--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I then return to my seat and something…" description: "\"“I then return to my seat and something happens to me-- something inside me is exhausted and worn and stops spinning and I break down and cry. I cry be..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/douglas-coupland-305_dark-ages_i-then-return-to-my-seat-and-something-h_277038.jpg" --- # I then return to my seat and something happens to me… ![“I then return to my seat and something happens to me-- something inside me is exhausted and worn and stops spinning and I break down and cry. I cry because the future has once again found its sparkle and grown a million times larger. And I cry because... of how badly I behaved during my own…” quote by Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/douglas-coupland-305_dark-ages_i-then-return-to-my-seat-and-something-h_277038.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/douglas-coupland-305_dark-ages_i-then-return-to-my-seat-and-something-h_277038.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/douglas-coupland-305_dark-ages_i-then-return-to-my-seat-and-something-h_277038.jpg) > ““I then return to my seat and something happens to me-- something inside me is exhausted and worn and stops spinning and I break down and cry. I cry because the future has once again found its sparkle and grown a million times larger. And I cry because... of how badly I behaved during my own personal Dark Ages-- back before I had a future and someone who cared for me from above. It is like today the sky opened up and only now am I allowed to enter.”” [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels emotional release when confronting personal past mistakes and glimpsing a hopeful future, recognizing growth beyond earlier darkness. **In simple terms:** Crying reflects confronting past flaws and seeing a brighter future. Key Takeaway Embrace vulnerability and hope. Themes self‑reflection growth hope Mood melancholic hopeful Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - creative writing - personal journaling - life transitions Key Concepts psychology personal development emotional release Questions to Reflect On - What past regrets still affect you? - How can you turn insight into forward motion? A Different Perspective Crying may not always lead to lasting change without action. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-ages/) [Future](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/future/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [You can build up or break down your future you may rise or fall depending on how much you are committed to and prepared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena/you-can-build-up-or-break-down-your-future-you-may-rise-or-fall/) [Lena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lena/) > [I don't want to be the one to break it to you, but the future ain't that funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/i-don-t-want-to-be-the-one-to-break-it-to-you-but-the-future-ain-t/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [“You’ve probably heard the expression, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” That phrase definitely was not coined by someone dedicated to personal growth.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/you-ve-probably-heard-the-expression-if-it-ain-t-broke-don-t-fix-it/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“-Just tell me. Do I break the future? -Oh, child. We all do. That is both the danger and the hope of life. That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/just-tell-me-do-i-break-the-future-oh-child-we-all-do-that-is-both/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [The incentive that you give to your youth is going to be the make-or-break future of the country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-incentive-that-you-give-to-your-youth-is-going-to-be-the-make-or/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wouldn't mind if the consumer culture went poof! overnight because then we'd all be in the same boat and life wouldn't be so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-wouldn-t-mind-if-the-consumer-culture-went-poof-overnight-because/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [I cry because the future has once again found its sparkle and has grown a million times larger. And I cry because I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-cry-because-the-future-has-once-again-found-its-sparkle-and-has/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“The store is also lit to the point of painfulness by a ceiling loaded with more fluorescent bulbs than a landing mothership. Shielding my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/the-store-is-also-lit-to-the-point-of-painfulness-by-a-ceiling-loaded/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [I like the present. I'm always interested in new ideas, and what's happening. I'm not nostalgic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-like-the-present-i-m-always-interested-in-new-ideas-and-what-s/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [The future and eternity are two entirely different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/the-future-and-eternity-are-two-entirely-different-things/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Public and private funds have been thrown around like confetti at a country fair, to close up and destroy clinics, hospitals, and scientific research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-fitzgerald/public-and-private-funds-have-been-thrown-around-like-confetti-at-a/) Benedict Fitzgerald > [“Doyle: "What is it now, then?" Cordelia: "Isn't java supposed to be a coffee?" Doyle: "Ready to abandon the the Web project?" Cordelia: "No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-passarella/doyle-what-is-it-now-then-cordelia-isn-t-java-supposed-to-be-a-coffee/) John Passarella > [Patton was living in the Dark Ages. Soldiers were peasants to him. I didn't like that attitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-mauldin/patton-was-living-in-the-dark-ages-soldiers-were-peasants-to-him-i/) [Bill Mauldin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-mauldin/) > [When I went to law school, which after all was back in the dark ages, we never looked beyond our borders for precedents. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sandra-day-o-connor/when-i-went-to-law-school-which-after-all-was-back-in-the-dark-ages/) [Sandra Day O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sandra-day-o-connor/) > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. Buckminster Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-buckminster-fuller/) ## More by Douglas Coupland > [And in your new lives you'll have to live entirely for that one sensation-that of imminent truth. And you're going to have to holler…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/and-in-your-new-lives-you-ll-have-to-live-entirely-for-that-one/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [A man in a bookstore buys a book on loneliness and every woman in the store hits on him. A woman buys a book…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/a-man-in-a-bookstore-buys-a-book-on-loneliness-and-every-woman-in-the/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [The future and eternity are two entirely different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/the-future-and-eternity-are-two-entirely-different-things/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Do you remember how you felt at seventeen? I do and I don't (...) 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You mean to tell me we can drive all the way here from L.A.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/negative-moi-i-think-realistic-might-be-a-better-word-you-mean-to/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [It was pivotal in making you but you don't remember it. Or do you? Do we understand the events that make us who we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/it-was-pivotal-in-making-you-but-you-don-t-remember-it-or-do-you-do/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Your ability to rationalize your own bad deeds makes you believe that the whole world is as amoral as you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/your-ability-to-rationalize-your-own-bad-deeds-makes-you-believe-that/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“I like to go beach-combing, and I like to find interestingly shaped rocks. When I really get into the groove I start finding beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-like-to-go-beach-combing-and-i-like-to-find-interestingly-shaped/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“You know, Dag and Claire smile a lot, as do many people I know. But I always wondered if there is something either mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/you-know-dag-and-claire-smile-a-lot-as-do-many-people-i-know-but-i/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [Brain research tells us that only twenty percent of human beings have a sense of irony, which means that eighty percent of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/brain-research-tells-us-that-only-twenty-percent-of-human-beings-have/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [I keep vampire hours, going to bed at 2 A.M. and waking up at about 10:30-11 A.M.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-keep-vampire-hours-going-to-bed-at-2-a-m-and-waking-up-at-about-10/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [“Anna-Louise leans over and whispers in my ear. "This is so surreal," she says, "I think I'm turning into a melting clock.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/anna-louise-leans-over-and-whispers-in-my-ear-this-is-so-surreal-she/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [When you grow up these days, you're told you're going to have four or five different careers during your lifetime. But what they don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/when-you-grow-up-these-days-you-re-told-you-re-going-to-have-four-or/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) [Explore all 704 Douglas Coupland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) ## More Dark ages quotes > [The dark ages still reign over all humanity, and the depth and persistence of this domination are only now becoming clear. This Dark Ages…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-buckminster-fuller/the-dark-ages-still-reign-over-all-humanity-and-the-depth-and/) [R. 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Cordelia: "No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-passarella/doyle-what-is-it-now-then-cordelia-isn-t-java-supposed-to-be-a-coffee/) John Passarella > [Public and private funds have been thrown around like confetti at a country fair, to close up and destroy clinics, hospitals, and scientific research…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-fitzgerald/public-and-private-funds-have-been-thrown-around-like-confetti-at-a/) Benedict Fitzgerald > [“A joke’s funny, right? That wasn’t. It’s perfectly okay for a woman to have a sexual appetite, to take the lead now and then.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shani-struthers/a-joke-s-funny-right-that-wasn-t-it-s-perfectly-okay-for-a-woman-to/) [Shani Struthers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shani-struthers/) > [Once Europe existed in a Dark Age and Islam carried the torch of learning. Now we Muslims live in a Dark age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahmud-tarzi/once-europe-existed-in-a-dark-age-and-islam-carried-the-torch-of/) Mahmud Tarzi > [I usually accept bribes from both sides so that tainted money can never influence my decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-usually-accept-bribes-from-both-sides-so-that-tainted-money-can/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [ “\[S\]he hardly deserved to be labeled a witch.' 'I find it hard to believe anyone could take such a thing seriously. This isn't the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-brockway/s-he-hardly-deserved-to-be-labeled-a-witch-i-find-it-hard-to-believe/) [Connie Brockway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-brockway/) > [“Without death there is little innovation. Extinction - death of a species - is part and parcel of evolutionary change. In the absence of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-fortey/without-death-there-is-little-innovation-extinction-death-of-a/) [Richard Fortey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-fortey/) > [...No one died from infection under Keen. ...He (Keen) began to chronicle the results in statistical articles. 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