--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is the game that must be played…" description: "\"Life is the game that must be played, this truth at least, good friends, we know; so live and laugh, nor be dismayed as one by one the phantoms go.\" — ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/arthur-rubinstein-17373_dismayed_life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-thi_2559117.jpg" --- # Life is the game that must be played, this truth at least… ![“Life is the game that must be played, this truth at least, good friends, we know; so live and laugh, nor be dismayed as one by one the phantoms go.” quote by Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/arthur-rubinstein-17373_dismayed_life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-thi_2559117.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/arthur-rubinstein-17373_dismayed_life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-thi_2559117.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/arthur-rubinstein-17373_dismayed_life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-thi_2559117.jpg) > “Life is the game that must be played, this truth at least, good friends, we know; so live and laugh, nor be dismayed as one by one the phantoms go.” [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is a game where we must play despite hardships, finding joy with friends and not fearing inevitable losses. **In simple terms:** Life is a game; enjoy with friends despite loss. Key Takeaway Cherish friendships and keep laughing. Themes friendship resilience joy Mood hopeful reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - social gatherings - personal setbacks - daily routines Key Concepts existentialism human experience Questions to Reflect On - How do you keep joy during tough times? - What role do friends play in your resilience? A Different Perspective Life's challenges may feel overwhelming; support helps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dismayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dismayed/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Good friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-friend/) [Good friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-friends/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Phantoms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phantoms/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [Life is a game played on us while we are playing other games.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-esar/life-is-a-game-played-on-us-while-we-are-playing-other-games/) [Evan Esar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-esar/) > [A life not lived for others is not a life, a game not played for others is not a game.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/a-life-not-lived-for-others-is-not-a-life-a-game-not-played-for/) [John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/) > [Life is a game - sometimes serious, sometimes fun - but a game that must be played with true team spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelagh-delaney/life-is-a-game-sometimes-serious-sometimes-fun-but-a-game-that-must/) [Shelagh Delaney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelagh-delaney/) > [“Much of life is a game. If played skillfully, with an intelligent and fascinating opponent, it can become almost a dance. One challenges and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-hoyt/much-of-life-is-a-game-if-played-skillfully-with-an-intelligent-and/) [Elizabeth Hoyt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-hoyt/) > [Life is game that can only be played, never won…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/life-is-game-that-can-only-be-played-never-won/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“Life is a game that is only played once, and I lost. There is no second chance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabahattin-ali/life-is-a-game-that-is-only-played-once-and-i-lost-there-is-no-second/) [Sabahattin Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabahattin-ali/) > [Life is the game that must be played.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-arlington-robinson/life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played/) [Edwin Arlington Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-arlington-robinson/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I think my favorite fact about myself is that I have never been dismayed by a critic's bilge or bile, and have never once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/i-think-my-favorite-fact-about-myself-is-that-i-have-never-been/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Many Liberals are rightly dismayed that on this vital issue of climate change we are not simply without a policy, without any prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/many-liberals-are-rightly-dismayed-that-on-this-vital-issue-of/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [Abandon the urge to simplify everything, to look for formulas and easy answers, and to begin to think multidimensionally, to glory in the mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/abandon-the-urge-to-simplify-everything-to-look-for-formulas-and-easy/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Some travelers think they want to go to foreign places but are dismayed when the places turn out actually to be foreign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/some-travelers-think-they-want-to-go-to-foreign-places-but-are/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [The academic mind can eat away the very basis of its own assurance ... produce contortions when it tries to bend over backward ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-butterfield/the-academic-mind-can-eat-away-the-very-basis-of-its-own-assurance/) [Herbert Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-butterfield/) > [You switched the days," I said, dismayed. "You blew the tire. You..." I trailed off, probably because the next words out of my mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/you-switched-the-days-i-said-dismayed-you-blew-the-tire-you-i-trailed/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) ## More by Arthur Rubinstein > [“At breakfast, I might pass a Brahms symphony in my head. Then I am called to the phone, and half an hour later I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/at-breakfast-i-might-pass-a-brahms-symphony-in-my-head-then-i-am/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [I feel that special secret current between the public and me. I can hold them with one little note in the air, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/i-feel-that-special-secret-current-between-the-public-and-me-i-can/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Don't tell me how talented you are. Tell me how hard you work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/don-t-tell-me-how-talented-you-are-tell-me-how-hard-you-work/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Even when I'm sick and depressed, I love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/even-when-i-m-sick-and-depressed-i-love-life/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [When I play, I make love – it is the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/when-i-play-i-make-love-it-is-the-same-thing/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [ ...no formula for success \[exists\] except, perhaps, an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings." "I accept life unconditionally. Most people ask for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/no-formula-for-success-exists-except-perhaps-an-unconditional/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [My father, good or bad, mistakes or no, had a direct line from his heart to the music to the people, to the audience.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/my-father-good-or-bad-mistakes-or-no-had-a-direct-line-from-his-heart/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Most people ask for happiness on condition. Happiness can only be felt if you don't set any condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/most-people-ask-for-happiness-on-condition-happiness-can-only-be-felt/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [“There is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of the act and what it brings.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/there-is-no-formula-for-success-except-perhaps-an-unconditional/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Sometimes when I sit own to practice and there is no one else in the room, I have to stifle an impulse to ring…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/sometimes-when-i-sit-own-to-practice-and-there-is-no-one-else-in-the/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [I'm passionately involved in life: I love its change, its color, its movement. To be alive, to be able to see, to walk, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/i-m-passionately-involved-in-life-i-love-its-change-its-color-its/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Yes, I am very lucky, but I have a little theory about this. I have noticed through experience and observation that providence, nature, God,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/yes-i-am-very-lucky-but-i-have-a-little-theory-about-this-i-have/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [Of course there is no formula for success, except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life, and what it brings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/of-course-there-is-no-formula-for-success-except-perhaps-an/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [“Love life ND IT WILL LOVE YOU BACK. LOVE PEOPLE AND THEY WILL LOVE YOU BACK.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/love-life-nd-it-will-love-you-back-love-people-and-they-will-love-you/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [The result was magnificent . . . I became the father of two girls and two boys, lovely children by good fortune they all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/the-result-was-magnificent-i-became-the-father-of-two-girls-and-two/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) [Explore all 37 Arthur Rubinstein quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) ## More Dismayed quotes > [If you ask me to tell you anything about the nature of what lies beyond the phaneron… my answer is “How should I know?”……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-gardner/if-you-ask-me-to-tell-you-anything-about-the-nature-of-what-lies/) [Martin Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-gardner/) > [You switched the days," I said, dismayed. "You blew the tire. You..." I trailed off, probably because the next words out of my mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-carter/you-switched-the-days-i-said-dismayed-you-blew-the-tire-you-i-trailed/) [Ally Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-carter/) > [The academic mind can eat away the very basis of its own assurance ... produce contortions when it tries to bend over backward ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-butterfield/the-academic-mind-can-eat-away-the-very-basis-of-its-own-assurance/) [Herbert Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-butterfield/) > [Some travelers think they want to go to foreign places but are dismayed when the places turn out actually to be foreign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/some-travelers-think-they-want-to-go-to-foreign-places-but-are/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Abandon the urge to simplify everything, to look for formulas and easy answers, and to begin to think multidimensionally, to glory in the mystery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-scott-peck/abandon-the-urge-to-simplify-everything-to-look-for-formulas-and-easy/) [M. Scott Peck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-scott-peck/) > [Many Liberals are rightly dismayed that on this vital issue of climate change we are not simply without a policy, without any prospect of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-turnbull/many-liberals-are-rightly-dismayed-that-on-this-vital-issue-of/) [Malcolm Turnbull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-turnbull/) > [I think my favorite fact about myself is that I have never been dismayed by a critic's bilge or bile, and have never once…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/i-think-my-favorite-fact-about-myself-is-that-i-have-never-been/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Be strong and of good courage; fear not or be dismayed; for the Lord, even my God, will be with thee. He will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david/be-strong-and-of-good-courage-fear-not-or-be-dismayed-for-the-lord/) [David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david/) > [Leibniz accepted the argument that there must be indestructible simple entities if there is to be a complex world, but Epicurean morals and politics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-wilson/leibniz-accepted-the-argument-that-there-must-be-indestructible/) [Catherine Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-wilson/) > [Sailed this day nineteen leagues, and determined to count less than the true number, that the crew might not be dismayed if the voyage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-columbus/sailed-this-day-nineteen-leagues-and-determined-to-count-less-than/) [Christopher Columbus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-columbus/) > [As someone who cares about human rights, I am deeply dismayed to learn that Mr. McCain's charity has accepted money from Saudi Arabia. Their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-stone/as-someone-who-cares-about-human-rights-i-am-deeply-dismayed-to-learn/) [Roger Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-stone/) > [Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/be-strong-and-of-good-courage-be-not-afraid-neither-be-thou-dismayed/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [Let the storm rage and the sky darken — not for that shall we be dismayed. If we trust as we should in Mary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-x/let-the-storm-rage-and-the-sky-darken-not-for-that-shall-we-be/) [Pope Pius X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-x/) > [This kind of thinking, he found, is not the way to make one's self popular with other birds. Even his parents were dismayed as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/this-kind-of-thinking-he-found-is-not-the-way-to-make-one-s-self/) [Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/) [Browse all 76 Dismayed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dismayed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life is the game that must be played, this truth at least, good friends, we know; so live and laugh, nor be dismayed as one by one the phantoms go.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Rubinstein" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-this-truth-at-least-good-friends/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dismayed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-this-truth-at-least-good-friends/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/arthur-rubinstein-17373_dismayed_life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-thi_2559117.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/arthur-rubinstein-17373_dismayed_life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-thi_2559117.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b2/arthur-rubinstein-17373_dismayed_life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-thi_2559117.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life is the game that must be played, this truth at least, good friends, we know; so live and laugh, nor be…” — Arthur Rubinstein", "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": "Arthur Rubinstein", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life is the game that must...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-this-truth-at-least-good-friends/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/life-is-the-game-that-must-be-played-this-truth-at-least-good-friends/#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 } } ] } ```