--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He didnt know what was defeating him, but…" description: "\"He didnt know what was defeating him, but he sensed it was something he could not cope with, something that was far beyond his power to control or even..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/hubert-selby-jr-12027_defeating_he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but_963460.jpg" --- # He didnt know what was defeating him, but he sensed it was… ![“He didnt know what was defeating him, but he sensed it was something he could not cope with, something that was far beyond his power to control or even at this point in time comprehend.” quote by Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/hubert-selby-jr-12027_defeating_he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but_963460.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/hubert-selby-jr-12027_defeating_he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but_963460.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/hubert-selby-jr-12027_defeating_he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but_963460.jpg) > “He didnt know what was defeating him, but he sensed it was something he could not cope with, something that was far beyond his power to control or even at this point in time comprehend.” [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A person feels overwhelmed by an unseen, uncontrollable force beyond their comprehension. **In simple terms:** Feeling powerless against unknown forces. Key Takeaway Seek support and identify controllable aspects. Themes overwhelm powerlessness unknown Mood anxious hopeful Type advice reflective When to use this quote - mental health crisis - grief - major life change Key Concepts existential anxiety psychological stress Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of this situation can you influence? - Who can you turn to for help? A Different Perspective The description may dramatize feeling, but practical steps exist to regain agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Defeating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeating/) [Defeating Sensed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeating-sensed-1797605/) [Didnt Know](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/didnt-know-525757/) [Know Defeating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/know-defeating-1797606/) [Sensed Cope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sensed-cope-1797607/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [MY BAD! I didnt know I was suppose to care about what you think of me :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-bad-i-didnt-know-i-was-suppose-to-care-about-what-you-think-of-me/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Basically, I didnt know anything about fashion. I was very nerdy; I went to Bryn Mawr and never even noticed models when I was 21.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fatima-siad/basically-i-didnt-know-anything-about-fashion-i-was-very-nerdy-i-went/) [Fatima Siad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fatima-siad/) > [Iam not the best one for she, But even she didnt know she is all for me..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sirajudheen/iam-not-the-best-one-for-she-but-even-she-didnt-know-she-is-all-for-me/) [Sirajudheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sirajudheen/) > [I didnt know what it was not to work hard as I grew up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-nixon/i-didnt-know-what-it-was-not-to-work-hard-as-i-grew-up/) [Pat Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-nixon/) > [People didnt know until I said it publicly that I had a nasty side. It was never obvious to the fans. I never lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-giles/people-didnt-know-until-i-said-it-publicly-that-i-had-a-nasty-side-it/) [Johnny Giles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-giles/) > [I didnt know how many people knew who Ferdinand was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-smith/i-didnt-know-how-many-people-knew-who-ferdinand-was/) [Elliott Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-smith/) > [They say violence isnt the awnser…huh…i didnt know this was a quiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-salyers/they-say-violence-isnt-the-awnser-huh-i-didnt-know-this-was-a-quiz/) [Tyler Salyers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-salyers/) > [Im sorry, I didnt know love had an expiration date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dev/im-sorry-i-didnt-know-love-had-an-expiration-date/) [Dev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dev/) > [I didnt know facebook had so many people thinking they](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-didnt-know-facebook-had-so-many-people-thinking-they/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I married Miss Right. I just didnt know her first name was Always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-married-miss-right-i-just-didnt-know-her-first-name-was-always/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I didnt know this lol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lol/i-didnt-know-this-lol/) [Lol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lol/) > [I didnt know that President Bush would endorse a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cheney/i-didnt-know-that-president-bush-would-endorse-a-constitutional/) [Mary Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cheney/) > [I didnt know photography would take me to the places that it has taken me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carrie-mae-weems/i-didnt-know-photography-would-take-me-to-the-places-that-it-has/) [Carrie Mae Weems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carrie-mae-weems/) > [Oh really I didnt know that; but I dont care either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bubbly/oh-really-i-didnt-know-that-but-i-dont-care-either/) [Bubbly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bubbly/) > [I have found men who didnt know how to kiss. Ive always found time to teach them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-have-found-men-who-didnt-know-how-to-kiss-ive-always-found-time-to/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) ## More by Hubert Selby, Jr > [Sometimes we have the absolute certainty there's something inside us that's so hideous and monstrous that if we ever search it out we won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-we-have-the-absolute-certainty-there-s-something-inside-us/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [But to believe that getting stuff is the purpose and aim of life is madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/but-to-believe-that-getting-stuff-is-the-purpose-and-aim-of-life-is/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [I'm focusing on writing the best story I can write. Which means I'm doing everything I can to give the artist within me as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/i-m-focusing-on-writing-the-best-story-i-can-write-which-means-i-m/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [I certainly do attempt to live according to spiritual principles. That's always the foundation of each and every day. I have experienced some things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/i-certainly-do-attempt-to-live-according-to-spiritual-principles-that/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [Sometimes it seems to stand still. Like you’re in a bag and you can’t get out and somebody’s always telling you that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/sometimes-it-seems-to-stand-still-like-you-re-in-a-bag-and-you-can-t/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [There's a sorrow and pain in everyone's life, but every now and then there's a ray of light that melts the loneliness in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/there-s-a-sorrow-and-pain-in-everyone-s-life-but-every-now-and-then/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [The resistance and the degree of the resistance to the natural phenomenon of life causes tremendous suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/the-resistance-and-the-degree-of-the-resistance-to-the-natural/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [We all need a meaning to our life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/we-all-need-a-meaning-to-our-life/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [I've always felt alienated. I realized that I've been terrified my entire life. So I can identify that fear which drives so many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/i-ve-always-felt-alienated-i-realized-that-i-ve-been-terrified-my/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [I have to have a meaning in my life. If I roam around without some meaning in my life, I'm in deep and serious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/i-have-to-have-a-meaning-in-my-life-if-i-roam-around-without-some/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [It seems to me that what the artist sees is the simple and obvious that is invisible to everybody else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/it-seems-to-me-that-what-the-artist-sees-is-the-simple-and-obvious/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [I don't know how to make the critics happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/i-don-t-know-how-to-make-the-critics-happy/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [Obviously, I believe that to pursue the American Dream is not only futile but self-destructive because ultimately it destroys everything and everyone involved with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/obviously-i-believe-that-to-pursue-the-american-dream-is-not-only/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [My writing is inspired by just about everything, yet I am unaware of so much of the process.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/my-writing-is-inspired-by-just-about-everything-yet-i-am-unaware-of/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) > [thats why you cant be worried about the world. theyll just do you in anyway. you can't depend on them because sooner or later…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/thats-why-you-cant-be-worried-about-the-world-theyll-just-do-you-in/) [Hubert Selby, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) [Explore all 56 Hubert Selby, Jr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/) ## More Defeating quotes > [It is a principle of the art of war that one should simply lay down his life and strike. If one's opponent also does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yamamoto-tsunetomo/it-is-a-principle-of-the-art-of-war-that-one-should-simply-lay-down/) [Yamamoto Tsunetomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yamamoto-tsunetomo/) > [In opposing Communism, we are defeating ourselves if we use methods that do not conform to the American sense of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/in-opposing-communism-we-are-defeating-ourselves-if-we-use-methods/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [I witnessed first-hand the self-defeating results of putting yourself under so much pressure to perform.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-birla/i-witnessed-first-hand-the-self-defeating-results-of-putting-yourself/) [Ananya Birla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-birla/) > [“He was always running or bounding, never just walking. He seemed always at the point of defeating the law of gravity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tennessee-williams/he-was-always-running-or-bounding-never-just-walking-he-seemed-always/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tennessee-williams/) > [The IDF is advancing on the road to defeating Hamas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoav-gallant/the-idf-is-advancing-on-the-road-to-defeating-hamas/) [Yoav Gallant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoav-gallant/) > [Retarding the aging process would be therapy and enhancement because it would mean defeating diseases and because it would extend our life span.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-stock/retarding-the-aging-process-would-be-therapy-and-enhancement-because/) [Gregory Stock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-stock/) > [“Defeating death is the best skill of all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/defeating-death-is-the-best-skill-of-all/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [If you do a full-on workout and then eat McDonald's or Wendy's, you're defeating the purpose. If you put good things into your body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-kemp/if-you-do-a-full-on-workout-and-then-eat-mcdonald-s-or-wendy-s-you-re/) [Matt Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-kemp/) > [Approach the enemy with the attitude of defeating him without delay.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyamoto-musashi/approach-the-enemy-with-the-attitude-of-defeating-him-without-delay/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyamoto-musashi/) > [Those who are victorious plan effectively and change decisively. They are like a great river that maintains its course but adjusts its flow...they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/those-who-are-victorious-plan-effectively-and-change-decisively-they/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Are the odds you face (in life) defeating or motivating you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-boudia/are-the-odds-you-face-in-life-defeating-or-motivating-you/) [David Boudia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-boudia/) > [Sometimes standing against evil is more important than defeating it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/sometimes-standing-against-evil-is-more-important-than-defeating-it-2/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [There is something self-defeating in the too-conscious pursuit of pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-eastman/there-is-something-self-defeating-in-the-too-conscious-pursuit-of/) [Max Eastman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-eastman/) > [Since ancient times, philosophers have maintained that to strive too hard for one's own happiness is self-defeating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/since-ancient-times-philosophers-have-maintained-that-to-strive-too/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Hollywood continues to present the U.S. Army as being the good guys, always defeating the aliens or foreigners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hideo-kojima/hollywood-continues-to-present-the-u-s-army-as-being-the-good-guys/) [Hideo Kojima](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hideo-kojima/) [Browse all 56 Defeating quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeating/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He didnt know what was defeating him, but he sensed it was something he could not cope with, something that was far beyond his power to control or even at this point in time comprehend.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Hubert Selby, Jr" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but-he-sensed-it-was-something/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Defeating" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but-he-sensed-it-was-something/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/hubert-selby-jr-12027_defeating_he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but_963460.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/hubert-selby-jr-12027_defeating_he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but_963460.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4b3/hubert-selby-jr-12027_defeating_he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but_963460.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He didnt know what was defeating him, but he sensed it was something he could not cope with, something that…” — Hubert Selby, Jr", "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": "Hubert Selby, Jr", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-selby-jr/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He didnt know what was defeating...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but-he-sensed-it-was-something/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-selby-jr/he-didnt-know-what-was-defeating-him-but-he-sensed-it-was-something/#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 } } ] } ```