---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He had enough troubles, he thought…"
description: "\"“He had enough troubles, he thought, without inventing new ones for the future. He was middling lost, starving, and with an excellent chance of never r..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/george-alec-effinger-48105_time_he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-withou_1460668.jpg"
---

#  He had enough troubles, he thought, without inventing new…

![“He had enough troubles, he thought, without inventing new ones for the future. He was middling lost, starving, and with an excellent chance of never returning to the house alive. Floods and earthquakes and plagues of locusts were rather unnecessary.” quote by George Alec Effinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/george-alec-effinger-48105_time_he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-withou_1460668.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/george-alec-effinger-48105_time_he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-withou_1460668.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/george-alec-effinger-48105_time_he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-withou_1460668.jpg)

> ““He had enough troubles, he thought, without inventing new ones for the future. He was middling lost, starving, and with an excellent chance of never returning to the house alive. Floods and earthquakes and plagues of locusts were rather unnecessary.””

[George Alec Effinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alec-effinger/)

## About This Quote

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

He worries that adding future problems to current hardships is unnecessary and harmful.

**In simple terms:** Avoid creating new problems when already struggling.

Key Takeaway

Focus on solving present issues.

Themes

stress survival decisionmaking

Mood

anxious reflective

Type

cautionary observational

When to use this quote

- personal crises
- resource scarcity
- health emergencies

Key Concepts

risk assessment future planning

Questions to Reflect On

- Are you adding unnecessary worries?
- How can you prioritize current challenges?

A Different Perspective

Future planning can distract from immediate needs.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Locusts Unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/locusts-unnecessary-5276247/) [Lost Starving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lost-starving-3921818/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Plagues Locusts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plagues-locusts-5276249/) [Starving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/starving/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Troubles Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/troubles-thought-5276248/)

## Related quotes

> [“I'm empty and lonely and lost and I'm starving, and there isn't enough in the whole wide world that could make me feel whole.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-reed/i-m-empty-and-lonely-and-lost-and-i-m-starving-and-there-isn-t-enough/)

[Amy Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-reed/)

> [By starving our children of men, we have made them more vulnerable to the very abuse we are trying to prevent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-farrell/by-starving-our-children-of-men-we-have-made-them-more-vulnerable-to/)

[Warren Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-farrell/)

> [I love how people are talking smack, telling me that I'm starving myself. How about you stop snacking on junk? I eat 6 times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-how-people-are-talking-smack-telling-me-that-i-m-starving/)

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

> [Campaigning actress ASHLEY JUDD refuses to 'breed' with her racing star husband DARIO FRANCHITTI while there are starving children in the world. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-judd/campaigning-actress-ashley-judd-refuses-to-breed-with-her-racing-star/)

[Ashley Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-judd/)

> [We had to leave Norway and go where it was all happening, which was London. We loved it there, but it was hard. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/we-had-to-leave-norway-and-go-where-it-was-all-happening-which-was/)

[Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/)

> [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/)

[Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/)

> [“It is a solemn thing, and no small scandal in the Kingdom, to see God's children starving while actually seated at the Father's table.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/it-is-a-solemn-thing-and-no-small-scandal-in-the-kingdom-to-see-god-s/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“He hadn't eaten a bite of breakfast, sex always made him hungry. Suddenly Matt realized he was starving.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peggy-webb/he-hadn-t-eaten-a-bite-of-breakfast-sex-always-made-him-hungry/)

[Peggy Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peggy-webb/)

> [People are overweight and starving at the same time. It's a tragedy for both the individual and society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimbal-musk/people-are-overweight-and-starving-at-the-same-time-it-s-a-tragedy/)

[Kimbal Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimbal-musk/)

> [Having an eating disorder doesn't show ‘strength.’ Strength is when are able to overcome your demons after being sick and tired for so long.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demi-lovato/having-an-eating-disorder-doesn-t-show-strength-strength-is-when-are/)

[Demi Lovato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demi-lovato/)

> [Haters feed themselves when you down but when they see you happy they starving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/haters-feed-themselves-when-you-down-but-when-they-see-you-happy-they/)

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

> [It is useless to talk virtue to a starving girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-howard-shaw/it-is-useless-to-talk-virtue-to-a-starving-girl/)

[Anna Howard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-howard-shaw/)

> [If you followed the media you'd think that everybody in Africa was starving to death, and that's not the case; so it's important to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/if-you-followed-the-media-you-d-think-that-everybody-in-africa-was/)

[Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chimamanda-ngozi-adichie/)

> [“She writes like she’s starving and reads like she’s feasting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-larson/she-writes-like-she-s-starving-and-reads-like-she-s-feasting/)

[R.D. Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-larson/)

> [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

## More by George Alec Effinger

> [I figured if Allah had wanted us up that early, He wouldn't have invented noon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/i-figured-if-allah-had-wanted-us-up-that-early-he-wouldn-t-have/)

[George Alec Effinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alec-effinger/)

> [Various Horsemen are abroad, doing their various Apocalyptic things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/various-horsemen-are-abroad-doing-their-various-apocalyptic-things/)

[George Alec Effinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alec-effinger/)

> [I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked awful, but I always look awful in the mirror. I keep myself going with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/i-looked-at-myself-in-the-mirror-i-looked-awful-but-i-always-look/)

[George Alec Effinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alec-effinger/)

> [“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from doubletalk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/any-sufficiently-advanced-technology-is-indistinguishable-from/)

[George Alec Effinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alec-effinger/)

> [Premature burial works just fine as a cure for adolescence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/premature-burial-works-just-fine-as-a-cure-for-adolescence/)

[George Alec Effinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alec-effinger/)

> [“Madness, by the life of the Prophet! Audran felt as if he were peering through a narrow tunnel, seeing the world with Abu Adil's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/madness-by-the-life-of-the-prophet-audran-felt-as-if-he-were-peering/)

[George Alec Effinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alec-effinger/)

> [“Just because your electronics are better than ours, you aren't necessarily superior in any way. Look, imagine that you humans are a man in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/just-because-your-electronics-are-better-than-ours-you-aren-t/)

[George Alec Effinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alec-effinger/)

[Explore all 8 George Alec Effinger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alec-effinger/)

## More Mind quotes

> [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/)

[David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/)

> [“William didn't look like he'd be difficult about anything - he was thin and sandy-haired and already wore eyeglasses like his father. Most of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/william-didn-t-look-like-he-d-be-difficult-about-anything-he-was-thin/)

[Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/)

> [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/)

[Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/)

> [“MIND &amp; GRIND Self-belief and hard work can propel you past more talented peers”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamil-ali/mind-grind-self-belief-and-hard-work-can-propel-you-past-more/)

[Kamil Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamil-ali/)

> [“He blinked. His eyes fell as he processed her response. Then he lifted his chin and attempted a grin that was almost painfully dejected.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/he-blinked-his-eyes-fell-as-he-processed-her-response-then-he-lifted/)

[Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/)

> [Once ye made up yer mind to do somethin', 'tis better t'stumble o'er the small hillock of jump-ahead than t'bash yer head on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/once-ye-made-up-yer-mind-to-do-somethin-tis-better-t-stumble-o-er-the/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [“Not that it matters, when you dream, there's no outside or in. Your mind is an unimaginable bloom. A willow catkin as big as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-shapero/not-that-it-matters-when-you-dream-there-s-no-outside-or-in-your-mind/)

[Rich Shapero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-shapero/)

> [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [Do you think that God would separate me from my husband if I killed myself? I feel as though I am going out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-you-think-that-god-would-separate-me-from-my-husband-if-i-killed/)

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

> [I'm not here trying to convince anybody to vote for Donald Trump. I think every Christian needs to make up his own mind about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jeffress/i-m-not-here-trying-to-convince-anybody-to-vote-for-donald-trump-i/)

[Robert Jeffress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jeffress/)

> [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/)

[Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/)

> [This is a proof of a well-trained mind, to rejoice in what is good and to grieve at the opposite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/this-is-a-proof-of-a-well-trained-mind-to-rejoice-in-what-is-good-and/)

[Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/)

> [Since I worked with Danny Boyle before on Slumdog Millionaire, we have great success and everything. So, when I first got the script and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-rahman/since-i-worked-with-danny-boyle-before-on-slumdog-millionaire-we-have/)

[A. R. Rahman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-r-rahman/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/)

[Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/)

[Browse all 43,542 Mind quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He had enough troubles, he thought, without inventing new ones for the future. He was middling lost, starving, and with an excellent chance of never returning to the house alive. Floods and earthquakes and plagues of locusts were rather unnecessary.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "George Alec Effinger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-without-inventing-new-ones-for-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Mind"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-without-inventing-new-ones-for-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/george-alec-effinger-48105_time_he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-withou_1460668.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/george-alec-effinger-48105_time_he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-withou_1460668.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/926/george-alec-effinger-48105_time_he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-withou_1460668.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He had enough troubles, he thought, without inventing new ones for the future. He was middling lost…” — George Alec Effinger",
                "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": "George Alec Effinger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alec-effinger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He had enough troubles, he thought,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-without-inventing-new-ones-for-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alec-effinger/he-had-enough-troubles-he-thought-without-inventing-new-ones-for-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
