--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Adulthood is accretive by nature, a thing…" description: "\"“Adulthood is accretive by nature, a thing which arrives in ragged stages and uneven overlaps.”\" — Stephen King" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/stephen-king-13_growing-up_adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing_1976710.jpg" --- # Adulthood is accretive by nature, a thing which arrives in… ![“Adulthood is accretive by nature, a thing which arrives in ragged stages and uneven overlaps.” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/stephen-king-13_growing-up_adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing_1976710.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/stephen-king-13_growing-up_adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing_1976710.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/stephen-king-13_growing-up_adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing_1976710.jpg) > ““Adulthood is accretive by nature, a thing which arrives in ragged stages and uneven overlaps.”” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Adulthood develops gradually, with uneven, overlapping phases rather than a smooth transition. **In simple terms:** Growing up happens in uneven, overlapping stages. Key Takeaway Accept that growth is messy and non‑linear. Themes growth identity life stages Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical observational When to use this quote - career advancement - parenting - personal development - education - midlife crisis Key Concepts developmental psychology life course theory Questions to Reflect On - How do you navigate overlapping responsibilities? - What strategies help manage uneven growth? A Different Perspective It may overlook the desire for clear milestones and measurable progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accretive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accretive-1780907/) [Accretive Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accretive-nature-3351001/) [Adulthood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/) [Adulthood Accretive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood-accretive-3351000/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Uneven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/uneven-771941/) ## Related quotes > [“Learning is an accretive process: the more one knows, the easier it is to learn, because there are reference points that new information can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-m-fox/learning-is-an-accretive-process-the-more-one-knows-the-easier-it-is/) [Charles M. Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-m-fox/) > [“Somehow he'd become the one constant in this whole uneven chapter in her life, & the idea that could change was unsettling.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-e-smith/somehow-he-d-become-the-one-constant-in-this-whole-uneven-chapter-in/) [Jennifer E. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-e-smith/) > [I just went to the doctor today, I got a chest X-ray of my lungs and discovered that my breasts are uneven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lawrence/i-just-went-to-the-doctor-today-i-got-a-chest-x-ray-of-my-lungs-and/) [Jennifer Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lawrence/) > [I forgive 'Face in the Crowd' its uneven tone because it's precisely what makes it feel unlike other Kazan movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peyton-reed/i-forgive-face-in-the-crowd-its-uneven-tone-because-it-s-precisely/) [Peyton Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peyton-reed/) > [The playing ground is so uneven, and there have been so many straight characters for such a long time, and so many gay actors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-beatriz/the-playing-ground-is-so-uneven-and-there-have-been-so-many-straight/) [Stephanie Beatriz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-beatriz/) > [In their religion they are so uneven, That each man goes his own byway to heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/in-their-religion-they-are-so-uneven-that-each-man-goes-his-own-byway/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [...in certain moods, no man can weigh this world without throwing in something, somehow like Original Sin, to strike the uneven balance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/in-certain-moods-no-man-can-weigh-this-world-without-throwing-in/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“time's stride, so uneven, some days endless, and others, like the blink of an eye.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meeta-ahluwalia/time-s-stride-so-uneven-some-days-endless-and-others-like-the-blink/) [Meeta Ahluwalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meeta-ahluwalia/) > [In the name of Annah the Allmaziful, the Everliving, the Bringer of Plurabilities, haloed be her eve, her singtime sung, her rill be run,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/in-the-name-of-annah-the-allmaziful-the-everliving-the-bringer-of/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Typically, the thinner the gauge of a pan, the more intense the hot and cool spots that form on its interior, which can lead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-kenji-lopez-alt/typically-the-thinner-the-gauge-of-a-pan-the-more-intense-the-hot-and/) [J. Kenji Lopez-Alt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-kenji-lopez-alt/) > [Light quirks of music, broken and uneven,Make the soul dance upon a jig to Heav'n.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/light-quirks-of-music-broken-and-uneven-make-the-soul-dance-upon-a/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Uneven numbers are the gods' delight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/uneven-numbers-are-the-gods-delight/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [“Inequality in the modern world largely results from the uneven dissemination and adoption of technologies,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daron-acemo-lu/inequality-in-the-modern-world-largely-results-from-the-uneven/) [Daron Acemoğlu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daron-acemo-lu/) > [Where has my heart gone? An uneven trade for the real world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evanescence/where-has-my-heart-gone-an-uneven-trade-for-the-real-world/) [Evanescence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evanescence/) > [Creative minds are uneven, and the best of fabrics have their dull spots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/creative-minds-are-uneven-and-the-best-of-fabrics-have-their-dull/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' 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/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Adulthood quotes > [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/) > [People often say that you should never work with child actors. I think that's all wrong. Children have not had the imagination kicked out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/people-often-say-that-you-should-never-work-with-child-actors-i-think/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [Two things suck about becoming an adult male - paying taxes and getting a finger in your butt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-code/two-things-suck-about-becoming-an-adult-male-paying-taxes-and-getting/) [Guy Code](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-code/) > [You can only pretend for so long before reality hits and you realize he/she is not who you thought or what you truly want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/you-can-only-pretend-for-so-long-before-reality-hits-and-you-realize/) [Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [“English: "Being an adult doesn't mean killing the child we once were; it means being able to protect him." Česky: „Být dospělým neznamená zabít…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebasti-n-wortys/english-being-an-adult-doesn-t-mean-killing-the-child-we-once-were-it/) [Sebastián Wortys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebasti-n-wortys/) > [“I wondered what a man I had encountered the day before on the plane en route to Chicago's O'Hare airport would have made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-moss/i-wondered-what-a-man-i-had-encountered-the-day-before-on-the-plane/) [Robert Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-moss/) > [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/) [Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/) > [No one, it has been said, will ever look at the Moon in the same way again. More significantly can one say that no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/no-one-it-has-been-said-will-ever-look-at-the-moon-in-the-same-way/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [Being an adult is the ability to postpone a want for the sake of a family need.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hogan/being-an-adult-is-the-ability-to-postpone-a-want-for-the-sake-of-a/) [Chris Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hogan/) > [“one Secret of Adulthood is “Never start a sentence with the words ‘No offense’”? “And”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretchen-rubin/one-secret-of-adulthood-is-never-start-a-sentence-with-the-words-no/) [Gretchen Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretchen-rubin/) > [In their youth, mortals behave more like nymphs. Adulthood seems impossibly distant, let alone the enfeeblement of old age. 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Their tailored clothes and unbending hairdos, their clipboards and laser…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-baume/the-entrepreneurs-are-only-about-my-age-probably-younger-but-they-don/) [Sara Baume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-baume/) [Browse all 651 Adulthood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adulthood/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Adulthood is accretive by nature, a thing which arrives in ragged stages and uneven overlaps.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen King" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing-which-arrives-in-ragged/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adulthood" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing-which-arrives-in-ragged/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/stephen-king-13_growing-up_adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing_1976710.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/stephen-king-13_growing-up_adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing_1976710.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/399/stephen-king-13_growing-up_adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing_1976710.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Adulthood is accretive by nature, a thing which arrives in ragged stages and uneven overlaps.” — Stephen King", "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": "Stephen King", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Adulthood is accretive by nature, a...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing-which-arrives-in-ragged/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/adulthood-is-accretive-by-nature-a-thing-which-arrives-in-ragged/#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 } } ] } ```