--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The next few weeks were the worst he…" description: "\"“The next few weeks were the worst he could remember. Too many things were coming back to him, too much of what he'd lost - or - sadder - had never had..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/margaret-atwood-40_first-place_the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-cou_2219440.jpg" --- # The next few weeks were the worst he could remember. Too… ![“The next few weeks were the worst he could remember. Too many things were coming back to him, too much of what he'd lost - or - sadder - had never had in the first place. All that wasted time, and he didn't even know who'd wasted it.” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/margaret-atwood-40_first-place_the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-cou_2219440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/margaret-atwood-40_first-place_the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-cou_2219440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/margaret-atwood-40_first-place_the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-cou_2219440.jpg) > ““The next few weeks were the worst he could remember. Too many things were coming back to him, too much of what he'd lost - or - sadder - had never had in the first place. All that wasted time, and he didn't even know who'd wasted it.”” [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. Trauma resurfaces painful memories, causing confusion and loss of self **In simple terms:** Bad memories return and overwhelm Key Takeaway Acknowledge and process past pain Themes memory trauma identity loss Mood melancholic reflective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - therapy - writing - grieving - self‑care Key Concepts psychology literature Questions to Reflect On - What parts of your past feel unresolved? - How can you reclaim agency over lost time? A Different Perspective Memories may be distorted or incomplete ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [First place](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) ## Related quotes > [I can't get you off my mind, realizing that we're done, I know I have wasted time, but what I'm I supposed to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-lovesyou/i-can-t-get-you-off-my-mind-realizing-that-we-re-done-i-know-i-have/) R\_lovesyou > [I worked in a dining hall in college and I worked at UPS for a full three weeks - it was the worst job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-griffin/i-worked-in-a-dining-hall-in-college-and-i-worked-at-ups-for-a-full/) [Forrest Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-griffin/) > [“Because, worst of all, I remember every second of what it was like to lose my life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-young/because-worst-of-all-i-remember-every-second-of-what-it-was-like-to/) [Suzanne Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-young/) > [America has entered one of its periods of historic madness, but this is the worst I can remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-le-carre/america-has-entered-one-of-its-periods-of-historic-madness-but-this/) [John le Carre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-le-carre/) > [Be careful who you invest your time in. Nothing is worst than wasted time. It's the one thing you can't get back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-careful-who-you-invest-your-time-in-nothing-is-worst-than-wasted/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You had your chance, now I have mine. You wasted your time, and now I'm using mine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bev/you-had-your-chance-now-i-have-mine-you-wasted-your-time-and-now-i-m/) Bev > [Time is never wasted when youre wasted all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/time-is-never-wasted-when-youre-wasted-all-the-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Thank you for reading this, I have officially wasted your time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/itsme867/thank-you-for-reading-this-i-have-officially-wasted-your-time/) Itsme867 > [“… Your father, for instance, don’t you think he would have done three times as much work if it had not been for your—what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-father-for-instance-don-t-you-think-he-would-have-done-three/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No effort is ever wasted, although some pay dividends later than you think. Do not imagine that you "wasted your time" because something didn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/no-effort-is-ever-wasted-although-some-pay-dividends-later-than-you/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [If life is a waste of time and time is a waste of life, lets all get wasted and have the time of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/if-life-is-a-waste-of-time-and-time-is-a-waste-of-life-lets-all-get/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [I have no clue why I wasted so much time on you; or why I thought I loved you.. or why I tried so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/i-have-no-clue-why-i-wasted-so-much-time-on-you-or-why-i-thought-i/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“Anytime that cannot be accounted for is a wasted time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/anytime-that-cannot-be-accounted-for-is-a-wasted-time/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [You WASTED my time, soo therefore YOU AINT WORTH MY TIME LIFE GOES ON!!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ty/you-wasted-my-time-soo-therefore-you-aint-worth-my-time-life-goes-on/) Ty > [If I loved myself as much as I loved you, I would realize, I wasted all this time loving someone, who no longer loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/if-i-loved-myself-as-much-as-i-loved-you-i-would-realize-i-wasted-all/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) ## 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 First place quotes > [“But the process should not be confused with science. When tests are used as selections devices, they're not a neutral tool; they become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-whyte/but-the-process-should-not-be-confused-with-science-when-tests-are/) [William H. Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-whyte/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/) [J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/) > [The politician attempts to remedy the evil by increasing the very thing that caused the evil in the first place: legal plunder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/the-politician-attempts-to-remedy-the-evil-by-increasing-the-very/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [At times you are going to miss people. When that happens, others have to come to the front and show the calibre that brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-phelan/at-times-you-are-going-to-miss-people-when-that-happens-others-have/) [Mike Phelan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-phelan/) > [Im never shocked when people let me down nowadays. I just hate the fact that I put myself in a position to be let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-never-shocked-when-people-let-me-down-nowadays-i-just-hate-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Had a 90's music party with my Glee family tonight. Helped remind me why I got into music in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-salling/had-a-90-s-music-party-with-my-glee-family-tonight-helped-remind-me/) [Mark Salling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-salling/) > [“We heard about people who go back to their roots. That is good, but don't get stuck in the root. There is the branch,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie-goldberg/we-heard-about-people-who-go-back-to-their-roots-that-is-good-but-don/) [Natalie Goldberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie-goldberg/) > [Don't be afraid of failure, be afraid of not trying in the first place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-forleo/don-t-be-afraid-of-failure-be-afraid-of-not-trying-in-the-first-place/) [Marie Forleo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-forleo/) > [“If you have the ability and the opportunity to help someone, but you don't do anything just because you're scared or it's inconvenient or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bree-despain/if-you-have-the-ability-and-the-opportunity-to-help-someone-but-you/) [Bree Despain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bree-despain/) > [Every penny we spend comes from the taxpayer. We thus owe it to the taxpayer to work as hard managing that money wisely as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-mulvaney/every-penny-we-spend-comes-from-the-taxpayer-we-thus-owe-it-to-the/) [Mick Mulvaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-mulvaney/) > [“The traumatized soul finds no rest in conditions of peace. It’s forever questing for violence, for action, for the same combination of factors which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-s-williams/the-traumatized-soul-finds-no-rest-in-conditions-of-peace-it-s/) [Matthew S. Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-s-williams/) > [When you're 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you're 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when you're 60 you realize no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/when-you-re-20-you-care-what-everyone-thinks-when-you-re-40-you-stop/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Because I'm not, in fact, depressed, Prozac makes me manic and numb - one of the reasons I slice my arm in the first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marya-hornbacher/because-i-m-not-in-fact-depressed-prozac-makes-me-manic-and-numb-one/) [Marya Hornbacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marya-hornbacher/) > [“The greatest faith is the willingness to ask in the first place, all evidence to the contrary. Faith not just in God, but in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-cronin/the-greatest-faith-is-the-willingness-to-ask-in-the-first-place-all/) [Justin Cronin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-cronin/) [Browse all 2,907 First place quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/first-place/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The next few weeks were the worst he could remember. Too many things were coming back to him, too much of what he'd lost - or - sadder - had never had in the first place. All that wasted time, and he didn't even know who'd wasted it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Atwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-could-remember-too-many-things/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "First place" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-could-remember-too-many-things/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/margaret-atwood-40_first-place_the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-cou_2219440.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/margaret-atwood-40_first-place_the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-cou_2219440.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d18/margaret-atwood-40_first-place_the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-cou_2219440.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The next few weeks were the worst he could remember. Too many things were coming back to him, too much of…” — 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 next few weeks were the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-could-remember-too-many-things/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-next-few-weeks-were-the-worst-he-could-remember-too-many-things/#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 } } ] } ```