--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I see that I've become a really bad…" description: "\"I see that I've become a really bad correspondent. It's not that I don't think of you. You come into my thoughts often. But when you do it appears to m..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/saul-bellow-558_age_i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-corr_248793.png" --- # I see that I've become a really bad correspondent. It's… ![“I see that I've become a really bad correspondent. It's not that I don't think of you. You come into my thoughts often. But when you do it appears to me that I owe you a particularly grand letter. And so you end in the "warehouse of good intentions": "Can't do it now." "Then put it on hold." This…” quote by Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/saul-bellow-558_age_i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-corr_248793.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/saul-bellow-558_age_i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-corr_248793.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/saul-bellow-558_age_i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-corr_248793.png) > “I see that I've become a really bad correspondent. It's not that I don't think of you. You come into my thoughts often. But when you do it appears to me that I owe you a particularly grand letter. And so you end in the "warehouse of good intentions": "Can't do it now." "Then put it on hold." This is one's strategy for coping with old age, and with death--because one can't die with so many obligations in storage. Our clever species, so fertile and resourceful in denying its weaknesses.” [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## 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 admits to procrastinating on meaningful communication, storing intentions like unfulfilled obligations that weigh on life and mortality. **In simple terms:** Avoiding letters leads to emotional clutter and unaddressed duties. Key Takeaway Write promptly to prevent emotional backlog. Themes procrastination communication mortality obligations Mood reflective somber Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - family - friendship - end‑of‑life reflections Key Concepts psychology human behavior aging Questions to Reflect On - What letter have you delayed? - How does postponement affect your sense of duty? A Different Perspective Even small notes matter; neglect can erode connections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Bad Correspondent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-correspondent-2478853/) [Clever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clever/) [Coping](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coping/) [Coping Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/coping-old-2478852/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Good intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-intentions/) [Intention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intention/) [Intentions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intentions/) [Intentions Hold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intentions-hold-2478851/) [Letters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/letters/) [My thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/my-thoughts/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [Old age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-age/) [Resourceful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resourceful/) [Species](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/species/) [Storage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storage/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Think of you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-of-you/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Weakness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/weakness/) ## Related quotes > [“In the decisions we make, our fate we seal, The weight of a life, that’s incredibly real. Let the Whisper within be the guide.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-a-maltais/in-the-decisions-we-make-our-fate-we-seal-the-weight-of-a-life-that-s/) [Glenn A. Maltais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-a-maltais/) > [In addition to relentlessly resourceful, you want a tough and a calm cofounder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-altman/in-addition-to-relentlessly-resourceful-you-want-a-tough-and-a-calm/) [Sam Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-altman/) > [Modern science, then, so far from being an enemy of romance, is seen on every hand to be its sympathetic and resourceful friend, its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-le-gallienne/modern-science-then-so-far-from-being-an-enemy-of-romance-is-seen-on/) [Richard Le Gallienne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-le-gallienne/) > [Being truly thankful makes you infinitely more resourceful. By sincerely appreciating what you have, you find new and valuable ways to make use of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-marston/being-truly-thankful-makes-you-infinitely-more-resourceful-by/) [Ralph Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-marston/) > [If you're the type of person who has to fulfill your dreams, you've gotta be resourceful to make sure you can do it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vin-diesel/if-you-re-the-type-of-person-who-has-to-fulfill-your-dreams-you-ve/) [Vin Diesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vin-diesel/) > [It seems to me that most good protagonists are both clever and resourceful. They are intelligent and can fix things, both little and big.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keren-woodward/it-seems-to-me-that-most-good-protagonists-are-both-clever-and/) [Keren Woodward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/keren-woodward/) > [I think that's what's happened with a lot of people in films these days: they're so enamored with the process, whether it's CGI or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-myrick/i-think-that-s-what-s-happened-with-a-lot-of-people-in-films-these/) [Daniel Myrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-myrick/) > [“By spending time being abundant in the present, using the tactics and strategies I give you, such as playing the Money Game, you will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-mangena/by-spending-time-being-abundant-in-the-present-using-the-tactics-and/) [Daniel Mangena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-mangena/) > [Jane was my wicked stepmother: she was generous, affectionate and resourceful; she salvaged my schooling and I owe her an unknowable debt for that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/jane-was-my-wicked-stepmother-she-was-generous-affectionate-and/) [Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/) > [A resourceful person will always make opportunity fit his or her needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/a-resourceful-person-will-always-make-opportunity-fit-his-or-her-needs/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [The appeal of the wild for me is its unpredictability. You have to develop an awareness, react fast, be resourceful and come up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bear-grylls/the-appeal-of-the-wild-for-me-is-its-unpredictability-you-have-to/) [Bear Grylls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bear-grylls/) > [Deathstroke is the dark-mirror version of Batman, basically. He is every bit as resourceful, every bit as ruthless, every bit as powerful as Batman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-priest/deathstroke-is-the-dark-mirror-version-of-batman-basically-he-is/) [Christopher Priest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-priest/) > [I see things and I hear things I do not understand. I'm a skilled, resourceful... vegetable!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ludlum/i-see-things-and-i-hear-things-i-do-not-understand-i-m-a-skilled/) [Robert Ludlum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ludlum/) > [Desire is this absurdity that holds open the infinity of possibility. Ever optimistic, ever resourceful, desire tells us what it sees as it speeds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-farley/desire-is-this-absurdity-that-holds-open-the-infinity-of-possibility/) [Wendy Farley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-farley/) > [Our enemies are innovative and resourceful...They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush-2/our-enemies-are-innovative-and-resourceful-they-never-stop-thinking/) [George W Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush-2/) ## More by Saul Bellow > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I have begun in old age to understand just how oddly we are all put together. We are so proud of our autonomy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-have-begun-in-old-age-to-understand-just-how-oddly-we-are-all-put/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are evils that have the ability to survive identification and go on for ever... money, for instance, or war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-evils-that-have-the-ability-to-survive-identification-and/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Myself is thus and so, and will continue thus and so. And why fight it? My balance comes from instability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/myself-is-thus-and-so-and-will-continue-thus-and-so-and-why-fight-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, Professor Cohen, how do I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-late-philosopher-morris-r-cohen-of-ccny-was-asked-by-a-student-in/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Therefore we didn't talk of genuine things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/therefore-we-didn-t-talk-of-genuine-things/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/is-our-species-crazy-plenty-of-evidence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-making-it-people-have-surrendered/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There's a kind of emptiness at the center of life ... nothing to form your life on, or by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-s-a-kind-of-emptiness-at-the-center-of-life-nothing-to-form/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“I don't know how it all at once came to me to talk a lot, tell jokes, kick up, and suddenly have views. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-don-t-know-how-it-all-at-once-came-to-me-to-talk-a-lot-tell-jokes/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are times when the most practical thing is to lie down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-times-when-the-most-practical-thing-is-to-lie-down/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“For knowledge of death makes us wish to extend our lives at the expense of others. And this is the root of the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-knowledge-of-death-makes-us-wish-to-extend-our-lives-at-the/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) [Explore all 464 Saul Bellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## More Age quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/) > [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/) [Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/) > [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/) [Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/) > [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/) [Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) > [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/) [Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/) > [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/) [Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/) > [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/) [Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/) [Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/) > [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/) [Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/) [Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I see that I've become a really bad correspondent. It's not that I don't think of you. You come into my thoughts often. But when you do it appears to me that I owe you a particularly grand letter. And so you end in the \"warehouse of good intentions\": \"Can't do it now.\" \"Then put it on hold.\" This is one's strategy for coping with old age, and with death--because one can't die with so many obligations in storage. Our clever species, so fertile and resourceful in denying its weaknesses.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Saul Bellow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-correspondent-it-s-not-that-i-don/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Age" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-correspondent-it-s-not-that-i-don/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/saul-bellow-558_age_i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-corr_248793.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/saul-bellow-558_age_i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-corr_248793.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6fc/saul-bellow-558_age_i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-corr_248793.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I see that I've become a really bad correspondent. It's not that I don't think of you. You come into my…” — Saul Bellow", "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": "Saul Bellow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I see that I've become a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-correspondent-it-s-not-that-i-don/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-see-that-i-ve-become-a-really-bad-correspondent-it-s-not-that-i-don/#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 } } ] } ```