--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I spent my life learning to feel less…" description: "\"“I spent my life learning to feel less. Every day I felt less. Is that growing old? Or is it something worse? You cannot protect yourself from sadness ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ab/jonathan-safran-foer-136_every-day_i-spent-my-life-learning-to-feel-less-ev_918878.jpg" --- # I spent my life learning to feel less. Every day I felt… ![“I spent my life learning to feel less. Every day I felt less. Is that growing old? Or is it something worse? You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness. Foer, Jonathan Safran (2006-04-04). Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel (Kindle Locations…” quote by Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ab/jonathan-safran-foer-136_every-day_i-spent-my-life-learning-to-feel-less-ev_918878.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ab/jonathan-safran-foer-136_every-day_i-spent-my-life-learning-to-feel-less-ev_918878.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ab/jonathan-safran-foer-136_every-day_i-spent-my-life-learning-to-feel-less-ev_918878.jpg) > ““I spent my life learning to feel less. Every day I felt less. Is that growing old? Or is it something worse? You cannot protect yourself from sadness without protecting yourself from happiness. Foer, Jonathan Safran (2006-04-04). Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close: A Novel (Kindle Locations 1882-1883). Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Kindle Edition.”” [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on emotional numbness that comes with age or deeper issues, suggesting that shielding oneself from sadness also blocks happiness. **In simple terms:** Feeling less may signal aging or deeper loss; protecting from sadness blocks joy. Key Takeaway Recognize and accept both joy and sorrow. Themes emotional health aging self‑protection Mood melancholic contemplative Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal reflection - mental health - aging process - coping strategies Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance protecting yourself and staying open to feeling? - What does “feeling less” mean to you? A Different Perspective Pain cannot be fully avoided without also denying pleasure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Close Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-novel-1406114/) [Every day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-day/) [Extremely Loud And Incredibly Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extremely-loud-and-incredibly-close-224818/) [Growing old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-old/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-learning/) [Protect Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-sadness-1406112/) [Protect yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protect-yourself/) [Protecting Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/protecting-happiness-1406113/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Sadness Protecting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness-protecting-1406111/) ## Related quotes > [I spent my life learning to feel less. 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