--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because of the gnawing feeling that no…" description: "\"“Because of the gnawing feeling that no matter how hard they work their efforts will yield nothing, that what they build up in one year will be torn do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/yann-martel-395_hard-work_because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-m_884192.jpg" --- # Because of the gnawing feeling that no matter how hard… ![“Because of the gnawing feeling that no matter how hard they work their efforts will yield nothing, that what they build up in one year will be torn down in one day by others.” quote by Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/yann-martel-395_hard-work_because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-m_884192.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/yann-martel-395_hard-work_because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-m_884192.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/yann-martel-395_hard-work_because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-m_884192.jpg) > ““Because of the gnawing feeling that no matter how hard they work their efforts will yield nothing, that what they build up in one year will be torn down in one day by others.”” [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People may feel that hard work is futile because others can destroy their achievements instantly, leading to frustration and helplessness. **In simple terms:** Hard work can feel wasted when others undo it quickly. Key Takeaway Recognize effort’s intrinsic value beyond external outcomes. Themes effort fragility resilience Mood reflective determined Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career setbacks - creative projects - team collaborations - personal goals Key Concepts existentialism control meaning Questions to Reflect On - What can you control in your own work? - How do you find meaning when outcomes are uncertain? A Different Perspective It assumes others will always act destructively, which may not be true. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Efforts Yield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/efforts-yield-1082017/) [Gnawing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gnawing/) [Gnawing Feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gnawing-feeling-1082016/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Work Efforts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-efforts-1082018/) ## Related quotes > [People move because of the wear and tear of anxiety. Because of the gnawing feeling that no matter how hard they work their efforts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/people-move-because-of-the-wear-and-tear-of-anxiety-because-of-the/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [It was all encompassing and so hard for me to do any classes or take up any hobbies - I'd wake up with this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becky-lynch/it-was-all-encompassing-and-so-hard-for-me-to-do-any-classes-or-take/) [Becky Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becky-lynch/) > [“We are often unaware of the gradual decline and the erosion in our lives but not unaware of the gnawing feeling it brings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-samuel-timm/we-are-often-unaware-of-the-gradual-decline-and-the-erosion-in-our/) [Eric Samuel Timm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-samuel-timm/) > [avarice breeds envy, a worm that is always gnawing, letting the avaricious enjoy neither their own nor anyone else's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/avarice-breeds-envy-a-worm-that-is-always-gnawing-letting-the/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [“...all winter the acorns and red Maple leaf moldered in silence - in the same way grief is gnawing at me - slowly, imperceptibly...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/all-winter-the-acorns-and-red-maple-leaf-moldered-in-silence-in-the/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [Positive emotion alienated from the exercise of character leads to emptiness, to inauthenticity, to depression, and, as we age, to the gnawing realization that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/positive-emotion-alienated-from-the-exercise-of-character-leads-to/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [I do feel a gnawing sorrow sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simi-garewal/i-do-feel-a-gnawing-sorrow-sometimes/) [Simi Garewal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simi-garewal/) > [It's been so long since I've let myself feel anger that I don't just feel it. It covers my mouth and I swallow it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/it-s-been-so-long-since-i-ve-let-myself-feel-anger-that-i-don-t-just/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [“How does one get a polar bear to stop gnawing on their head?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hetalia/how-does-one-get-a-polar-bear-to-stop-gnawing-on-their-head/) [Hetalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hetalia/) > ['Borderlands' came out of nowhere to appease the gnawing hunger left behind with the dearth of quality dungeon crawlers on the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/borderlands-came-out-of-nowhere-to-appease-the-gnawing-hunger-left/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“an idea hit him, he sat wherever he was—at his desk, kitchen table, a bar, or behind the wheel of his car—gnawing on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/an-idea-hit-him-he-sat-wherever-he-was-at-his-desk-kitchen-table-a/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > [“There is this pain of love. You experience it some moments. It starts like a strange gnawing at your heart. It then slowly spreads.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/there-is-this-pain-of-love-you-experience-it-some-moments-it-starts/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [I don't like bad feelings gnawing away at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-don-t-like-bad-feelings-gnawing-away-at-me/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [Inflationism is a dreadful cancer that is gnawing at the backbone of the civilized order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-f-sennholz/inflationism-is-a-dreadful-cancer-that-is-gnawing-at-the-backbone-of/) [Hans F. Sennholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-f-sennholz/) > [“I'm scared, but I need to get out of this room. I need to find ways to distract the gnawing pain that feeds off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-farizan/i-m-scared-but-i-need-to-get-out-of-this-room-i-need-to-find-ways-to/) [Sara Farizan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-farizan/) ## More by Yann Martel > [“It’s a big ocean crossed by busy ships. I went slowly, observing much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/it-s-a-big-ocean-crossed-by-busy-ships-i-went-slowly-observing-much/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The word isn't just the way it is. It is how we understand it, no? And in understanding something, we bring something to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-word-isn-t-just-the-way-it-is-it-is-how-we-understand-it-no-and/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Remember that your days on this earth are counted and you might as well make the best of those you have left.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/remember-that-your-days-on-this-earth-are-counted-and-you-might-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“I must say a word about fear. It's is life's only true opponent. Only fear can defeat life. It is a clever, treacherous adversary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-must-say-a-word-about-fear-it-s-is-life-s-only-true-opponent-only/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [I was not wounded in any part of my body, but I had never experienced such intense pain, such a ripping of the nerves,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-was-not-wounded-in-any-part-of-my-body-but-i-had-never-experienced/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [High calls low and low calls high. I tell you, if you were in such dire straits as I was, you too would elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/high-calls-low-and-low-calls-high-i-tell-you-if-you-were-in-such-dire/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Or rather, since Christians are so fond of capital letters, a Story.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/or-rather-since-christians-are-so-fond-of-capital-letters-a-story/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Progress is unstoppable. It is a drumbeat to which we must all march. Technology helps and good ideas spread - these are two laws…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/progress-is-unstoppable-it-is-a-drumbeat-to-which-we-must-all-march/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“There are always those who take it upon themselves to defend God, as if Ultimate Reality, as if the sustaining frame of existence were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/there-are-always-those-who-take-it-upon-themselves-to-defend-god-as/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“I never had problems with my fellow scientists. Scientists are a friendly, atheistic, hard-working, beer-drinking lot whose minds are preoccupied with sex, chess and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-never-had-problems-with-my-fellow-scientists-scientists-are-a/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“For evil in the open is but evil from within that has been let out. The main battlefield for good is not the open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/for-evil-in-the-open-is-but-evil-from-within-that-has-been-let-out/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Books are something social - a writer speaking to a reader - so I think making the reading of a book the center of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/books-are-something-social-a-writer-speaking-to-a-reader-so-i-think/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [Nothing beats reason for keeping tigers away. But be excessively reasonable and you risk throwing out the universe with the bathwater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/nothing-beats-reason-for-keeping-tigers-away-but-be-excessively/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“Uvek ima onih koji uzmu za pravo da brane Boga, kao da je Poslednja stvarnost, kao da je temeljni ram postojanja nešto slabašno i…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/uvek-ima-onih-koji-uzmu-za-pravo-da-brane-boga-kao-da-je-poslednja/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) > [“The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful that death has fallen in love with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/the-reason-death-sticks-so-closely-to-life-isn-t-biological-necessity/) [Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) [Explore all 570 Yann Martel quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/) ## More Gnawing quotes > [avarice breeds envy, a worm that is always gnawing, letting the avaricious enjoy neither their own nor anyone else's good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/avarice-breeds-envy-a-worm-that-is-always-gnawing-letting-the/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [Inflationism is a dreadful cancer that is gnawing at the backbone of the civilized order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-f-sennholz/inflationism-is-a-dreadful-cancer-that-is-gnawing-at-the-backbone-of/) [Hans F. Sennholz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-f-sennholz/) > [I don't like bad feelings gnawing away at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mclachlan/i-don-t-like-bad-feelings-gnawing-away-at-me/) [Sarah McLachlan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mclachlan/) > [“There is this pain of love. You experience it some moments. It starts like a strange gnawing at your heart. It then slowly spreads.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avijeet-das/there-is-this-pain-of-love-you-experience-it-some-moments-it-starts/) [Avijeet Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avijeet-das/) > [“an idea hit him, he sat wherever he was—at his desk, kitchen table, a bar, or behind the wheel of his car—gnawing on his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-skloot/an-idea-hit-him-he-sat-wherever-he-was-at-his-desk-kitchen-table-a/) [Rebecca Skloot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-skloot/) > ['Borderlands' came out of nowhere to appease the gnawing hunger left behind with the dearth of quality dungeon crawlers on the market.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/borderlands-came-out-of-nowhere-to-appease-the-gnawing-hunger-left/) [Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/) > [“How does one get a polar bear to stop gnawing on their head?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hetalia/how-does-one-get-a-polar-bear-to-stop-gnawing-on-their-head/) [Hetalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hetalia/) > [It's been so long since I've let myself feel anger that I don't just feel it. It covers my mouth and I swallow it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/it-s-been-so-long-since-i-ve-let-myself-feel-anger-that-i-don-t-just/) [Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/) > [I do feel a gnawing sorrow sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simi-garewal/i-do-feel-a-gnawing-sorrow-sometimes/) [Simi Garewal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simi-garewal/) > [Positive emotion alienated from the exercise of character leads to emptiness, to inauthenticity, to depression, and, as we age, to the gnawing realization that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/positive-emotion-alienated-from-the-exercise-of-character-leads-to/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [“...all winter the acorns and red Maple leaf moldered in silence - in the same way grief is gnawing at me - slowly, imperceptibly...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-geddes/all-winter-the-acorns-and-red-maple-leaf-moldered-in-silence-in-the/) [John Geddes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-geddes/) > [“I'm scared, but I need to get out of this room. I need to find ways to distract the gnawing pain that feeds off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-farizan/i-m-scared-but-i-need-to-get-out-of-this-room-i-need-to-find-ways-to/) [Sara Farizan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-farizan/) > [“Worrying is like a toothless dog gnawing on a bone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-fields/worrying-is-like-a-toothless-dog-gnawing-on-a-bone/) [Kathleen Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-fields/) > [“The critic said, but don't you feel awkward about biting the hand that feeds you? I said no, I enjoy just gnawing it up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-horton/the-critic-said-but-don-t-you-feel-awkward-about-biting-the-hand-that/) [Myles Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-horton/) > [What gnashing is not a comfort, what gnawing of the worm is not a tickling, what torment is not a marriage bed to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-donne/what-gnashing-is-not-a-comfort-what-gnawing-of-the-worm-is-not-a/) [John Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-donne/) [Browse all 24 Gnawing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gnawing/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Because of the gnawing feeling that no matter how hard they work their efforts will yield nothing, that what they build up in one year will be torn down in one day by others.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yann Martel" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-matter-how-hard-they-work/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Gnawing" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-matter-how-hard-they-work/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/yann-martel-395_hard-work_because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-m_884192.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/yann-martel-395_hard-work_because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-m_884192.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/747/yann-martel-395_hard-work_because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-m_884192.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because of the gnawing feeling that no matter how hard they work their efforts will yield nothing, that what…” — Yann Martel", "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": "Yann Martel", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Because of the gnawing feeling that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-matter-how-hard-they-work/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/because-of-the-gnawing-feeling-that-no-matter-how-hard-they-work/#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 } } ] } ```