---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we don't have that, what do we have to…"
description: "\"“If we don't have that, what do we have to live for? Does it matter if it's a lie if it keeps us alive?”\" — Beth Revis"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/beth-revis-2212_hope_if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to_150864.jpg"
---

#  If we don't have that, what do we have to live for? Does…

![“If we don't have that, what do we have to live for? Does it matter if it's a lie if it keeps us alive?” quote by Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/beth-revis-2212_hope_if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to_150864.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/beth-revis-2212_hope_if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to_150864.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/beth-revis-2212_hope_if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to_150864.jpg)

> ““If we don't have that, what do we have to live for? Does it matter if it's a lie if it keeps us alive?””

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

## 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 questions whether truth matters if a falsehood sustains life, highlighting existential tension between authenticity and survival.

**In simple terms:** Truth vs survival dilemma.

Key Takeaway

Consider the cost of living a lie.

Themes

existential truth survival

Mood

conflicted thoughtful

Type

philosophical contemplative

When to use this quote

- personal crisis
- political propaganda
- medical decisions
- relationship deceptions

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- Is a comforting lie worth the eventual fallout?
- When is honesty more harmful than a lie?

A Different Perspective

A lie may erode trust and cause long‑term harm.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/)

## Related quotes

> [A lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/a-lie-keeps-growing-and-growing-until-it-s-as-plain-as-the-nose-on/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [I have never agreed with my other self wholly. The truth of the matter seems to lie between us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/i-have-never-agreed-with-my-other-self-wholly-the-truth-of-the-matter/)

[Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/)

> [Who does not in some sort live to others, does not live much to himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/who-does-not-in-some-sort-live-to-others-does-not-live-much-to-himself/)

[Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/)

> [You will not live through this if she does not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/you-will-not-live-through-this-if-she-does-not/)

[J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/)

> [It's too bad she won't live. But then again, who does ?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-james-olmos/it-s-too-bad-she-won-t-live-but-then-again-who-does/)

[Edward James Olmos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-james-olmos/)

> [At the end of the day, if we don't win that game, we're going home, anyway, so what does it matter. I just wanted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clayton-kershaw/at-the-end-of-the-day-if-we-don-t-win-that-game-we-re-going-home/)

[Clayton Kershaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clayton-kershaw/)

> [What does it matter where my body happens to be?' he said. 'My mind goes on working all the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-carroll/what-does-it-matter-where-my-body-happens-to-be-he-said-my-mind-goes/)

[Lewis Carroll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-carroll/)

> [“It does not matter what you write in English nobody has understood it anyway.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/it-does-not-matter-what-you-write-in-english-nobody-has-understood-it/)

[Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/)

> [“If you step in a nest of snakes, does it matter who bites you first?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/if-you-step-in-a-nest-of-snakes-does-it-matter-who-bites-you-first/)

[George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/)

> [It does not matter if how much I love him, the issue here is... if he feel same way too?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-vine/it-does-not-matter-if-how-much-i-love-him-the-issue-here-is-if-he/)

Grace\_vine

> [What does it matter that we take different roads so long as we reach the same goal?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/what-does-it-matter-that-we-take-different-roads-so-long-as-we-reach/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“Good work does not matter, because a man is judged by his worst output and another man takes all the credit of his best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/good-work-does-not-matter-because-a-man-is-judged-by-his-worst-output/)

[Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/)

> [Sir, what does it matter whom I serve, so long as I am right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-corneille/sir-what-does-it-matter-whom-i-serve-so-long-as-i-am-right/)

[Pierre Corneille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-corneille/)

> [If you are an idealist, it does not matter what you do or what goes on around you because it isn't real anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-penn-warren/if-you-are-an-idealist-it-does-not-matter-what-you-do-or-what-goes-on/)

[Robert Penn Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-penn-warren/)

> [Beauty is vanishing from our world because we live as though it does not matter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-scruton/beauty-is-vanishing-from-our-world-because-we-live-as-though-it-does/)

[Roger Scruton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-scruton/)

## More by Beth Revis

> [“She grips my elbow tighter, somehow finding the thinnest skin to dig her fingernails into. I want to pry her fingers from my arm,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/she-grips-my-elbow-tighter-somehow-finding-the-thinnest-skin-to-dig/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“You always think that drowning is loud. In the movies, if someone drowns they scream, they churn water. Everyone notices a drowning person in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/you-always-think-that-drowning-is-loud-in-the-movies-if-someone/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“There are countless reasons to be jealous. But that doesn’t mean you have to succumb to them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/there-are-countless-reasons-to-be-jealous-but-that-doesn-t-mean-you/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“It Will be better to die quickly with only the taste of freedom on our lips than to live long lives pretending not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/it-will-be-better-to-die-quickly-with-only-the-taste-of-freedom-on/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“This is what I'm king of: a whirling mass of humans who either hate me or ignore me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/this-is-what-i-m-king-of-a-whirling-mass-of-humans-who-either-hate-me/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“People will survive anything for their children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/people-will-survive-anything-for-their-children/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“It's bad, being frozen, but it's better than waking up alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/it-s-bad-being-frozen-but-it-s-better-than-waking-up-alone/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“Everyone has wounds; everyone pretends they don’t.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/everyone-has-wounds-everyone-pretends-they-don-t/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“I want her so much that it overrides everything else, every other thought in my head, every instinct, every restraint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/i-want-her-so-much-that-it-overrides-everything-else-every-other/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“This is the secret of the stars. In the end, we are alone no matter how close you seem, no one else can touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/this-is-the-secret-of-the-stars-in-the-end-we-are-alone-no-matter-how/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“I click on the deaths and read the names carefully, memorising them. Because here’s the simple truth—if I hadn’t taken the ship off Phydus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/i-click-on-the-deaths-and-read-the-names-carefully-memorising-them/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“But...If my life on Earth must end, let it end with a promise. Let it end with hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/but-if-my-life-on-earth-must-end-let-it-end-with-a-promise-let-it-end/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“The glitter in the sky looks as if I could scoop it all up in my hands and let the stars swirl and touch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/the-glitter-in-the-sky-looks-as-if-i-could-scoop-it-all-up-in-my/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“Memories always kill nightmares.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/memories-always-kill-nightmares/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

> [“What matters right now is this: we're each of us standing here, together, alive, together.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/what-matters-right-now-is-this-we-re-each-of-us-standing-here/)

[Beth Revis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

[Explore all 172 Beth Revis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/)

## More Hope 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/)

> [“Cine a ucis stelele? Cine a surpat drumul spre viitor al celor din morminte?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ionel-teodoreanu/cine-a-ucis-stelele-cine-a-surpat-drumul-spre-viitor-al-celor-din/)

[Ionel Teodoreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ionel-teodoreanu/)

> [“What can we do in any hardship? We can hope with prayerful praise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/what-can-we-do-in-any-hardship-we-can-hope-with-prayerful-praise/)

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

> [I hope I continue to evolve.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-flair/i-hope-i-continue-to-evolve/)

[Charlotte Flair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-flair/)

> [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/)

[Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/)

> [“too—I realized that my only hope was to give up the life that had been, in order to make room for the life that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-lesser/too-i-realized-that-my-only-hope-was-to-give-up-the-life-that-had/)

[Elizabeth Lesser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-lesser/)

> [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Stop trying to give me hope ... I have no room left for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenn-f/stop-trying-to-give-me-hope-i-have-no-room-left-for-it/)

[Jenn F](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenn-f/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Give me love, give me peace on earth, give me light, give me life, keep me free from birth, give me hope, help me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-me-love-give-me-peace-on-earth-give-me-light-give-me-life-keep/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Pray, hope, don't worry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/pray-hope-don-t-worry/)

[Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/)

> [Do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. Pray for powers equal to your tasks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/do-not-pray-for-tasks-equal-to-your-powers-pray-for-powers-equal-to/)

[Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/)

> [I am at a point in my life where everything I have worked for starts to look like a burden, a weight on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-abou-samra/i-am-at-a-point-in-my-life-where-everything-i-have-worked-for-starts/)

Simone Abou Samra

> [Im really happy that I met you I hope you know that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/im-really-happy-that-i-met-you-i-hope-you-know-that/)

Im Nothing

> [All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/all-that-i-am-or-ever-hope-to-be-i-owe-to-my-angel-mother/)

[Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/)

[Browse all 24,868 Hope quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hope/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“If we don't have that, what do we have to live for? Does it matter if it's a lie if it keeps us alive?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Beth Revis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to-live-for-does-it-matter-if/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Hope"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to-live-for-does-it-matter-if/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/beth-revis-2212_hope_if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to_150864.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/beth-revis-2212_hope_if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to_150864.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48f/beth-revis-2212_hope_if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to_150864.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“If we don't have that, what do we have to live for? Does it matter if it's a lie if it keeps us alive?” — Beth Revis",
                "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": "Beth Revis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-revis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“If we don't have that, what...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to-live-for-does-it-matter-if/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-revis/if-we-don-t-have-that-what-do-we-have-to-live-for-does-it-matter-if/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
