--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He thought of these yers as another life…" description: "\"“He thought of these yers as another life within the one he had. As though it were a thing he was able to carry. A small box. A handkerchief. A stone. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/paul-yoon-39503_another-life_he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life_246431.jpg" --- # He thought of these yers as another life within the one he… ![“He thought of these yers as another life within the one he had. As though it were a thing he was able to carry. A small box. A handkerchief. A stone. He did not understand how a life could vanish. How that was even possible. How it could close in an instant before you even reach inside one last…” quote by Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/paul-yoon-39503_another-life_he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life_246431.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/paul-yoon-39503_another-life_he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life_246431.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/paul-yoon-39503_another-life_he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life_246431.jpg) > ““He thought of these yers as another life within the one he had. As though it were a thing he was able to carry. A small box. A handkerchief. A stone. He did not understand how a life could vanish. How that was even possible. How it could close in an instant before you even reach inside one last time, touch someone's hand one last time. How there would come a day when no one would wonder about the life he had before this one.”” [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage reflects on how past lives feel like carried memories, and how loss can be sudden and incomprehensible. **In simple terms:** Memories of past selves fade unexpectedly. Key Takeaway Cherish present connections. Themes memory loss identity Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative writing - family gatherings - therapy Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor past selves? - What helps you cope with sudden change? A Different Perspective May overlook resilience after loss. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Another life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought/) ## Related quotes > [“He thought of these years as another life within the one he had. As though it were a thing he was able to carry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/he-thought-of-these-years-as-another-life-within-the-one-he-had-as/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [“He did not understand how a life could vanish. How that was even possible. How it could close in an instant before you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/he-did-not-understand-how-a-life-could-vanish-how-that-was-even/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [O people who take pleasure in a life that will vanish, falling in love with a fading shadow is sheer stupidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/o-people-who-take-pleasure-in-a-life-that-will-vanish-falling-in-love/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's going to come a point where you have to give up your whole life for one thing...or give up that one thing for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-s-going-to-come-a-point-where-you-have-to-give-up-your-whole/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happiness is a by-product. It is not a primary product of life. It is a thing which you suddenly realize you have because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/happiness-is-a-by-product-it-is-not-a-primary-product-of-life-it-is-a/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [You can’t buy time, Nick. Ever. It’s the only thing in life you can’t get most of, and it’s the one thing that will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/you-can-t-buy-time-nick-ever-it-s-the-only-thing-in-life-you-can-t/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Anybody wherever I've ever been in my life, one thing they can always say good or bad, I was always doing music and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-kid-laroi/anybody-wherever-i-ve-ever-been-in-my-life-one-thing-they-can-always/) [The Kid Laroi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-kid-laroi/) > [Ways of Life : One thing you can give and still keep ...is your word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/ways-of-life-one-thing-you-can-give-and-still-keep-is-your-word/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [What to do with your one life? The same thing you would do if you had two lives, and this were the second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/what-to-do-with-your-one-life-the-same-thing-you-would-do-if-you-had/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [In your whole life the only thing that will Stick by you is your… Shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-your-whole-life-the-only-thing-that-will-stick-by-you-is-your/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Is not life in itself a thing of goodness, irrespective of whether the course it takes for us can be called a 'happy' one?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/is-not-life-in-itself-a-thing-of-goodness-irrespective-of-whether-the/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) > [What you want most out of life is the thing you have to give the most of](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-harvey/what-you-want-most-out-of-life-is-the-thing-you-have-to-give-the-most/) [Steve Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-harvey/) > [Life: One thing led to another, and before we knew it, we were dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-donoghue/life-one-thing-led-to-another-and-before-we-knew-it-we-were-dead/) [Michael O'Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-donoghue/) > [I don't think it's about art being a career but it's about making sure that if art is something that you love, something that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-kay/i-don-t-think-it-s-about-art-being-a-career-but-it-s-about-making/) [Sarah Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-kay/) > [“In this life, only one thing is needful ; God's grace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/in-this-life-only-one-thing-is-needful-god-s-grace/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) ## More by Paul Yoon > [“For a moment, he was still that man, a boy, in that country, in that harbor, with his back to the years that had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/for-a-moment-he-was-still-that-man-a-boy-in-that-country-in-that/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [“He imagined the tailor as a young man and his journey here, crossing an ocean on a slow-moving ship as he himself did. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/he-imagined-the-tailor-as-a-young-man-and-his-journey-here-crossing/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [“One night, returning to the house, he went into his father’s shed. He stared at the unsold pots and the vases on the shelves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/one-night-returning-to-the-house-he-went-into-his-father-s-shed-he/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [“He thought of these years as another life within the one he had. As though it were a thing he was able to carry.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/he-thought-of-these-years-as-another-life-within-the-one-he-had-as/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [“This momentary bridge. The wonder of a shared memory, returned. Of a place once theirs and a life that had already been lived.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/this-momentary-bridge-the-wonder-of-a-shared-memory-returned-of-a/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [“One time the scent of the old man appeared in the air: some combination of tobacco and citrus and soap. It was fleeting yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/one-time-the-scent-of-the-old-man-appeared-in-the-air-some/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [“Standing there, in his father’s shed, he knew that there had been, between them, affection and even tenderness. That his father had never been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/standing-there-in-his-father-s-shed-he-knew-that-there-had-been/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [“He did not understand how a life could vanish. How that was even possible. How it could close in an instant before you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/he-did-not-understand-how-a-life-could-vanish-how-that-was-even/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [“But as he grew older he thought less of it, grew accustomed to the days lived. Each day he climbed the hill, as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/but-as-he-grew-older-he-thought-less-of-it-grew-accustomed-to-the/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) > [“It was as though someone, somewhere, were dreaming this and he had crossed into it without permission. Everything both familiar and foreign.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/it-was-as-though-someone-somewhere-were-dreaming-this-and-he-had/) [Paul Yoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) [Explore all 11 Paul Yoon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/) ## More Another life quotes > [“Small memories of another life flutter through my head like moths — all grey images and tearstains”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-r-kahler/small-memories-of-another-life-flutter-through-my-head-like-moths-all/) A.R. Kahler > [When you chopped logs with the ax and they split open they smelled beautiful, like Christmas. But when you split someone's head open it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-atkinson/when-you-chopped-logs-with-the-ax-and-they-split-open-they-smelled/) [Kate Atkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-atkinson/) > [“I love the dark hours of my being. My mind deepens into them. There I can find, as in old letters, the days of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/i-love-the-dark-hours-of-my-being-my-mind-deepens-into-them-there-i/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [In another life, I would be your girl. Capable of making promises. We would rule the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katy-perry/in-another-life-i-would-be-your-girl-capable-of-making-promises-we/) [Katy Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katy-perry/) > [I couldn't even think about wanting to be something else; I wouldn't let myself visualize another life. But I wrote because I couldn't stop.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-z/i-couldn-t-even-think-about-wanting-to-be-something-else-i-wouldn-t/) [Jay-Z](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-z/) > [And whatever my life had been up to that day, it was another life after that. And that is the gospel truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-barry/and-whatever-my-life-had-been-up-to-that-day-it-was-another-life/) [Sebastian Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-barry/) > [Literature duplicates the experience of living in a way that nothing else can, drawing you so fully into another life that you temporarily forget…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/literature-duplicates-the-experience-of-living-in-a-way-that-nothing/) [Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/) > [Whatever you have received more than others-in health, in talents, in ability, in success, in a pleasant childhood, in harmonious conditions of home life-all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/whatever-you-have-received-more-than-others-in-health-in-talents-in/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“Let me give you a bit of advice.' the girl said bitterly, 'from one working girl to another; life isn't easy, no matter where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-j-maas/let-me-give-you-a-bit-of-advice-the-girl-said-bitterly-from-one/) [Sarah J. Maas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-j-maas/) > [“The vibrations he felt in his sleep had nothing to do with his soul easing out of his body as he dreamily thought; they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author-poet-aberjhani/the-vibrations-he-felt-in-his-sleep-had-nothing-to-do-with-his-soul/) Author-Poet Aberjhani > [I wasn't born with a tie or with Mark Shields stapled to my left hip. I have another life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/i-wasn-t-born-with-a-tie-or-with-mark-shields-stapled-to-my-left-hip/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [For many observers, a child who has known nothing but war, a child for whom the Kalashnikov is the only way to make a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ishmael-beah/for-many-observers-a-child-who-has-known-nothing-but-war-a-child-for/) [Ishmael Beah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ishmael-beah/) > [I mean, is there a chance for me? To have another life after this, a better one?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-mean-is-there-a-chance-for-me-to-have-another-life-after-this-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [We, all who live, have A life that is lived And another life that is thought, And the only life we have It's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/we-all-who-live-have-a-life-that-is-lived-and-another-life-that-is/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [The death-change comes. Death is another life. We bow our heads At going out, we think, and enter straight Another golden chamber of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-james-bailey/the-death-change-comes-death-is-another-life-we-bow-our-heads-at/) [Philip James Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-james-bailey/) [Browse all 433 Another life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/another-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He thought of these yers as another life within the one he had. As though it were a thing he was able to carry. A small box. A handkerchief. A stone. He did not understand how a life could vanish. How that was even possible. How it could close in an instant before you even reach inside one last time, touch someone's hand one last time. How there would come a day when no one would wonder about the life he had before this one.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Yoon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life-within-the-one-he-had-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Another life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life-within-the-one-he-had-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/paul-yoon-39503_another-life_he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life_246431.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/paul-yoon-39503_another-life_he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life_246431.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/08f/paul-yoon-39503_another-life_he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life_246431.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He thought of these yers as another life within the one he had. As though it were a thing he was able to…” — Paul Yoon", "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": "Paul Yoon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-yoon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He thought of these yers as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life-within-the-one-he-had-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-yoon/he-thought-of-these-yers-as-another-life-within-the-one-he-had-as/#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 } } ] } ```