---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What was the point of being a mind…"
description: "\"“What was the point of being a mind anchored to this read weight-or dying weight, that was it, a blooby mass already becoming old, bubbling with latent..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/daryl-gregory-10433_brick-wall_what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-ancho_284335.jpg"
---

#  What was the point of being a mind anchored to this read…

![“What was the point of being a mind anchored to this read weight-or dying weight, that was it, a blooby mass already becoming old, bubbling with latent cancers, each cell wall ready too rupture like a cheap sandwich bag and spill its chemistry back into the soil. If people had to be trapped inside…” quote by Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/daryl-gregory-10433_brick-wall_what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-ancho_284335.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/daryl-gregory-10433_brick-wall_what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-ancho_284335.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/daryl-gregory-10433_brick-wall_what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-ancho_284335.jpg)

> ““What was the point of being a mind anchored to this read weight-or dying weight, that was it, a blooby mass already becoming old, bubbling with latent cancers, each cell wall ready too rupture like a cheap sandwich bag and spill its chemistry back into the soil. If people had to be trapped inside something, why not a robot made of something dependable, something solid, like a brick wall?””

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Anchoring one’s mind to burdens creates decay; a dependable, solid construct like a robot offers stability.

**In simple terms:** Heavy mental burdens cause decay; solid constructs bring stability.

Key Takeaway

Seek stable, reliable foundations.

Themes

burden stability identity

Mood

reflective serious

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- stress management
- career planning
- health routines
- technology adoption

Key Concepts

psychology existentialism resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- What “brick wall” could you build?
- How to stay flexible within stability?

A Different Perspective

Stability can become rigidity, limiting growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Becoming Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming-old/) [Brick wall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brick-wall/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Robot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/robot/)

## Related quotes

> [Don't just be like another Brick in the wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-just-be-like-another-brick-in-the-wall/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If I dream that I'm directing, it's not a film, it's like a commercial for cotton candy, and I've got four feet of cotton…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-birbiglia/if-i-dream-that-i-m-directing-it-s-not-a-film-it-s-like-a-commercial/)

[Mike Birbiglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-birbiglia/)

> [We Stand Together Like A Brick Wall, Side By Side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ms-freshie/we-stand-together-like-a-brick-wall-side-by-side/)

Ms\_Freshie

> [“She thought about how it was to have been a woman in the prime of life, with children and a man, and then to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/she-thought-about-how-it-was-to-have-been-a-woman-in-the-prime-of/)

[Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/)

> [Driving is something really special for me. Even women doesn't excite me as much as racing cars! I guess I'm just becoming old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michele-alboreto/driving-is-something-really-special-for-me-even-women-doesn-t-excite/)

Michele Alboreto

> [You can't help getting older, but you can help yourself from becoming old and infirm, in mind as well as body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-collins/you-can-t-help-getting-older-but-you-can-help-yourself-from-becoming/)

[Joan Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-collins/)

> [“That morning, he was afraid of becoming old, and it was a very specific kind of old age he feared, one which had nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-alarcon/that-morning-he-was-afraid-of-becoming-old-and-it-was-a-very-specific/)

[Daniel Alarcón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-alarcon/)

> [You know what they say about bold spacemen never becoming old spacemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poul-anderson/you-know-what-they-say-about-bold-spacemen-never-becoming-old-spacemen/)

[Poul Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/poul-anderson/)

> [For thousands of years, we have gained the power to control the world outside us but not to control the world inside. You could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/for-thousands-of-years-we-have-gained-the-power-to-control-the-world/)

[Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/)

> [The fear of becoming old is born of the recognition that one is not living now the life that one wishes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/the-fear-of-becoming-old-is-born-of-the-recognition-that-one-is-not/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [The truth is that in my job, becoming old and becoming extinct are one and the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cher/the-truth-is-that-in-my-job-becoming-old-and-becoming-extinct-are-one/)

[Cher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cher/)

> [The older I get, the more fun it is to write young people. It's just a holiday from what is becoming old age, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-davies/the-older-i-get-the-more-fun-it-is-to-write-young-people-it-s-just-a/)

[Andrew Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-davies/)

> [“She returned many years later. So much time had passed that the smell of musk in the room had blended in with the smell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/she-returned-many-years-later-so-much-time-had-passed-that-the-smell/)

[Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/)

> [“neither is the substance nor the essence of the creation annihilated (for faithful and true is He who has established it), but “the fashion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-church-fathers/neither-is-the-substance-nor-the-essence-of-the-creation-annihilated/)

The Church Fathers

> [“I am becoming old and queer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/i-am-becoming-old-and-queer/)

[Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/)

## More by Daryl Gregory

> [“The human egg is a Mrs. Bennet, desperate to marry off her daughters...It is a truth universally acknowledged that a sperm must be in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-human-egg-is-a-mrs-bennet-desperate-to-marry-off-her-daughters-it/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“He lit the cigarette and inhaled gratefully. "You want one?" "No thanks. Had a touch of the cancer a few years ago." "What kind?"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/he-lit-the-cigarette-and-inhaled-gratefully-you-want-one-no-thanks/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“startled awake. Ollie froze for a moment, staring in his direction. The kid scrunched his face and yawned like a bear. I said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/startled-awake-ollie-froze-for-a-moment-staring-in-his-direction-the/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“Fayza leaned in, squinting, as if she didn’t hear me correctly: one of the library of power moves that adults used to signal that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/fayza-leaned-in-squinting-as-if-she-didn-t-hear-me-correctly-one-of/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“The business travelers, however, were all business, from their business jacket to their business skirts and their skinny business shoes. They sliced through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-business-travelers-however-were-all-business-from-their-business/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [Every other writer's process is sort of vaguely scary and appalling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/every-other-writer-s-process-is-sort-of-vaguely-scary-and-appalling/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“There was a scientist who did not believe in gods or fairies or supernatural creatures of any sort. But she had once known an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/there-was-a-scientist-who-did-not-believe-in-gods-or-fairies-or/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“A BS in any neuroscience without a master's or PhD was a three-legged dog of a degree: pitiable, adorable, and capable of inspiring applause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/a-bs-in-any-neuroscience-without-a-master-s-or-phd-was-a-three-legged/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“Frankie did as he was told. He popped the last three cubes form a tray and slid the empty container back into the freezer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/frankie-did-as-he-was-told-he-popped-the-last-three-cubes-form-a-tray/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [The best aunts aren't substitute parents, they're co-conspirators.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-best-aunts-aren-t-substitute-parents-they-re-co-conspirators/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“Then they were off again, across the unbroken sprawl of Chicagoland, a single city made up of interlocking strip malls, decorated at random intervals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/then-they-were-off-again-across-the-unbroken-sprawl-of-chicagoland-a/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“You know why I’m raising you kids to be Cubs fans?” Buddy shakes his head. “Any mook can be a fan of a winning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/you-know-why-i-m-raising-you-kids-to-be-cubs-fans-buddy-shakes-his/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“The gun, my young friend, is that dark cousin of the placebo, the nocebo. If a placebo provides false benefits, the nocebo imparts false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/the-gun-my-young-friend-is-that-dark-cousin-of-the-placebo-the-nocebo/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“I met him in the hospital.' I saw the eyebrow raise in my peripheral vision. 'Yeah, that hospital. He believes that powerful telepaths are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/i-met-him-in-the-hospital-i-saw-the-eyebrow-raise-in-my-peripheral/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

> [“Divine essence?' I said. 'Hey, I'm Fat Boy, I'll possess a guy and make him eat ten pounds of chocolate in one sitting! Yeah,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/divine-essence-i-said-hey-i-m-fat-boy-i-ll-possess-a-guy-and-make-him/)

[Daryl Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

[Explore all 65 Daryl Gregory quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/)

## More Brick wall quotes

> [“he can see through a brick wall in time (as they say in Bree). But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/he-can-see-through-a-brick-wall-in-time-as-they-say-in-bree-but/)

[J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/)

> [“How did you know it was me?” she asked. “My dear Professor, I’ve never seen a cat sit so stiffly.” “You’d be stiff if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-k-rowling/how-did-you-know-it-was-me-she-asked-my-dear-professor-i-ve-never/)

[J.K. Rowling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-k-rowling/)

> [I am always really buzzed after each performance, and at around one in the morning, Ill hit a brick wall and need to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattie-morahan/i-am-always-really-buzzed-after-each-performance-and-at-around-one-in/)

[Hattie Morahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattie-morahan/)

> [I still have the desire to do the job of acting. It's just a matter of whether I'll be allowed to do the job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-coleman/i-still-have-the-desire-to-do-the-job-of-acting-it-s-just-a-matter-of/)

[Gary Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-coleman/)

> [Vladimir Putin is a smart guy. I don't like him, smart guy. He is going to advance the cause of Russia until he hits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-kinzinger/vladimir-putin-is-a-smart-guy-i-don-t-like-him-smart-guy-he-is-going/)

[Adam Kinzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-kinzinger/)

> [I fell down the stairs of the one level mental institute.so they put me in the safe cusion room but they found a bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-mcswain/i-fell-down-the-stairs-of-the-one-level-mental-institute-so-they-put/)

Trinity McSwain

> [If you don't break a hole through the brick wall, don't just start digging a new hole. Keep going until you break through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-simmons/if-you-don-t-break-a-hole-through-the-brick-wall-don-t-just-start/)

[Russell Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-simmons/)

> [“The brick walls are there for a reason. they're not there to keep us out. The brick walls are there to give us a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/the-brick-walls-are-there-for-a-reason-they-re-not-there-to-keep-us/)

[Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/)

> [“I cursed. (S-word, f-word, s-word, d-word, s-word times three, f-word, and a z-word I made up on the spot.) I kicked a brick wall.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-strand/i-cursed-s-word-f-word-s-word-d-word-s-word-times-three-f-word-and-a/)

[Jeff Strand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-strand/)

> [People who avoid the brick walls - all power to ya, but we all have to hit them sometimes in order to push through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-aniston/people-who-avoid-the-brick-walls-all-power-to-ya-but-we-all-have-to/)

[Jennifer Aniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-aniston/)

> [“Shortly after this exchange my roommate suggested we start throwing water balloons at the construction workers. Not really at them because, I know, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/shortly-after-this-exchange-my-roommate-suggested-we-start-throwing/)

[Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/)

> [“...when you’re property-hunting and you’re running out of patience it’s easy to make bad decisions. New York in particular has a way of making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-ryder-howe/when-you-re-property-hunting-and-you-re-running-out-of-patience-it-s/)

Ben Ryder Howe

> [“If ants had a language they would, no doubt, call their anthill an artifact and describe the brick wall in its neighborhood as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-ants-had-a-language-they-would-no-doubt-call-their-anthill-an/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [“Martha would come over every week and check on Mia and work with her on relaxation and breathing exercises to prepare for the natural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-carlino/martha-would-come-over-every-week-and-check-on-mia-and-work-with-her/)

[Renee Carlino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-carlino/)

> [“Grief is nothing but a painful waiting, a horrible patience. Grief cannot be torn down or scaled or overcome or outsmarted. It can only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle-melton/grief-is-nothing-but-a-painful-waiting-a-horrible-patience-grief/)

[Glennon Doyle Melton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle-melton/)

[Browse all 253 Brick wall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brick-wall/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“What was the point of being a mind anchored to this read weight-or dying weight, that was it, a blooby mass already becoming old, bubbling with latent cancers, each cell wall ready too rupture like a cheap sandwich bag and spill its chemistry back into the soil. If people had to be trapped inside something, why not a robot made of something dependable, something solid, like a brick wall?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Daryl Gregory"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-anchored-to-this-read-weight-or/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brick wall"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-anchored-to-this-read-weight-or/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/daryl-gregory-10433_brick-wall_what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-ancho_284335.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/daryl-gregory-10433_brick-wall_what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-ancho_284335.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22c/daryl-gregory-10433_brick-wall_what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-ancho_284335.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“What was the point of being a mind anchored to this read weight-or dying weight, that was it, a blooby mass…” — Daryl Gregory",
                "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": "Daryl Gregory",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-gregory/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“What was the point of being...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-anchored-to-this-read-weight-or/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-gregory/what-was-the-point-of-being-a-mind-anchored-to-this-read-weight-or/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
