--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Fall was ongoing, but its trajectory…" description: "\"“The Fall was ongoing, but its trajectory led ever downward. Sucked into the well of knowledge, you could only plummet, learning more and more, but not..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/margaret-atwood-40_fall_the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory_2176071.jpg" --- # The Fall was ongoing, but its trajectory led ever… ![“The Fall was ongoing, but its trajectory led ever downward. Sucked into the well of knowledge, you could only plummet, learning more and more, but not getting any happier.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/margaret-atwood-40_fall_the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory_2176071.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/margaret-atwood-40_fall_the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory_2176071.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/margaret-atwood-40_fall_the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory_2176071.jpg) > ““The Fall was ongoing, but its trajectory led ever downward. Sucked into the well of knowledge, you could only plummet, learning more and more, but not getting any happier.”” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pursuing knowledge can lead to deeper despair rather than happiness. **In simple terms:** Learning more can make you unhappier. Key Takeaway Balance curiosity with well‑being. Themes knowledge despair learning mental health literature Mood thoughtful somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - academic study - personal reading - online research - self‑education Key Concepts existentialism information overload psychology Questions to Reflect On - When does learning become harmful? - How can one seek knowledge without losing joy? A Different Perspective The view may overgeneralize the impact of knowledge on happiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Downward Sucked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/downward-sucked-4679889/) [Fall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) [Knowledge Plummet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge-plummet-4679887/) [Led Downward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/led-downward-302846/) [Plummet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plummet-1158448/) [Plummet Learning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plummet-learning-4679888/) ## Related quotes > [Instead of leading to the high places of happiness, from which the world would seem to lie below one, so that one could look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/instead-of-leading-to-the-high-places-of-happiness-from-which-the/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [There was no time anymore to be quiet or still or pray. So, in many ways, that's what led to my downward spin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-brown-taylor/there-was-no-time-anymore-to-be-quiet-or-still-or-pray-so-in-many/) [Barbara Brown Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-brown-taylor/) > [My heart and the elevator, a plummet inside a plummet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/my-heart-and-the-elevator-a-plummet-inside-a-plummet/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [“It was Chelsea who captures our plummet before it reaches the deepest parts of our vulnerability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-rohr/it-was-chelsea-who-captures-our-plummet-before-it-reaches-the-deepest/) [Danielle Rohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-rohr/) > [There is no plummet to sound another's soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgilia-peterson/there-is-no-plummet-to-sound-another-s-soul/) [Virgilia Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgilia-peterson/) > [In 2010 there were a lot of folks who were still out of work. There were a lot of folks who had lost their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/in-2010-there-were-a-lot-of-folks-who-were-still-out-of-work-there/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [“She could not forget the depth of her sleep, the lightness of her plummet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ondaatje/she-could-not-forget-the-depth-of-her-sleep-the-lightness-of-her/) [Michael Ondaatje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ondaatje/) > [I've been around so long that I've seen rappers make it and plummet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/i-ve-been-around-so-long-that-i-ve-seen-rappers-make-it-and-plummet/) [Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/) > [“He felt that his career was leading him to a point where he would become dependent on success, and that frightened him, because he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho-s/he-felt-that-his-career-was-leading-him-to-a-point-where-he-would/) [Paulo Coelho's](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho-s/) > [“The Fall was a fall from innocence to knowledge. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-fall-was-a-fall-from-innocence-to-knowledge-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [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/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## More Fall quotes > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [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/) > [“When you jump, all you're going to do is fall. But leaping? Leaping is when you think there's something on the other side.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/when-you-jump-all-you-re-going-to-do-is-fall-but-leaping-leaping-is/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [“We will all, at some point in our lives, fall. Every single one of us. We shouldn't spend our time trying to avoid falling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/we-will-all-at-some-point-in-our-lives-fall-every-single-one-of-us-we/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/) [Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [How wonderful it would be to scatter words as they rise to consciousness, to let them lie where they fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-scott/how-wonderful-it-would-be-to-scatter-words-as-they-rise-to/) [Joanna Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-scott/) > [My life is a crystal teardrop. There are snowflakes falling in the teardrop and little figures trudging in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-baez/my-life-is-a-crystal-teardrop-there-are-snowflakes-falling-in-the/) [Joan Baez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-baez/) > [Life will knock you down & it's tough, but you are strong enough. Get back up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-will-knock-you-down-it-s-tough-but-you-are-strong-enough-get/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was 13, I began relaxing my hair, and that meant when I turned 18 it began to crack and fall off, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soledad-o-brien/when-i-was-13-i-began-relaxing-my-hair-and-that-meant-when-i-turned/) [Soledad O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soledad-o-brien/) > [“If you ever falling but can't see the bottom be glad you can't because at the bottom it's either a soft land or rocks!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelseigh-ashton/if-you-ever-falling-but-can-t-see-the-bottom-be-glad-you-can-t/) [Kelseigh Ashton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelseigh-ashton/) > [Empires fall, ids explode, great symphonies are written, and behind all of it is a single instinct that demands satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwin-b-nuland/empires-fall-ids-explode-great-symphonies-are-written-and-behind-all/) [Sherwin B. Nuland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwin-b-nuland/) [Browse all 13,401 Fall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The Fall was ongoing, but its trajectory led ever downward. Sucked into the well of knowledge, you could only plummet, learning more and more, but not getting any happier.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Atwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory-led-ever-downward-sucked-into/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Fall" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory-led-ever-downward-sucked-into/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/margaret-atwood-40_fall_the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory_2176071.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/margaret-atwood-40_fall_the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory_2176071.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/margaret-atwood-40_fall_the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory_2176071.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Fall was ongoing, but its trajectory led ever downward. Sucked into the well of knowledge, you could…” — Margaret Atwood", "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": "Margaret Atwood", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The Fall was ongoing, but its...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory-led-ever-downward-sucked-into/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-fall-was-ongoing-but-its-trajectory-led-ever-downward-sucked-into/#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 } } ] } ```