--- title: "15 Lives Of Quiet Desperation Quotes by 11 authors" description: "Browse 15 Lives Of Quiet Desperation quotes by 11 authors. Discover the best Lives Of Quiet Desperation sayings and thoughts." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f94/henry-david-thoreau-20_desperation_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_2336826.jpg" --- > [Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-and-go-to-the-grave-with-the-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f94/henry-david-thoreau-20_desperation_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_2336826.jpg) > [Most men lead lives of quiet desperation. I can't take quiet desperation!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-milland/most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-i-can-t-take-quiet/) [Ray Milland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-milland/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/76e/ray-milland-75647_desperation_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_2155276.jpg) > [The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ad7/henry-david-thoreau-20_lives-of-quiet-despe_the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desp_2254237.jpg) > [People used to live lives of quiet desperation - now they go on talk shows!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-thaves/people-used-to-live-lives-of-quiet-desperation-now-they-go-on-talk/) [Bob Thaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-thaves/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ef1/bob-thaves-35122_desperation_people-used-to-live-lives-of-quiet-despe_3043897.jpg) > [The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-what-is-called-2/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/henry-david-thoreau-20_apathy_the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desp_1210147.jpg) > [I am interested in the gap between what people say and what they think - the undiscovered world of people's lives. Lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eyre/i-am-interested-in-the-gap-between-what-people-say-and-what-they/) [Richard Eyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-eyre/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e42/richard-eyre-16561_desperation_i-am-interested-in-the-gap-between-what_1300424.png) > [I do believe that most men live lives of quiet desperation. For despair, optimism is the only practical solution. Hope is practical.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-nilsson/i-do-believe-that-most-men-live-lives-of-quiet-desperation-for/) [Harry Nilsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-nilsson/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/harry-nilsson-36624_believe_i-do-believe-that-most-men-live-lives-of_2322667.jpg) > [Somehow it is the male's duty to put the best years of his life into work he doesn't like in order that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/somehow-it-is-the-male-s-duty-to-put-the-best-years-of-his-life-into/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/sterling-hayden-11137_best-year_somehow-it-is-the-male-s-duty-to-put-the_2870599.png) > [The vast majority of the people who populate our planet live lives of quiet desperation that are all too often quite harsh…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-vast-majority-of-the-people-who-populate-our-planet-live-lives-of/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_the-vast-majority-of-the-people-who-popu_2185023.jpg) > [“We're not the madwomen in the attic – they get lots of play, one way or another. We're the quiet woman at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud-the-woman-upstairs/we-re-not-the-madwomen-in-the-attic-they-get-lots-of-play-one-way-or/) [Claire Messud - The Woman Upstairs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud-the-woman-upstairs/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea6/claire-messud-the-woman-upstai_behind-closed-doors_we-re-not-the-madwomen-in-the-attic-they_2219844.jpg) > [The intellect of most men is barren. They neither fertilize or are fertilized. It is the marriage of the soul with nature…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-intellect-of-most-men-is-barren-they-neither-fertilize-or-are/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/henry-david-thoreau-20_awakened_the-intellect-of-most-men-is-barren-they_2094446.jpg) > [One solitary God-centered, God-intoxicated man can do more to keep God's love alive and His presence felt in the world than a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcnamara/one-solitary-god-centered-god-intoxicated-man-can-do-more-to-keep-god/) [Robert McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcnamara/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/robert-mcnamara-12738_alive_one-solitary-god-centered-god-intoxicate_1756587.png) > [The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-what-is-called/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c87/henry-david-thoreau-20_amusement_the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desp_31115.jpg) > [Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. Or so the poet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stidham/most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-and-go-to-the-grave-with-the/) [Richard Stidham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-stidham/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/richard-stidham-46130_living-well_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_748337.jpg) > [“We’re the quiet woman at the end of the third-floor hallway, whose trash is always tidy, who smiles brightly in the stairwell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/we-re-the-quiet-woman-at-the-end-of-the-third-floor-hallway-whose/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/claire-messud-1372_behind-closed-doors_we-re-the-quiet-woman-at-the-end-of-the_631925.png) ## Top authors on Lives Of Quiet Desperation - [ ![](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/uploads/sms4s/authors/processed/b011/author-henry-david-thoreau-41473.jpg) Henry David Thoreau 5 quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-of-quiet-desperation/henry-david-thoreau/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-of-quiet-desperation/#itemlist", "name": "Lives Of Quiet Desperation Quotes", "numberOfItems": 15, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-and-go-to-the-grave-with-the-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f94/henry-david-thoreau-20_desperation_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_2336826.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f94/henry-david-thoreau-20_desperation_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_2336826.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f94/henry-david-thoreau-20_desperation_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_2336826.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.” — Henry David Thoreau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation. 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What is called resignation is confirmed desperation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-what-is-called-2/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/henry-david-thoreau-20_apathy_the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desp_1210147.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/henry-david-thoreau-20_apathy_the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desp_1210147.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d9/henry-david-thoreau-20_apathy_the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desp_1210147.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. 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Lives of quiet desperation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Eyre" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-eyre/i-am-interested-in-the-gap-between-what-people-say-and-what-they/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e42/richard-eyre-16561_desperation_i-am-interested-in-the-gap-between-what_1300424.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e42/richard-eyre-16561_desperation_i-am-interested-in-the-gap-between-what_1300424.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e42/richard-eyre-16561_desperation_i-am-interested-in-the-gap-between-what_1300424.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I am interested in the gap between what people say and what they think - the undiscovered world of people's…” — Richard Eyre", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 7, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I do believe that most men live lives of quiet desperation. For despair, optimism is the only practical solution. Hope is practical. Because eliminate that and it's pretty scary. Hope at least gives you the option of living.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Harry Nilsson" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-nilsson/i-do-believe-that-most-men-live-lives-of-quiet-desperation-for/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/harry-nilsson-36624_believe_i-do-believe-that-most-men-live-lives-of_2322667.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/harry-nilsson-36624_believe_i-do-believe-that-most-men-live-lives-of_2322667.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98a/harry-nilsson-36624_believe_i-do-believe-that-most-men-live-lives-of_2322667.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I do believe that most men live lives of quiet desperation. For despair, optimism is the only practical…” — Harry Nilsson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 8, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Somehow it is the male's duty to put the best years of his life into work he doesn't like in order that he may \"retire\" and enjoy himself as soon as he is too old to do so. This is more than just the system - it is the credo. It is the same thing that prompted Thoreau to say, in 1839: 'The majority of men lead lives of quiet desperation.'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sterling Hayden" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/somehow-it-is-the-male-s-duty-to-put-the-best-years-of-his-life-into/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/sterling-hayden-11137_best-year_somehow-it-is-the-male-s-duty-to-put-the_2870599.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/sterling-hayden-11137_best-year_somehow-it-is-the-male-s-duty-to-put-the_2870599.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/af3/sterling-hayden-11137_best-year_somehow-it-is-the-male-s-duty-to-put-the_2870599.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Somehow it is the male's duty to put the best years of his life into work he doesn't like in order that he…” — Sterling Hayden", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 9, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The vast majority of the people who populate our planet live lives of quiet desperation that are all too often quite harsh and painful, lives in which events and circumstances usually don't turn out the way they had hoped or planned.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Frederick Lenz" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-vast-majority-of-the-people-who-populate-our-planet-live-lives-of/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_the-vast-majority-of-the-people-who-popu_2185023.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_the-vast-majority-of-the-people-who-popu_2185023.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bcf/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_the-vast-majority-of-the-people-who-popu_2185023.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The vast majority of the people who populate our planet live lives of quiet desperation that are all too…” — Frederick Lenz", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 10, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We're not the madwomen in the attic – they get lots of play, one way or another. We're the quiet woman at the end of the third-floor hallway, whose trash is always tidy, who smiles brightly in the stairwell with a cheerful greeting, and who, from behind closed doors, never makes a sound. In our lives of quiet desperation … not a soul registers that we are furious.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire Messud - The Woman Upstairs" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud-the-woman-upstairs/we-re-not-the-madwomen-in-the-attic-they-get-lots-of-play-one-way-or/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea6/claire-messud-the-woman-upstai_behind-closed-doors_we-re-not-the-madwomen-in-the-attic-they_2219844.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea6/claire-messud-the-woman-upstai_behind-closed-doors_we-re-not-the-madwomen-in-the-attic-they_2219844.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea6/claire-messud-the-woman-upstai_behind-closed-doors_we-re-not-the-madwomen-in-the-attic-they_2219844.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We're not the madwomen in the attic – they get lots of play, one way or another. We're the quiet woman at…” — Claire Messud - The Woman Upstairs", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 11, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The intellect of most men is barren. They neither fertilize or are fertilized. It is the marriage of the soul with nature that makes the intellect fruitful, that gives birth to imagination...without nature-awakened imagination most persons do not really live in the world, they merely pass through it as they live dull lives of quiet desperation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-intellect-of-most-men-is-barren-they-neither-fertilize-or-are/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/henry-david-thoreau-20_awakened_the-intellect-of-most-men-is-barren-they_2094446.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/henry-david-thoreau-20_awakened_the-intellect-of-most-men-is-barren-they_2094446.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/046/henry-david-thoreau-20_awakened_the-intellect-of-most-men-is-barren-they_2094446.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The intellect of most men is barren. They neither fertilize or are fertilized. It is the marriage of the…” — Henry David Thoreau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 12, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One solitary God-centered, God-intoxicated man can do more to keep God's love alive and His presence felt in the world than a thousand half-hearted, talkative busy men living frightened, fragmented lives of quiet desperation.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert McNamara" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcnamara/one-solitary-god-centered-god-intoxicated-man-can-do-more-to-keep-god/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/robert-mcnamara-12738_alive_one-solitary-god-centered-god-intoxicate_1756587.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/robert-mcnamara-12738_alive_one-solitary-god-centered-god-intoxicate_1756587.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/robert-mcnamara-12738_alive_one-solitary-god-centered-god-intoxicate_1756587.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One solitary God-centered, God-intoxicated man can do more to keep God's love alive and His presence felt in…” — Robert McNamara", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 13, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats. A stereotyped but unconscious despair is concealed even under what are called the games and amusements of mankind. There is no play in them, for this comes after work. But it is a characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry David Thoreau" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-what-is-called/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c87/henry-david-thoreau-20_amusement_the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desp_31115.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c87/henry-david-thoreau-20_amusement_the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desp_31115.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c87/henry-david-thoreau-20_amusement_the-mass-of-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desp_31115.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From…” — Henry David Thoreau", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 14, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. Or so the poet says. But not I. I have stood upon the stage of my life, naked and unafraid. I have sung my song as loudly as I could. I have played until my fingers bled. It matters not whether men cheered, and women wept (though some did). I was neither praised as a genius, nor decried as an imposture. All that matters is that I stood upon that stage, and poured out my passion upon the crowd. When I am laid in the earth, my soul returning to God in Heaven, I will lay spent and at peace. My part in the great song complete.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Stidham" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-stidham/most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation-and-go-to-the-grave-with-the/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/richard-stidham-46130_living-well_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_748337.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/richard-stidham-46130_living-well_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_748337.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb2/richard-stidham-46130_living-well_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_748337.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them. Or so the poet…” — Richard Stidham", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 15, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“We’re the quiet woman at the end of the third-floor hallway, whose trash is always tidy, who smiles brightly in the stairwell with a cheerful greeting, and who, from behind closed doors, never makes a sound. In our lives of quiet desperation, the woman upstairs is who we are, with or without a goddamn tabby or a pesky lolloping Labrador, and not a soul registers that we are furious. We’re completely invisible. I thought it wasn’t true, or not true of me, but I’ve learned I am no different at all. The question now is how to work it, how to”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Claire Messud" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/we-re-the-quiet-woman-at-the-end-of-the-third-floor-hallway-whose/", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/claire-messud-1372_behind-closed-doors_we-re-the-quiet-woman-at-the-end-of-the_631925.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/claire-messud-1372_behind-closed-doors_we-re-the-quiet-woman-at-the-end-of-the_631925.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/claire-messud-1372_behind-closed-doors_we-re-the-quiet-woman-at-the-end-of-the_631925.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We’re the quiet woman at the end of the third-floor hallway, whose trash is always tidy, who smiles brightly…” — Claire Messud", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "CollectionPage", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-of-quiet-desperation/#webpage", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-of-quiet-desperation/", "name": "Lives Of Quiet Desperation Quotes", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "mainEntity": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lives-of-quiet-desperation/#itemlist" }, "primaryImageOfPage": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f94/henry-david-thoreau-20_desperation_most-men-lead-lives-of-quiet-desperation_2336826.jpg" }, "description": "Browse 15 Lives Of Quiet Desperation quotes by 11 authors. 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