--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Living was a dangerous past-time, and…" description: "\"“Living was a dangerous past-time, and often quite painful—but there was also such joy in living, such beauty, things that one would otherwise never se..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/anonymous-1_art-of-living_living-was-a-dangerous-past-time-and-oft_2400085.jpg" --- # Living was a dangerous past-time, and often quite… ![“Living was a dangerous past-time, and often quite painful—but there was also such joy in living, such beauty, things that one would otherwise never see, never experience, never know. The risk of pain and loss was a part of living. It made everything else mean more; beauty was more pure, more…” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/anonymous-1_art-of-living_living-was-a-dangerous-past-time-and-oft_2400085.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/anonymous-1_art-of-living_living-was-a-dangerous-past-time-and-oft_2400085.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/anonymous-1_art-of-living_living-was-a-dangerous-past-time-and-oft_2400085.jpg) > ““Living was a dangerous past-time, and often quite painful—but there was also such joy in living, such beauty, things that one would otherwise never see, never experience, never know. The risk of pain and loss was a part of living. It made everything else mean more; beauty was more pure, more bright, pleasure more full and complete, laughter deeper, more satisfying—and contentment more perfect, more peaceful.”” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life involves both pain and joy; embracing risk makes positive experiences richer and more meaningful. **In simple terms:** Pain and joy coexist; risk deepens appreciation. Key Takeaway Embrace risk to value life more. Themes risk joy pain beauty contentment Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - adventure travel - creative pursuits - relationships - personal growth Key Concepts existentialism hedonism Questions to Reflect On - What risks have enhanced your life? - When does risk become harmful? A Different Perspective Excessive risk can lead to unnecessary suffering; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art of living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-living/) [Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Joy Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy-living-254445/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-beauty-254446/) [Living Dangerous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-dangerous-605114/) [Loss Living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss-living-5105953/) [Pain and loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-and-loss/) [Painful Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/painful-joy-845005/) ## Related quotes > [Living was a dangerous past-time, and often quite painful—but there was also such joy in living, such beauty, things that one would otherwise never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/living-was-a-dangerous-past-time-and-often-quite-painful-but-there/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [The joy of living, its beauty, is all bound up in the fact that life can surprise you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/the-joy-of-living-its-beauty-is-all-bound-up-in-the-fact-that-life/) [Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/) > [This is one moment, / But know that another / Shall pierce you with a sudden painful joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-one-moment-but-know-that-another-shall-pierce-you-with-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Taking joy in living is a woman's best cosmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/taking-joy-in-living-is-a-woman-s-best-cosmetic/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Living Beauty is about creating a new ideal, a new reality, and a new aspiration for yourself. It's a guide filled with knowledge, secrets,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobbi-brown/living-beauty-is-about-creating-a-new-ideal-a-new-reality-and-a-new/) [Bobbi Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobbi-brown/) > [“Organized religion kills the living beauty of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/organized-religion-kills-the-living-beauty-of-god/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [While traveling around the world, I've had the opportunity to work with every living beauty icon. I've learned to appreciate idiosyncrasy. The fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevyn-aucoin/while-traveling-around-the-world-i-ve-had-the-opportunity-to-work/) [Kevyn Aucoin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevyn-aucoin/) > [Death is to be feared because of the pain and loss it inflicts through love, and for no other reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-to-be-feared-because-of-the-pain-and-loss-it-inflicts/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Janeway had thought her heart full, but now it overflowed. For the rest of her life, she knew, she would remember this: walking down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christie-golden/janeway-had-thought-her-heart-full-but-now-it-overflowed-for-the-rest/) [Christie Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christie-golden/) > [“It felt like everything was rising up in me, like i was drowning in this weirdly painful joy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in-me-like-i-was-drowning-in/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [It felt like everything was rising up in me, like I was drowning in this weirdly painful joy, but I couldn't say it back.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/it-felt-like-everything-was-rising-up-in-me-like-i-was-drowning-in-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I read: This is one moment, / But know that another / Shall pierce you with a sudden painful joy. I started to cry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-read-this-is-one-moment-but-know-that-another-shall-pierce-you-with/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [I guess we're all supposed to get used to living in a more dangerous world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/i-guess-we-re-all-supposed-to-get-used-to-living-in-a-more-dangerous/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) > [I've always felt that my subject was living in dangerous times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-ve-always-felt-that-my-subject-was-living-in-dangerous-times/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [I think my work is influenced by the fact that we're living in dangerous times. If I could put it in a sentence, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-think-my-work-is-influenced-by-the-fact-that-we-re-living-in/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Art of living quotes > [ “I realized Jack \[Kerouac\] was deeply committed to writing. Kesey was just as deeply committed to living and experiencing the lives of others; for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-lord/i-realized-jack-kerouac-was-deeply-committed-to-writing-kesey-was/) [Sterling Lord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-lord/) > [because everybody lies. It's part of living in society .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/because-everybody-lies-it-s-part-of-living-in-society/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not learned the simple art of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr-2/we-have-learned-to-fly-the-air-like-birds-and-swim-the-sea-like-fish/) [Martin Luther King Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr-2/) > [“Losing someone is the worst feeling. Loss carves out a deep, hollow pocket. There's no magical way to fill it, no medicine or Band-Aid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/losing-someone-is-the-worst-feeling-loss-carves-out-a-deep-hollow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The best part of the art of living is to know how to grow old gracefully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-best-part-of-the-art-of-living-is-to-know-how-to-grow-old/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Drinking is in reality an occupation which employs a considerable portion of the time of many people; and to conduct it in the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/drinking-is-in-reality-an-occupation-which-employs-a-considerable/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [“Trials and troubles are an everyday part of living here in a fallen world. Pastor and author Max Lucado says, “Lower your expectations of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/inc-barbour-publishing/trials-and-troubles-are-an-everyday-part-of-living-here-in-a-fallen/) [Inc. Barbour Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/inc-barbour-publishing/) > [“He knew it would take as many years as he could think of now to forget the tracks, no matter how deeply buried. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/he-knew-it-would-take-as-many-years-as-he-could-think-of-now-to/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Maturity implies otherness... The art of living is the art of living with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-gordon/maturity-implies-otherness-the-art-of-living-is-the-art-of-living-with/) [Julius Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-gordon/) > [The Art of Living course is designed to detox the body, and in this process the body is left calmer, and people are left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhea-pillai/the-art-of-living-course-is-designed-to-detox-the-body-and-in-this/) [Rhea Pillai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhea-pillai/) > [If workers are overworked, or companies hire temps at low wages, this fundamentally comes down to the quality of life for a person. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/if-workers-are-overworked-or-companies-hire-temps-at-low-wages-this/) [Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/) > [There's no such thing as civilization. The word just means the art of living in cities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/there-s-no-such-thing-as-civilization-the-word-just-means-the-art-of/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [“She planted that terror of debt so deeply in her children that even now, in a changed economic pattern where indebtedness is a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/she-planted-that-terror-of-debt-so-deeply-in-her-children-that-even/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“She never indulged in reveries or tried to be clever in her conversation; she seemed to have drawn a line in her mind beyond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivan-goncharov/she-never-indulged-in-reveries-or-tried-to-be-clever-in-her/) [Ivan Goncharov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivan-goncharov/) > [“His OFELLUS in the Art of Living in London, I have heard him relate, was an Irish painter, whom he knew at Birmingham, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/his-ofellus-in-the-art-of-living-in-london-i-have-heard-him-relate/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) [Browse all 292 Art of living quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art-of-living/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Living was a dangerous past-time, and often quite painful—but there was also such joy in living, such beauty, things that one would otherwise never see, never experience, never know. 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