---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Live long enough and you'll disappoint…"
description: "\"Live long enough and you'll disappoint everyone. People think you're able to help them and usually you can't. And so it becomes a process of choosing t..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/dave-eggers-638_able_live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-e_2733695.jpg"
---

#  Live long enough and you'll disappoint everyone. People…

![“Live long enough and you'll disappoint everyone. People think you're able to help them and usually you can't. And so it becomes a process of choosing the one or two people you try hardest not to disappoint. The person in my life I am determined not to disappoint is you.” quote by Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/dave-eggers-638_able_live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-e_2733695.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/dave-eggers-638_able_live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-e_2733695.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/dave-eggers-638_able_live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-e_2733695.jpg)

> “Live long enough and you'll disappoint everyone. People think you're able to help them and usually you can't. And so it becomes a process of choosing the one or two people you try hardest not to disappoint. The person in my life I am determined not to disappoint is you.”

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

## About This Quote

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

Living long leads to many disappointments; focus on not letting down a specific loved one.

**In simple terms:** Long life brings disappointments; protect one dear person from being let down.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize and protect key relationships.

Themes

disappointment relationships commitment

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

personal philosophical

When to use this quote

- friendship
- family
- personal boundaries
- emotional health

Key Concepts

ethics human connection

Questions to Reflect On

- Who truly matters to you?
- How do you set realistic expectations?

A Different Perspective

Balancing many expectations is challenging.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Determined](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/determined/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [Even when I was Archbishop of Wales and working with new bishops, I used to say, not realising quite how true it was, 'One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/even-when-i-was-archbishop-of-wales-and-working-with-new-bishops-i/)

[Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/)

> [I feel I disappoint people when I am not 'Samantha.' They seem surprised when I don't have the same voice and the same mannerisms.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/i-feel-i-disappoint-people-when-i-am-not-samantha-they-seem-surprised/)

[Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/)

> [Josie, life is not a Mills and Boon book. People fall out of love. People disappoint other people and they find it very hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melina-marchetta/josie-life-is-not-a-mills-and-boon-book-people-fall-out-of-love/)

[Melina Marchetta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melina-marchetta/)

> [I seem to disappoint people a bit. They want the full regalia - but I don't walk around in a corset the whole time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-o-connor/i-seem-to-disappoint-people-a-bit-they-want-the-full-regalia-but-i/)

[Erin O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-o-connor/)

> [You're so convinced you'll disappoint people if you show them that you're not perfect. You don't realize you are perfect. Your imperfections are what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-duff/you-re-so-convinced-you-ll-disappoint-people-if-you-show-them-that/)

[Hilary Duff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-duff/)

> [I am afraid I shall disappoint people's expectations dreadfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-morgan/i-am-afraid-i-shall-disappoint-people-s-expectations-dreadfully/)

[Jude Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-morgan/)

> [If while alive you hurt or disappoint people you love, there's no use continuing such behavior when you're dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-swofford/if-while-alive-you-hurt-or-disappoint-people-you-love-there-s-no-use/)

[Anthony Swofford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-swofford/)

> [In my little world, I'm very protected 'cause I'm treated like the idiot I am by my buddies. But, a little bit outside that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/devendra-banhart/in-my-little-world-i-m-very-protected-cause-i-m-treated-like-the/)

[Devendra Banhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/devendra-banhart/)

> [It is better to disappoint people with the truth than to appease them with a lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/it-is-better-to-disappoint-people-with-the-truth-than-to-appease-them/)

[Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/)

> [When you bite off only what you can chew, you're going to disappoint people. Guess what? Not your problem. You're not doing anything wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-carr/when-you-bite-off-only-what-you-can-chew-you-re-going-to-disappoint/)

[Kris Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-carr/)

> [Any leaders who disappoint the people, ideals and promises by which they were appointed are by definition themselves dis-appointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanna-bonta/any-leaders-who-disappoint-the-people-ideals-and-promises-by-which/)

[Vanna Bonta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanna-bonta/)

> [I don't like to disappoint people but people like to disappoint me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-marcellin/i-don-t-like-to-disappoint-people-but-people-like-to-disappoint-me/)

[Sam Marcellin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-marcellin/)

> [There are people who expect me to look the way I do on-screen, where I have a great director of photography and fantastic lighting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-zeta-jones/there-are-people-who-expect-me-to-look-the-way-i-do-on-screen-where-i/)

[Catherine Zeta-Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-zeta-jones/)

> [You have no idea what it is like to constantly disappoint people. You see it the moment you meet them. You see in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/you-have-no-idea-what-it-is-like-to-constantly-disappoint-people-you/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“Being selfish isn’t choosing yourself over other people. Being selfish" is expecting other people to choose you over themselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/being-selfish-isn-t-choosing-yourself-over-other-people-being-selfish/)

[Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/)

## More by Dave Eggers

> [“4. THE CRUMBLING WALL (Hamburger, prepared medium well, with bacon and barbecue sauce. Courtesy of that place on Solano, where, it should be mentioned,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/4-the-crumbling-wall-hamburger-prepared-medium-well-with-bacon-and/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [“LOW-FLYING, QUICK-MOVING CLOUDS: I haven't long to live. TREETOPS, ROUNDED AND ROUGH: That's probably true. LOW-FLYING, QUICK-MOVING CLOUDS: I won't even make it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/low-flying-quick-moving-clouds-i-haven-t-long-to-live-treetops/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [But the grind has begun. The windows don’t open, and even the availability of near-constant jokes about Jews and Mormons fails to stem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/but-the-grind-has-begun-the-windows-don-t-open-and-even-the/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [“One button for the rest of your life online.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/one-button-for-the-rest-of-your-life-online/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [We feel that to reveal embarrassing or private things, we have given someone something, that, like a primitive person fearing that a photographer will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/we-feel-that-to-reveal-embarrassing-or-private-things-we-have-given/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [I think I'm far too hopeful and trusting. That's something I got from my mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/i-think-i-m-far-too-hopeful-and-trusting-that-s-something-i-got-from/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [“Overnight, all comment boards became civil, all posters held accountable. The trolls, who had more or less overtaken the internet, were driven back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/overnight-all-comment-boards-became-civil-all-posters-held/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [“Have we wasted precious space dust on you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/have-we-wasted-precious-space-dust-on-you/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [“What can one do with one's hands when the camera is interested in other things?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/what-can-one-do-with-one-s-hands-when-the-camera-is-interested-in/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [“The money that could have saved the Shuttle, and the money we send to random countries, that we use to remake unchangeable countries ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-money-that-could-have-saved-the-shuttle-and-the-money-we-send-to/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [Write your goddamned book now. The world awaits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/write-your-goddamned-book-now-the-world-awaits/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [The only infallible truth of our lives is that everything we love in life will be taken from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-only-infallible-truth-of-our-lives-is-that-everything-we-love-in/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [“First of all: I am tired. I am true of heart! And Also: You are tired. You are true of heart!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/first-of-all-i-am-tired-i-am-true-of-heart-and-also-you-are-tired-you/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [And what we were trying to offer every day was one-on-one attention. The goal was to have a one-to-one ratio with every one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/and-what-we-were-trying-to-offer-every-day-was-one-on-one-attention/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

> [Suffering is only suffering if it’s done in silence, in solitude. Pain experienced in public, in view of loving millions, was no longer pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/suffering-is-only-suffering-if-it-s-done-in-silence-in-solitude-pain/)

[Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

[Explore all 428 Dave Eggers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/)

[Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

Greg Perry

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

Browse all 17,257 Able quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Live long enough and you'll disappoint everyone. People think you're able to help them and usually you can't. And so it becomes a process of choosing the one or two people you try hardest not to disappoint. The person in my life I am determined not to disappoint is you.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dave Eggers"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-everyone-people-think-you-re/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-everyone-people-think-you-re/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/dave-eggers-638_able_live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-e_2733695.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/dave-eggers-638_able_live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-e_2733695.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c77/dave-eggers-638_able_live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-e_2733695.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Live long enough and you'll disappoint everyone. People think you're able to help them and usually you…” — Dave Eggers",
                "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": "Dave Eggers",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Live long enough and you'll disappoint...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-everyone-people-think-you-re/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/live-long-enough-and-you-ll-disappoint-everyone-people-think-you-re/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
