--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being human is the most terrible…" description: "\"Being human is the most terrible loneliness in the universe.\" — A.A. Attanasio" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/a-a-attanasio-30107_being-human_being-human-is-the-most-terrible-lonelin_1627465.png" --- # Being human is the most terrible loneliness in the universe. ![“Being human is the most terrible loneliness in the universe.” quote by A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/a-a-attanasio-30107_being-human_being-human-is-the-most-terrible-lonelin_1627465.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/a-a-attanasio-30107_being-human_being-human-is-the-most-terrible-lonelin_1627465.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f06/a-a-attanasio-30107_being-human_being-human-is-the-most-terrible-lonelin_1627465.png) > “Being human is the most terrible loneliness in the universe.” [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote expresses that human existence is marked by profound isolation, making loneliness a fundamental condition of being. **In simple terms:** Human life is deeply lonely. Key Takeaway Acknowledge and address existential loneliness. Themes existential loneliness human condition Mood melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - therapy sessions - artistic expression - community building Key Concepts philosophy psychology sociology Questions to Reflect On - What does loneliness teach you? - How can shared experiences mitigate it? A Different Perspective Loneliness can also foster creativity and connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Being human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-human/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Solitude](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solitude/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-miller/he-s-not-the-finest-character-that-ever-lived-but-he-s-a-human-being/) [Arthur Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-miller/) > [In the country, I stopped being a person who, in the words of Sylvia Boorstein, startles easily. 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And we must pass through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/there-is-no-insurmountable-solitude-all-paths-lead-to-the-same-goal/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) > [I think that part of being human is being alone, and being lonely. I think one of the stresses on a lot of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-that-part-of-being-human-is-being-alone-and-being-lonely-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The worst feeling: Being in a room full of PEOPLE & still being lonely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiana-j-wilson/the-worst-feeling-being-in-a-room-full-of-people-still-being-lonely/) [Kiana J Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiana-j-wilson/) > [Loneliness is proof that your innate search for connection is intact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/loneliness-is-proof-that-your-innate-search-for-connection-is-intact/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [“I decided that maybe we left each other alone too much. 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Corey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-s-a-corey/) > [I've noticed that loneliness gets stronger when we try to face it down, but gets weaker when we simply ignore it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-ve-noticed-that-loneliness-gets-stronger-when-we-try-to-face-it/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [People think being alone makes you LONELY, But I don't think thats true. Being surrounded by wrong people is the loneliest thing in World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-think-being-alone-makes-you-lonely-but-i-don-t-think-thats/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I cannot keep quiet even when I am a lone voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahathir-mohamad/i-cannot-keep-quiet-even-when-i-am-a-lone-voice/) [Mahathir Mohamad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahathir-mohamad/) > [There, in the center of that silence was not eternity but the death of time and a loneliness so profound the word itself had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/there-in-the-center-of-that-silence-was-not-eternity-but-the-death-of/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) ## More by A.A. Attanasio > [“…not a fort at all, but a giant amulet, a city made from the magic in our hearts and the land itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/not-a-fort-at-all-but-a-giant-amulet-a-city-made-from-the-magic-in/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [“360 degrees of the circle can be divided evenly by all integers from 1 through 10 except 7; thus, 7 was considered by pre-talismanic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/360-degrees-of-the-circle-can-be-divided-evenly-by-all-integers-from/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [The madness of demons is rage - the madness of angels - hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/the-madness-of-demons-is-rage-the-madness-of-angels-hope/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [“The fact of that devotion is nothing less than sacrifice. The only good of which mortals are capable of love. To even begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/the-fact-of-that-devotion-is-nothing-less-than-sacrifice-the-only/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [Ricardo Pinto's The Chosen strikes the reader with great force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/ricardo-pinto-s-the-chosen-strikes-the-reader-with-great-force/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [Silence is a text easy to misread.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/silence-is-a-text-easy-to-misread/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [The hand is no different from what it creates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/the-hand-is-no-different-from-what-it-creates/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > […for a true Christian, all strangers are Jesus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/for-a-true-christian-all-strangers-are-jesus/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [I dream of a true husband—a good man, not a brute, nor a champion of men on the battlefield; I dream but of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/i-dream-of-a-true-husband-a-good-man-not-a-brute-nor-a-champion-of/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [“before pain came to mean not what was lost but what remained.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/before-pain-came-to-mean-not-what-was-lost-but-what-remained/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [I dream of a true husband—a good man, not a brute, nor a champion of men on the battlefield; I dream but of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/i-dream-of-a-true-husband-a-good-man-not-a-brute-nor-a-champion-of-2/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [“The surgeon tells me that you're a sorcerer," Pym said. "Is that so?" Jaki looked to the captain with the glare of the masts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/the-surgeon-tells-me-that-you-re-a-sorcerer-pym-said-is-that-so-jaki/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [“The power of the witch is in her hair. The ones who killed her knew this. They cut off her long tresses, tied them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/the-power-of-the-witch-is-in-her-hair-the-ones-who-killed-her-knew/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [“And though they may be miles apart and indeed have never met, yet they have never been separate, because they are lovers to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/and-though-they-may-be-miles-apart-and-indeed-have-never-met-yet-they/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) > [Now you see. We are all fugitives. We have always been fugitives from the void. Whatever comfort, whatever power we gain from outside of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-a-attanasio/now-you-see-we-are-all-fugitives-we-have-always-been-fugitives-from/) [A.A. Attanasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) [Explore all 17 A.A. Attanasio quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-a-attanasio/) ## More Being human quotes > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [We began as mineral. 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Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-w-kimball/) > [We’re built to deal with death, disease, failure, struggle, heartbreak, problems. It’s what separates us from the animals and why we envy and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-maron/we-re-built-to-deal-with-death-disease-failure-struggle-heartbreak/) [Marc Maron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-maron/) > [“There are countless reasons to be jealous. But that doesn’t mean you have to succumb to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/there-are-countless-reasons-to-be-jealous-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you/) [Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/) > [“I honour the clarity of the present moment, and the stillness at the centre of being (mine & others), even in the midst of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-woodman/i-honour-the-clarity-of-the-present-moment-and-the-stillness-at-the/) [Jay Woodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-woodman/) > [It's the strangest thing about being human: to know so much, to communicate so much, and yet always to fall so drastically short of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/it-s-the-strangest-thing-about-being-human-to-know-so-much-to/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [Virtue is something you have to get good at, like playing the trombone or tolerating bores at parties. Being a virtuous human being takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/virtue-is-something-you-have-to-get-good-at-like-playing-the-trombone/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [Heartbreak is our indication of sincerity: in a love relationship, in a work, in trying to learn a musical instrument, in the attempt to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/heartbreak-is-our-indication-of-sincerity-in-a-love-relationship-in-a/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [The Gnostics believed that exile was the essential condition of man. Do you agree? I do. The artist and the addict both wrestle with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pressfield/the-gnostics-believed-that-exile-was-the-essential-condition-of-man/) [Steven Pressfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pressfield/) > [“Either way, you were connected. By your desires. By your defiance. By the simple, complicated fact of who you were.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/either-way-you-were-connected-by-your-desires-by-your-defiance-by-the/) [David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/) > [“...something can be a good thing and yet not a necessary thing. It is good for people to be expert at brain surgery. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-lee-austin/something-can-be-a-good-thing-and-yet-not-a-necessary-thing-it-is/) Victor Lee Austin > [I have no interest in problematizing things. 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