--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It was like this all up and down the…" description: "\"“It was like this all up and down the river and many of the young people, the way they accepted their lack of prospects, it was like watching sparks di..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/philipp-meyer-4254_long-run_it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-riv_2126775.jpg" --- # It was like this all up and down the river and many of the… ![“It was like this all up and down the river and many of the young people, the way they accepted their lack of prospects, it was like watching sparks die in the night...He didn't see how the country could survive like this in the long run; a stable society required stable jobs, there wasn't anything…” quote by Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/philipp-meyer-4254_long-run_it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-riv_2126775.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/philipp-meyer-4254_long-run_it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-riv_2126775.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/philipp-meyer-4254_long-run_it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-riv_2126775.jpg) > ““It was like this all up and down the river and many of the young people, the way they accepted their lack of prospects, it was like watching sparks die in the night...He didn't see how the country could survive like this in the long run; a stable society required stable jobs, there wasn't anything more to it than that. ”” [Philipp Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote describes a generation resigned to limited prospects, likening their fading hopes to dying sparks, and warns that without stable employment society cannot endure long term. **In simple terms:** Young people accept limited futures, and without stable jobs society fails. Key Takeaway Ensure stable employment for societal health. Themes employment stability hope resilience Mood concerned reflective Type sociological critical When to use this quote - community planning - policy making - career counseling - education reform Key Concepts socioeconomic decline generational despair social contract Questions to Reflect On - How can societies create stable jobs in changing economies? - What role does personal ambition play? A Different Perspective It may overlook individual agency and alternative economic models. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Young people](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-people/) ## Related quotes > [We survive like catipillas in cocoons and caskets. Stretch the industry like elastic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twiztid/we-survive-like-catipillas-in-cocoons-and-caskets-stretch-the/) [Twiztid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/twiztid/) > [I developed different skills to survive. Like speaking positively to myself and not focusing in on all of the negative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/porsha-williams/i-developed-different-skills-to-survive-like-speaking-positively-to/) [Porsha Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/porsha-williams/) > [The BP president said yesterday that the company would survive. 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Same boring Caleb who wanted a serious relationship. A live-in boyfriend. A guarantee, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santino-hassell/same-old-caleb-who-wanted-to-love-and-be-loved-same-boring-caleb-who/) [Santino Hassell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santino-hassell/) Browse all 1,390 Long run quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It was like this all up and down the river and many of the young people, the way they accepted their lack of prospects, it was like watching sparks die in the night...He didn't see how the country could survive like this in the long run; a stable society required stable jobs, there wasn't anything more to it than that. ”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philipp Meyer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-river-and-many-of-the-young/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Long run" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-river-and-many-of-the-young/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/philipp-meyer-4254_long-run_it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-riv_2126775.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/philipp-meyer-4254_long-run_it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-riv_2126775.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/413/philipp-meyer-4254_long-run_it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-riv_2126775.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It was like this all up and down the river and many of the young people, the way they accepted their lack of…” — Philipp Meyer", "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": "Philipp Meyer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philipp-meyer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It was like this all up...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-river-and-many-of-the-young/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philipp-meyer/it-was-like-this-all-up-and-down-the-river-and-many-of-the-young/#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 } } ] } ```