--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I got better I realized what a rat…" description: "\"“When I got better I realized what a rat he was, but then I had to understand the impossible complexity of his life, how he had to leave me there, sick..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jack-kerouac-182_life_when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat_65247.jpg" --- # When I got better I realized what a rat he was, but then I… ![“When I got better I realized what a rat he was, but then I had to understand the impossible complexity of his life, how he had to leave me there, sick, to get on with his wives and woes.” quote by Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jack-kerouac-182_life_when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat_65247.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jack-kerouac-182_life_when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat_65247.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jack-kerouac-182_life_when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat_65247.jpg) > ““When I got better I realized what a rat he was, but then I had to understand the impossible complexity of his life, how he had to leave me there, sick, to get on with his wives and woes.”” [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## 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 reflects on a past relationship, recognizing the other's flaws while also acknowledging the broader, intricate circumstances shaping their behavior. **In simple terms:** A nuanced view of personal betrayal and empathy. Key Takeaway Complexity of human motives. Themes betrayal empathy complexity relationships self-awareness Mood reflective melancholic Type personal philosophical When to use this quote - after a breakup - reflecting on a past lover - considering someone's difficult choices Key Concepts human nature personal growth Practical Applications - psychotherapy - literary analysis Questions to Reflect On - How do we balance judgment with compassion? - What does 'impossible complexity' reveal about accountability? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [People say maybe I could have got better performances out of myself or I could have a got few more fights out of myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-hatton/people-say-maybe-i-could-have-got-better-performances-out-of-myself/) [Ricky Hatton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-hatton/) > [I can definitely say the older I've got the better I've become at being a dad and a husband.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/i-can-definitely-say-the-older-i-ve-got-the-better-i-ve-become-at/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [“If one is good..three has got to be better. SRC”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-ryan-chandler/if-one-is-good-three-has-got-to-be-better-src/) Samantha Ryan Chandler > [I've just got better as a player thanks to Pep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franck-ribery/i-ve-just-got-better-as-a-player-thanks-to-pep/) [Franck Ribery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franck-ribery/) > [Remember when you tried to commit suicide? I do. Do you remember why you didn't? Because life got better. Keep holding on; I promise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/june/remember-when-you-tried-to-commit-suicide-i-do-do-you-remember-why/) June > [I know I haven't much sense or sobriety, but I've got what is ever so much better — the knack of making people like me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-know-i-haven-t-much-sense-or-sobriety-but-i-ve-got-what-is-ever-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I grew up around guys and got along with them better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tionne-watkins/i-grew-up-around-guys-and-got-along-with-them-better/) [Tionne Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tionne-watkins/) > [I don't think I was that bad when I was on the court. I felt like it could have just got better if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-oden/i-don-t-think-i-was-that-bad-when-i-was-on-the-court-i-felt-like-it/) [Greg Oden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-oden/) > [Well, I got better after this, and my entire family really did appreciate it. Usually, they're resentful of movies that I go off and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/well-i-got-better-after-this-and-my-entire-family-really-did/) [Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/) > [I actually got better grades during football season, when I had no time, because I had to bear down and work a little harder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-cain/i-actually-got-better-grades-during-football-season-when-i-had-no/) [Dean Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-cain/) > [It's nice being married to somebody who thinks you've got something better in you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/essie-davis/it-s-nice-being-married-to-somebody-who-thinks-you-ve-got-something/) [Essie Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/essie-davis/) > [What have I got better than anyone? Age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kazushi-sakuraba/what-have-i-got-better-than-anyone-age/) Kazushi Sakuraba > [I've got better things to do than remember you...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-better-things-to-do-than-remember-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stuck it out this far together Put our dreams through the shredder Lets toast cause things got better and everything could change like that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/halestorm/stuck-it-out-this-far-together-put-our-dreams-through-the-shredder/) Halestorm > [I did my first triathlon when I was 11-years-old and it was just another new sport to try. I got better at it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alistair-brownlee/i-did-my-first-triathlon-when-i-was-11-years-old-and-it-was-just/) [Alistair Brownlee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alistair-brownlee/) ## More by Jack Kerouac > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [But, outside of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-outside-of-being-a-sweet-little-girl-she-was-awfully-dumb-and/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“For when you realized that God is Everything you know that you've got to love everything no matter how bad it is, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-when-you-realized-that-god-is-everything-you-know-that-you-ve-got/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“I'm an idealist who has outgrown my idealism I have nothing to do the rest of my life but do it and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-an-idealist-who-has-outgrown-my-idealism-i-have-nothing-to-do-the/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Most of them were running away from something―usually the law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/most-of-them-were-running-away-from-something-usually-the-law/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Non lo so, non importa e non fa nessuna differenza.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/non-lo-so-non-importa-e-non-fa-nessuna-differenza/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“And in the flush of the first few days of joy I confidently tell myself (not expecting what I'll do in three weeks only)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-in-the-flush-of-the-first-few-days-of-joy-i-confidently-tell/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I want a blaze of light to flame in me forever in a timeless, dear love of everything. And why should I pretend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-want-a-blaze-of-light-to-flame-in-me-forever-in-a-timeless-dear/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“For the next week that was all I heard - manana, a lovely word and one that probably means heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-the-next-week-that-was-all-i-heard-manana-a-lovely-word-and-one/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“O how wonderful life is, how miraculous, God made this and God made that", "how do you know he doesn't hate what He did:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/o-how-wonderful-life-is-how-miraculous-god-made-this-and-god-made/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Notoriety and public confession in the literary form is a frazzler of the heart you were born with, believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/notoriety-and-public-confession-in-the-literary-form-is-a-frazzler-of/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I promise I shall never give up, and that I'll die yelling & laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-promise-i-shall-never-give-up-and-that-i-ll-die-yelling-laughing/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“The hot water pools are steaming, Fagan and Monsanto and the others are all sitting peacefully up to their necks, they're all naked, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-hot-water-pools-are-steaming-fagan-and-monsanto-and-the-others/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) [Explore all 936 Jack Kerouac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“When I got better I realized what a rat he was, but then I had to understand the impossible complexity of his life, how he had to leave me there, sick, to get on with his wives and woes.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack Kerouac" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat-he-was-but-then-i-had-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat-he-was-but-then-i-had-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jack-kerouac-182_life_when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat_65247.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jack-kerouac-182_life_when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat_65247.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/552/jack-kerouac-182_life_when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat_65247.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When I got better I realized what a rat he was, but then I had to understand the impossible complexity of…” — Jack Kerouac", "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": "Jack Kerouac", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“When I got better I realized...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat-he-was-but-then-i-had-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/when-i-got-better-i-realized-what-a-rat-he-was-but-then-i-had-to/#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 } } ] } ```