--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was like a game without an end. Inside…" description: "\"“It was like a game without an end. Inside each of the tens of thousands of identical cardboard boxes lay a puzzle waiting to be verified, or perhaps e..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/daniel-cole-38207_first-time_it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside_1871712.jpg" --- # It was like a game without an end. Inside each of the tens… ![“It was like a game without an end. Inside each of the tens of thousands of identical cardboard boxes lay a puzzle waiting to be verified, or perhaps even solved for the very first time. It was easier to focus upon the challenge that they posed to him rather than the distressing realisation that…” quote by Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/daniel-cole-38207_first-time_it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside_1871712.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/daniel-cole-38207_first-time_it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside_1871712.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/daniel-cole-38207_first-time_it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside_1871712.jpg) > ““It was like a game without an end. Inside each of the tens of thousands of identical cardboard boxes lay a puzzle waiting to be verified, or perhaps even solved for the very first time. It was easier to focus upon the challenge that they posed to him rather than the distressing realisation that each and every one of the uniform boxes represented a life lost, lives ruined, all lined up in a tidy row and enjoying the respectful silence like graves in a catacomb.”” [Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character treats endless identical boxes as puzzles, ignoring the tragic loss they symbolize, focusing on challenge over empathy. **In simple terms:** Obsessed with solving puzzles, ignoring human cost. Key Takeaway Balance curiosity with compassion. Themes obsession puzzle solving dehumanization empathy morality Mood thoughtful somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - workplace - research labs - creative projects - ethical decision making - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism psychology ethical dilemma Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to ignore human loss for a challenge? - How can we stay empathetic in repetitive tasks? A Different Perspective Risk of becoming numb to suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes/) [Boxes Lay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes-lay-2587018/) [Cardboard boxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cardboard-boxes/) [First time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-time/) [Identical Cardboard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/identical-cardboard-2587019/) [Life Lost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-lost/) [Puzzle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/puzzle/) [Uniform Boxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uniform-boxes-2587017/) ## Related quotes > [I could party in a cardboard box with people who are funny and don't care. For me, it's really about who I surround myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha/i-could-party-in-a-cardboard-box-with-people-who-are-funny-and-don-t/) [Kesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesha/) > [Secure web servers are the equivalent of heavy armoured cars. The problem is, they are being used to transfer rolls of coins and cheques…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/secure-web-servers-are-the-equivalent-of-heavy-armoured-cars-the/) [Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/) > [Now I got a time machine at home. It only goes foreword at regular speed. It's essentially a cardboard box and on the outside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/now-i-got-a-time-machine-at-home-it-only-goes-foreword-at-regular/) [Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/) > [My first acting experience was a non-speaking role as a robot. My costume was a cardboard box covered in tinfoil, but I was so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-raine/my-first-acting-experience-was-a-non-speaking-role-as-a-robot-my/) [Jessica Raine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-raine/) > [I don't live for stuff and things, and if I had to live in a cardboard box, I would put curtains on it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmen-dell-orefice/i-don-t-live-for-stuff-and-things-and-if-i-had-to-live-in-a-cardboard/) [Carmen Dell'Orefice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmen-dell-orefice/) > [ Cryptography \[without system integrity\] is like investing in an armored car to carry money between a customer living in a cardboard box and a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/cryptography-without-system-integrity-is-like-investing-in-an-armored/) [Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/) > [I could find David Beckham naked in a cardboard box on my doorstep and I would drop him off at the pound.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olivia-wilde/i-could-find-david-beckham-naked-in-a-cardboard-box-on-my-doorstep/) [Olivia Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olivia-wilde/) > [I feel as though the cardboard box of my own reality has been flattened and blown open. Now I can see the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hiddleston/i-feel-as-though-the-cardboard-box-of-my-own-reality-has-been/) [Tom Hiddleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hiddleston/) > [My first playpen was a cardboard box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-chin/my-first-playpen-was-a-cardboard-box/) [Michael Lee-Chin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-chin/) > [Using encryption on the Internet is the equivalent of arranging an armored car to deliver credit card information from someone living in a cardboard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-spafford/using-encryption-on-the-internet-is-the-equivalent-of-arranging-an/) [Gene Spafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-spafford/) > [My study is a converted garage which is largely lined with bookshelves and cardboard boxes filled with manuscripts of my film scripts, plays and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-nicholson/my-study-is-a-converted-garage-which-is-largely-lined-with/) [William Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-nicholson/) > [I wish I could Buy Time - just write a cheque, and a few days later a brown cardboard box would arrive at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/i-wish-i-could-buy-time-just-write-a-cheque-and-a-few-days-later-a/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [God is in the slums, in the cardboard boxes where the poor play house. God is in the silence of a mother who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bono/god-is-in-the-slums-in-the-cardboard-boxes-where-the-poor-play-house/) [Bono](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bono/) > [Then, finally, the third year, begging the parents, I got the Superman Halloween costume. Cardboard box, self-made top, mask included. Remember the rubber band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-seinfeld/then-finally-the-third-year-begging-the-parents-i-got-the-superman/) [Jerry Seinfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-seinfeld/) > [One thing a computer can do that most humans can't is be sealed up in a cardboard box and sit in a warehouse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/one-thing-a-computer-can-do-that-most-humans-can-t-is-be-sealed-up-in/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) ## More by Daniel Cole > [“There is a difference between corruption and desperation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/there-is-a-difference-between-corruption-and-desperation/) [Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) > [“You watch the man that you were charged to protect die in front of your eyes and then the person responsible announces their intention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/you-watch-the-man-that-you-were-charged-to-protect-die-in-front-of/) [Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) > [ “\[...\] over the years I’ve seen so many otherwise “good” people doing horrible things to each other – husbands strangling cheating wives, brothers protecting… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/over-the-years-i-ve-seen-so-many-otherwise-good-people-doing-horrible/) [Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) > [“Seven dead bodies and, so far, the only murder weapons are an inhaler, flowers and a fish.’ Simmons shook his head incredulously. ‘Remember the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/seven-dead-bodies-and-so-far-the-only-murder-weapons-are-an-inhaler/) [Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) > [“So tell me, if you’re the Devil, what does that make me?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/so-tell-me-if-you-re-the-devil-what-does-that-make-me/) [Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) > [“My grandpa used to say: “A man without enemies is a man without principals.”’ ‘Wise words,’ nodded Wolf. He felt exhausted by their fleeting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/my-grandpa-used-to-say-a-man-without-enemies-is-a-man-without/) [Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) > [“That there are no “good” people. There are just those who haven’t been pushed far enough yet, and those that have.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/that-there-are-no-good-people-there-are-just-those-who-haven-t-been/) [Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) > [“Never underestimate the power of public opinion and the eagerness of the people in charge to bow to it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/never-underestimate-the-power-of-public-opinion-and-the-eagerness-of/) [Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) > [“Perhaps ‘normal’ people had more control over their emotions. Perhaps what he considered normal, in fact, wasn’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/perhaps-normal-people-had-more-control-over-their-emotions-perhaps/) [Daniel Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) [Explore all 10 Daniel Cole quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/) ## More Boxes quotes > [ The best way to marginalize the Muslim Brotherhood \[in Egypt\] is in the ballot box, not through arrests and killing people. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ayotte/the-best-way-to-marginalize-the-muslim-brotherhood-in-egypt-is-in-the/) [Kelly Ayotte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ayotte/) > [When I step into the batters box. The fans, the noise, the cheers, they all disappear. For that moment, the world is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/when-i-step-into-the-batters-box-the-fans-the-noise-the-cheers-they/) [Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft-shelley/) > [I separated the joints, the arm joints, the leg joints, and had to do two boilings. I think I used four boxes of Soilex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-dahmer/i-separated-the-joints-the-arm-joints-the-leg-joints-and-had-to-do/) [Jeffrey Dahmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-dahmer/) > [In a library we are surrounded by many hundreds of dear friends, but they are imprisoned by an enchanter in these paper and leathern…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-library-we-are-surrounded-by-many-hundreds-of-dear-friends-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [He decided then that he would love her forever no matter what came to pass. It was not so much a matter of deciding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guterson/he-decided-then-that-he-would-love-her-forever-no-matter-what-came-to/) [David Guterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guterson/) > [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [I have nothing but praise for the boy. He is easily the best player in the world. His contribution as a goal threat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-ferguson/i-have-nothing-but-praise-for-the-boy-he-is-easily-the-best-player-in/) [Alex Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-ferguson/) > [The recurrent laryngeal nerve - which runs from the head to the voice box - goes all the way down into the chest, loops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/the-recurrent-laryngeal-nerve-which-runs-from-the-head-to-the-voice/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [The library is the biggest cracker box factory in the world. The more you eat, the more you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-library-is-the-biggest-cracker-box-factory-in-the-world-the-more/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [3 people get stranded on a remote Island A Banker, a Daily Mail reader & an Asylum seeker All they have to eat is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/3-people-get-stranded-on-a-remote-island-a-banker-a-daily-mail-reader/) [Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/) > [Unpleasant questions are being raised about Mother's Day. Is this day necessary? . . . Isn't it bad public policy? . . . No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-baker/unpleasant-questions-are-being-raised-about-mother-s-day-is-this-day/) [Russell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-baker/) > [I could party in a cardboard box with people who are funny and don't care. For me, it's really about who I surround myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha/i-could-party-in-a-cardboard-box-with-people-who-are-funny-and-don-t/) [Kesha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kesha/) > [The minister's brain is often the "poor-box" of the church.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/the-minister-s-brain-is-often-the-poor-box-of-the-church/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [A token of love comes in a box because love itself cannot be contained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/binnie-kirshenbaum/a-token-of-love-comes-in-a-box-because-love-itself-cannot-be-contained/) [Binnie Kirshenbaum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/binnie-kirshenbaum/) > [I'd just like to see athletes awake. And aware. There's so much going on and so much to know... We stay in our little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-d-just-like-to-see-athletes-awake-and-aware-there-s-so-much-going/) [Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/) [Browse all 2,146 Boxes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boxes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was like a game without an end. Inside each of the tens of thousands of identical cardboard boxes lay a puzzle waiting to be verified, or perhaps even solved for the very first time. It was easier to focus upon the challenge that they posed to him rather than the distressing realisation that each and every one of the uniform boxes represented a life lost, lives ruined, all lined up in a tidy row and enjoying the respectful silence like graves in a catacomb.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daniel Cole" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside-each-of-the-tens-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boxes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside-each-of-the-tens-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/daniel-cole-38207_first-time_it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside_1871712.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/daniel-cole-38207_first-time_it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside_1871712.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab6/daniel-cole-38207_first-time_it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside_1871712.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was like a game without an end. Inside each of the tens of thousands of identical cardboard boxes lay a…” — Daniel Cole", "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": "Daniel Cole", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-cole/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was like a game without...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside-each-of-the-tens-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-cole/it-was-like-a-game-without-an-end-inside-each-of-the-tens-of/#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 } } ] } ```