---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: leaving people behind and forgetting them…"
description: "\"“leaving people behind and forgetting them piece by piece was just the way life worked.”\" — Edward W. Robertson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/edward-w-robertson-21038_life_leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-the_2214600.jpg"
---

#  leaving people behind and forgetting them piece by piece…

![“leaving people behind and forgetting them piece by piece was just the way life worked.” quote by Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/edward-w-robertson-21038_life_leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-the_2214600.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/edward-w-robertson-21038_life_leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-the_2214600.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/edward-w-robertson-21038_life_leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-the_2214600.jpg)

> ““leaving people behind and forgetting them piece by piece was just the way life worked.””

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

## About This Quote

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

People are gradually forgotten, reflecting life’s natural process of loss and separation.

**In simple terms:** People fade over time.

Key Takeaway

Accept loss as part of life.

Themes

loss memory impermanence relationships

Mood

sad reflective

Type

philosophical emotional

When to use this quote

- grieving
- friendship endings
- family estrangement
- career transitions

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology sociology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you honor those forgotten?
- Can forgetting be a choice?

A Different Perspective

Forgetting can be intentional or harmful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Forgetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/) [Forgetting Piece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting-piece-4917245/) [Leaving People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-people-278439/) [Leaving People Behind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaving-people-behind-226412/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-work/) [Life Worked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-worked-660177/) [People Forgetting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-forgetting-1462544/)

## Related quotes

> [Conservatism is not about leaving people behind. Conservatism is about empowering people to catch up, to give them the tools at their disposable that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/conservatism-is-not-about-leaving-people-behind-conservatism-is-about/)

[Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/)

> [The best part about being my age is in knowing how my life worked out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-best-part-about-being-my-age-is-in-knowing-how-my-life-worked-out-2/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

> [You don't get what you deserve - it would be amazing if life worked out that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-ghosn/you-don-t-get-what-you-deserve-it-would-be-amazing-if-life-worked-out/)

[Caroline Ghosn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-ghosn/)

> [“It was weird how life worked. It was sad how people treated one another. It was horrid how people didn’t see the loss of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aparajita-yadav/it-was-weird-how-life-worked-it-was-sad-how-people-treated-one/)

[Aparajita Yadav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aparajita-yadav/)

> [“Family life worked most clearly for us when we were alone, at the end of the day, reconnecting and shoring each other up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/family-life-worked-most-clearly-for-us-when-we-were-alone-at-the-end/)

[Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/)

> [“Fix was starting to see that this was the way life worked once you got older and the kids came; there wasn't as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-patchett/fix-was-starting-to-see-that-this-was-the-way-life-worked-once-you/)

[Ann Patchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-patchett/)

> [“It was his experience that life worked under the same guidelines as a capitalistic society. In order to get what you wanted, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-l-pickering-jr/it-was-his-experience-that-life-worked-under-the-same-guidelines-as-a/)

[Roy L. Pickering Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-l-pickering-jr/)

> [The best part about being my age is in knowing how my life worked out. Sure, there's a lot more living to go, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-adams/the-best-part-about-being-my-age-is-in-knowing-how-my-life-worked-out/)

[Scott Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-adams/)

> [One of the reasons I got into acting to begin with is that I was trying to figure out how life worked. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shannon/one-of-the-reasons-i-got-into-acting-to-begin-with-is-that-i-was/)

[Michael Shannon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shannon/)

> [“It is often advantageous to forget. Forget your wincing humiliations, forget life's blows, and get on. For blocks in every direction, down every street…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-godbersen/it-is-often-advantageous-to-forget-forget-your-wincing-humiliations/)

[Anna Godbersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-godbersen/)

> [“Why do I go on? Why I am doing this when I am 92 years and two months old? I could, after all, be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manolis-glezos/why-do-i-go-on-why-i-am-doing-this-when-i-am-92-years-and-two-months/)

[Manolis Glezos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manolis-glezos/)

> [I don't know if there's enough vision. Industry wide, the apathy regarding this recent problem is already setting in - shiny things are happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-de-raadt/i-don-t-know-if-there-s-enough-vision-industry-wide-the-apathy/)

[Theo de Raadt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-de-raadt/)

> [“People go on forgetting every phase in life. They draw the next phase and keep on forgetting the previous one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/people-go-on-forgetting-every-phase-in-life-they-draw-the-next-phase/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [People are forgetting how crazy President 43 was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-jones/people-are-forgetting-how-crazy-president-43-was/)

[Jason Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-jones/)

> [Everything Is Changing Now; People Are Forgetting Who They Are, Everyone Wants To Fit In And When They Finally Get The Chance To, They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everything-is-changing-now-people-are-forgetting-who-they-are/)

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

## More by Edward W. Robertson

> [“It's not the answers, it's that you remember to seek them. Each definition you find brings you one step closer to an unreachable ideal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/it-s-not-the-answers-it-s-that-you-remember-to-seek-them-each/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“Don't tell me you're not impressed with the Game of Thrones shit they just pulled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/don-t-tell-me-you-re-not-impressed-with-the-game-of-thrones-shit-they/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“The old masters said if you met another Buddha on the road, you should kill him. All reality is an illusion: if you think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/the-old-masters-said-if-you-met-another-buddha-on-the-road-you-should/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“It's one of those things that's worked, no matter how crazy it sounds, so it's hardly worth getting into why it works.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/it-s-one-of-those-things-that-s-worked-no-matter-how-crazy-it-sounds/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“This set includes my exclusive novel REBEL, a story of piracy, ancient secrets,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/this-set-includes-my-exclusive-novel-rebel-a-story-of-piracy-ancient/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“What form of speech is better than a question? A statement is certain. A question is fluid. To make progress, isn't it better to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/what-form-of-speech-is-better-than-a-question-a-statement-is-certain/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“City Hall, a regal place that looked like the shameless offspring of a ritzy hotel and a German castle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/city-hall-a-regal-place-that-looked-like-the-shameless-offspring-of-a/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“metal railing. The turning boat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/metal-railing-the-turning-boat/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“Anyone who can't forgive someone else for screwing up is deluding themselves. Because we've all made mistakes every bit as bad. And we're each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/anyone-who-can-t-forgive-someone-else-for-screwing-up-is-deluding/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“If emotions were created for social creatures, did they cease to exist as soon as society disappeared?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/if-emotions-were-created-for-social-creatures-did-they-cease-to-exist/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“Have the Minister's soldiers been on the march?" "Probably. Given that they're soldiers, and marching is what soldiers do, if only to impress their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/have-the-minister-s-soldiers-been-on-the-march-probably-given-that/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“Dealing with Dee was like getting close to a squirrel. You had to just sit there for a while. Wait for it to know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/dealing-with-dee-was-like-getting-close-to-a-squirrel-you-had-to-just/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“We start off thinking the whole world is about us," Lucy said. "Once you learn how little it cares about you, that's when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/we-start-off-thinking-the-whole-world-is-about-us-lucy-said-once-you/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“maybe you can tell me what the history books got wrong." I nodded, speech centers of my brain overridden by the same parts that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/maybe-you-can-tell-me-what-the-history-books-got-wrong-i-nodded/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

> [“Defining the nether's the work of a lifetime. The only way to keep reaching closer to its central duckiness is to know you'll never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/defining-the-nether-s-the-work-of-a-lifetime-the-only-way-to-keep/)

[Edward W. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

[Explore all 30 Edward W. Robertson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/)

## More Forgetting quotes

> [I have never been in, nor have I had any strong particular desire to be in, what is termed a costume drama, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-freeman/i-have-never-been-in-nor-have-i-had-any-strong-particular-desire-to/)

[Martin Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-freeman/)

> [The most painful thing in life is losing yourself in the process of valuing someone too much & forgetting that you are special too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-painful-thing-in-life-is-losing-yourself-in-the-process-of/)

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

> [I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-focus-on-this-one-thing-forgetting-the-past-and-looking-forward-to/)

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

> [Forgetting your Self is the greatest injury; all the calamities flow from it. Take care of the most important, the lesser will take care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/forgetting-your-self-is-the-greatest-injury-all-the-calamities-flow/)

[Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-nisargadatta-maharaj/)

> [If you can't forgive and forget, pick only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-brault/if-you-can-t-forgive-and-forget-pick-only-one/)

[Robert Brault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-brault/)

> [Absolute is a game with only one player where Absolute forgets itself so it would have a reason to fulfill the motion while returning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/absolute-is-a-game-with-only-one-player-where-absolute-forgets-itself/)

[Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/)

> [“Several times that day, the name or thought of Papa had come up. And each time, Francie had felt a flash of tenderness instead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-smith/several-times-that-day-the-name-or-thought-of-papa-had-come-up-and/)

[Betty Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-smith/)

> [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Falling out of love is chiefly a matter of forgetting how charming someone is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-murdoch/falling-out-of-love-is-chiefly-a-matter-of-forgetting-how-charming/)

[Iris Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-murdoch/)

> [“She's sure, absolutely sure, that what she's waiting for will happen, just the way she wants it to; and I'm so uncertain, so fearful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lois-lowry/she-s-sure-absolutely-sure-that-what-she-s-waiting-for-will-happen/)

[Lois Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lois-lowry/)

> [Im afraid of being forgotten. Because, it seems everyone I get close to, ends up forgetting me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arcine-arciniegas/im-afraid-of-being-forgotten-because-it-seems-everyone-i-get-close-to/)

[Arcine Arciniegas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arcine-arciniegas/)

> [“Keeping histories is as much about knowing what needs forgetting as what ought to be remembered.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-bobet/keeping-histories-is-as-much-about-knowing-what-needs-forgetting-as/)

[Leah Bobet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-bobet/)

> [“Forgetting is what nature does best. The universe is a huge forgetting machine. It erases information no matter how hard we try to hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carolyn-ives-gilman/forgetting-is-what-nature-does-best-the-universe-is-a-huge-forgetting/)

[Carolyn Ives Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carolyn-ives-gilman/)

> [“Who was it said, ‘We forget because we must’? He was right.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-m-montgomery/who-was-it-said-we-forget-because-we-must-he-was-right/)

[L.M. Montgomery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-m-montgomery/)

> [Moving on isnt forgetting the past, its learning from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/moving-on-isnt-forgetting-the-past-its-learning-from-it/)

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

[Browse all 1,010 Forgetting quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgetting/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“leaving people behind and forgetting them piece by piece was just the way life worked.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Edward W. Robertson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-them-piece-by-piece-was-just-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Forgetting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-them-piece-by-piece-was-just-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/edward-w-robertson-21038_life_leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-the_2214600.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/edward-w-robertson-21038_life_leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-the_2214600.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3cd/edward-w-robertson-21038_life_leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-the_2214600.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“leaving people behind and forgetting them piece by piece was just the way life worked.” — Edward W. Robertson",
                "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": "Edward W. Robertson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-w-robertson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“leaving people behind and forgetting them...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-them-piece-by-piece-was-just-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-w-robertson/leaving-people-behind-and-forgetting-them-piece-by-piece-was-just-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```