All the time you spend tryin to get back what's been took from you there's more goin out the door. After a while you just try and get a tourniquet on it.
In "No Country for Old Men" by Cormac McCarthy, the quote emphasizes the futility of trying to reclaim what has been lost. The notion highlights how the effort to recover lost things often leads to even more loss. This relentless pursuit can drain one's resources and energy, ultimately resulting in feelings of despair as one watches other opportunities slip away.
The imagery of applying a "tourniquet" suggests a desperate attempt to...