--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ten minutes ago, Frank though he was…" description: "\"“Ten minutes ago, Frank though he was going to prison. Now he knows he’s not, and part of him thinks he should just be glad he’s getting out of this at..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/ryan-david-jahn-59471_broken_ten-minutes-ago-frank-though-he-was-goin_3129336.jpg" --- # Ten minutes ago, Frank though he was going to prison. Now… ![“Ten minutes ago, Frank though he was going to prison. Now he knows he’s not, and part of him thinks he should just be glad he’s getting out of this at all, but he’s not. He’s not glad. He’s furious. He’s known the world is broken for a long time, he’s known that, but sometimes he’s amazed at how…” quote by Ryan David Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/ryan-david-jahn-59471_broken_ten-minutes-ago-frank-though-he-was-goin_3129336.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/ryan-david-jahn-59471_broken_ten-minutes-ago-frank-though-he-was-goin_3129336.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac3/ryan-david-jahn-59471_broken_ten-minutes-ago-frank-though-he-was-goin_3129336.jpg) > ““Ten minutes ago, Frank though he was going to prison. Now he knows he’s not, and part of him thinks he should just be glad he’s getting out of this at all, but he’s not. He’s not glad. He’s furious. He’s known the world is broken for a long time, he’s known that, but sometimes he’s amazed at how broken; even now, at this point in his life, nearing fifty years old, he can stumble across something that makes him realize all over again that the world is not only broken, but beyond fixing. No amount of glue can ever make it right. And yet, you have to focus on your little part of it, don’t you? You have to focus on your little corner of the world and glue what cracks you can. Otherwise there’s no hope at all.”” [Ryan David Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-david-jahn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes a man's realization that the world is irreparably broken, yet urges focusing on small, fixable parts. **In simple terms:** World is fundamentally broken; focus on small repairs. Key Takeaway Work on what you can change locally. Themes existential despair hope Mood reflective somber Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - mental health - community activism - personal growth - social work Key Concepts systemic failure personal agency resilience Questions to Reflect On - What small actions can you take today? - How do you cope with systemic hopelessness? A Different Perspective Even small fixes may feel insignificant against vast problems. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) [Broken Fixing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-fixing-2937830/) [Cracks Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cracks-hope-5528242/) [Going Prison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-prison/) [Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [The world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/the-world/) [World Broken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-broken/) ## Related quotes > [“There is cracks, cracks, in everything, that's how the light gets in.' I had cracks but not the hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/there-is-cracks-cracks-in-everything-that-s-how-the-light-gets-in-i/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“We are all broken, but none of us are beyond fixing".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-forrest/we-are-all-broken-but-none-of-us-are-beyond-fixing/) [Bella Forrest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-forrest/) > [“He looks at Mr. Vacanti and the man looks back at him with somehow gentle eyes. It surprises David to see the man has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-david-jahn/he-looks-at-mr-vacanti-and-the-man-looks-back-at-him-with-somehow/) [Ryan David Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-david-jahn/) > [Going to Starbucks for coffee is like going to prison for sex. You know you're going to get it, but it's going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-hills/going-to-starbucks-for-coffee-is-like-going-to-prison-for-sex-you/) [Adam Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-hills/) > [How does a nice Catholic girl end up going to prison for a year? It's crazy. I've made mistakes. 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From family struggles, people doubting me, things I went through as a child and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-lewis/it-s-all-the-stuff-i-ve-been-through-in-my-life-from-family-struggles/) [Derrick Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-lewis/) > [You wake up one day and you realize that all these years have gone by and I have this mortgage and I have this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-shelton/you-wake-up-one-day-and-you-realize-that-all-these-years-have-gone-by/) [Lynn Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-shelton/) > [It was my first time in prison. I was there to volunteer with Defy Ventures, along with 500 teammates Tara Graham, Brian Wang, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-tsai/it-was-my-first-time-in-prison-i-was-there-to-volunteer-with-defy/) [Christine Tsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-tsai/) ## More by Ryan David Jahn > [“He pulls the gun away from his head and sets it on the coffee table. He wonders who first called it a coffee table.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-david-jahn/he-pulls-the-gun-away-from-his-head-and-sets-it-on-the-coffee-table/) [Ryan David Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-david-jahn/) > [“Sometimes people have too much history together, history of the wrong kind, and people cannot tear pages from the book of their life. Once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-david-jahn/sometimes-people-have-too-much-history-together-history-of-the-wrong/) [Ryan David Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-david-jahn/) > [“If you have thirty dollars and rent is eighty, there’s no point in saving any of it. Drink till you’re drunk and pay for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-david-jahn/if-you-have-thirty-dollars-and-rent-is-eighty-there-s-no-point-in/) [Ryan David Jahn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-david-jahn/) > [“He looks at Mr. Vacanti and the man looks back at him with somehow gentle eyes. 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I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Marriage is a desperate thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-selden/marriage-is-a-desperate-thing/) [John Selden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-selden/) > [The child who ran weeping to you with a cut finger is now brought home, smiling gamely, with a broken collarbone and incredible contusions-…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pam-brown/the-child-who-ran-weeping-to-you-with-a-cut-finger-is-now-brought/) [Pam Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pam-brown/) > [There is no pain like the first time you get your heart broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ne-yo/there-is-no-pain-like-the-first-time-you-get-your-heart-broken/) [Ne-Yo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ne-yo/) > [Broken china lasts longer than unbroken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/broken-china-lasts-longer-than-unbroken/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [My life was incoherent to me. 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Big enough to hold the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grant-morrison/your-head-s-like-mine-like-all-our-heads-big-enough-to-contain-every/) [Grant Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grant-morrison/) > [Rome, believe me, my friend, is like its own Monte Testaceo, Merelya marvellous mass of broken and castaway wine-pots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-hugh-clough/rome-believe-me-my-friend-is-like-its-own-monte-testaceo-merelya/) [Arthur Hugh Clough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-hugh-clough/) > [Its funny how someone breaks your heart but you still love them with all those broken pieces..!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-funny-how-someone-breaks-your-heart-but-you-still-love-them-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we don't get what we want, there's a legitimate grieving, and then the spiritual journey truly begins, because not getting what we want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/when-we-don-t-get-what-we-want-there-s-a-legitimate-grieving-and-then/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) [Browse all 5,851 Broken quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Ten minutes ago, Frank though he was going to prison. 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