--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But there's nothing to be done about it…" description: "\"“But there's nothing to be done about it. All I can do is put in time waiting for the inevitable, observing as the ghosts of my past rattle around my v..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/sara-gruen-3385_ghosts_but-there-s-nothing-to-be-done-about-it_1398804.jpg" --- # But there's nothing to be done about it. All I can do is… ![“But there's nothing to be done about it. All I can do is put in time waiting for the inevitable, observing as the ghosts of my past rattle around my vacuous present. They crash and bang and make themselves at home, mostly because there's no competition. I've stopped fighting them. They're crashing…” quote by Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/sara-gruen-3385_ghosts_but-there-s-nothing-to-be-done-about-it_1398804.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/sara-gruen-3385_ghosts_but-there-s-nothing-to-be-done-about-it_1398804.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9bc/sara-gruen-3385_ghosts_but-there-s-nothing-to-be-done-about-it_1398804.jpg) > ““But there's nothing to be done about it. All I can do is put in time waiting for the inevitable, observing as the ghosts of my past rattle around my vacuous present. They crash and bang and make themselves at home, mostly because there's no competition. I've stopped fighting them. They're crashing and banging around in there now. Make yourselves at home, boys. Stay awhile. Oh, sorry—I see you already have. Damn ghosts.”” [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A melancholic reflection on lingering memories, describing ghosts as persistent, unchallenged thoughts that dominate a hollow present. **In simple terms:** Past memories haunt the present. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and confront lingering thoughts. Themes memory loneliness existence Mood reflective somber Type philosophical introspective When to use this quote - therapy - writing - mindfulness practices Key Concepts psychology nihilism time Questions to Reflect On - What strategies help quiet mental “ghosts”? - How does acceptance differ from resignation? A Different Perspective May lead to fatalism. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Damn Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/damn-ghosts-4896178/) [Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts/) [Ghosts Past](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ghosts-past-1107750/) [Observing Ghosts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/observing-ghosts-4896179/) [Stopped Fighting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stopped-fighting-514392/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“The ghosts of our past have come to haunt us at last.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsay-a-franklin/the-ghosts-of-our-past-have-come-to-haunt-us-at-last/) [Lindsay A. Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindsay-a-franklin/) > [With the ghosts of my past and their skeletons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boys-like-girls/with-the-ghosts-of-my-past-and-their-skeletons/) [Boys Like Girls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/boys-like-girls/) > [Sometimes a man's spirit just ain't strong enough to withstand the ghosts from his past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirina-joanna-cowman/sometimes-a-man-s-spirit-just-ain-t-strong-enough-to-withstand-the/) [Kirina Joanna Cowman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirina-joanna-cowman/) > [“All I can do is put in time waiting for the inevitable, observing as the ghost of my past rattle around my vacuous present.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/all-i-can-do-is-put-in-time-waiting-for-the-inevitable-observing-as/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [If you want to find happiness that will last, set yourself free from the ghosts of the past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/if-you-want-to-find-happiness-that-will-last-set-yourself-free-from/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“I was sitting in the Temple of Karnak on the Nile, as the sun was going down, and I was all alone, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilbur-a-smith/i-was-sitting-in-the-temple-of-karnak-on-the-nile-as-the-sun-was/) [Wilbur A. 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They're spidery and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/a-gaggle-of-old-ladies-is-glued-to-the-window-at-the-end-of-the-hall/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) > [“age is a terrible theif”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-gruen/age-is-a-terrible-theif/) [Sara Gruen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) [Explore all 127 Sara Gruen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-gruen/) ## More Ghosts quotes > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/) [Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/) > [“This was going to be worse than the time I table danced in the diner in high school!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bryson/this-was-going-to-be-worse-than-the-time-i-table-danced-in-the-diner/) [Kathy Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bryson/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [“One person's strange is another person's normal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dani-harper/one-person-s-strange-is-another-person-s-normal/) [Dani Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dani-harper/) > [“All right, you deadly little ghostlings,” I muttered. “Mama says go back to bed! - Cat”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/all-right-you-deadly-little-ghostlings-i-muttered-mama-says-go-back/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“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/) > [“A memory that costs you something," he said aloud, almost to himself. "One that hurts to remember. That makes you regret what you did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daria-lavelle/a-memory-that-costs-you-something-he-said-aloud-almost-to-himself-one/) [Daria Lavelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daria-lavelle/) > [“I am made of a thousand ghosts. Only you can shoot me down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bella-james/i-am-made-of-a-thousand-ghosts-only-you-can-shoot-me-down/) [Bella James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bella-james/) > [Many memories were long forgotten, and many became ghosts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blackmore-s-night/many-memories-were-long-forgotten-and-many-became-ghosts/) [Blackmore's Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blackmore-s-night/) > [Do I believe in ghosts?...I am prepared to consider evidence and accept it if it satisfies me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-r-james/do-i-believe-in-ghosts-i-am-prepared-to-consider-evidence-and-accept/) [M. R. James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-r-james/) > [“Before her escort could react, she sprinted out from their little pool of lantern-light into the darkness, her feet pounding the soft, treacherous clods…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frances-hardinge/before-her-escort-could-react-she-sprinted-out-from-their-little-pool/) [Frances Hardinge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frances-hardinge/) > [“I assure you; while I look like a ghost, I'm no spirit or demon. I'm nothing but a girl struggling to make her way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leanna-renee-hieber/i-assure-you-while-i-look-like-a-ghost-i-m-no-spirit-or-demon-i-m/) [Leanna Renee Hieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leanna-renee-hieber/) > [They call them the haunted shores, these stretches of Devonshire and Cornwall and Ireland which rear up against the westward ocean. 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