---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think Ive been preoccupied since I was…"
description: "\"I think Ive been preoccupied since I was 11, and my father died, with the idea of the age 39: Would I live that long? What would that be like?. To disc..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/michael-c-hall-2-33857_father-died_i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was_2491674.jpg"
---

#  I think Ive been preoccupied since I was 11, and my father…

![“I think Ive been preoccupied since I was 11, and my father died, with the idea of the age 39: Would I live that long? What would that be like?. To discover that I had the Hodgkins was alarming, but at the same time I felt kind of bemused, like: Wow. Huh. How interesting.” quote by Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/michael-c-hall-2-33857_father-died_i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was_2491674.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/michael-c-hall-2-33857_father-died_i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was_2491674.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/michael-c-hall-2-33857_father-died_i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was_2491674.jpg)

> “I think Ive been preoccupied since I was 11, and my father died, with the idea of the age 39: Would I live that long? What would that be like?. To discover that I had the Hodgkins was alarming, but at the same time I felt kind of bemused, like: Wow. Huh. How interesting.”

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Facing mortality prompts reflection on life’s length and meaning, turning serious news into a curious, almost amused perspective.

**In simple terms:** Contemplating lifespan leads to curiosity.

Key Takeaway

Find wonder in life's uncertainties.

Themes

mortality reflection humor personal growth

Mood

introspective lighthearted

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- creative writing
- health awareness

Key Concepts

life expectancy health diagnosis existential inquiry

Questions to Reflect On

- How does humor affect your coping with serious news?
- What does this reflection reveal about your values?

A Different Perspective

Balancing seriousness with humor may downplay health concerns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Father died](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-died/) [Hodgkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hodgkins-970514/) [Hodgkins Alarming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hodgkins-alarming-970513/) [Live Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-long/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) [Preoccupied](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preoccupied/) [Time Felt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-felt/)

## Related quotes

> [I sat up, sliding them off, and the quiet around me did not, for once, seem empty and vast. Instead, for the first time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/i-sat-up-sliding-them-off-and-the-quiet-around-me-did-not-for-once/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [My preference would have been to not go back on the air after 9\\11, at all until the time felt right but that wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-sorkin/my-preference-would-have-been-to-not-go-back-on-the-air-after-9-11-at/)

[Aaron Sorkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-sorkin/)

> [For a long time the only time I felt beautiful-in the sense of being complete as a woman, as a human being, and even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leontyne-price/for-a-long-time-the-only-time-i-felt-beautiful-in-the-sense-of-being/)

[Leontyne Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leontyne-price/)

> [“The last time I felt alive – I was looking into your eyes. Breathing your air…. touching your skin… … Saying goodbye…. The last…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranata-suzuki/the-last-time-i-felt-alive-i-was-looking-into-your-eyes-breathing/)

[Ranata Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranata-suzuki/)

> [I felt so full of love for everything. But at the same time, I felt so hung out there to dry, like nobody could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/i-felt-so-full-of-love-for-everything-but-at-the-same-time-i-felt-so/)

[Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/)

> [I’m me, and at the same time not me. That’s what it felt like. A very still, quiet feeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-m-me-and-at-the-same-time-not-me-that-s-what-it-felt-like-a-very/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“when he called her Anne, it was the first time she felt as if the name was truly hers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-quinn/when-he-called-her-anne-it-was-the-first-time-she-felt-as-if-the-name/)

[Julia Quinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-quinn/)

> [I went to England when I was 13-years=old and then I went again when I was 14. When I went for the second time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pirjo-honkasalo/i-went-to-england-when-i-was-13-years-old-and-then-i-went-again-when/)

[Pirjo Honkasalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pirjo-honkasalo/)

> [There was a time when I felt that I was not getting work as per my potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-bhasin/there-was-a-time-when-i-felt-that-i-was-not-getting-work-as-per-my/)

[Neha Bhasin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-bhasin/)

> [“It then occurred to him that he had never had a better time. He felt fifty years younger. He also felt like a schoolboy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-chong/it-then-occurred-to-him-that-he-had-never-had-a-better-time-he-felt/)

[Nicholas Chong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-chong/)

> [I would never say out loud that I am raising my children alone, but a lot of the time it has felt like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liberty-ross/i-would-never-say-out-loud-that-i-am-raising-my-children-alone-but-a/)

[Liberty Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liberty-ross/)

> [Time felt slower when we do nothing but wait.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/time-felt-slower-when-we-do-nothing-but-wait/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [“A man was asleep in my bed for the first time ever, and it felt anything but wrong. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-erickson/a-man-was-asleep-in-my-bed-for-the-first-time-ever-and-it-felt/)

[Megan Erickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-erickson/)

> [There came a time when I felt I was not going to be satisfied with life unless I could write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/there-came-a-time-when-i-felt-i-was-not-going-to-be-satisfied-with/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [ After I came back \[to China\], there was still a long period of time when I felt I had nothing to do. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/after-i-came-back-to-china-there-was-still-a-long-period-of-time-when/)

[Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/)

## More by Michael C Hall

> [I do think I grew up in an environment in which, in subtle ways, enthusiasm was not necessarily encouraged. There is something wonderful about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/i-do-think-i-grew-up-in-an-environment-in-which-in-subtle-ways/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [I didn't have enough trepidation about playing a gay funeral director not to play it. I didn't have enough trepidation about playing a serial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/i-didn-t-have-enough-trepidation-about-playing-a-gay-funeral-director/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [In a strange way, playing David during the first season required me to get in touch with my homophobia. He had such internalized loathing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/in-a-strange-way-playing-david-during-the-first-season-required-me-to/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [I'm kind of a tech-tard. I do have an iPod, a laptop, a Mac. Look at this cell phone. I almost have it as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/i-m-kind-of-a-tech-tard-i-do-have-an-ipod-a-laptop-a-mac-look-at-this/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [I think Dexter is a man whoa part of himself is very much frozen, or arrested in a place that is pre-memory, pre-conscious, pre-verbal.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/i-think-dexter-is-a-man-whoa-part-of-himself-is-very-much-frozen-or/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [Had every intention of keeping it quiet, but because the award shows were imminent, I figured Id make a statement. It was nice to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/had-every-intention-of-keeping-it-quiet-but-because-the-award-shows/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [The people who are afraid of me, I wonder why, if they have a reason for it. People generally just express their enthusiasm about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/the-people-who-are-afraid-of-me-i-wonder-why-if-they-have-a-reason/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [The show has momentum, it's captured people's imagination...I won't deny that it's a thrill to be recognized in this way. I'll bring as many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/the-show-has-momentum-it-s-captured-people-s-imagination-i-won-t-deny/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [My mother certainly grew up in an world where homosexuality, I think, was equated with weakness. I don't think she feels that way now.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/my-mother-certainly-grew-up-in-an-world-where-homosexuality-i-think/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [I have my opinions about whether or not Dexter is human. I think he is. I think a lot of his journey over the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/i-have-my-opinions-about-whether-or-not-dexter-is-human-i-think-he-is/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [I think that's a part of my job, playing the character in spite of his claims of having a closed heart, to open my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/i-think-that-s-a-part-of-my-job-playing-the-character-in-spite-of-his/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [Undisciplined surfing is my guilty TV pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/undisciplined-surfing-is-my-guilty-tv-pleasure/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

> [The fact that Ive been called upon to play these characters is probably not a complete coincidence. I have my own repressed people in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/the-fact-that-ive-been-called-upon-to-play-these-characters-is/)

[Michael C Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

[Explore all 14 Michael C Hall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/)

## More Father died quotes

> [My parents were not musical, and they were not effervescent people; everything was very quiet. The music that I played was loud; it used…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-mclean/my-parents-were-not-musical-and-they-were-not-effervescent-people/)

[Don McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-mclean/)

> [At home we didnt talk about religion. So gradually the question faded away by itself and disappeared from the agenda. When I was nineteen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sergei-prokofiev/at-home-we-didnt-talk-about-religion-so-gradually-the-question-faded/)

[Sergei Prokofiev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sergei-prokofiev/)

> [I have 10 brothers and sisters. My mother raised us because my father died when I was 8.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerry-kennedy/i-have-10-brothers-and-sisters-my-mother-raised-us-because-my-father/)

[Kerry Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerry-kennedy/)

> [Sadly, my father died before I graduated, so he didn't see any of the success at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-logan/sadly-my-father-died-before-i-graduated-so-he-didn-t-see-any-of-the/)

[Phyllis Logan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-logan/)

> [“I need to ask, are you afraid of spiders?" Nicholas blinked, suddenly caught off guard, "Yes, I'm afraid of spiders." "Were you always?" "What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-m-irwin/i-need-to-ask-are-you-afraid-of-spiders-nicholas-blinked-suddenly/)

[Stephen M. Irwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-m-irwin/)

> [My real father died when I was two years old, so I never knew him. He was a barber in Chicago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-johanson/my-real-father-died-when-i-was-two-years-old-so-i-never-knew-him-he/)

[Donald Johanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-johanson/)

> [My mother emigrated from Russia as a young child. She couldn't speak English and had no education. Her father died at age 32, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianne-feinstein/my-mother-emigrated-from-russia-as-a-young-child-she-couldn-t-speak/)

[Dianne Feinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianne-feinstein/)

> [My father died very suddenly at sixty-three. Just dropped dead. For a long time afterward, I'd ask myself, Why didn't I ask him to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clint-eastwood/my-father-died-very-suddenly-at-sixty-three-just-dropped-dead-for-a/)

[Clint Eastwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clint-eastwood/)

> [Father, you died once, salted down at fifty-nine, packed down like a big snow angel, wasn't that enough?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-sexton/father-you-died-once-salted-down-at-fifty-nine-packed-down-like-a-big/)

[Anne Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-sexton/)

> [This is our problem, our dilemma, yes? We cannot celebrate and declare ourselves to belong to the victorious nations because our brothers and our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manfred-rommel/this-is-our-problem-our-dilemma-yes-we-cannot-celebrate-and-declare/)

[Manfred Rommel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manfred-rommel/)

> [My dad died, and my grandfather died, and my great-grandfather died. And the guy before him, I don't know. Probably died.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norm-macdonald/my-dad-died-and-my-grandfather-died-and-my-great-grandfather-died-and/)

[Norm MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norm-macdonald/)

> [After my grandfather died I went down to the basement of my family house where my family kept books, anthologies and things and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-hirsch/after-my-grandfather-died-i-went-down-to-the-basement-of-my-family/)

[Edward Hirsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-hirsch/)

> [“And this is how it stiffens, my vision of that seaside childhood. My father died, we moved inland. Whereon those nine first years of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-plath/and-this-is-how-it-stiffens-my-vision-of-that-seaside-childhood-my/)

[Sylvia Plath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-plath/)

> [My family background really only consists of my mother. She was a widow. My father died quite young; he must have been thirty-one. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-walcott/my-family-background-really-only-consists-of-my-mother-she-was-a/)

[Derek Walcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-walcott/)

> [It's so weird. The day my father died. I thought it'd be all grim and stormy. It's just another day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-tyler/it-s-so-weird-the-day-my-father-died-i-thought-it-d-be-all-grim-and/)

[Rose Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-tyler/)

[Browse all 232 Father died quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father-died/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I think Ive been preoccupied since I was 11, and my father died, with the idea of the age 39: Would I live that long? What would that be like?. To discover that I had the Hodgkins was alarming, but at the same time I felt kind of bemused, like: Wow. Huh. How interesting.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Michael C Hall"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was-11-and-my-father-died-with/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Father died"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was-11-and-my-father-died-with/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/michael-c-hall-2-33857_father-died_i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was_2491674.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/michael-c-hall-2-33857_father-died_i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was_2491674.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ae/michael-c-hall-2-33857_father-died_i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was_2491674.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I think Ive been preoccupied since I was 11, and my father died, with the idea of the age 39: Would I live…” — Michael C Hall",
                "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": "Michael C Hall",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-c-hall-2/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I think Ive been preoccupied since...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was-11-and-my-father-died-with/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-c-hall-2/i-think-ive-been-preoccupied-since-i-was-11-and-my-father-died-with/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
