--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't see how I'll make it a year this…" description: "\"“I can't see how I'll make it a year this way,\" he said. \"It seems impossible, I know. But when we're old and doddering, this year will seem like a bli..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/paula-mclain-3064_situations_i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this_472665.jpg" --- # I can't see how I'll make it a year this way," he said… ![“I can't see how I'll make it a year this way," he said. "It seems impossible, I know. But when we're old and doddering, this year will seem like a blink.” quote by Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/paula-mclain-3064_situations_i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this_472665.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/paula-mclain-3064_situations_i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this_472665.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/paula-mclain-3064_situations_i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this_472665.jpg) > ““I can't see how I'll make it a year this way," he said. "It seems impossible, I know. But when we're old and doddering, this year will seem like a blink.”” [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When faced with hardship, we often doubt longevity, but perspective shifts with age, making current struggles feel fleeting. **In simple terms:** Hard times seem endless now but will feel brief later. Key Takeaway Remember that present pain will soften over time. Themes resilience time perspective Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career setbacks - health crises - financial strain - personal loss Key Concepts existential reflection temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - How might you reframe today’s challenges for future comfort? - What small actions can ease present anxiety? A Different Perspective Future hindsight may not erase current suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Situations](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situations/) ## Related quotes > [Never ask yourself what you have learned... only ask yourself what are the circumstances which are different from last year. In that way, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-brook/never-ask-yourself-what-you-have-learned-only-ask-yourself-what-are/) [Peter Brook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-brook/) > [“New Year Way Out by Stewart Stafford Take off down the truculent highway For a well-earned New Year escape Tasty lunch at some time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-stafford/new-year-way-out-by-stewart-stafford-take-off-down-the-truculent/) [Stewart Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-stafford/) > [Personally, I really approach every year the same way. I take my offseason training seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-olsen/personally-i-really-approach-every-year-the-same-way-i-take-my/) [Greg Olsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-olsen/) > [Wish all the Farmers would move to town one year, that's the only way I know to clear the thing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-rogers/wish-all-the-farmers-would-move-to-town-one-year-that-s-the-only-way/) [Will Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-rogers/) > [Let's make this a year of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/let-s-make-this-a-year-of-action/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [This is your time, your moment so make the most of it. Be awesome, push yourself, challenge yourself and make this year your best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricardo-housham/this-is-your-time-your-moment-so-make-the-most-of-it-be-awesome-push/) [Ricardo Housham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricardo-housham/) > [This is going to sound horrible, but I don't even know how much I make in a year. It must be, you know, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/this-is-going-to-sound-horrible-but-i-don-t-even-know-how-much-i-make/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [You dont just make my day, you make my year.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/me-sophielouise/you-dont-just-make-my-day-you-make-my-year/) Me Sophielouise > [People often come up and tell me how much money I make in a year, which is funny because I don't think it's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-isner/people-often-come-up-and-tell-me-how-much-money-i-make-in-a-year/) [John Isner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-isner/) > [You believe you can make it every year. You don't think it's going to end. But the reality is that most teams, you end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-ruff/you-believe-you-can-make-it-every-year-you-don-t-think-it-s-going-to/) Lindy Ruff > [Make this the year you tackle that credit card debt once and for all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suze-orman/make-this-the-year-you-tackle-that-credit-card-debt-once-and-for-all/) [Suze Orman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suze-orman/) > [“Don't make next year, this year. Happy New Year!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-t-hincks/don-t-make-next-year-this-year-happy-new-year/) [Anthony T. Hincks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-t-hincks/) > [Each year is like writing a new chapter in a book, make each one worth rereading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/each-year-is-like-writing-a-new-chapter-in-a-book-make-each-one-worth/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I try to make two movies a year. To me, that's not too much. On top of that, I like to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-try-to-make-two-movies-a-year-to-me-that-s-not-too-much-on-top-of/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [Well first of all, I'd just like to say that 2005 was a great year, if you like swimming through crap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-black/well-first-of-all-i-d-just-like-to-say-that-2005-was-a-great-year-if/) [Lewis Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-black/) ## More by Paula McLain > [“There are some who said I should have fought harder or longer than I did for my marriage, but in the end fighting for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/there-are-some-who-said-i-should-have-fought-harder-or-longer-than-i/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [I hope we'll get lucky enough to grow old together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-hope-we-ll-get-lucky-enough-to-grow-old-together/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“That's what terrible, sordid situations did to you, made you act crazily, against your own truths, against yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/that-s-what-terrible-sordid-situations-did-to-you-made-you-act/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“He didn't know how love managed to be a garden one moment and war the next.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/he-didn-t-know-how-love-managed-to-be-a-garden-one-moment-and-war-the/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [Books could be an incredible adventure. I stayed under my blanket and barely moved, and no one would have guessed how my mind raced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/books-could-be-an-incredible-adventure-i-stayed-under-my-blanket-and/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [People belong to each other only as long as they both believe. He stopped believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/people-belong-to-each-other-only-as-long-as-they-both-believe-he/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [I miss good old-fashioned honorable people just trying to make something of life. Simply, without hurting anyone else. I know that makes me a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-miss-good-old-fashioned-honorable-people-just-trying-to-make/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [... and yet he could also be very charming, in a bookish, infinitely apologetic way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/and-yet-he-could-also-be-very-charming-in-a-bookish-infinitely/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“It was august. for years it was august … . there was heat like wet gauze and a high, white sky and music coming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-was-august-for-years-it-was-august-there-was-heat-like-wet-gauze/) [Paula Mclain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“If you're ready to make the mad dash I'm game.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/if-you-re-ready-to-make-the-mad-dash-i-m-game/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“We knew what we had and what it meant, and though so much had happened since for both of us, there was nothing like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/we-knew-what-we-had-and-what-it-meant-and-though-so-much-had-happened/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“There are things I didn't see before, like how nice it is to have someone around. Not the white knight whisking you away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/there-are-things-i-didn-t-see-before-like-how-nice-it-is-to-have/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“That's obviously, isn't it?' she said. 'A hawk is always a hawk, except'- and here she raised on heavy eyebrow and gave a mysterious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/that-s-obviously-isn-t-it-she-said-a-hawk-is-always-a-hawk-except-and/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“I hope we’ll get lucky enough to grow old together. You see them on the street, those couples who’ve been married so long you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-hope-we-ll-get-lucky-enough-to-grow-old-together-you-see-them-on/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) > [“It was terrible to feel so empty, as if I were nothing. Why couldn't I be happy? And just what was happines anyway?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/it-was-terrible-to-feel-so-empty-as-if-i-were-nothing-why-couldn-t-i/) [Paula McLain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) [Explore all 139 Paula McLain quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/) ## More Situations quotes > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Sometimes the calls just don't go your way. You've just got to learn to deal with those situations and try to prevent yourself from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-millsap/sometimes-the-calls-just-don-t-go-your-way-you-ve-just-got-to-learn/) [Paul Millsap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-millsap/) > [You can get through very serious and sometimes horrible and sometimes embarrassing and very awkward situations with humor. It gives us a way out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-can-get-through-very-serious-and-sometimes-horrible-and-sometimes/) [Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/) > [“A big part of wisdom is to learn which situations to get involved in, or not get involved in – it really is as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/a-big-part-of-wisdom-is-to-learn-which-situations-to-get-involved-in/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [“Life is a changing sequence of situations.If you do not change something, something will change you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/life-is-a-changing-sequence-of-situations-if-you-do-not-change/) [Ernest Agyemang Yeboah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-agyemang-yeboah/) > [“As long as one is in pursuit of something or the other, it is an endless process. As long as we are getting identified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadhguru/as-long-as-one-is-in-pursuit-of-something-or-the-other-it-is-an/) [Sadhguru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadhguru/) > [“Whenever I am in a difficult situation where there seems to be no way out, I think about all the times I have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idowu-koyenikan/whenever-i-am-in-a-difficult-situation-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way/) [Idowu Koyenikan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idowu-koyenikan/) > [Wisdom is the quality that keeps you from getting into situations where you need it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-larson/wisdom-is-the-quality-that-keeps-you-from-getting-into-situations/) [Doug Larson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-larson/) > [I have a kind of magnetic attraction to situations of violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/i-have-a-kind-of-magnetic-attraction-to-situations-of-violence/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [When you're dealing in situations that are uncontrollable and combustible, you try to stabilize the situation as quickly as you can and then work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-hagel/when-you-re-dealing-in-situations-that-are-uncontrollable-and/) [Chuck Hagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-hagel/) > [There are no problems in the world. There are just situations. Some situations you know how to handle. Some you do not know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/there-are-no-problems-in-the-world-there-are-just-situations-some/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [What I think is funny is when people, despite tragic situations, are still hopeful, still trying. It's sweet and sad - and, to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/what-i-think-is-funny-is-when-people-despite-tragic-situations-are/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [Basically, what Economic Hit Men are trained to do is to build up the American empire. To create situations where as many resources as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perkins/basically-what-economic-hit-men-are-trained-to-do-is-to-build-up-the/) [John Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perkins/) > [Liberalism, on the other hand, regards life as an adventure in which we must take risks in new situations, in which there is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-raphael-cohen/liberalism-on-the-other-hand-regards-life-as-an-adventure-in-which-we/) [Morris Raphael Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morris-raphael-cohen/) > [If you have something you do that's unique, you just end up in situations. Your art can take you to places without you working…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggie-watts/if-you-have-something-you-do-that-s-unique-you-just-end-up-in/) [Reggie Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reggie-watts/) [Browse all 683 Situations quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situations/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I can't see how I'll make it a year this way,\" he said. \"It seems impossible, I know. But when we're old and doddering, this year will seem like a blink.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paula McLain" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this-way-he-said-it-seems/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Situations" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this-way-he-said-it-seems/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/paula-mclain-3064_situations_i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this_472665.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/paula-mclain-3064_situations_i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this_472665.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/473/paula-mclain-3064_situations_i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this_472665.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can't see how I'll make it a year this way,\" he said. \"It seems impossible, I know. But when we're old and…” — Paula McLain", "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": "Paula McLain", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-mclain/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I can't see how I'll make...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this-way-he-said-it-seems/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-mclain/i-can-t-see-how-i-ll-make-it-a-year-this-way-he-said-it-seems/#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 } } ] } ```