--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I worry about dying alone, unmarried and…" description: "\"I worry about dying alone, unmarried and childless, because I spent so much time pursuing my career and accumulating degrees. This kind of thinking kee..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/roxane-gay-520_about_i-worry-about-dying-alone-unmarried-and_1274655.png" --- # I worry about dying alone, unmarried and childless… ![“I worry about dying alone, unmarried and childless, because I spent so much time pursuing my career and accumulating degrees. This kind of thinking keeps me up at night, but I pretend it doesn't because I am supposed to be evolved. My success, such as it is, is supposed to be enough if I'm a good…” quote by Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/roxane-gay-520_about_i-worry-about-dying-alone-unmarried-and_1274655.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/roxane-gay-520_about_i-worry-about-dying-alone-unmarried-and_1274655.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/85f/roxane-gay-520_about_i-worry-about-dying-alone-unmarried-and_1274655.png) > “I worry about dying alone, unmarried and childless, because I spent so much time pursuing my career and accumulating degrees. This kind of thinking keeps me up at night, but I pretend it doesn't because I am supposed to be evolved. My success, such as it is, is supposed to be enough if I'm a good feminist. It is not enough. It is not even close.” [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) ## 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 fears loneliness and lack of legacy after prioritizing career over personal relationships, feeling societal pressure to meet feminist expectations. **In simple terms:** Fear of ending alone after focusing on work. Key Takeaway Reevaluate life balance now. Themes loneliness career feminism legacy Mood anxious reflective Type personal motivational When to use this quote - career planning - relationship building - mental health counseling - life coaching Key Concepts existential anxiety social expectation Questions to Reflect On - What relationships matter most to you? - How can you integrate personal goals with professional ambitions? A Different Perspective Success alone may not fulfill emotional needs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [About](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/about/) [Accumulate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accumulate/) [Alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alone/) [Am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/am/) [Because](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/because/) [Career](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/career/) [Childless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childless/) [Childless Spent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/childless-spent-4098184/) [Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close/) [Degrees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/degrees/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Dying alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying-alone/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Even](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/even/) [Evolved](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evolved/) [Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feminist/) [Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good/) [Good Feminist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-feminist-1995778/) [I am](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-am/) [Keeps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeps/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/much/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Pretend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pretend/) [Pursuing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuing/) [Spent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spent/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Supposed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/supposed/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Unmarried](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unmarried/) [Unmarried Childless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unmarried-childless-1475938/) [Up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/up/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) [Worry Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry-dying-1466066/) ## Related quotes > [This archaic idea - that a woman who is unmarried and childless at 30 is somehow unnatural - will probably always exist, and, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/this-archaic-idea-that-a-woman-who-is-unmarried-and-childless-at-30/) [Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/) > [He that hath wife and children hath given hostages to fortune, for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief. Certainly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/he-that-hath-wife-and-children-hath-given-hostages-to-fortune-for/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [“I may be child-centric, but that doesn't make me anti-feminist. In an interview with Garage Magazine, Beyoncé (Queen Bae), who I can safely say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-komisar/i-may-be-child-centric-but-that-doesn-t-make-me-anti-feminist-in-an/) [Erica Komisar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-komisar/) > [Violence against women is a huge issue. A good feminist should be working on that - making the world a safer place for girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chirlane-mccray/violence-against-women-is-a-huge-issue-a-good-feminist-should-be/) [Chirlane McCray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chirlane-mccray/) > [I only ever want to be a part of something that feels good to me, because I'm such a feminist and a believer in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beanie-feldstein/i-only-ever-want-to-be-a-part-of-something-that-feels-good-to-me/) [Beanie Feldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beanie-feldstein/) > [Not having to worry about money is almost like not having to worry about dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/not-having-to-worry-about-money-is-almost-like-not-having-to-worry/) [Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/) > [“the good thing about being old is that you don’t have to worry about dying young.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-good-thing-about-being-old-is-that-you-don-t-have-to-worry-about/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [I worry about dying all the time so I worry about my health. I don't want to die because I absolutely love my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-walsh/i-worry-about-dying-all-the-time-so-i-worry-about-my-health-i-don-t/) [Louis Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-walsh/) > [The good thing about being old, is you don’t have to worry about dying young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-good-thing-about-being-old-is-you-don-t-have-to-worry-about-dying/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [They can't hurt me. Sure, they can crush you and kill you. They can lay you out on 42nd and Broadway and put hoses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/they-can-t-hurt-me-sure-they-can-crush-you-and-kill-you-they-can-lay/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [“The good thing about doubting your sanity was you didn’t have to worry about dying of boredom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-thorn/the-good-thing-about-doubting-your-sanity-was-you-didn-t-have-to/) [J. Thorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-thorn/) > [ I have a feeling a lot of artists' work got lost \[because of AIDS\]. Howard was fortunate because his family and friends supported him,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-brookner/i-have-a-feeling-a-lot-of-artists-work-got-lost-because-of-aids/) [Aaron Brookner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-brookner/) > [We're starting to feel We stayed together out of fear Of dying alone I've been slipping through the years my old clothes don't fit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/she-s-gone/we-re-starting-to-feel-we-stayed-together-out-of-fear-of-dying-alone/) [she's\_gone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/she-s-gone/) > [Getting old and dying alone is my worst fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-reedus/getting-old-and-dying-alone-is-my-worst-fear/) [Norman Reedus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-reedus/) > [“So I'll keep you wondering what time I'm arriving And you'll drive me crazy with your backseat driving And I'll talk in my sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dar-williams/so-i-ll-keep-you-wondering-what-time-i-m-arriving-and-you-ll-drive-me/) [Dar Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dar-williams/) ## More by Roxane Gay > [“Human endurance fascinates me, probably too much because more often than not, I think of life in terms of enduring instead of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/human-endurance-fascinates-me-probably-too-much-because-more-often/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“Being useful was a balm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/being-useful-was-a-balm/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [No woman or man is any one thing and the men in my stories, well, some of them are good and some of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/no-woman-or-man-is-any-one-thing-and-the-men-in-my-stories-well-some/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I was a daydreamer and I resented being pulled out of my daydreams to deal with the business of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-was-a-daydreamer-and-i-resented-being-pulled-out-of-my-daydreams-to/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Feminism is, I hope, a way to a better future for everyone who inhabits this world. Feminism should not be something that needs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/feminism-is-i-hope-a-way-to-a-better-future-for-everyone-who-inhabits/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Fiction offers escape but it also interrogates the world we live in, whether the past, present or future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/fiction-offers-escape-but-it-also-interrogates-the-world-we-live-in/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I've noticed while cooking, how ingredients in their individual and naked state and be a bit repulsive but necessary, kind of like people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-ve-noticed-while-cooking-how-ingredients-in-their-individual-and/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I shouted, “This is not right,” knowing my words were useless. There’s no room for such distinctions in a country where too many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-shouted-this-is-not-right-knowing-my-words-were-useless-there-s-no/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Most of my favorite tweets go completely ignored but most of my favorite tweets are probably really lame or inside jokes between me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/most-of-my-favorite-tweets-go-completely-ignored-but-most-of-my/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“What about other women of color? For Hispanic and Latina women, Indian women, Middle Eastern women, Asian women, their absence in popular culture is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/what-about-other-women-of-color-for-hispanic-and-latina-women-indian/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [There has been, and there will continue to be, vigorous discussions about race in America. I worry that little will come of these discussions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/there-has-been-and-there-will-continue-to-be-vigorous-discussions/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Writing, at its best and truest, can offer solace and salvation for both readers and writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/writing-at-its-best-and-truest-can-offer-solace-and-salvation-for/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I knew I was in love with The Hunger Games when I did not want to get off the treadmill”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-knew-i-was-in-love-with-the-hunger-games-when-i-did-not-want-to-get/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“Just because you survive something does not mean you are strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/just-because-you-survive-something-does-not-mean-you-are-strong/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“Celebrities understand the economy of thinness, and most of them are willing to participate in that economy, taking to social media, where they pose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/celebrities-understand-the-economy-of-thinness-and-most-of-them-are/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) [Explore all 503 Roxane Gay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. 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