--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How terrible, Jack thought, to be old and…" description: "\"“How terrible, Jack thought, to be old and know that your life has been wasted.”\" — Ken Follett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/ken-follett-941_life_how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and_2520209.jpg" --- # How terrible, Jack thought, to be old and know that your… ![“How terrible, Jack thought, to be old and know that your life has been wasted.” quote by Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/ken-follett-941_life_how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and_2520209.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/ken-follett-941_life_how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and_2520209.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/ken-follett-941_life_how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and_2520209.jpg) > ““How terrible, Jack thought, to be old and know that your life has been wasted.”” [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realizing wasted time brings sorrow and motivates change. **In simple terms:** Regret spurs action. Key Takeaway Use regret to set new goals. Themes regret time purpose Mood reflective determined Type literary motivational When to use this quote - career stagnation - personal reflection - midlife crisis Key Concepts self‑assessment life planning Questions to Reflect On - What steps will you take to avoid future regret? - How can you transform sorrow into purpose? A Different Perspective Regret may paralyze rather than inspire. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Jack Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jack-thought-1084458/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Wasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-wasted-285843/) [Lifes-work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lifes-work-108237/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Terrible Jack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-jack-1242523/) [Thought Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-old-280012/) [Wasted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wasted/) ## Related quotes > [“It's hard to explain your passions, but sometimes it is harder to live them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-lee-west/it-s-hard-to-explain-your-passions-but-sometimes-it-is-harder-to-live/) [Michael Lee West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-lee-west/) > [Suddenly women's lib had made me feel my life had been wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-bush/suddenly-women-s-lib-had-made-me-feel-my-life-had-been-wasted/) [Barbara Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-bush/) > [After the age of thirty, you feel that fifteen precious years of your life have been wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/after-the-age-of-thirty-you-feel-that-fifteen-precious-years-of-your/) [Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/) > [Truly life is wasted on the living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/truly-life-is-wasted-on-the-living/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [A busy life is a wasted life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-crick/a-busy-life-is-a-wasted-life/) [Francis Crick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-crick/) > [You must not think that I feel, in spite of it having ended in such defeat, that my "life has been wasted" here, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isak-dinesen/you-must-not-think-that-i-feel-in-spite-of-it-having-ended-in-such/) [Isak Dinesen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isak-dinesen/) > [The first twenty years of my life were wasted. I didn't fit my environment, and I didn't know any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/the-first-twenty-years-of-my-life-were-wasted-i-didn-t-fit-my/) [Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/) > [“Any time that is spent or wasted is a life wasted or spent.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/any-time-that-is-spent-or-wasted-is-a-life-wasted-or-spent/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [The worst thing in life is wasted talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew/the-worst-thing-in-life-is-wasted-talent/) [Matthew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew/) > [Life is wasted in the necessary preparation of finding what is the true way, and we die just as we enter it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/life-is-wasted-in-the-necessary-preparation-of-finding-what-is-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A lot of people say that my life is wasted on me because I could be a bigger asshole than I am, but I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/a-lot-of-people-say-that-my-life-is-wasted-on-me-because-i-could-be-a/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [“Life without risk is life wasted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/life-without-risk-is-life-wasted/) [Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/) > [Life is wasted on the living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/life-is-wasted-on-the-living/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/no-hour-of-life-is-wasted-that-is-spent-in-the-saddle/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [I have to believe that literature can effect change; otherwise, I would have no purpose in my life and would have wasted four years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-syjuco/i-have-to-believe-that-literature-can-effect-change-otherwise-i-would/) [Miguel Syjuco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-syjuco/) ## More by Ken Follett > [“A child will always be what he is, she thought, and not what you want him to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/a-child-will-always-be-what-he-is-she-thought-and-not-what-you-want/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“The extra line or two around her eyes only made them more fascinating; the touch of silver in her hair enhanced the blackness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/the-extra-line-or-two-around-her-eyes-only-made-them-more-fascinating/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“You're the one who doesn't understand," Lev said. "In America, I have my own car. There's more food than you can eat, all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/you-re-the-one-who-doesn-t-understand-lev-said-in-america-i-have-my/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“They did not suspect her for a moment. It did not occur to them that a woman could be dangerous. How foolish they were.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/they-did-not-suspect-her-for-a-moment-it-did-not-occur-to-them-that-a/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“Remember our story. You’re going to visit a cousin who has just started to farm in North Carolina. You’re taking gifts.” “Even though we’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/remember-our-story-you-re-going-to-visit-a-cousin-who-has-just/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“What don’t I know?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/what-don-t-i-know/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“And here's my advice to you. If you get the chance of the mad kind of love, grab it with both hands, and to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/and-here-s-my-advice-to-you-if-you-get-the-chance-of-the-mad-kind-of/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“Two blades clashed, ringing like a bell. Like all small boys, Philip thought his father was invincible; and this was the moment when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/two-blades-clashed-ringing-like-a-bell-like-all-small-boys-philip/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“It had been a morning of vivid images: the man-made streams, the rats in the butchers’ shops, the stacks of new-minted silver pennies, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/it-had-been-a-morning-of-vivid-images-the-man-made-streams-the-rats/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“tickets and lifts begged on carts, but Grigori was mesmerized by her face as she talked. Once again Lev listened with rapt attention, making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/tickets-and-lifts-begged-on-carts-but-grigori-was-mesmerized-by-her/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“A man who has no fear can do anything he wants, Feliks thought. He had learned that lesson eleven years ago, in a railway…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/a-man-who-has-no-fear-can-do-anything-he-wants-feliks-thought-he-had/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“Alison was relieved: she would have hated to see Mary lose her dignity as well as her life. “Follow me,” said the sheriff. Mary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/alison-was-relieved-she-would-have-hated-to-see-mary-lose-her-dignity/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“Jack was too absorbed in his work to hear the bell. He was mesmerized by the challenge of making soft, round shapes of hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/jack-was-too-absorbed-in-his-work-to-hear-the-bell-he-was-mesmerized/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“might spook Harald and cause him to flee. She had to visit in person. This would be even more risky. Morlunde was a town,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/might-spook-harald-and-cause-him-to-flee-she-had-to-visit-in-person/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) > [“I bambini vennero presto per assistere all'impiccagione.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/i-bambini-vennero-presto-per-assistere-all-impiccagione/) [Ken Follett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) [Explore all 291 Ken Follett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“How terrible, Jack thought, to be old and know that your life has been wasted.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ken Follett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and-know-that-your-life-has-been/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and-know-that-your-life-has-been/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/ken-follett-941_life_how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and_2520209.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/ken-follett-941_life_how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and_2520209.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/11b/ken-follett-941_life_how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and_2520209.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How terrible, Jack thought, to be old and know that your life has been wasted.” — Ken Follett", "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": "Ken Follett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-follett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How terrible, Jack thought, to be...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and-know-that-your-life-has-been/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-follett/how-terrible-jack-thought-to-be-old-and-know-that-your-life-has-been/#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 } } ] } ```