Let t=total, then 4t>0 implying t>0. 4t is the quadrupled total.
4t-x<0, so 4t<x and x>4t, where x is what is subtracted from the quadrupled total. If x>4t then it’s clearly true that x>¼(4t), that is, x>t. If x=2t, for example, 4t-2t=2t>0 because t>0. So x must be greater than 4t to make subtraction negative.