--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are very cruelly trapped between what…" description: "\"We are very cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are. And we cannot possibly become what we would like to be until we ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/anonymous-1_continents_we-are-very-cruelly-trapped-between-what_1677298.jpg" --- # We are very cruelly trapped between what we would like to… ![“We are very cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are. And we cannot possibly become what we would like to be until we are willing to ask ourselves just why the lives we lead on this continent are mainly so empty, so tame, and so ugly.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/anonymous-1_continents_we-are-very-cruelly-trapped-between-what_1677298.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/anonymous-1_continents_we-are-very-cruelly-trapped-between-what_1677298.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/16e/anonymous-1_continents_we-are-very-cruelly-trapped-between-what_1677298.jpg) > “We are very cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are. And we cannot possibly become what we would like to be until we are willing to ask ourselves just why the lives we lead on this continent are mainly so empty, so tame, and so ugly.” [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. The quote highlights the conflict between ideal self‑image and real self, urging introspection about why our lives feel empty and unfulfilling. **In simple terms:** We feel stuck between who we want to be and who we are, and must question why our lives seem empty. Key Takeaway Reflect on personal authenticity and purpose. Themes identity existential self‑reflection fulpathy purpose Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical critical reflective When to use this quote - career dissatisfaction - relationship stagnation - cultural alienation - personal growth - community engagement Key Concepts psychology philosophy social critique Questions to Reflect On - What prevents you from aligning your actions with your aspirations? - How does societal context shape your sense of emptiness? A Different Perspective It may oversimplify complex societal factors influencing personal fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Continent Mainly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continent-mainly-922385/) [Continents](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continents/) [Cruelly Trapped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cruelly-trapped-922383/) [Empty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/empty/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Tame Ugly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tame-ugly-922384/) [Trapped](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trapped/) [Trapped Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trapped-like-737989/) [Ugly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ugly/) [Willing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/willing/) ## Related quotes > [I grew up in a family where my parents worked full-time and still found themselves and their six children trapped like so many of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacey-abrams/i-grew-up-in-a-family-where-my-parents-worked-full-time-and-still/) [Stacey Abrams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacey-abrams/) > [“The three now faced the moving wall. Trapped, like the last fries in a box with a hungry kid ready to pounce. They had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-w-lothian/the-three-now-faced-the-moving-wall-trapped-like-the-last-fries-in-a/) [S.W. Lothian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/s-w-lothian/) > [Even under the best of circumstances men are hard creatures to trap. Women who flatter themselves into thinking they've trapped one are like people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-shearer/even-under-the-best-of-circumstances-men-are-hard-creatures-to-trap/) [Harry Shearer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-shearer/) > [No country in Europe has a larger proportion of men and women of immigrant descent, mainly from the African continent and mainly Muslim: an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-garton-ash/no-country-in-europe-has-a-larger-proportion-of-men-and-women-of/) [Timothy Garton Ash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-garton-ash/) > [I hate feeling trapped or like I can't take control which is why I refused to put myself in situations that do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-feeling-trapped-or-like-i-can-t-take-control-which-is-why-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Trapped like a trap in a trap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dorothy-parker/trapped-like-a-trap-in-a-trap/) [Dorothy Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dorothy-parker/) > [I'd never want to be trapped. I never like to stay in one place too long. I always flit around, I never settle anywhere.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maisie-williams/i-d-never-want-to-be-trapped-i-never-like-to-stay-in-one-place-too/) [Maisie Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maisie-williams/) > [I do not like sitting idly by when something clearly isn't right. I feel... not trapped but something like it, and I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erin-morgenstern/i-do-not-like-sitting-idly-by-when-something-clearly-isn-t-right-i/) [Erin Morgenstern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erin-morgenstern/) > [“Maybe I made her feel trapped, like she'd outgrown me. But from my side, it was like I knew her too well, I saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-messud/maybe-i-made-her-feel-trapped-like-she-d-outgrown-me-but-from-my-side/) [Claire Messud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-messud/) > [The United States and Mexico are trapped - economically, culturally, politically and because of drug crime - in the same continent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-mccaffrey/the-united-states-and-mexico-are-trapped-economically-culturally/) [Barry McCaffrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-mccaffrey/) > [Your life is an island separated from all other islands and continents. Regardless of how many boats you send to other shores or how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-life-is-an-island-separated-from-all-other-islands-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even in our day, science suspects beyond the Polar seas, at the very circle of the Arctic Pole, the existence of a sea which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/even-in-our-day-science-suspects-beyond-the-polar-seas-at-the-very/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [1 Universe, 8 planets, 7 continents, 809 islands, 204 countries, and I had the privilege of meeting you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/1-universe-8-planets-7-continents-809-islands-204-countries-and-i-had/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“According to the conclusion of Dr. Hutton, and of many other geologists, our continents are of definite antiquity, they have been peopled we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/according-to-the-conclusion-of-dr-hutton-and-of-many-other-geologists/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Revisiting the Revolutionary War is a bracing reminder that the fate of a continent, and the shape of the modern world, turned on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/revisiting-the-revolutionary-war-is-a-bracing-reminder-that-the-fate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Continents quotes > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [On Father's Day, we pay tribute to all in our society who have taken on the responsibilitie s and joys of fatherhood. Whether our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/on-father-s-day-we-pay-tribute-to-all-in-our-society-who-have-taken/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Entire new continent can emerge from the ocean in the time it takes for a Web page to show up on your screen. Contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-barry/entire-new-continent-can-emerge-from-the-ocean-in-the-time-it-takes/) [Dave Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-barry/) > [From time to time the continent shifts, and everything that isn't fastened down slides into Southern California.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/from-time-to-time-the-continent-shifts-and-everything-that-isn-t/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [Africa is not a country, but it is a continent like none other. It has that which is elegantly vast or awfully little.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilder/africa-is-not-a-country-but-it-is-a-continent-like-none-other-it-has/) [Douglas Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilder/) > [Revisiting the Revolutionary War is a bracing reminder that the fate of a continent, and the shape of the modern world, turned on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/revisiting-the-revolutionary-war-is-a-bracing-reminder-that-the-fate/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [At independence Kenya's economic indicators were equal to those of South Korea, but 45 years down the road, Korea's economy is 40 times that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raila-odinga/at-independence-kenya-s-economic-indicators-were-equal-to-those-of/) [Raila Odinga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raila-odinga/) > [From the world wars of Europe to the jungles of the Far East, from the deserts of the Middle East to the African continent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hoeven/from-the-world-wars-of-europe-to-the-jungles-of-the-far-east-from-the/) [John Hoeven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hoeven/) > [The seasons, like greater tides, ebb and flow across the continents. Spring advances up the United States at the average rate of about fifteen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/the-seasons-like-greater-tides-ebb-and-flow-across-the-continents/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [Almost every continent in the world, including our own, has refugees. But how often when we hear the word do we pause to remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-simon/almost-every-continent-in-the-world-including-our-own-has-refugees/) [Scott Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-simon/) > [Today, any action anywhere on earth has an immediate repercussion on all five continents. News of a victory of the Eastern armies in Morocco…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikos-kazantzakis/today-any-action-anywhere-on-earth-has-an-immediate-repercussion-on/) [Nikos Kazantzakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikos-kazantzakis/) > [The workman cut to the left, still laying on his horn, and roared around the drunkenly weaving limousine. He invited the driver of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-workman-cut-to-the-left-still-laying-on-his-horn-and-roared/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [As Africans, we need to share common recognition that all of us stand to lose if we fail to transform our continent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/as-africans-we-need-to-share-common-recognition-that-all-of-us-stand/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) > [I am honoured to be asked to take on this role, especially as it comes at such an integral time for our relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-boateng/i-am-honoured-to-be-asked-to-take-on-this-role-especially-as-it-comes/) [Paul Boateng](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-boateng/) > [Germany will regard the Jewish question as solved only after the very last Jew has left the greater German living space... Europe will have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-rosenberg/germany-will-regard-the-jewish-question-as-solved-only-after-the-very/) [Alfred Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-rosenberg/) [Browse all 745 Continents quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continents/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are very cruelly trapped between what we would like to be and what we actually are. 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