're radically different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-reader-wants-to-sit-through-the-same-scene-four-times-in-a-row/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Debut novels are difficult because nobody knows you... they just don't find a huge audience, because that's how the market works.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/debut-novels-are-difficult-because-nobody-knows-you-they-just-don-t/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [We have to figure out why we see the world in different ways and then how are we going to adjust so that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/we-have-to-figure-out-why-we-see-the-world-in-different-ways-and-then/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“I have measured my life with coffee spoons and do I dare to eat a peach?' 'DO I DARE DISTURB THE UNIVERSE?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/i-have-measured-my-life-with-coffee-spoons-and-do-i-dare-to-eat-a/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“No one, she had learned from experience, could stand such silence for long. If you waited long enough, someone would start talking, and more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/no-one-she-had-learned-from-experience-could-stand-such-silence-for/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Most of the time, everyone deserves more than one chance. We all do things we regret now and then. You just have to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/most-of-the-time-everyone-deserves-more-than-one-chance-we-all-do/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Though she would never quite articulate it this way, resentment began to sheathe concern. ANGER IS FEAR'S BODYGUARD, a poster in the hospital hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/though-she-would-never-quite-articulate-it-this-way-resentment-began/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Spend too much time alone with your own words, and your writing grows anemic, in dire need of a transfusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/spend-too-much-time-alone-with-your-own-words-and-your-writing-grows/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [“Everyone sees race, Lex," said Moody. "The only difference is who pretends not to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/everyone-sees-race-lex-said-moody-the-only-difference-is-who-pretends/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Writers, most of them, don't have a lot of resources.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/writers-most-of-them-don-t-have-a-lot-of-resources/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Browse Amazon reviews, and you'll see a surprising number of readers who believe one novel can summarize a country, its culture, and its people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/browse-amazon-reviews-and-you-ll-see-a-surprising-number-of-readers/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) > [Short of the dishonest, the illegal, and the cruel, there's only one thing my son could do that would really disappoint me: not liking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/short-of-the-dishonest-the-illegal-and-the-cruel-there-s-only-one/) [Celeste Ng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) [Explore all 212 Celeste Ng quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/) ## More Comparing quotes > [Nothing will kill what you've been called to do more than comparing yourself to someone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/nothing-will-kill-what-you-ve-been-called-to-do-more-than-comparing/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [One of the greatest of all sources of misery is comparing yourself to others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhat/one-of-the-greatest-of-all-sources-of-misery-is-comparing-yourself-to/) [Zhat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhat/) > [If you're not comparing apples to apples, it doesn't matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reince-priebus/if-you-re-not-comparing-apples-to-apples-it-doesn-t-matter/) [Reince Priebus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reince-priebus/) > [You start comparing people, and ultimately, somebody feels diminished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-van-gundy/you-start-comparing-people-and-ultimately-somebody-feels-diminished/) [Jeff Van Gundy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-van-gundy/) > [“The trouble with comparing yourself to others is that there are too many others. Using all others as your control group, all your worst…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-manguso/the-trouble-with-comparing-yourself-to-others-is-that-there-are-too/) [Sarah Manguso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-manguso/) > [“we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyndale/we-dare-not-class-ourselves-or-compare-ourselves-with-those-who/) [Tyndale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyndale/) > [When ever we start comparing our partner with others that means we start ending our relationship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-choudhri/when-ever-we-start-comparing-our-partner-with-others-that-means-we/) [Nikhil Choudhri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-choudhri/) > [“Comparing yourself to others does nothing for you. Society has conditioned us to value people who fit a secular mold of perfection".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-woolley/comparing-yourself-to-others-does-nothing-for-you-society-has/) [Michele Woolley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michele-woolley/) > [Comparing objects like cars, houses, clothes, and defining life according to those comparisons, instead of trying to discover the real reason for being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/comparing-objects-like-cars-houses-clothes-and-defining-life/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others. It is because we are different that each of us is special.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-dyson/don-t-undermine-your-worth-by-comparing-yourself-with-others-it-is/) [Brian Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-dyson/) > [“To love is to stop comparing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-love-is-to-stop-comparing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“All of us are interested in things outside of our stewardships, and we should be, but the most important way to do anything about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-covey/all-of-us-are-interested-in-things-outside-of-our-stewardships-and-we/) [Stephen R. Covey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-covey/) > [That's like comparing apples with hermaphroditic ground sloths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/that-s-like-comparing-apples-with-hermaphroditic-ground-sloths/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The Problem With Things Is That Everyone Is Always Comparing Everyone With Everyone And Because Of That, It Discredits People...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-problem-with-things-is-that-everyone-is-always-comparing-everyone/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Quit comparing yourself to others. The only comparison that makes any sense is whether you are better today than you were yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/quit-comparing-yourself-to-others-the-only-comparison-that-makes-any/) [Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/) [Browse all 174 Comparing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comparing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“His life had been divided into a before and an after, and he would always be comparing the two.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Celeste Ng" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before-and-an-after-and-he-would/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Comparing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before-and-an-after-and-he-would/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/celeste-ng-1718_comparing_his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before_2625861.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/celeste-ng-1718_comparing_his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before_2625861.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d8b/celeste-ng-1718_comparing_his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before_2625861.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“His life had been divided into a before and an after, and he would always be comparing the two.” — Celeste Ng", "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": "Celeste Ng", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celeste-ng/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“His life had been divided into...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before-and-an-after-and-he-would/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celeste-ng/his-life-had-been-divided-into-a-before-and-an-after-and-he-would/#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 } } ] } ```