---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We worked so hard, so hard, building our…"
description: "\"“We worked so hard, so hard, building our world one brick at a time. And when it fell apart, it happened just like that. Everything was gone before you..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/haruki-murakami-21_brick_we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-w_3012251.jpg"
---

#  We worked so hard, so hard, building our world one brick…

![“We worked so hard, so hard, building our world one brick at a time. And when it fell apart, it happened just like that. Everything was gone before you knew it.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/haruki-murakami-21_brick_we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-w_3012251.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/haruki-murakami-21_brick_we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-w_3012251.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/haruki-murakami-21_brick_we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-w_3012251.jpg)

> ““We worked so hard, so hard, building our world one brick at a time. And when it fell apart, it happened just like that. Everything was gone before you knew it.””

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## About This Quote

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

Hard work builds a world brick by brick, yet collapse can happen suddenly, erasing everything.

**In simple terms:** Effort creates structures that can vanish quickly.

Key Takeaway

Prepare for impermanence despite effort.

Themes

impermanence effort fragility

Mood

melancholic reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- risk management
- resilience training
- mindfulness
- financial planning
- creative projects

Key Concepts

construction transience unexpected loss

Questions to Reflect On

- What safeguards can you build?
- How do you cope with sudden loss?

A Different Perspective

Not all collapses are sudden.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Apart Happened](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apart-happened-4835807/) [Brick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brick/) [Hard Building](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-building-4835808/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Worked Hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worked-hard/) [World Brick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-brick-4835806/)

## Related quotes

> [“Your head and your heart are two different things. One of them can get you into trouble and the other can't. It's okay to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-kluger/your-head-and-your-heart-are-two-different-things-one-of-them-can-get/)

[Steve Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-kluger/)

> [“A brick could be used to slow down time. Sort of like a camel in a wheelchair pushed by a thirsty Arab. Hey, Khalid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-slow-down-time-sort-of-like-a-camel-in-a/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“A brick could be used to support a wobbly table. Who got that table drunk, anyway? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-support-a-wobbly-table-who-got-that-table/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“A brick could be renamed something clever and cute, like President, and repackaged and resold to a solid base of sheep consumers every four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-renamed-something-clever-and-cute-like-president-and/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [This is way better than a brick &amp; mrtoar establishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aundre/this-is-way-better-than-a-brick-mrtoar-establishment/)

[Aundre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aundre/)

> [I like using LEGO bricks as a medium because I enjoy seeing people’s reaction to artwork created from something with which they are familiar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-sawaya/i-like-using-lego-bricks-as-a-medium-because-i-enjoy-seeing-people-s/)

[Nathan Sawaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-sawaya/)

> [Even a brick wants to be something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/even-a-brick-wants-to-be-something/)

[Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/)

> [“His whole life was a sham, a fairy tale. The truth hidden behind a wall of lies, each lie another brick in the wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-jeffrey/his-whole-life-was-a-sham-a-fairy-tale-the-truth-hidden-behind-a-wall/)

[Shaun Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-jeffrey/)

> [Kanan is a big road through the Santa Monica Mountains. Between mid-March and mid-April, when you get over to the western side of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-mcginley/kanan-is-a-big-road-through-the-santa-monica-mountains-between-mid/)

[John C. McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-mcginley/)

> [“he can see through a brick wall in time (as they say in Bree). But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/he-can-see-through-a-brick-wall-in-time-as-they-say-in-bree-but/)

[J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/)

> [“A brick could be used to brighten up your day, like a lampshade over the sun dangling down over your dining room table. You’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-brighten-up-your-day-like-a-lampshade-over/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“A brick could be used to separate the Jorges from the hoorays. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-separate-the-jorges-from-the-hoorays/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“A brick could be used to make music. But why not use something more humane, like your armpit. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-make-music-but-why-not-use-something-more/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [I am always really buzzed after each performance, and at around one in the morning, Ill hit a brick wall and need to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattie-morahan/i-am-always-really-buzzed-after-each-performance-and-at-around-one-in/)

[Hattie Morahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattie-morahan/)

> [“A brick could be used as a replacement for an erection. Hey, I did it in the early 2000s, and I gave birth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-as-a-replacement-for-an-erection-hey-i-did-it/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

## More by Haruki Murakami

> [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

[Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## More Brick quotes

> [“A brick could be used to slow down time. Sort of like a camel in a wheelchair pushed by a thirsty Arab. Hey, Khalid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-slow-down-time-sort-of-like-a-camel-in-a/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“he can see through a brick wall in time (as they say in Bree). But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-r-tolkien/he-can-see-through-a-brick-wall-in-time-as-they-say-in-bree-but/)

[J.R.R. Tolkien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-r-tolkien/)

> [“A brick could be used to support a wobbly table. Who got that table drunk, anyway? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-support-a-wobbly-table-who-got-that-table/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [I am always really buzzed after each performance, and at around one in the morning, Ill hit a brick wall and need to sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hattie-morahan/i-am-always-really-buzzed-after-each-performance-and-at-around-one-in/)

[Hattie Morahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hattie-morahan/)

> [“A brick could be used to make music. But why not use something more humane, like your armpit. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-make-music-but-why-not-use-something-more/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“A brick could be used to separate the Jorges from the hoorays. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-separate-the-jorges-from-the-hoorays/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“A brick could be used to brighten up your day, like a lampshade over the sun dangling down over your dining room table. You’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-brighten-up-your-day-like-a-lampshade-over/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“A brick could be used as a replacement for an erection. Hey, I did it in the early 2000s, and I gave birth to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-as-a-replacement-for-an-erection-hey-i-did-it/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [Kanan is a big road through the Santa Monica Mountains. Between mid-March and mid-April, when you get over to the western side of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-mcginley/kanan-is-a-big-road-through-the-santa-monica-mountains-between-mid/)

[John C. McGinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-mcginley/)

> [“His whole life was a sham, a fairy tale. The truth hidden behind a wall of lies, each lie another brick in the wall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-jeffrey/his-whole-life-was-a-sham-a-fairy-tale-the-truth-hidden-behind-a-wall/)

[Shaun Jeffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-jeffrey/)

> [Even a brick wants to be something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-kahn/even-a-brick-wants-to-be-something/)

[Louis Kahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-kahn/)

> [I like using LEGO bricks as a medium because I enjoy seeing people’s reaction to artwork created from something with which they are familiar.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-sawaya/i-like-using-lego-bricks-as-a-medium-because-i-enjoy-seeing-people-s/)

[Nathan Sawaya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-sawaya/)

> [This is way better than a brick &amp; mrtoar establishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aundre/this-is-way-better-than-a-brick-mrtoar-establishment/)

[Aundre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aundre/)

> [“A brick could be renamed something clever and cute, like President, and repackaged and resold to a solid base of sheep consumers every four…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-renamed-something-clever-and-cute-like-president-and/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

> [“I would rather build a relationship than a wall. Can you pass me another brick?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-would-rather-build-a-relationship-than-a-wall-can-you-pass-me/)

[Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/)

[Browse all 468 Brick quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brick/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We worked so hard, so hard, building our world one brick at a time. And when it fell apart, it happened just like that. Everything was gone before you knew it.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Haruki Murakami"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-world-one-brick-at-a-time-and/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Brick"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-world-one-brick-at-a-time-and/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/haruki-murakami-21_brick_we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-w_3012251.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/haruki-murakami-21_brick_we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-w_3012251.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef2/haruki-murakami-21_brick_we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-w_3012251.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We worked so hard, so hard, building our world one brick at a time. And when it fell apart, it happened just…” — Haruki Murakami",
                "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": "Haruki Murakami",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We worked so hard, so hard,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-world-one-brick-at-a-time-and/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/we-worked-so-hard-so-hard-building-our-world-one-brick-at-a-time-and/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
