--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...the whole universe is through and…" description: "\"...the whole universe is through and through the playing of love in every shade of the word's use, from animal lust to divine charity.\" — Alan Watts" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/alan-watts-587_animal_the-whole-universe-is-through-and-throug_1749262.jpg" --- # ...the whole universe is through and through the playing… ![“...the whole universe is through and through the playing of love in every shade of the word's use, from animal lust to divine charity.” quote by Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/alan-watts-587_animal_the-whole-universe-is-through-and-throug_1749262.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/alan-watts-587_animal_the-whole-universe-is-through-and-throug_1749262.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/alan-watts-587_animal_the-whole-universe-is-through-and-throug_1749262.jpg) > “...the whole universe is through and through the playing of love in every shade of the word's use, from animal lust to divine charity.” [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Love permeates all aspects of existence, from base desires to highest compassion. **In simple terms:** Love is everywhere, from lust to charity. Key Takeaway Recognize love in all actions. Themes love spirituality human nature Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical spiritual When to use this quote - relationships - artistic expression - ethical decisions Key Concepts universal love moral spectrum Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate love from attachment? - Can love guide moral choices? A Different Perspective Love can be misinterpreted as justification for harmful behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) [Charity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/charity/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/divine/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Lust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lust/) [Shade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shade/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [The world is filled with love-play, from animal lust to sublime compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-world-is-filled-with-love-play-from-animal-lust-to-sublime/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [Bedding her could be anything from tenderness to riot, but to take her when she was a bit the worse for drink was always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/bedding-her-could-be-anything-from-tenderness-to-riot-but-to-take-her/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [The smell of animal lust is all over me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prince/the-smell-of-animal-lust-is-all-over-me/) [Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prince/) > [You are the vibrational writers of the script of your life, and everyone else in the Universe is playing the part that you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/you-are-the-vibrational-writers-of-the-script-of-your-life-and/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“If the Universe is playing a beautiful song, each one of our lives is a note in that song.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-louise-birmingham/if-the-universe-is-playing-a-beautiful-song-each-one-of-our-lives-is/) [Catherine Louise Birmingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-louise-birmingham/) > [All knowledge and understanding of the Universe was no more than playing with stones and shells on the seashore of the vast imponderable ocean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-newton/all-knowledge-and-understanding-of-the-universe-was-no-more-than/) [Isaac Newton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-newton/) > [“your life-and everyone else in the Universe is playing the part that you have assigned to them. You can literally script any life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/your-life-and-everyone-else-in-the-universe-is-playing-the-part-that/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [I love life and if there's something that I'm playing that I love, I'll research it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-momoa/i-love-life-and-if-there-s-something-that-i-m-playing-that-i-love-i/) [Jason Momoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-momoa/) > [Kept playing love like it was just a game, pretending to feel the same then turn around and leave again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maroon-5/kept-playing-love-like-it-was-just-a-game-pretending-to-feel-the-same/) [Maroon 5](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maroon-5/) > [Now, playing a love interest can be really thrilling, if you're working opposite thrilling people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-scott-thomas/now-playing-a-love-interest-can-be-really-thrilling-if-you-re-working/) [Kristin Scott Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-scott-thomas/) > [We're supposed to be making up this stuff, playing at being in love, not actually being in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/we-re-supposed-to-be-making-up-this-stuff-playing-at-being-in-love/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [I could have gone on to be an engineer full time, except that there was more demand for my playing. But the love of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-cropper/i-could-have-gone-on-to-be-an-engineer-full-time-except-that-there/) [Steve Cropper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-cropper/) > [We're not trying to impress anybody. We're not trying to change anybody's mind. We're just out there playing, and it's something we love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-caffey/we-re-not-trying-to-impress-anybody-we-re-not-trying-to-change/) [Charlotte Caffey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-caffey/) > [The chemistry and the comfort and trust between two people playing a love story l is key, and to have a friend that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-gordon-levitt/the-chemistry-and-the-comfort-and-trust-between-two-people-playing-a/) [Joseph Gordon-Levitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-gordon-levitt/) > [I just keep on playing what I love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivamani/i-just-keep-on-playing-what-i-love/) [Sivamani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivamani/) ## More by Alan Watts > [“The self-conscious feedback mechanism of the cortex allows us the hallucination that we are two souls in one body -a rational soul and an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-self-conscious-feedback-mechanism-of-the-cortex-allows-us-the/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [The more we try to catch hold of the present moment the more elusive it becomes. 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The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [We must love animals in such a powerful way that we should reject to eat them!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/we-must-love-animals-in-such-a-powerful-way-that-we-should-reject-to/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“The universe contains any amount of horrible ways to be woken up, such as the noise of the mob breaking down the front door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-universe-contains-any-amount-of-horrible-ways-to-be-woken-up-such/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [This brings me back to the image of Kafka standing before a fish in the Berlin aquarium, a fish on which his gaze fell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-safran-foer/this-brings-me-back-to-the-image-of-kafka-standing-before-a-fish-in/) [Jonathan Safran Foer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-safran-foer/) > [That dog, I say that dog is lower than a snake full of buckshot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/foghorn-leghorn/that-dog-i-say-that-dog-is-lower-than-a-snake-full-of-buckshot/) [Foghorn Leghorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/foghorn-leghorn/) > [I bet plants go like 'Weeeeeeeee!' whenever they're swallowed by a giraffe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-bet-plants-go-like-weeeeeeeee-whenever-they-re-swallowed-by-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Animal rights without veganism is like human rights with slavery. 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Francione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-l-francione/) [Browse all 13,456 Animal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "...the whole universe is through and through the playing of love in every shade of the word's use, from animal lust to divine charity.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alan Watts" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-whole-universe-is-through-and-through-the-playing-of-love-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-whole-universe-is-through-and-through-the-playing-of-love-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/alan-watts-587_animal_the-whole-universe-is-through-and-throug_1749262.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/alan-watts-587_animal_the-whole-universe-is-through-and-throug_1749262.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/alan-watts-587_animal_the-whole-universe-is-through-and-throug_1749262.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...the whole universe is through and through the playing of love in every shade of the word's use, from…” — Alan Watts", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alan Watts", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "...the whole universe is through and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-whole-universe-is-through-and-through-the-playing-of-love-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/the-whole-universe-is-through-and-through-the-playing-of-love-in/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```