--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He must have stood there for a long time…" description: "\"“He must have stood there for a long time, making a list of all the terrible things he had done—almost killinng me was one of those thingss—and another..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/veronica-roth-66_al_he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time_2265151.jpg" --- # He must have stood there for a long time, making a list of… ![“He must have stood there for a long time, making a list of all the terrible things he had done—almost killinng me was one of those thingss—and another list of all the good, heroic, brave things he had not done, and then decided that he was tired. Tired, not just of living, but of existing. Tired…” quote by Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/veronica-roth-66_al_he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time_2265151.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/veronica-roth-66_al_he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time_2265151.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/veronica-roth-66_al_he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time_2265151.jpg) > ““He must have stood there for a long time, making a list of all the terrible things he had done—almost killinng me was one of those thingss—and another list of all the good, heroic, brave things he had not done, and then decided that he was tired. Tired, not just of living, but of existing. Tired of being Al.”” [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The character feels exhausted by both living and merely existing, questioning his deeds and missed heroics. **In simple terms:** He is tired of just existing. Key Takeaway Confront personal fatigue and seek purposeful action. Themes existential fatigue morality Mood melancholic introspective Type fictional philosophical When to use this quote - career burnout - personal crisis - ethical decision making Key Concepts selfreflection purpose heroism Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning beyond survival? - How can you transform fatigue into purposeful change? A Different Perspective The narrative may oversimplify complex mental health issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brave/) [Divergent series](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divergent-series/) [Heroic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heroic/) [Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roth/) [Suicide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suicide/) [Terrible things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-things/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Tired of living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tired-of-living/) [Tired Tired](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tired-tired/) [Tris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tris/) [Veronica-roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/veronica-roth/) ## Related quotes > [“He must have stood there for a long time, making a list of all the terrible things he had done—almost killing me was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time-making-a-list-of-all-the-2/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“The tiles in the Merciless Mart are always black and white, and here they are in a checkered pattern. If I unfocus my eyes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/the-tiles-in-the-merciless-mart-are-always-black-and-white-and-here/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Trust me, I know how it feels I know exactly how it feels to cry in the shower So no one can hear you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/trust-me-i-know-how-it-feels-i-know-exactly-how-it-feels-to-cry-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I feel uneasy. It's not often that you encounter the real person behind a good-natured mask, the darkest parts of someone. It's not comfortable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-feel-uneasy-it-s-not-often-that-you-encounter-the-real-person/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“If someone offers you an opportunity to get closer to your enemy, you always take it. I know that without having learned it from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/if-someone-offers-you-an-opportunity-to-get-closer-to-your-enemy-you/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“We move closer together like sections of a tightened shoelace”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/we-move-closer-together-like-sections-of-a-tightened-shoelace/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“It happened. It was awful. You aren't perfect. That's all there is. Don't confuse your grief with guilt." We stay in the silence and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/it-happened-it-was-awful-you-aren-t-perfect-that-s-all-there-is-don-t-2/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Stupid. Why do people want to pretend that death is sleep? It isn’t. It isn’t”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/stupid-why-do-people-want-to-pretend-that-death-is-sleep-it-isn-t-it/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“I wonder if that fear still creeps up on her now though she worked so hard to face it—I wonder if fears ever really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-wonder-if-that-fear-still-creeps-up-on-her-now-though-she-worked-so/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“I was beginning to feel that I had finally found a place to stay, a place that was not so unstable or corrupt or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-was-beginning-to-feel-that-i-had-finally-found-a-place-to-stay-a/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I am really very, very tired of everything - more than tired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-am-really-very-very-tired-of-everything-more-than-tired/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Oh, don't. Just...don't. I'm tired. I'm so tired.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-noble/oh-don-t-just-don-t-i-m-tired-i-m-so-tired/) [Donna Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-noble/) > [I'm tired. I'm tired of feeling rejected by the American people. I'm tired of waking up in the middle of the night worrying about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/i-m-tired-i-m-tired-of-feeling-rejected-by-the-american-people-i-m/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [I'm tired ... I'm tired of waiting on you. When will you return, Honey?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/i-m-tired-i-m-tired-of-waiting-on-you-when-will-you-return-honey/) [Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/) > [“But dammit, she was tired. Tired of doing what was expected, tired of feeling like she was missing something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-shalvis/but-dammit-she-was-tired-tired-of-doing-what-was-expected-tired-of/) [Jill Shalvis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-shalvis/) ## More by Veronica Roth > [How strange that something so simple could have been instrumental in my decision to ruin one of my most relationships and friendships, and damage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/how-strange-that-something-so-simple-could-have-been-instrumental-in/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“I was beginning to feel that I had finally found a place to stay, a place that was not so unstable or corrupt or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-was-beginning-to-feel-that-i-had-finally-found-a-place-to-stay-a/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“He acts so tough that he’s probably afraid of marshmallows and really bright sunrises or something. Overcompensating.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/he-acts-so-tough-that-he-s-probably-afraid-of-marshmallows-and-really/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [And is it selfish of me to crave victory, or is it brave?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/and-is-it-selfish-of-me-to-crave-victory-or-is-it-brave/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [You always look like someone's sucked the life right out of you when something fascinates you. -Tris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/you-always-look-like-someone-s-sucked-the-life-right-out-of-you-when/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“We can be mended. We mend each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/we-can-be-mended-we-mend-each-other/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Don’t worry about me handling the pain," I say. "I’ve had a lot of practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/don-t-worry-about-me-handling-the-pain-i-say-i-ve-had-a-lot-of/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [Soon I will honor my parents by dying as they died. and if all they believed about death was true, soon I will join…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/soon-i-will-honor-my-parents-by-dying-as-they-died-and-if-all-they/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Mas lembre-se, já agora, que por vezes as pessoas que oprimimos tornam-se mais poderosas do que nós gostaríamos.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/mas-lembre-se-j-agora-que-por-vezes-as-pessoas-que-oprimimos-tornam/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“am aware of how little space there is between us—six inches at most. That space feels charged with electricity. I feel like it should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/am-aware-of-how-little-space-there-is-between-us-six-inches-at-most/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Oh, good,” I say, a sour taste in my mouth. “Heroism is what I was focused on. Not, you know, trying not to die.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/oh-good-i-say-a-sour-taste-in-my-mouth-heroism-is-what-i-was-focused/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“Caleb frowns at him. "How old are you, anyway?" "Eighteen." "And you don't think you're too old to be with my little sister?" Tobias…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/caleb-frowns-at-him-how-old-are-you-anyway-eighteen-and-you-don-t/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [What do you think they're going to do to us when they find us guilty?" she says after a few minutes of silence have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/what-do-you-think-they-re-going-to-do-to-us-when-they-find-us-guilty/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [“La paz está restringida, eso es libertad”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/la-paz-est-restringida-eso-es-libertad/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [In some parts of the ancient world, the hawk symbolized the sun. Back when I got this, I figured if I always had the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/in-some-parts-of-the-ancient-world-the-hawk-symbolized-the-sun-back/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) [Explore all 1,589 Veronica Roth quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) ## More Al quotes > [I like 'The Usual Suspects'. Great film. I also like 'Scarface', films like that. Lots of gangster films. I really like watching all kinds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barkhad-abdi/i-like-the-usual-suspects-great-film-i-also-like-scarface-films-like/) [Barkhad Abdi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barkhad-abdi/) > [Al Jazeera is a representation of, you know, diversity in the Arab world. In our newsroom, we have every single nationality, we have every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/al-jazeera-is-a-representation-of-you-know-diversity-in-the-arab/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [If the practice is torture for the al Qaeda operative who masterminded the killing of three thousand Americans, why weren't there court-martials in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/if-the-practice-is-torture-for-the-al-qaeda-operative-who/) [Jose A. Rodriguez, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-a-rodriguez-jr/) > [Searches of al Qaeda sites in Afghanistan, undertaken since American-backed forces took control there, are not known to have turned up a significant cache…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barton-gellman/searches-of-al-qaeda-sites-in-afghanistan-undertaken-since-american/) [Barton Gellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barton-gellman/) > [Nobody had race savvy like Al Unser in his prime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-andretti/nobody-had-race-savvy-like-al-unser-in-his-prime/) [Mario Andretti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-andretti/) > [There are many causes of violent deaths in America - murders and traffic accidents - that we do not approach with the same 'no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-c-blair/there-are-many-causes-of-violent-deaths-in-america-murders-and/) [Dennis C. Blair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-c-blair/) > [If you want to join the Republican party, they have to let you in. There's nothing they can do about it. I mean, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/if-you-want-to-join-the-republican-party-they-have-to-let-you-in/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Brian came back in on the road and Al stayed, but Al's the original member of the group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/brian-came-back-in-on-the-road-and-al-stayed-but-al-s-the-original/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [News is the backbone of our network; the main commodity and the main successes of Al Jazeera came out of our involvement in covering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/news-is-the-backbone-of-our-network-the-main-commodity-and-the-main/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [And beyond that, the next issue is how do we guarantee one of these weapons, not necessarily this missile, but nuclear weapons ends up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-eagleburger/and-beyond-that-the-next-issue-is-how-do-we-guarantee-one-of-these/) [Lawrence Eagleburger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-eagleburger/) > [I started, actually, as an analyst on African affairs, mainly on Al Jazeera. I remember the first few series were about Saudi students, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wadah-khanfar/i-started-actually-as-an-analyst-on-african-affairs-mainly-on-al/) [Wadah Khanfar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wadah-khanfar/) > [That is because the conflict with al Qaeda is not governed by the Geneva Conventions, which applies only to international conflicts between states that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-yoo/that-is-because-the-conflict-with-al-qaeda-is-not-governed-by-the/) [John Yoo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-yoo/) > [Bin Laden is dead, and most of his friends are dead. But did it need to cost a trillion dollars and two land wars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/bin-laden-is-dead-and-most-of-his-friends-are-dead-but-did-it-need-to/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Mistreatment of al Qaeda members and their friends and hangers-on is something I number among my moral concerns. But it's number 1,000,000,001.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/mistreatment-of-al-qaeda-members-and-their-friends-and-hangers-on-is/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [Success means eliminating Al Qaeda's ability to launch terrorist attacks against the United States and our allies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-greitens/success-means-eliminating-al-qaeda-s-ability-to-launch-terrorist/) [Eric Greitens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-greitens/) Browse all 218 Al quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He must have stood there for a long time, making a list of all the terrible things he had done—almost killinng me was one of those thingss—and another list of all the good, heroic, brave things he had not done, and then decided that he was tired. Tired, not just of living, but of existing. Tired of being Al.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Veronica Roth" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time-making-a-list-of-all-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Al" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time-making-a-list-of-all-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/veronica-roth-66_al_he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time_2265151.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/veronica-roth-66_al_he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time_2265151.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/391/veronica-roth-66_al_he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time_2265151.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He must have stood there for a long time, making a list of all the terrible things he had done—almost…” — Veronica Roth", "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": "Veronica Roth", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He must have stood there for...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time-making-a-list-of-all-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/he-must-have-stood-there-for-a-long-time-making-a-list-of-all-the/#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 } } ] } ```