---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He needs to go rub his soul against life."
description: "\"He needs to go rub his soul against life.\" — Barbara Kingsolver"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/barbara-kingsolver-200_life_he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life_1767368.png"
---

#  He needs to go rub his soul against life.

![“He needs to go rub his soul against life.” quote by Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/barbara-kingsolver-200_life_he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life_1767368.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/barbara-kingsolver-200_life_he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life_1767368.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/barbara-kingsolver-200_life_he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life_1767368.png)

> “He needs to go rub his soul against life.”

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

She urges deep engagement with life, urging us to experience it fully rather than merely existing.

**In simple terms:** Engage fully with life.

Key Takeaway

Live actively, seek depth.

Themes

experience engagement authenticity

Mood

reflective inspirational

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- creative pursuits
- relationships
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

existentialism mindfulness

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you actively engage with daily moments?
- What does “rub your soul against life” mean to you?

A Different Perspective

Life can be overwhelming; not everyone can constantly seek depth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Needs Rub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs-rub-1745631/) [Rub Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rub-soul-1745632/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Soul life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul-life/) [Spirituality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spirituality/)

## Related quotes

> [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [As the soul is the life of the body, so God is the life of the soul. As therefore the body perishes when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/as-the-soul-is-the-life-of-the-body-so-god-is-the-life-of-the-soul-as/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [A girl in the middle years also becomes more centered in her soul-life, the feelings of her heart, and she needs our guidance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-elium/a-girl-in-the-middle-years-also-becomes-more-centered-in-her-soul/)

[Jeanne Elium](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-elium/)

> [Do not live in the shadow of the masters for ever. Learn to live in the light of your soul. Life deserves full expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-ray/do-not-live-in-the-shadow-of-the-masters-for-ever-learn-to-live-in/)

[Amit Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-ray/)

> [“The soul is the life whereby we are joined into the body.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-augustine/the-soul-is-the-life-whereby-we-are-joined-into-the-body/)

[Saint Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-augustine/)

> [In culture after culture, people believe that the soul lives on after death, that rituals can change the physical world and divine the truth,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/in-culture-after-culture-people-believe-that-the-soul-lives-on-after/)

[Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/)

> [He who sees his soul is more than his life does not confuse the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/he-who-sees-his-soul-is-more-than-his-life-does-not-confuse-the-two/)

[Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/)

> [“He is my breath. My soul. My life-force. I have spent forever with him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-ritchie/he-is-my-breath-my-soul-my-life-force-i-have-spent-forever-with-him/)

[Krista Ritchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-ritchie/)

> [“Be patient with the faults of others. Forgive quickly to have a happy soul and life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/be-patient-with-the-faults-of-others-forgive-quickly-to-have-a-happy/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

> [“...wanting soul life without the dark, warming intelligence of personal doubt is like expecting an egg without the brooding heat of the mother hen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/wanting-soul-life-without-the-dark-warming-intelligence-of-personal/)

[David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/)

> [The soul lives forever by giving, not receiving. This is the grand paradox. You get most by giving most. Conversely, by receiving much you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-johnson/the-soul-lives-forever-by-giving-not-receiving-this-is-the-grand/)

[Julian Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-johnson/)

> [“Burdened no more is soul for whom life flows through dance like breath.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shah-asad-rizvi/burdened-no-more-is-soul-for-whom-life-flows-through-dance-like-breath/)

[Shah Asad Rizvi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shah-asad-rizvi/)

> [Once again your mind explodes with a searing pain. A floodgate of memories bursts wide. Yet it is her face that keeps haunting you.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-mcfarlane/once-again-your-mind-explodes-with-a-searing-pain-a-floodgate-of/)

[Todd McFarlane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-mcfarlane/)

> [“We lose our soul, to find our life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-crisner/we-lose-our-soul-to-find-our-life/)

[Joanne Crisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-crisner/)

> [As the body lives by breathing, so the soul lives by believing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-brooks/as-the-body-lives-by-breathing-so-the-soul-lives-by-believing/)

[Thomas Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-brooks/)

## More by Barbara Kingsolver

> [“Jesus was a more reliable backer, evidently, less likely to drink himself unconscious or get liver cancer. No wonder people chose Him as their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/jesus-was-a-more-reliable-backer-evidently-less-likely-to-drink/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Now I'm starting to think he wasn't supposed to be my whole life, he was just this doorway to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/now-i-m-starting-to-think-he-wasn-t-supposed-to-be-my-whole-life-he/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Cooking is 80 percent confidence, a skill best acquired starting from when the apron strings wrap around you twice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/cooking-is-80-percent-confidence-a-skill-best-acquired-starting-from/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“In Bobby Ogle's version of heaven everyone would wind up in one place, criminals and Muslims included.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/in-bobby-ogle-s-version-of-heaven-everyone-would-wind-up-in-one-place/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“Weeds are job security for the gardener.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/weeds-are-job-security-for-the-gardener/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“It's what you do that makes your soul, not the other way around.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/it-s-what-you-do-that-makes-your-soul-not-the-other-way-around/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“Lusa turned to Crys, her eyes shining. "That was a luna." Crys shrugged. "So?" "So? So what? You want it should sing, too?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/lusa-turned-to-crys-her-eyes-shining-that-was-a-luna-crys-shrugged-so/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [The strength of motherhood is greater than natural laws.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/the-strength-of-motherhood-is-greater-than-natural-laws/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“An imperfectly remembered life is a useless treachery. Every day, more fragments of the past roll around heavily in the chambers of an empty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/an-imperfectly-remembered-life-is-a-useless-treachery-every-day-more/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [Respecting the dignity of a spectacular food means enjoying it at its best. Europeans celebrate the short season of abundant asparagus as a form…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/respecting-the-dignity-of-a-spectacular-food-means-enjoying-it-at-its/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [“Somehow it had come to pass that this man was her whole world, and she had failed to take his measure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/somehow-it-had-come-to-pass-that-this-man-was-her-whole-world-and-she/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [After 'The Poisonwood Bible' was published, several people believed that my parents were missionaries, which could not be further from the truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/after-the-poisonwood-bible-was-published-several-people-believed-that/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [I can count all the ways in which being a mother has enriched my understanding of the world, of character, my sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/i-can-count-all-the-ways-in-which-being-a-mother-has-enriched-my/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [But we've all ended up giving body and soul to Africa, one way or another. Even Adah, who's becoming an expert in tropical epidemiology…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/but-we-ve-all-ended-up-giving-body-and-soul-to-africa-one-way-or/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

> [If the Lord hasn't got a boyfriend lined up for me to marry, that's his business.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/if-the-lord-hasn-t-got-a-boyfriend-lined-up-for-me-to-marry-that-s/)

[Barbara Kingsolver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

[Explore all 939 Barbara Kingsolver quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [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/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

[Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/)

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“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/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "He needs to go rub his soul against life.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Barbara Kingsolver"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/barbara-kingsolver-200_life_he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life_1767368.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/barbara-kingsolver-200_life_he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life_1767368.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d64/barbara-kingsolver-200_life_he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life_1767368.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“He needs to go rub his soul against life.” — Barbara Kingsolver",
                "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": "Barbara Kingsolver",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-kingsolver/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "He needs to go rub his...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-kingsolver/he-needs-to-go-rub-his-soul-against-life/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
