---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He thought he would become accustomed to…"
description: "\"“He thought he would become accustomed to the idea, not yet understanding that it is useless to become accustomed to the loss of a father, for it will ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/umberto-eco-313_parenting_he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to_1233040.jpg"
---

#  He thought he would become accustomed to the idea, not yet…

![“He thought he would become accustomed to the idea, not yet understanding that it is useless to become accustomed to the loss of a father, for it will never happen a second time: might as well leave the wound open.” quote by Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/umberto-eco-313_parenting_he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to_1233040.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/umberto-eco-313_parenting_he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to_1233040.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/umberto-eco-313_parenting_he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to_1233040.jpg)

> ““He thought he would become accustomed to the idea, not yet understanding that it is useless to become accustomed to the loss of a father, for it will never happen a second time: might as well leave the wound open. ””

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Accepting loss is futile; one should confront grief openly rather than trying to become accustomed to it, because the pain is unique and cannot be repeated.

**In simple terms:** Don’t get used to loss; face it directly.

Key Takeaway

Face grief head‑on; don’t normalize it.

Themes

grief acceptance human experience pain memory

Mood

somber introspective empathetic

Type

literary philosophical emotional

When to use this quote

- bereavement counseling
- personal loss
- creative writing
- therapy
- support groups

Key Concepts

mortality psychology existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to “leave the wound open”?
- Can confronting loss lead to growth?

A Different Perspective

Some may argue that time does soften pain, making adaptation useful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/)

## Related quotes

> [A brand new mediocrity is thought more of than accustomed excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/a-brand-new-mediocrity-is-thought-more-of-than-accustomed-excellence/)

[Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/)

> [We have grown so accustomed to the idea of divine love...that we no longer sense the awe that God's coming should awaken in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/we-have-grown-so-accustomed-to-the-idea-of-divine-love-that-we-no/)

[Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/)

> [I think that we shall have to get accustomed to the idea that we must not look upon science as a 'body of knowledge,'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/i-think-that-we-shall-have-to-get-accustomed-to-the-idea-that-we-must/)

[Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/)

> [The loss of my father will always sting. But now, everything that I do is in honor of him and celebrates his life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-c-moore/the-loss-of-my-father-will-always-sting-but-now-everything-that-i-do/)

[Adrienne C. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-c-moore/)

> [What learned What loss without father, meaningless without Father's my life and the foundation of life, love to Dad , love Dad do it …](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/what-learned-what-loss-without-father-meaningless-without-father-s-my/)

Mak\_786

> [“She was still deeply anguished by the loss of her father, but the anvil of grief was finally beginning to lift.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-haddix/she-was-still-deeply-anguished-by-the-loss-of-her-father-but-the/)

[T.L. Haddix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-haddix/)

> [The loss of my father left a great emptiness in my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-candy/the-loss-of-my-father-left-a-great-emptiness-in-my-heart/)

[John Candy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-candy/)

> [“It was only out on the cold street...that Riley began to feel the full loss of his father. Poppa, he thought, Oh Poppa. He'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-lansens/it-was-only-out-on-the-cold-street-that-riley-began-to-feel-the-full/)

[Lori Lansens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-lansens/)

> [“The sudden loss of her father was like living with a wound that would never heal, yet her memories of him were fading more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-beddor/the-sudden-loss-of-her-father-was-like-living-with-a-wound-that-would/)

[Frank Beddor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-beddor/)

> [A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/a-son-can-bear-with-equanimity-the-loss-of-his-father-but-the-loss-of/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [The loss of my father marked my life. I'm 88 years old and I'm still mourning him because it's such a drama for me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lowy/the-loss-of-my-father-marked-my-life-i-m-88-years-old-and-i-m-still/)

[Frank Lowy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lowy/)

> [ The photograph \[of Che Guevara\], for a civilization now accustomed to thinking in images, was not the description of a single event... it was… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-photograph-of-che-guevara-for-a-civilization-now-accustomed-to/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/)

[R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/)

## More by Umberto Eco

> [I think that at a certain age, say fifteen or sixteen, poetry is like masturbation. But later in life good poets burn their early…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/i-think-that-at-a-certain-age-say-fifteen-or-sixteen-poetry-is-like/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Followers of the occult believe in only what they already know, and in those things that confirm what they have already learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/followers-of-the-occult-believe-in-only-what-they-already-know-and-in/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“This has nothing to do with realism (even if it explains also realism). A completely real world can be constructed, in which asses fly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/this-has-nothing-to-do-with-realism-even-if-it-explains-also-realism/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“…there’s nothing in this world that demands more caution than the truth. To tell the truth is like leeching one’s own heart...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-s-nothing-in-this-world-that-demands-more-caution-than-the/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [The book is like the spoon, scissors, the hammer, the wheel. Once invented, it cannot be improved. You cannot make a spoon that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-book-is-like-the-spoon-scissors-the-hammer-the-wheel-once/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [“No algorithm exists for the metaphor, nor can a metaphor be produced by means of a computer’s precise instructions, no matter what the volume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/no-algorithm-exists-for-the-metaphor-nor-can-a-metaphor-be-produced/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [With all of its defects, the global market makes war less likely, even between the USA and China.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/with-all-of-its-defects-the-global-market-makes-war-less-likely-even/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Any fact becomes important when it's connected to another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/any-fact-becomes-important-when-it-s-connected-to-another/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [American coffee can be a pale solution served at a temperature of 100 degrees centigrade in plastic thermos cups, usually obligatory in railroad stations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/american-coffee-can-be-a-pale-solution-served-at-a-temperature-of-100/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [Listening doesn't mean trying to understand. Anything, however trifling, may be of use one day. What matters is to know something that others don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/listening-doesn-t-mean-trying-to-understand-anything-however-trifling/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [They say that a cat, if it falls from a window and hits its nose, can lose its sense of smell and then, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/they-say-that-a-cat-if-it-falls-from-a-window-and-hits-its-nose-can/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [There are magic moments, involving great physical fatigue and intense motor excitement, that produce visions of people known in the past. As I learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-magic-moments-involving-great-physical-fatigue-and-intense/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [All poets write bad poetry. Bad poets publish them, good poets burn them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/all-poets-write-bad-poetry-bad-poets-publish-them-good-poets-burn-them/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [There are four kinds of people in this world: cretins, fools, morons, and lunatics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/there-are-four-kinds-of-people-in-this-world-cretins-fools-morons-and/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

[Explore all 600 Umberto Eco quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

## More Accustomed quotes

> [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/)

[R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/)

> [A man accustomed to American food and American domestic cookery would not starve to death suddenly in Europe, but I think he would gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/a-man-accustomed-to-american-food-and-american-domestic-cookery-would/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/)

[Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/)

> [Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-krakauer/early-on-a-difficult-climb-especially-a-solo-climb-you-re-hyper-aware/)

[Jon Krakauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-krakauer/)

> [Democracy is not being well served as we're accustomed to. There is less information, there's less investigation, there's less analysis, there's less accountability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-greenspon/democracy-is-not-being-well-served-as-we-re-accustomed-to-there-is/)

Edward Greenspon

> [To one who is accustomed to thinking a lot, every new thought that he hears or reads about immediately appears as a link in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/to-one-who-is-accustomed-to-thinking-a-lot-every-new-thought-that-he/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [I have been in relatively high-risk businesses all of my adult life. Few of the others, however, had the possibility of direct gains in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-armstrong/i-have-been-in-relatively-high-risk-businesses-all-of-my-adult-life/)

[Neil Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-armstrong/)

> [We have become accustomed to living our life with joy amidst pain and challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-reeve/we-have-become-accustomed-to-living-our-life-with-joy-amidst-pain-and/)

[Dana Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-reeve/)

> [Security is a component of everyday life that one spending time in Washington, D.C., gets accustomed to. Metal detectors, police vehicle barriers and heavily-armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-crapo/security-is-a-component-of-everyday-life-that-one-spending-time-in/)

[Mike Crapo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-crapo/)

> [If you're a Firefox user, you get accustomed to your history and the URL bar and finding things. That should be available on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitchell-baker/if-you-re-a-firefox-user-you-get-accustomed-to-your-history-and-the/)

[Mitchell Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitchell-baker/)

> [It is amazing how soon one becomes accustomed to the sound of ones voice, when forced to repeat a speech five or six times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/it-is-amazing-how-soon-one-becomes-accustomed-to-the-sound-of-ones/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

> [We are too much accustomed to attribute to a single cause that which is the product of several, and the majority of our controversies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/we-are-too-much-accustomed-to-attribute-to-a-single-cause-that-which/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [Once you grow accustomed to being famous, you do not realize it, but you are never quite your humble, honest self. No matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/once-you-grow-accustomed-to-being-famous-you-do-not-realize-it-but/)

[Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/)

> [I love physical kinds of comedy and getting down and dirty and doing stunts. When I was growing up, I was always getting into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-diaz/i-love-physical-kinds-of-comedy-and-getting-down-and-dirty-and-doing/)

[Cameron Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-diaz/)

> [Books should confuse. Literature abhors the typical. Literature flows to the particular, the mundane, the greasiness of paper, the taste of warm beer, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/books-should-confuse-literature-abhors-the-typical-literature-flows/)

[Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/)

Browse all 543 Accustomed quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“He thought he would become accustomed to the idea, not yet understanding that it is useless to become accustomed to the loss of a father, for it will never happen a second time: might as well leave the wound open. ”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Umberto Eco"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to-the-idea-not-yet/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Accustomed"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to-the-idea-not-yet/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/umberto-eco-313_parenting_he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to_1233040.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/umberto-eco-313_parenting_he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to_1233040.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/umberto-eco-313_parenting_he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to_1233040.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He thought he would become accustomed to the idea, not yet understanding that it is useless to become…” — Umberto Eco",
                "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": "Umberto Eco",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“He thought he would become accustomed...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to-the-idea-not-yet/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/he-thought-he-would-become-accustomed-to-the-idea-not-yet/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
