Day life Quote by Adam Gopnik

“Can't repeat the past? We do it every day. We build a life, or try to, of pleasures and duties that will become routine, so that every day will be the same day, or nearly so, "the day of our life," Randall Jarrell called it.” quote by Adam Gopnik — Download Open image

““Can't repeat the past? We do it every day. We build a life, or try to, of pleasures and duties that will become routine, so that every day will be the same day, or nearly so, "the day of our life," Randall Jarrell called it.””

Adam Gopnik

About This Quote

Source Essay: "The Day of Our Life", The New Yorker, 2015

Routine makes each day feel repetitive, turning life into a series of similar days.

In simple terms: Routine creates sameness.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and break monotonous routines.

Themes

routine monotony meaning

Mood

thoughtful melancholic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

daily work
personal habits
creative projects
mindfulness practice

Key Concepts

existentialism habit formation psychology

Questions to Reflect On

How can you inject novelty into daily life?
What routines serve you well?

A Different Perspective

Breaking routine can cause anxiety about change.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 4.1 out of 5 (9 ratings)

Build Life Day life Every day Life Randall Jarrell Repeat Routine Day Time

More by Adam Gopnik

Often the block [in writing] comes from the wall of words that keep out the simplicity of sense.

Adam Gopnik

Image

Drawing is one of those things which sit on the uneasy bending line between instinct and instruction, where seeming perversity eventually trumps pleasure as…

Adam Gopnik

Image

Of all the unexpected things in contemporary literature, this is among the oddest: that kids have an inordinate appetite for very long, very tricky,…

Adam Gopnik

Image

“...we see life as deeply in our pleasures as in our pains.”

Adam Gopnik

Image

Leafing through Forbes or Fortune [magazine]s is like reading the operating manual of a strangely sanctimonious pirate ship

Adam Gopnik

Image

Writing well isn't just a question of winsome expression, but of having found something big and true to say and having found the right…

Adam Gopnik

Image

“There is, I believe now, a force in stories, words in motion, that either drives them forward past things into feelings or doesn't. Sometimes…

Adam Gopnik

Image

Cooking is the showy side of domesticity.

Adam Gopnik

Image

Writing doesn't come easily to anyone, I think, certainly not to me. But pressure and practice does lend a certain fluency, I think -…

Adam Gopnik

Image

Art without accomplishment becomes a form of faith, sustained more by the intensity of its common practice than by the pleasure it gives to…

Adam Gopnik

Image

“[A]s military history reveals, a bad plan is often better than no plan, especially if the people on the other side think it’s a…

Adam Gopnik

Image

I don't think there's any question journalists have become targets, but then I think that - that anyone who tries to practice liberty becomes…

Adam Gopnik

Image

Explore all 97 Adam Gopnik quotes

More Day life quotes

“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…

Thomas Merton

Image

When you're being truly creative, time stands still, and you enter a dimension that can carry you beyond the ordinariness of everyday life.

Denise Linn

Image

“Let’s say you have an ax. Just a cheap one, from Home Depot. On one bitter winter day, you use said ax to behead…

David Wong

Image

As for the forces, electromagnetism and gravity we experience in everyday life. But the weak and strong forces are beyond our ordinary experience. So…

Edward Witten

Image

On my podcast, I got to interview Will Ferrell, Sam Hunt, Colin Cowherd - all these different names - and it was just really…

Sam Darnold

Image

In daily or everyday life, I am so impressed with tiny details, like when I look up at a street lamp falling on the…

Makoto Shinkai

Image

My first bill to become law repeals regulations to make everyday life easier and more affordable for Americans.

Jon Husted

Image

“There is a powerful difference between picturing an image that does not relate to you, and recalling something specific that you are connected with.…

Adam Houge