--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Know this: even if you’re like us and…" description: "\"“Know this: even if you’re like us and still doddering around above ground, someone out there from your past is probably pretty sure that you’re dead b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/michael-zadoorian-27244_aging_know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-sti_956899.jpg" --- # Know this: even if you’re like us and still doddering… ![“Know this: even if you’re like us and still doddering around above ground, someone out there from your past is probably pretty sure that you’re dead by now. (p.125 )” quote by Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/michael-zadoorian-27244_aging_know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-sti_956899.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/michael-zadoorian-27244_aging_know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-sti_956899.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/michael-zadoorian-27244_aging_know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-sti_956899.jpg) > ““Know this: even if you’re like us and still doddering around above ground, someone out there from your past is probably pretty sure that you’re dead by now. (p.125 )”” [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even after death, we may be haunted by others’ expectations and doubts. **In simple terms:** Past doubts linger after death. Key Takeaway Acknowledge lingering doubts. Themes mortality memory legacy Mood somber contemplative Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - family discussions - writing memoirs Key Concepts existential anxiety posthumous judgment Questions to Reflect On - What unfinished business haunts you? - How do you reconcile past expectations? A Different Perspective Not everyone believes in an afterlife, limiting relevance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) [Doddering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doddering-1744654/) [Doddering Ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doddering-ground-1744653/) [End of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-of-life/) [Ground Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ground-past-1744655/) [Like Doddering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-doddering-1744656/) [Past Probably](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/past-probably-1744652/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I haven’t been out driving at this time of night in many years, much less in an unfamiliar area. These are the things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/i-haven-t-been-out-driving-at-this-time-of-night-in-many-years-much/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“This is exactly the sort of thing that makes traveling wonderful for me, the reason I defied everyone. The two of us together like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/this-is-exactly-the-sort-of-thing-that-makes-traveling-wonderful-for/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“It doesn’t upset me to think about dying. What upsets me is the idea of John being alone after his spell passes. The idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/it-doesn-t-upset-me-to-think-about-dying-what-upsets-me-is-the-idea/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“I am constantly mystified by what John ends up remembering… I just don’t understand why he’s able to hang on to information like that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/i-am-constantly-mystified-by-what-john-ends-up-remembering-i-just-don/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“Hi lover," he says to me, completely forgetting what happened before. He knows who I am. He knows that I am the one person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/hi-lover-he-says-to-me-completely-forgetting-what-happened-before-he/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“The last slide is Main Street at night, with the castle lit silver blue in the background. In the sky, fireworks are going off,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/the-last-slide-is-main-street-at-night-with-the-castle-lit-silver/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“I thought that nothing enormously bad or good had happened to me during my life. All the normal things had occurred. I had lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/i-thought-that-nothing-enormously-bad-or-good-had-happened-to-me/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [Someday your life will be over, no matter how much attention you give to your health. Will you look back with regret, because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/someday-your-life-will-be-over-no-matter-how-much-attention-you-give/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [Are all ends of life so sad?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-of-romania/are-all-ends-of-life-so-sad/) [Marie of Romania](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-of-romania/) > [Through a grandmother's voice and hands the end of life is known at the beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/through-a-grandmother-s-voice-and-hands-the-end-of-life-is-known-at/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [The end of life is to be like unto God; and the soul following God, will be like unto Him; He being the beginning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/the-end-of-life-is-to-be-like-unto-god-and-the-soul-following-god/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [It will not bother me in the hour of death to reflect that I have been "had for a sucker" by any number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/it-will-not-bother-me-in-the-hour-of-death-to-reflect-that-i-have/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“What I really fear is time. That's the devil: whipping us on when we'd rather loll, so the present sprints by, impossible to grasp,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rachman/what-i-really-fear-is-time-that-s-the-devil-whipping-us-on-when-we-d/) [Tom Rachman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rachman/) > [You're already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/you-re-already-naked-there-is-no-reason-not-to-follow-your-heart/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) > [“What matters is at the end of life, when you're about to pass into oblivion, that you've at least scratched 'Kilroy was here,' on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-matters-is-at-the-end-of-life-when-you-re-about-to-pass-into/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) ## More by Michael Zadoorian > [“The memories we take to the ends of our lives have no real rhyme or reason, especially when you think of the endless things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/the-memories-we-take-to-the-ends-of-our-lives-have-no-real-rhyme-or/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“Why does the world have to destroy anything that doesn't fit in? We still can't figure out that this is the most important reason…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/why-does-the-world-have-to-destroy-anything-that-doesn-t-fit-in-we/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“I think about what the man at the Coney joint said. He was right. We are the people who stay. We stay in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/i-think-about-what-the-man-at-the-coney-joint-said-he-was-right-we/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“But what I do love about this road is how the gaudy becomes grand, how tastelessness is a way of everyday life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/but-what-i-do-love-about-this-road-is-how-the-gaudy-becomes-grand-how/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“I thought that nothing enormously bad or good had happened to me during my life. All the normal things had occurred. I had lived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/i-thought-that-nothing-enormously-bad-or-good-had-happened-to-me/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“…this is the problem with photographs. After a while, you can’t remember if you’re recalling the actual memory or the memory of the photograph.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/this-is-the-problem-with-photographs-after-a-while-you-can-t-remember/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“We pass a church with a massive blue neon cross, and I am spiritually lifted by feelings of great religiosity. No, I’m not, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/we-pass-a-church-with-a-massive-blue-neon-cross-and-i-am-spiritually/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“The last slide is Main Street at night, with the castle lit silver blue in the background. In the sky, fireworks are going off,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/the-last-slide-is-main-street-at-night-with-the-castle-lit-silver/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“Anyone who never met a man he didn't like just isn't trying hard enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/anyone-who-never-met-a-man-he-didn-t-like-just-isn-t-trying-hard/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“After a while, just staying alive becomes a full-time job. No wonder we need a vacation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/after-a-while-just-staying-alive-becomes-a-full-time-job-no-wonder-we/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“Hi lover," he says to me, completely forgetting what happened before. He knows who I am. He knows that I am the one person…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/hi-lover-he-says-to-me-completely-forgetting-what-happened-before-he/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“I am constantly mystified by what John ends up remembering… I just don’t understand why he’s able to hang on to information like that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/i-am-constantly-mystified-by-what-john-ends-up-remembering-i-just-don/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“It doesn’t upset me to think about dying. What upsets me is the idea of John being alone after his spell passes. The idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/it-doesn-t-upset-me-to-think-about-dying-what-upsets-me-is-the-idea/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“You worry about your parents, siblings, spouses dying, yet no one prepares you for your friends dying. Every time you flip through your address…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/you-worry-about-your-parents-siblings-spouses-dying-yet-no-one/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) > [“This is exactly the sort of thing that makes traveling wonderful for me, the reason I defied everyone. The two of us together like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/this-is-exactly-the-sort-of-thing-that-makes-traveling-wonderful-for/) [Michael Zadoorian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) [Explore all 20 Michael Zadoorian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/) ## More Aging quotes > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [In the past 40 years, the United States lost more than a million farmers and ranchers. Many of our farmers are aging. Today, only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-vilsack/in-the-past-40-years-the-united-states-lost-more-than-a-million/) [Tom Vilsack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-vilsack/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Prayer of an Anonymous Abbess: Lord, thou knowest better than myself that I am growing older and will soon be old. Keep me from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/prayer-of-an-anonymous-abbess-lord-thou-knowest-better-than-myself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [So often do you see collegians enter life with high resolve and lofty purpose and then watch them shrink and shrink to sordid, selfish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-e-b-du-bois/so-often-do-you-see-collegians-enter-life-with-high-resolve-and-lofty/) [W. E. B. Du Bois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-e-b-du-bois/) > [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/) [Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/) > [All the dangers in our world are like a blessed wake up call. They tell us to live life NOW... not tomorrow, not when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/all-the-dangers-in-our-world-are-like-a-blessed-wake-up-call-they/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [“You could see the signs of female aging as diseased, especially if you had a vested interest in making women too see them your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-wolf/you-could-see-the-signs-of-female-aging-as-diseased-especially-if-you/) [Naomi Wolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-wolf/) > [“It takes maturity to be able to laugh like a child again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moffat-machingura/it-takes-maturity-to-be-able-to-laugh-like-a-child-again/) [Moffat Machingura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moffat-machingura/) > [Seek ye counsel of the aged for their eyes have looked on the faces of the years and their ears have hardened to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/seek-ye-counsel-of-the-aged-for-their-eyes-have-looked-on-the-faces/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Growing old-it's not nice, but it's interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-strindberg/growing-old-it-s-not-nice-but-it-s-interesting/) [August Strindberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-strindberg/) > [Anything is possible in the life of a man if he lives long enough. Even maturity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howell-raines/anything-is-possible-in-the-life-of-a-man-if-he-lives-long-enough/) [Howell Raines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howell-raines/) > [I just want to be Patty McCormack. I want to spend every year aging the way she has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-varney/i-just-want-to-be-patty-mccormack-i-want-to-spend-every-year-aging/) [Janet Varney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-varney/) > [Maturity is reached the day we don't need to be lied to about anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-yerby/maturity-is-reached-the-day-we-don-t-need-to-be-lied-to-about-anything/) [Frank Yerby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-yerby/) [Browse all 2,792 Aging quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aging/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Know this: even if you’re like us and still doddering around above ground, someone out there from your past is probably pretty sure that you’re dead by now. (p.125 )”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michael Zadoorian" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-still-doddering-around-above/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aging" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-still-doddering-around-above/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/michael-zadoorian-27244_aging_know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-sti_956899.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/michael-zadoorian-27244_aging_know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-sti_956899.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/270/michael-zadoorian-27244_aging_know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-sti_956899.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Know this: even if you’re like us and still doddering around above ground, someone out there from your past…” — Michael Zadoorian", "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 Zadoorian", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-zadoorian/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Know this: even if you’re like...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-still-doddering-around-above/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-zadoorian/know-this-even-if-you-re-like-us-and-still-doddering-around-above/#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 } } ] } ```