---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...and it's not my place to chase around…"
description: "\"“...and it's not my place to chase around after you, fixing stuff. What I know's what I know, and it don't include putting the world back the way it ou..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/peter-s-beagle-1665_long-ago_and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-af_71167.png"
---

#  ...and it's not my place to chase around after you, fixing…

![“...and it's not my place to chase around after you, fixing stuff. What I know's what I know, and it don't include putting the world back the way it out to be. It's too late for that. Way too late for heroes, champions, miracles. Don't matter what our heritage was maybe meant for - your side got…” quote by Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/peter-s-beagle-1665_long-ago_and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-af_71167.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/peter-s-beagle-1665_long-ago_and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-af_71167.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/peter-s-beagle-1665_long-ago_and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-af_71167.png)

> ““...and it's not my place to chase around after you, fixing stuff. What I know's what I know, and it don't include putting the world back the way it out to be. It's too late for that. Way too late for heroes, champions, miracles. Don't matter what our heritage was maybe meant for - your side got hold of it first, and you won long ago. No undoing that, Esau, I ain't fool enough to think otherwise. I'm still sorry for you, but I know your side's won, this side of the grave.””

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

## About This Quote

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

The speaker accepts defeat, recognizing that some conflicts are irrevocably decided and that trying to reverse the past is futile.

**In simple terms:** Resignation to inevitable loss

Key Takeaway

Accept reality, stop futile resistance

Themes

defeat inevitability acceptance conflict heritage mortality

Mood

somber reflective resigned

Type

philosophical lament reflection

When to use this quote

- after a war
- in a personal rivalry
- when confronting irreversible change

Key Concepts

power dynamics historical legacy personal responsibility

Practical Applications

- counseling for closure
- philosophical writing on futility

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to let go of a lost cause?
- How can one find purpose after acknowledging defeat?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) [Winning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winning/)

## Related quotes

> [“What the world stigmatises as romantic, is often more nearly allied to the truth than is commonly supposed; for, if the generous ideas of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/what-the-world-stigmatises-as-romantic-is-often-more-nearly-allied-to/)

[Anne Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/)

> [“In sport, there are champions and there are heroes. Champions win because they are good at what they do and take particular advantage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/in-sport-there-are-champions-and-there-are-heroes-champions-win/)

[Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/)

> [“In sport, there are champions and there are heroes. Champions win because they are good at what they do and take particular advantage of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/in-sport-there-are-champions-and-there-are-heroes-champions-win-2/)

[Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/)

> [“Isaac answered Esau: “Look, I have made him a master over you… . What then can I do for you, my son?” Genesis 27:37”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/isaac-answered-esau-look-i-have-made-him-a-master-over-you-what-then/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [“Esau sold his birth right, because he wanted a plate of meal. Today, When I look in the news, social media and on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/de-philosopher-dj-kyos/esau-sold-his-birth-right-because-he-wanted-a-plate-of-meal-today/)

De philosopher DJ Kyos

> [“Don't talk of rights in the land of wrongs, man. But the Inchiquin knows well that the true Irish Esau has no worse enemy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-kingsley/don-t-talk-of-rights-in-the-land-of-wrongs-man-but-the-inchiquin/)

[Charles Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-kingsley/)

> [“Esau was an hunter - And a man that knew how to live by his wits, for he was a cunning hunter. A man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wesley/esau-was-an-hunter-and-a-man-that-knew-how-to-live-by-his-wits-for-he/)

[John Wesley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wesley/)

> [“The seven extra years that Jacob had to serve Laban appear as a repayment for his treatment of Esau. His past had caught up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-h-sailhamer/the-seven-extra-years-that-jacob-had-to-serve-laban-appear-as-a/)

[John H. Sailhamer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-h-sailhamer/)

> [“Oh God, you make the ones like Brother James who never question, and you make the ones like Esau who never believe, and why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-brackett/oh-god-you-make-the-ones-like-brother-james-who-never-question-and/)

[Leigh Brackett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-brackett/)

> [I found Esau’s field guide at the bottom of my pack. Taking a candle into the bedroom, I read his book until my eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-v-snyder/i-found-esau-s-field-guide-at-the-bottom-of-my-pack-taking-a-candle/)

[Maria V. Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-v-snyder/)

> [“Though the New Testament stressed God's free choice of Jacob over Esau (see Romans 9:10-13), this incident highlights the other side of the story…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barnabe-assohoto-and-samuel-ngewa/though-the-new-testament-stressed-god-s-free-choice-of-jacob-over/)

[Barnabe Assohoto and Samuel Ngewa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barnabe-assohoto-and-samuel-ngewa/)

> [“eldest." Esau replied, "See, I am nearly dead now! So of what”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-a-sherman/eldest-esau-replied-see-i-am-nearly-dead-now-so-of-what/)

Henry A. Sherman

## More by Peter S. Beagle

> [Your name is a golden bell hung in my heart. I would break my body to pieces to call you once by your name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/your-name-is-a-golden-bell-hung-in-my-heart-i-would-break-my-body-to/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [Farewell,' she said. 'I hope you hear many more songs' - which was the best way she could think of to say good-bye to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/farewell-she-said-i-hope-you-hear-many-more-songs-which-was-the-best/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [He is a great enough magician to tap our most common nightmares, daydreams and twilight fancies, but he never invented them either: he found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/he-is-a-great-enough-magician-to-tap-our-most-common-nightmares/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [...no place is more enchanted than where a unicorn has been born.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/no-place-is-more-enchanted-than-where-a-unicorn-has-been-born/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [The most professional curse ever snarled or croaked or thundered can have no effect on a pure heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/the-most-professional-curse-ever-snarled-or-croaked-or-thundered-can/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [“The baloney weighed the raven down, and the shopkeeper almost caught him as he whisked out the delicatessen door.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/the-baloney-weighed-the-raven-down-and-the-shopkeeper-almost-caught/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [Men have to have heroes, but no man can ever be as big as the need, and so a legend grows around a grain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/men-have-to-have-heroes-but-no-man-can-ever-be-as-big-as-the-need-and/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [A Clock is not time; it's numbers and springs. Pay it no mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/a-clock-is-not-time-it-s-numbers-and-springs-pay-it-no-mind/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [Heroes know that things must happen when it is time for them to happen. A quest may not simply be abandoned; unicorns may go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/heroes-know-that-things-must-happen-when-it-is-time-for-them-to/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [The Lady Amalthea beckoned, and the cat wriggled all over, like a dog, but he would not come near... She was offering her open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/the-lady-amalthea-beckoned-and-the-cat-wriggled-all-over-like-a-dog/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [“Where have you been?" she cried. "Damn you, where have you been?" She took a few steps toward Schmendrick, but she was looking beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/where-have-you-been-she-cried-damn-you-where-have-you-been-she-took-a/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [Unicorns are not to be forgiven." The magician felt himself growing giddy with jealousy, not only of the touch but of something like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/unicorns-are-not-to-be-forgiven-the-magician-felt-himself-growing/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [The magician stood erect, menacing the attackers with demons, metamorphoses, paralyzing ailments, and secret judo holds. Molly picked up a rock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/the-magician-stood-erect-menacing-the-attackers-with-demons/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [You pile of stones, you waste, you desolation, I'll stuff you with misery till it comes out of your eyes. I'll change your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/you-pile-of-stones-you-waste-you-desolation-i-ll-stuff-you-with/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

> [“I would have chosen any other than this for my prison. A rhinoceros is as ugly as a human being, and it too is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/i-would-have-chosen-any-other-than-this-for-my-prison-a-rhinoceros-is/)

[Peter S. Beagle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

[Explore all 218 Peter S. Beagle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/)

## More Long ago quotes

> [We became Homo sapiens not that long ago, from the scientific perspective, and we've retained a lot of our beast nature. We've done all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wangechi-mutu/we-became-homo-sapiens-not-that-long-ago-from-the-scientific/)

[Wangechi Mutu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wangechi-mutu/)

> [A wholesome regard for the memory of the great men of long ago is the best assurance to a people of a continuation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/calvin-coolidge/a-wholesome-regard-for-the-memory-of-the-great-men-of-long-ago-is-the/)

[Calvin Coolidge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/calvin-coolidge/)

> [“Not very long ago I was driving with my husband on the back roads of Grey County, which is to the north and east…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-munro/not-very-long-ago-i-was-driving-with-my-husband-on-the-back-roads-of/)

[Alice Munro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-munro/)

> [There must be a technique for meeting pain. There must be a technique of endurance based on the power of the soul to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-stannard-baker/there-must-be-a-technique-for-meeting-pain-there-must-be-a-technique/)

[Ray Stannard Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-stannard-baker/)

> [Women will forgive anything. Otherwise, the race would have died out long ago.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/women-will-forgive-anything-otherwise-the-race-would-have-died-out/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Up until 1986, the top marginal rate, the top statutory rate was 50 percent. Now it's 35 percent. And all the pressure is on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-bartlett/up-until-1986-the-top-marginal-rate-the-top-statutory-rate-was-50/)

[Bruce Bartlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-bartlett/)

> [“We ought to live each day as though it were our last day here below. But if I did, alas, I know it would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piet-hein/we-ought-to-live-each-day-as-though-it-were-our-last-day-here-below/)

[Piet Hein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piet-hein/)

> [I was landscaping not too long ago, so I'm extremely grateful for the people supporting me in wrestling. Not that landscaping is terrible, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-riddle/i-was-landscaping-not-too-long-ago-so-i-m-extremely-grateful-for-the/)

[Matt Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-riddle/)

> [“Most people would probably call me a ghost. I am, after all, dead. But I don't think of myself that way. It wasn't so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-pike/most-people-would-probably-call-me-a-ghost-i-am-after-all-dead-but-i/)

[Christopher Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-pike/)

> [“Waiting for Vengeance' Well, what is this? What am I coming to? And beyond that, what am I gonna do? Now there’s blankness Where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gayle-forman/waiting-for-vengeance-well-what-is-this-what-am-i-coming-to-and/)

[Gayle Forman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gayle-forman/)

> [“We were putting into these gomers our fear of death, but who knew if they feared death? Perhaps they welcomed death like a dear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-shem/we-were-putting-into-these-gomers-our-fear-of-death-but-who-knew-if/)

[Samuel Shem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-shem/)

> [“...The devil had long ago taken a shine to Tert Card, filled him like a cream horn with itch and irritation. His middle name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-annie-proulx-author/the-devil-had-long-ago-taken-a-shine-to-tert-card-filled-him-like-a/)

E. Annie Proulx (Author

> [So here is my story, may it bring Some smiles and a tear or so, It happened once upon a time, Far away, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-jacques/so-here-is-my-story-may-it-bring-some-smiles-and-a-tear-or-so-it/)

[Brian Jacques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-jacques/)

> [“In the middle of the cemetery is a grassy plane, strangely vacant. There are no granite tombs or crumbling concrete, just a sun-washed treeless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-caldwell-crosby/in-the-middle-of-the-cemetery-is-a-grassy-plane-strangely-vacant/)

Molly Caldwell Crosby

> [He had long ago learned that society imposes insults that must be borne, comforted by the knowledge that in this world there comes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/he-had-long-ago-learned-that-society-imposes-insults-that-must-be/)

[Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/)

[Browse all 2,059 Long ago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“...and it's not my place to chase around after you, fixing stuff. What I know's what I know, and it don't include putting the world back the way it out to be. It's too late for that. Way too late for heroes, champions, miracles. Don't matter what our heritage was maybe meant for - your side got hold of it first, and you won long ago. No undoing that, Esau, I ain't fool enough to think otherwise. I'm still sorry for you, but I know your side's won, this side of the grave.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Peter S. Beagle"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-after-you-fixing-stuff-what-i/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Long ago"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-after-you-fixing-stuff-what-i/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/peter-s-beagle-1665_long-ago_and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-af_71167.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/peter-s-beagle-1665_long-ago_and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-af_71167.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e82/peter-s-beagle-1665_long-ago_and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-af_71167.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“...and it's not my place to chase around after you, fixing stuff. What I know's what I know, and it don't…” — Peter S. Beagle",
                "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": "Peter S. Beagle",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-s-beagle/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“...and it's not my place to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-after-you-fixing-stuff-what-i/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-s-beagle/and-it-s-not-my-place-to-chase-around-after-you-fixing-stuff-what-i/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
