--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I count too heavily on birthdays, though…" description: "\"I count too heavily on birthdays, though I know I shouldn't. Inevitably I begin to assess my life by them, figure out how I'm doing by how many people ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/lorrie-moore-870_birthday_i-count-too-heavily-on-birthdays-though_142633.png" --- # I count too heavily on birthdays, though I know I… ![“I count too heavily on birthdays, though I know I shouldn't. Inevitably I begin to assess my life by them, figure out how I'm doing by how many people remember; it's like the old fantasy of attending your own funeral: You get to see who your friends are, get to see who shows up.” quote by Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/lorrie-moore-870_birthday_i-count-too-heavily-on-birthdays-though_142633.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/lorrie-moore-870_birthday_i-count-too-heavily-on-birthdays-though_142633.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c19/lorrie-moore-870_birthday_i-count-too-heavily-on-birthdays-though_142633.png) > “I count too heavily on birthdays, though I know I shouldn't. Inevitably I begin to assess my life by them, figure out how I'm doing by how many people remember; it's like the old fantasy of attending your own funeral: You get to see who your friends are, get to see who shows up.” [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We often use birthdays as milestones to judge our social value, but this habit can distort self‑assessment and cause anxiety. **In simple terms:** Birthdays become a yardstick for feeling valued, leading to anxiety. Key Takeaway Avoid measuring worth by others’ remembrance. Themes self‑esteem social validation reflection Mood anxious reflective Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career evaluation - personal relationships - mental health - friendship dynamics Key Concepts milestones self‑assessment social comparison Questions to Reflect On - How do you value yourself beyond external acknowledgment? - What alternative markers can you use for personal growth? 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I think that in making…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/when-you-look-around-at-the-six-people-that-you-spend-the-most-time/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [It pays to know who your friends are but it also pays to know you ain't got any friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/it-pays-to-know-who-your-friends-are-but-it-also-pays-to-know-you-ain/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/we-should-all-be-thankful-for-those-people-who-rekindle-the-inner/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [If you want to know who your friends are, have a major failure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/if-you-want-to-know-who-your-friends-are-have-a-major-failure/) [John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/) > [Show me who your friends are and I'll show you who you are. It works for me. Stay positive and good things happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanilla-ice/show-me-who-your-friends-are-and-i-ll-show-you-who-you-are-it-works/) [Vanilla Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanilla-ice/) > [You learn who your friends are when the sh-t hits the fan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ozzy-osbourne/you-learn-who-your-friends-are-when-the-sh-t-hits-the-fan/) [Ozzy Osbourne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ozzy-osbourne/) ## More by Lorrie Moore > [But I believed in starting over. There was finally, I knew, only rupture and hurt and falling short between all persons, but, Shirley, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/but-i-believed-in-starting-over-there-was-finally-i-knew-only-rupture/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I'm very interested in what people will do for money. Money: it's timeless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-m-very-interested-in-what-people-will-do-for-money-money-it-s/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“One of the problems with people in Chicago, she remembered, was that they were never lonely at the same time. Their sadness occurred in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/one-of-the-problems-with-people-in-chicago-she-remembered-was-that/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“If you had forgotten, it would quickly come back to you. Aloneness was like riding a bike. At gunpoint. With the gun in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/if-you-had-forgotten-it-would-quickly-come-back-to-you-aloneness-was/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [Once love had seemed like magic. 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If she had been shy, not one of us would be at Perkins right now.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/amber-was-not-shy-if-she-had-been-shy-not-one-of-us-would-be-at/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [People will do anything, anything, for a really nice laugh,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/people-will-do-anything-anything-for-a-really-nice-laugh/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“Farmers aren't rich. They have land but no money." Actually, my father didn't even have that much land. 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Here is someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/life-is-sad-here-is-someone/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [I had never feared insomnia before--like prison, wouldn't it just give you more time to read?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-had-never-feared-insomnia-before-like-prison-wouldn-t-it-just-give/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [Usually she ordered a cup of coffee and a cup of tea, as well as a brownie, propping up her sadness with chocolate and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/usually-she-ordered-a-cup-of-coffee-and-a-cup-of-tea-as-well-as-a/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) [Explore all 340 Lorrie Moore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) ## More Birthday quotes > [I had sort of had a 21st birthday when I was 17, 18 years old living in Japan. 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Have a glorious and memorable Birthday!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-lord-bless-you-abundantly-because-a-sweetheart-like-you-deserves/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happy Birthday To Me,I just turned twenty three(23),I want a new Puppy, And I'll name it Julie:) Chocolate cake anyone all I have leftover,,,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becka-miller/happy-birthday-to-me-i-just-turned-twenty-three-23-i-want-a-new-puppy/) [Becka Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becka-miller/) > [I've always taken care of myself, and I'm a non-conformist, so I don't accept the negativity that comes with birthdays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-van-dam/i-ve-always-taken-care-of-myself-and-i-m-a-non-conformist-so-i-don-t/) [Rob Van Dam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-van-dam/) > [If you're going to do a job, do it right. If you're going to throw a birthday party, make it amazing. 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And that reason is our very existence!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/every-day-we-have-a-special-reason-to-make-a-good-celebration-and/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) [Browse all 2,984 Birthday quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birthday/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I count too heavily on birthdays, though I know I shouldn't. 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