--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Reality is not easy, but all this…" description: "\"Reality is not easy, but all this make-believe doesn't make it easier.\" — Ayaan Hirsi Ali" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_believe_reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-be_2066330.jpg" --- # Reality is not easy, but all this make-believe doesn't… ![“Reality is not easy, but all this make-believe doesn't make it easier.” quote by Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_believe_reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-be_2066330.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_believe_reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-be_2066330.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_believe_reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-be_2066330.jpg) > “Reality is not easy, but all this make-believe doesn't make it easier.” [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) ## 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 hard and illusion doesn’t simplify it; facing reality is necessary. **In simple terms:** Reality is hard; denial doesn’t help. Key Takeaway Embrace truth, not illusion. Themes truth reality illusion resilience Mood reflective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal growth - political activism - mental health - education Key Concepts existentialism psychology social critique Questions to Reflect On - How does illusion protect us? - When is facing harsh reality beneficial? A Different Perspective Denial can be a coping mechanism for trauma. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Make believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-believe/) [Reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reality/) ## Related quotes > [it occurred to me what a simple thing reality is, how easy it is to make it work. It's just reality. Just housework. Just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/it-occurred-to-me-what-a-simple-thing-reality-is-how-easy-it-is-to/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Reality is easy. It's deception that's the hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauryn-hill/reality-is-easy-it-s-deception-that-s-the-hard-work/) [Lauryn Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauryn-hill/) > [“Reality is an easy commodity in the Front Range. There's weather, and there are animals that are thinking about eating you, and there's all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-dederer/reality-is-an-easy-commodity-in-the-front-range-there-s-weather-and/) [Claire Dederer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-dederer/) > [“After I gave up sleeping, it occurred to me what a simple thing reality is, how easy it is to make it work. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/after-i-gave-up-sleeping-it-occurred-to-me-what-a-simple-thing/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [But remember. Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it isn't real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-howe/but-remember-just-because-you-don-t-believe-in-something-doesn-t-mean/) [Katherine Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-howe/) > [“Reality is that which, when you don't believe in it, doesn't go away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-viereck/reality-is-that-which-when-you-don-t-believe-in-it-doesn-t-go-away/) Peter Viereck > [Just because you believe it doesn't make it so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/just-because-you-believe-it-doesn-t-make-it-so/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“I can't believe in something that doesn't believe in me! -Salvation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/five-finger-death-punch/i-can-t-believe-in-something-that-doesn-t-believe-in-me-salvation/) [Five Finger Death Punch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/five-finger-death-punch/) > [“You and I both know that people see only what they want to see and believe what they want to believe. But just because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-lynch/you-and-i-both-know-that-people-see-only-what-they-want-to-see-and/) [Karen Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-lynch/) > [“Iris does not believe the world loves her. She wants to believe it, but she doesn't, she can't. She doesn't know why she can't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/iris-does-not-believe-the-world-loves-her-she-wants-to-believe-it-but/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“No matter how much you believe in something, it doesn’t make it true or right. Belief doesn’t change the facts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-j-murphy/no-matter-how-much-you-believe-in-something-it-doesn-t-make-it-true/) Amy J. Murphy > [Believe whatever doesn't kill you simply makes you stranger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/believe-whatever-doesn-t-kill-you-simply-makes-you-stranger/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Science is not there for you to cherry pick ... You can decide whether or not to believe in it but that doesn’t change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-is-not-there-for-you-to-cherry-pick-you-can-decide-whether-or/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“Just because you don't believe in something doesn't mean it isn't true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/just-because-you-don-t-believe-in-something-doesn-t-mean-it-isn-t-true/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [I guess on one hand I believe it doesn't matter if there is life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-morton/i-guess-on-one-hand-i-believe-it-doesn-t-matter-if-there-is-life/) [Joe Morton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-morton/) ## More by Ayaan Hirsi Ali > [Women covering their heads is traditional, but now we're seeing more and more women covering themselves from head to toe. This is said to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/women-covering-their-heads-is-traditional-but-now-we-re-seeing-more/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I am grateful to my father for sending me to school, and that we moved from Somalia to Kenya, where I learned English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-am-grateful-to-my-father-for-sending-me-to-school-and-that-we-moved/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [In Holland I have seen well-meaning, principled people blinded by multiculturalism, overwhelmed by the imperative to be sensitive and respectful of immigrant culture, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/in-holland-i-have-seen-well-meaning-principled-people-blinded-by/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [If we don't take effective measures now, the Netherlands could be torn between two extreme rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/if-we-don-t-take-effective-measures-now-the-netherlands-could-be-torn/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I see no difference between Islam and Islamism. Islam is defined as submission to the will of Allah, as it is described in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-see-no-difference-between-islam-and-islamism-islam-is-defined-as/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [They decided to let immigrants in and I am an immigrant. They gave us a chance to participate in this country's life and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/they-decided-to-let-immigrants-in-and-i-am-an-immigrant-they-gave-us/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I want people to emphasize life before death as opposed to life after death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-want-people-to-emphasize-life-before-death-as-opposed-to-life-after/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [“Wishful thinking about the peaceful tolerance of Islam cannot interpret away this reality: hands are still cut off, women still stoned and enslaved, just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/wishful-thinking-about-the-peaceful-tolerance-of-islam-cannot/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [By declaring our Prophet infallible and not permitting ourselves to question him, we Muslims had set up a static tyranny. The Prophet Muhammad attempted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/by-declaring-our-prophet-infallible-and-not-permitting-ourselves-to/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [“The will of little girls is stifled by Islam. By the time they menstruate they are rendered voiceless. They are reared to become submissive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/the-will-of-little-girls-is-stifled-by-islam-by-the-time-they/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I am not against migration. It is simply pragmatic to restrict migration, while at the same time encouraging integration and fighting discrimination. I support…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-am-not-against-migration-it-is-simply-pragmatic-to-restrict/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [I confront the European elite's self-image as tolerant 'while under their noses women are living like slaves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/i-confront-the-european-elite-s-self-image-as-tolerant-while-under/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [What matters is abuse, and how it is anchored in a religion that denies women their rights as humans. What matters is that atrocities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/what-matters-is-abuse-and-how-it-is-anchored-in-a-religion-that/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [“When I look at people talking about intersectionality, what I see is the human being magnifying a biological attribute, and then putting them aside,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/when-i-look-at-people-talking-about-intersectionality-what-i-see-is/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) > [We must reclaim and retake feminism from our fellow idiotic women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/we-must-reclaim-and-retake-feminism-from-our-fellow-idiotic-women/) [Ayaan Hirsi Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) [Explore all 147 Ayaan Hirsi Ali quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/) [Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Resist discouragement by speaking His Word over your future. Keep standing. Keep hoping; keep believing because He is working behind the scenes. He's going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/resist-discouragement-by-speaking-his-word-over-your-future-keep/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I can't believe that I'm sitting in meetings with Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks, and Annette Bening. I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Reality is not easy, but all this make-believe doesn't make it easier.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ayaan Hirsi Ali" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-believe-doesn-t-make-it-easier/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-believe-doesn-t-make-it-easier/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_believe_reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-be_2066330.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_believe_reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-be_2066330.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/ayaan-hirsi-ali-2858_believe_reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-be_2066330.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Reality is not easy, but all this make-believe doesn't make it easier.” — Ayaan Hirsi Ali", "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": "Ayaan Hirsi Ali", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayaan-hirsi-ali/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Reality is not easy, but all...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-believe-doesn-t-make-it-easier/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayaan-hirsi-ali/reality-is-not-easy-but-all-this-make-believe-doesn-t-make-it-easier/#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 } } ] } ```