--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because just as all political and…" description: "\"“Because just as all political and historical change sooner or later disappoints, so does adulthood. So does life. Sometimes I think the purpose of lif..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/058/julian-barnes-522_adulthood_because-just-as-all-political-and-histor_1832640.jpg" --- # Because just as all political and historical change sooner… ![“Because just as all political and historical change sooner or later disappoints, so does adulthood. So does life. Sometimes I think the purpose of life is to reconcile us to its eventual loss by wearing us down, by proving, however long it takes, that life isn´t all it´s cracked up to be.” quote by Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/058/julian-barnes-522_adulthood_because-just-as-all-political-and-histor_1832640.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/058/julian-barnes-522_adulthood_because-just-as-all-political-and-histor_1832640.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/058/julian-barnes-522_adulthood_because-just-as-all-political-and-histor_1832640.jpg) > ““Because just as all political and historical change sooner or later disappoints, so does adulthood. So does life. Sometimes I think the purpose of life is to reconcile us to its eventual loss by wearing us down, by proving, however long it takes, that life isn´t all it´s cracked up to be.”” [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life and history inevitably disappoint, teaching us that acceptance of loss and imperfection is part of the human condition. **In simple terms:** Life disappoints; acceptance of loss is essential. Key Takeaway Embrace imperfection and find meaning beyond expectations. Themes disillusionment impermanence acceptance philosophy Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - career setbacks - relationship challenges - creative pursuits Key Concepts existentialism resilience Questions to Reflect On - How do you find purpose after a setback? - What practices help you accept life’s uncertainties? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on disappointment can lead to nihilism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/) [Change](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/change/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-philosophy/) [Purpose of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose-of-life/) [Sooner or later](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sooner-or-later/) ## Related quotes > [“Someone once said that his favourite times in history were when things were collapsing, because that meant something new was being born. 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The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sov8840/even-if-the-system-is-obsessed-with-adulthood-it-does-not-raise/) Sov8840 > [Adulthood does not exist. Man is an eternal child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-rodrigues/adulthood-does-not-exist-man-is-an-eternal-child/) [Nelson Rodrigues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-rodrigues/) > [“He is so used to living a purely spiritual life that he cannot reconcile himself to realities, and, after all, Varenka is a reality!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/he-is-so-used-to-living-a-purely-spiritual-life-that-he-cannot/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Ritual which could entail a wedding or brushing one's teeth goes in the direction of life. 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But its purpose is to play, to enjoy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-herzen/we-think-the-purpose-of-a-child-is-to-grow-up-because-it-does-grow-up/) [Alexander Herzen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-herzen/) > [I used to believe the purpose in life is to find happiness. I don’t believe that anymore. I believe we are all given gifts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/i-used-to-believe-the-purpose-in-life-is-to-find-happiness-i-don-t/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [When you heed the calling of your heart, you are following your purpose. Having purpose in your life gives you the courage to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhonda-britten/when-you-heed-the-calling-of-your-heart-you-are-following-your/) [Rhonda Britten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhonda-britten/) ## More by Julian Barnes > [“You put together two things that have not been put together before. And the world is changed. People may not notice at the time,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/you-put-together-two-things-that-have-not-been-put-together-before/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“I settled into a contented routine of working, spending my free time with Veronica and, back in my student room, wanking explosively to fantasies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/i-settled-into-a-contented-routine-of-working-spending-my-free-time/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [The greatest patriotism is to tell your country when it is behaving dishonorably, foolishly, viciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/the-greatest-patriotism-is-to-tell-your-country-when-it-is-behaving/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“There is only good vodka and very good vodka—there is no such thing as bad vodka.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/there-is-only-good-vodka-and-very-good-vodka-there-is-no-such-thing/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Alice Munro can move characters through time in a way that no other writer can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/alice-munro-can-move-characters-through-time-in-a-way-that-no-other/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [How rarely do our emotions meet the object they seem to deserve? 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By history? Here, on the Island,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/why-slum-it-where-people-were-burdened-by-yesterday-and-the-day/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“In those years before mobile phones, email and Skype, travelers depended on the rudimentary communications system known as the postcard. Other methods--the long-distance phone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/in-those-years-before-mobile-phones-email-and-skype-travelers/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“My train was late, slowed by the usual Sunday engineering work. I got home in the early evening. I remember that I had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/my-train-was-late-slowed-by-the-usual-sunday-engineering-work-i-got/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [In life, every ending is just the start of another story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/in-life-every-ending-is-just-the-start-of-another-story/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [“Indeed, isn’t the whole business of ascribing responsibility kind of a cop-out? We want to blame an individual so that everyone else is exculpated.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-barnes/indeed-isn-t-the-whole-business-of-ascribing-responsibility-kind-of-a/) [Julian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-barnes/) > [Some of the freckles I once loved are now closer to liver spots. But it’s still the eyes we look at, isn’t it? 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Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [“I wondered what a man I had encountered the day before on the plane en route to Chicago's O'Hare airport would have made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/i-wondered-what-a-man-i-had-encountered-the-day-before-on-the-plane/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [No one, it has been said, will ever look at the Moon in the same way again. 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