---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That is, Jack thought, the way of life…"
description: "\"That is, Jack thought, the way of life. The horror changes us, because we can never forget. Cursed with memory. It starts when we're old enough to know..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/dean-koontz-118_death_that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the_352761.jpg"
---

#  That is, Jack thought, the way of life. The horror changes…

![“That is, Jack thought, the way of life. The horror changes us, because we can never forget. Cursed with memory. It starts when we're old enough to know what death is and realize that sooner or later we'll lose everyone we love. We're never the same. But somehow we're all right. We go on.” quote by Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/dean-koontz-118_death_that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the_352761.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/dean-koontz-118_death_that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the_352761.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/dean-koontz-118_death_that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the_352761.jpg)

> “That is, Jack thought, the way of life. The horror changes us, because we can never forget. Cursed with memory. It starts when we're old enough to know what death is and realize that sooner or later we'll lose everyone we love. We're never the same. But somehow we're all right. We go on.”

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote reflects on how confronting horror and loss reshapes us, yet we continue living despite the pain of memory and inevitable loss.

**In simple terms:** Horror changes us, but we keep living.

Key Takeaway

Accept change, keep moving forward.

Themes

loss memory resilience humanity

Mood

somber reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- elderly confronting mortality
- coping with trauma
- support groups
- personal growth

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology grief

Questions to Reflect On

- How does memory shape your identity?
- What helps you find meaning after loss?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook the possibility of healing beyond mere endurance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Memory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memory/) [Sooner or later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-or-later/) [Way of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way-of-life/)

## Related quotes

> [Horror is always the same. It changes with the culture and changes with technology. The stories are always the same. There are just two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-carpenter/horror-is-always-the-same-it-changes-with-the-culture-and-changes/)

[John Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-carpenter/)

> [“That’s the beauty of mountain climbing, Jack thought. It strips away the ego. You can’t tell the true measure of a human being until…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-tinto/that-s-the-beauty-of-mountain-climbing-jack-thought-it-strips-away/)

Kevin Tinto

> [“Jack thought of his wife, filled with nothing but sorrow, wandering the earth remembering the dead and happier times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-solomons/jack-thought-of-his-wife-filled-with-nothing-but-sorrow-wandering-the/)

[Natasha Solomons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-solomons/)

> [“Collin! What a gorgeous name. Then again his name could have been Cracker Jack and I would have thought it was just as wonderful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gulla/collin-what-a-gorgeous-name-then-again-his-name-could-have-been/)

[Nicole Gulla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gulla/)

> [“How terrible, Jack thought, to be old and know that your life has been wasted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and-know-that-your-life-has-been/)

[Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/)

> [“Maybe I could be a ninja assassin too, Jack thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seville/maybe-i-could-be-a-ninja-assassin-too-jack-thought/)

[Jane Seville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seville/)

> [We’d turn our lives into a terrible adventure. A true-life horror story with a happy ending. A trial we’d survive to talk about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-d-turn-our-lives-into-a-terrible-adventure-a-true-life-horror/)

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

> [I never attended a creative writing class in my life. I have a horror of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/i-never-attended-a-creative-writing-class-in-my-life-i-have-a-horror/)

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

> [Life is a horror for the Korean people. And I think isolating them further is going to make life more miserable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-scheer/life-is-a-horror-for-the-korean-people-and-i-think-isolating-them/)

[Robert Scheer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-scheer/)

> [The dark side of life, and the horror of it, belonged to a world that lay remote from his own select little atmosphere of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/algernon-blackwood/the-dark-side-of-life-and-the-horror-of-it-belonged-to-a-world-that/)

[Algernon Blackwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/algernon-blackwood/)

> [I think the saddest thing in the world will be for people who face their death and realize they never lived. That won't be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delilah/i-think-the-saddest-thing-in-the-world-will-be-for-people-who-face/)

[Delilah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delilah/)

> [Suddenly you’re ripped into being alive. And life is pain, and life is suffering, and life is horror, but my god you’re alive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/suddenly-you-re-ripped-into-being-alive-and-life-is-pain-and-life-is/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [I was smoking a huge amount and having real bad premonitions and then I got this role where the guy dies of cancer. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerard-butler/i-was-smoking-a-huge-amount-and-having-real-bad-premonitions-and-then/)

[Gerard Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerard-butler/)

> [“Horror can be contained within a book, given form and meaning. But in life horror has no more form than it does meaning. Horror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-flanagan/horror-can-be-contained-within-a-book-given-form-and-meaning-but-in/)

[Richard Flanagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-flanagan/)

> [“Can you imagine life without the horror genre? There would be no monsters. Only a\*\*holes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-a-arnzen/can-you-imagine-life-without-the-horror-genre-there-would-be-no/)

Michael A. Arnzen

## More by Dean Koontz

> [“This kind of derangement is emblematic of humankind. Grave faults are said to be only eccentricities, and imperfections are routinely celebrated as mere differences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-kind-of-derangement-is-emblematic-of-humankind-grave-faults-are/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“He often remembered his dad's admonition that envy was mental theft. If you coveted another man's possessions, Dad said, then you should be willing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/he-often-remembered-his-dad-s-admonition-that-envy-was-mental-theft/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [What really holds their marriage together are mutual respect of an awesome depth, a shared sense of humor, faith that they were brought together…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/what-really-holds-their-marriage-together-are-mutual-respect-of-an/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Her mother said that three great powers kept the universe going. The first and the strongest was God. Each of the two additional powers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/her-mother-said-that-three-great-powers-kept-the-universe-going-the/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“I stopped keeping an eye out for Santa Claus on Christmas Eve because, when I was five, my mother told me that Santa was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/i-stopped-keeping-an-eye-out-for-santa-claus-on-christmas-eve-because/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“To one degree or another, I have been happy most of my life, in part because the world has infinite charms if you wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/to-one-degree-or-another-i-have-been-happy-most-of-my-life-in-part/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“This life is just a bootcamp, to test and toughen us, to prepare us for the next life of service in some great adventure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/this-life-is-just-a-bootcamp-to-test-and-toughen-us-to-prepare-us-for/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“A madman should have a madman’s laugh, not the warm chuckle of a favorite uncle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/a-madman-should-have-a-madman-s-laugh-not-the-warm-chuckle-of-a/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Nothing is predetermined for us, and yet all our possible choices are threads in the vast weave of things, so that we have free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/nothing-is-predetermined-for-us-and-yet-all-our-possible-choices-are/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“In fact, time teaches us that the musical score of life oscillates between that of Psycho and that of The Sound of Music, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/in-fact-time-teaches-us-that-the-musical-score-of-life-oscillates/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Some will accuse me of being judgmental. Thank you. And proud of it. You wreck a kid's life, I have no pity for you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/some-will-accuse-me-of-being-judgmental-thank-you-and-proud-of-it-you/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Waiting is one of the things that humans beings cannot do well, though it is one of the essential things we must do successfully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/waiting-is-one-of-the-things-that-humans-beings-cannot-do-well-though/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

> [“Dogs know we need to give affection as much as they need to receive it. They were the first therapists; they've been in practice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/dogs-know-we-need-to-give-affection-as-much-as-they-need-to-receive/)

[Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

[Explore all 1,233 Dean Koontz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/)

## More Death quotes

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

J. Anthony Torino

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

Alan W. Powers

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "That is, Jack thought, the way of life. The horror changes us, because we can never forget. Cursed with memory. It starts when we're old enough to know what death is and realize that sooner or later we'll lose everyone we love. We're never the same. But somehow we're all right. We go on.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Dean Koontz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the-horror-changes-us-because-we/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the-horror-changes-us-because-we/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/dean-koontz-118_death_that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the_352761.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/dean-koontz-118_death_that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the_352761.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e0/dean-koontz-118_death_that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the_352761.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That is, Jack thought, the way of life. The horror changes us, because we can never forget. Cursed with…” — Dean Koontz",
                "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": "Dean Koontz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "That is, Jack thought, the way...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the-horror-changes-us-because-we/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/that-is-jack-thought-the-way-of-life-the-horror-changes-us-because-we/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
