--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is what it is. It wasn't what is. It…" description: "\"It is what it is. It wasn't what is. It isn't what it was.\" — Brian G Sullivan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/brian-g-sullivan-224531_surrealism_it-is-what-it-is-it-wasn-t-what-is-it-is_252565.jpg" --- # It is what it is. It wasn't what is. It isn't what it was. ![“It is what it is. It wasn't what is. It isn't what it was.” quote by Brian G Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/brian-g-sullivan-224531_surrealism_it-is-what-it-is-it-wasn-t-what-is-it-is_252565.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/brian-g-sullivan-224531_surrealism_it-is-what-it-is-it-wasn-t-what-is-it-is_252565.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5e/brian-g-sullivan-224531_surrealism_it-is-what-it-is-it-wasn-t-what-is-it-is_252565.jpg) > “It is what it is. It wasn't what is. It isn't what it was.” Brian G Sullivan ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A paradoxical observation on the fluidity of reality, suggesting that labels and expectations shift over time. **In simple terms:** Things change; labels are fluid. Key Takeaway Accept change without clinging to static definitions. Themes philosophy existentialism relativity perception language Mood contemplative neutral Type surrealism:1 When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - philosophical debate Key Concepts semantic fluidity temporal perspective ontological flexibility Questions to Reflect On - What does “it is what it is” mean to you? - How can we apply this fluid view in daily decisions? A Different Perspective The phrase can be seen as overly vague, limiting practical use. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Surrealism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrealism/) ## Related quotes > [It is what it is cause it can't be anything but what it is but if it is then it wasn't what it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guillaume-l-meyer/it-is-what-it-is-cause-it-can-t-be-anything-but-what-it-is-but-if-it/) Guillaume L Meyer > [It is what it is. Not it is what it should have been. Not what it could have been. It is what it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-what-it-is-not-it-is-what-it-should-have-been-not-what-it-could/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is what it is, it is what you make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-durbin/it-is-what-it-is-it-is-what-you-make-it/) [James Durbin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-durbin/) > [It is what is. And now I see how it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-what-is-and-now-i-see-how-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Calling it something else , won't change what it will always be . It is what it is .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zay-cee/calling-it-something-else-won-t-change-what-it-will-always-be-it-is/) [Zay Cee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zay-cee/) > [Whatever you say it is, is simply what YOU SAY it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-korzybski/whatever-you-say-it-is-is-simply-what-you-say-it-is/) [Alfred Korzybski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-korzybski/) > [It is what it is. But, it will be what you make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-summitt/it-is-what-it-is-but-it-will-be-what-you-make-it/) [Pat Summitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-summitt/) > [It is what it is; deal with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-what-it-is-deal-with-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is what it is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-what-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every thing is what it is, and not another thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-butler/every-thing-is-what-it-is-and-not-another-thing/) [Joseph Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-butler/) > [The whispered words of wisdom say, let it be..it is what it is, no matter what it was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/the-whispered-words-of-wisdom-say-let-it-be-it-is-what-it-is-no/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) > [It's not what you are. It's what you do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/it-s-not-what-you-are-it-s-what-you-do/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [Whatever you say it is, it isn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-korzybski/whatever-you-say-it-is-it-isn-t/) [Alfred Korzybski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-korzybski/) > [It's not what we were, it's what we could have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saudia-dakota-smith/it-s-not-what-we-were-it-s-what-we-could-have-been/) Saudia Dakota Smith > [It's not what you did, it's what you didn't do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/themonsterace/it-s-not-what-you-did-it-s-what-you-didn-t-do/) TheMonsterAce ## More Surrealism quotes > [“The ultimate aim of reality is to become science fiction!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eli-of-kittim/the-ultimate-aim-of-reality-is-to-become-science-fiction/) [Eli Of Kittim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eli-of-kittim/) > [“André Breton (who fled Nazi dominated Europe)told poets of this Caribbean country: 'Surrealism is allied with peoples of colour, first because it has sided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-craven/andr-breton-who-fled-nazi-dominated-europe-told-poets-of-this/) David Craven > [“The plants in the garden - the aloes, the almond tree, the rose tree and the iris - were afraid of her. The flowers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hendrik-cramer/the-plants-in-the-garden-the-aloes-the-almond-tree-the-rose-tree-and/) Hendrik Cramer > [Surrealism is the magical surprise of finding a lion in a wardrobe, where you were 'sure' of finding shirts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frida-kahlo/surrealism-is-the-magical-surprise-of-finding-a-lion-in-a-wardrobe/) [Frida Kahlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frida-kahlo/) > [Instead of stubbornly attempting to use surrealism for purposes of subversion, it is necessary to try to make of surrealism something as solid, complete…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salvador-dali/instead-of-stubbornly-attempting-to-use-surrealism-for-purposes-of/) [Salvador Dali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salvador-dali/) > [Surrealism was necessary - essential, even - in the 1920s to bridge the gap between rationalism and the subconscious. It started something important. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-jodorowsky/surrealism-was-necessary-essential-even-in-the-1920s-to-bridge-the/) [Alejandro Jodorowsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-jodorowsky/) > [“He wishes he were a skilled poet, it would fit his chosen image perfectly; the poor, tragic, tortured artiste. But he has no talent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-ackie/he-wishes-he-were-a-skilled-poet-it-would-fit-his-chosen-image/) Curtis Ackie > [Psychic automatism in its pure state, by which one proposes to express -- verbally, by means of the written word, or in any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andr-breton/psychic-automatism-in-its-pure-state-by-which-one-proposes-to-express/) [Andre Breton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andr-breton/) > [“His thoughts were hemmed in. One can only draw curved lines on the terrestrial sphere which, as they extend, forever meet with themselves. At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-queneau/his-thoughts-were-hemmed-in-one-can-only-draw-curved-lines-on-the/) [Raymond Queneau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-queneau/) > [“When we were young, we thought life would either last forever, or that we were going to die at any second. Everything changed, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/starlight-tucker/when-we-were-young-we-thought-life-would-either-last-forever-or-that/) [Starlight Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/starlight-tucker/) > [People have the idea that an image must stand for something else, that the real meaning needs to be described with language. Instead it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-ryden/people-have-the-idea-that-an-image-must-stand-for-something-else-that/) [Mark Ryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-ryden/) > [American art in general... takes to surreal exaggerations and metaphors; but its Puritan work ethic has little use for the playful self-indulgence behind Parisian…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/american-art-in-general-takes-to-surreal-exaggerations-and-metaphors/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Surrealism can only deliver a reactionary judgment; can make out of history only an accumulation of oddities, a joke, a death trip.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/surrealism-can-only-deliver-a-reactionary-judgment-can-make-out-of/) [Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/) > [“Wasn't much of a life anyway. Wasn't much of a brain." "But didn't you say you were satisfied with your life?" "Word games," I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/wasn-t-much-of-a-life-anyway-wasn-t-much-of-a-brain-but-didn-t-you/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Drosselmeier had unwittingly exposed himself to an overdose of reality, and it had destroyed his reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-carter/drosselmeier-had-unwittingly-exposed-himself-to-an-overdose-of/) [Angela Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-carter/) [Browse all 214 Surrealism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/surrealism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is what it is. It wasn't what is. 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