--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...this, this life, this \"everything\" you…" description: "\"“...this, this life, this \"everything\" you know is a mere paper construction. You, my TV dinner-sucking, glazed-eyed friends, are living in ... the mat..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/bruce-springsteen-546_american-society_this-this-life-this-everything-you-know_2864152.jpg" --- # ...this, this life, this "everything" you know is a mere… ![“...this, this life, this "everything" you know is a mere paper construction. You, my TV dinner-sucking, glazed-eyed friends, are living in ... the matrix ... and all you have to do to see the real world, God and Satan's glorious kingdom on Earth, all you have to do to taste real life is to risk…” quote by Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/bruce-springsteen-546_american-society_this-this-life-this-everything-you-know_2864152.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/bruce-springsteen-546_american-society_this-this-life-this-everything-you-know_2864152.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/bruce-springsteen-546_american-society_this-this-life-this-everything-you-know_2864152.jpg) > ““...this, this life, this "everything" you know is a mere paper construction. You, my TV dinner-sucking, glazed-eyed friends, are living in ... the matrix ... and all you have to do to see the real world, God and Satan's glorious kingdom on Earth, all you have to do to taste real life is to risk being your true self... to dare... to watch... to listen... to all the late-night staticky-voiced deejays playing "race" records blowing in under the radar, shouting their tinny AM radio manifesto, their stations filled with poets, geniuses, rockers, bluesmen, preachers, philosopher kings, speaking to you from deep in the heart of your own soul. Their voices sing, "Listen... listen to what this world is telling you, for it is calling for your love, your rage, your beauty, your sex, your energy, your rebellion... because it needs you in order to remake itself. In order to be reborn into something else, something maybe better, more godly, more wonderful, it needs us. This new world is a world of black and white. A place of freedom where the two most culturally powerful tribes in American society find common ground, pleasure and joy in each other's presence. Where they use a common language to speak with... to be with one another.”” [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## 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 urges breaking free from societal illusion, embracing authentic self, and listening to diverse, heartfelt voices that inspire transformation and unity. **In simple terms:** Break free, be authentic, listen to true voices for change. Key Takeaway Embrace authenticity and seek deeper truth. Themes authenticity transformation unity media culture Mood defiant hopeful reflective Type inspirational philosophical motivational When to use this quote - personal awakening - social activism - artistic appreciation - intercultural dialogue Key Concepts self‑realization collective consciousness cultural synthesis Questions to Reflect On - How can you discern authentic voices amid noise? - What steps help you embody your true self? A Different Perspective May be overly idealistic, ignoring systemic barriers to change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [American society](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) [Black and white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) [Common ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-ground/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [True self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-self/) ## Related quotes > [You're living in a matrix that's driven by social media. It's become glorified. You're suppose to be what you portray on social media, thats…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeriel-miranda/you-re-living-in-a-matrix-that-s-driven-by-social-media-it-s-become/) [Aeriel Miranda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeriel-miranda/) > [I'm trying to listen to my past, listen to what's most deeply going on inside myself, my creative set of fictional characters, a fictional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/i-m-trying-to-listen-to-my-past-listen-to-what-s-most-deeply-going-on/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [I listen to world music a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vidyasagar/i-listen-to-world-music-a-lot/) [Vidyasagar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vidyasagar/) > [One of the reasons why my album is called 'Forget the World' is because when you listen to the world, you make stupid mistakes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afrojack/one-of-the-reasons-why-my-album-is-called-forget-the-world-is-because/) [Afrojack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/afrojack/) > [Don't listen to the world. They say we're never going to make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-listen-to-the-world-they-say-we-re-never-going-to-make-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“And when the world shall listen And when the world shall see And when the world remembers That world shall cease to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miraak/and-when-the-world-shall-listen-and-when-the-world-shall-see-and-when/) Miraak > [You can't listen to the whole world tell you you're crazy, without wondering, 'Am I crazy?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-phelps-roper/you-can-t-listen-to-the-whole-world-tell-you-you-re-crazy-without/) [Megan Phelps-Roper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-phelps-roper/) > [If people will listen, I will go anywhere in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayumi-hamasaki/if-people-will-listen-i-will-go-anywhere-in-the-world/) [Ayumi Hamasaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayumi-hamasaki/) > [“Listen to the world, sister. Listen to the stars overhead. Let it go. It is nothing. A tiny thing that cannot compare to all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-lakey/listen-to-the-world-sister-listen-to-the-stars-overhead-let-it-go-it/) [J.D. Lakey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-lakey/) > [Don't listen to the world; they say we're never gonna make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-listen-to-the-world-they-say-we-re-never-gonna-make-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't listen to the world, they will say anything to keep us apart. They will do anything to keep me from your heart. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-listen-to-the-world-they-will-say-anything-to-keep-us-apart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I could tell you many things; you will listen to none of them. And if you listen t any of them, you will do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-sar-calvo/i-could-tell-you-many-things-you-will-listen-to-none-of-them-and-if/) [César Calvo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-sar-calvo/) > [Listen, listen, listen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-pass/listen-listen-listen/) [Joe Pass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-pass/) > [Healing happens when people listen to us and when we listen to them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-rosenthal/healing-happens-when-people-listen-to-us-and-when-we-listen-to-them/) [Joshua Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-rosenthal/) > [Don't Listen To Her, Listen Through Her." Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-nicks/don-t-listen-to-her-listen-through-her-stevie-nicks/) [Stevie Nicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stevie-nicks/) ## More by Bruce Springsteen > [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/) > [When I die throw my body in the back and drive me to the junk yard in my Cadillac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-i-die-throw-my-body-in-the-back-and-drive-me-to-the-junk-yard-in/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [When you start talking about elections being rigged, you're pushing people beyond democratic governance. And it's a very, very dangerous thing to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/when-you-start-talking-about-elections-being-rigged-you-re-pushing/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I got Mary pregnant and man that's all she wrote. And for my 19th birthday, I got a union card and a factory coat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-got-mary-pregnant-and-man-that-s-all-she-wrote-and-for-my-19th/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [ I don't know if I know anyone, with the exception of the early inventors of rock music \[who wasn't influenced by something\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-don-t-know-if-i-know-anyone-with-the-exception-of-the-early/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [People see you onstage and, yeah, I'd want to be that guy.I want to be that guy myself very often.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/people-see-you-onstage-and-yeah-i-d-want-to-be-that-guy-i-want-to-be/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [You know, my music utilizes things from the past, because that's what the past is for. It's to learn from. It's not to limit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/you-know-my-music-utilizes-things-from-the-past-because-that-s-what/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [From the town of Lincoln Nebraska with a sawed off .410 on my lap, through the Badlands of Wyoming I killed everything in my path.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/from-the-town-of-lincoln-nebraska-with-a-sawed-off-410-on-my-lap/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I want a thousand guitars . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-want-a-thousand-guitars/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [In America everything's about who's number one today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/in-america-everything-s-about-who-s-number-one-today/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [A pop song is a condensed version of a life in three minutes, whereas, when you go to write your prose, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/a-pop-song-is-a-condensed-version-of-a-life-in-three-minutes-whereas/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I walked a thousand miles just to slip this skin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-walked-a-thousand-miles-just-to-slip-this-skin/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The moment you begin to depend on audience reaction, you're doing the wrong thing. You're doin' it wrong, it's a mistake, it's not right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-moment-you-begin-to-depend-on-audience-reaction-you-re-doing-the/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The name 'Boss' started with people that worked for me... It was not meant like Boss, capital B, it was meant like 'Boss, where's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-name-boss-started-with-people-that-worked-for-me-it-was-not-meant/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [The country we carry in our hearts is waiting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/the-country-we-carry-in-our-hearts-is-waiting/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) [Explore all 484 Bruce Springsteen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) ## More American society quotes > [The contempt for law and the contempt for the human consequences of lawbreaking go from the bottom to the top of American society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-contempt-for-law-and-the-contempt-for-the-human-consequences-of/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [American society is now remarkably atomized. Political organizations have collapsed. In fact, it seems like even bowling leagues are collapsing. The left has a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/american-society-is-now-remarkably-atomized-political-organizations/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [I don't see much future for the Americans ... it's a decayed country. And they have their racial problem, and the problem of social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/i-don-t-see-much-future-for-the-americans-it-s-a-decayed-country-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [I have tried to defend what is most precious to our American society, a society that is now at war against the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demian-bichir/i-have-tried-to-defend-what-is-most-precious-to-our-american-society/) [Demian Bichir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demian-bichir/) > [Cumulatively, American society is sliding toward a new form of 'authoritarian democracy'. Elections continue, free speech is generally protected, institutions operate in accordance with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-a-falk/cumulatively-american-society-is-sliding-toward-a-new-form-of/) [Richard A. Falk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-a-falk/) > [“As a culture, we had no heroes. Certainly not any politician--Barack Obama was then the most admired man in America (and likely still is),…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-vance/as-a-culture-we-had-no-heroes-certainly-not-any-politician-barack/) [J.D. Vance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-vance/) > [ “The Sexual plight of these children \[those adolescents experimenting sexually\] is officially not mentioned. The revolutionary attack on hypocrisy by Ibsen, Freud, Ellis, Dreiser,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/the-sexual-plight-of-these-children-those-adolescents-experimenting/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Hip-hop is contributing to American society's misogyny and racism, hyper-sexuality anti-Black representations. Hip-Hop isn't setting the standard for misogyny. No one reduces the presidency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakari-kitwana/hip-hop-is-contributing-to-american-society-s-misogyny-and-racism/) [Bakari Kitwana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakari-kitwana/) > [I believe it is essential to have English as the official language of our National Government, for the English language is the tie that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-sensenbrenner/i-believe-it-is-essential-to-have-english-as-the-official-language-of/) [Jim Sensenbrenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-sensenbrenner/) > [Black people cannot and will not become integrated into American society on any terms but those of self-determination and autonomy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerda-lerner/black-people-cannot-and-will-not-become-integrated-into-american/) [Gerda Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerda-lerner/) > [Black people in America have to, for their own protection, develop a defense mechanism, and I just grew terribly tired of it. When you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randall-robinson/black-people-in-america-have-to-for-their-own-protection-develop-a/) [Randall Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randall-robinson/) > [Public image is extremely important in American society and I observed personally that the Presidency of John F. Kennedy did much in the public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rosovsky/public-image-is-extremely-important-in-american-society-and-i/) [Henry Rosovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rosovsky/) > [Sometimes, you know, the president is a father-like figure in American society, to most Americans, even today, no matter how cynical we've become. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/sometimes-you-know-the-president-is-a-father-like-figure-in-american/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [The family has always been the cornerstone of American society. Our families nurture, preserve, and pass on to each succeeding generation the values we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-family-has-always-been-the-cornerstone-of-american-society-our/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [While President Barack Obama has, in one sense, tipped his hand by saying that he wants judges with "empathy" for certain groups, he has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/while-president-barack-obama-has-in-one-sense-tipped-his-hand-by/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) [Browse all 315 American society quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/american-society/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“...this, this life, this \"everything\" you know is a mere paper construction. You, my TV dinner-sucking, glazed-eyed friends, are living in ... the matrix ... and all you have to do to see the real world, God and Satan's glorious kingdom on Earth, all you have to do to taste real life is to risk being your true self... to dare... to watch... to listen... to all the late-night staticky-voiced deejays playing \"race\" records blowing in under the radar, shouting their tinny AM radio manifesto, their stations filled with poets, geniuses, rockers, bluesmen, preachers, philosopher kings, speaking to you from deep in the heart of your own soul. Their voices sing, \"Listen... listen to what this world is telling you, for it is calling for your love, your rage, your beauty, your sex, your energy, your rebellion... because it needs you in order to remake itself. In order to be reborn into something else, something maybe better, more godly, more wonderful, it needs us. This new world is a world of black and white. A place of freedom where the two most culturally powerful tribes in American society find common ground, pleasure and joy in each other's presence. Where they use a common language to speak with... to be with one another.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Bruce Springsteen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/this-this-life-this-everything-you-know-is-a-mere-paper-construction/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "American society" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/this-this-life-this-everything-you-know-is-a-mere-paper-construction/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/bruce-springsteen-546_american-society_this-this-life-this-everything-you-know_2864152.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/bruce-springsteen-546_american-society_this-this-life-this-everything-you-know_2864152.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d7b/bruce-springsteen-546_american-society_this-this-life-this-everything-you-know_2864152.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“...this, this life, this \"everything\" you know is a mere paper construction. You, my TV dinner-sucking…” — Bruce Springsteen", "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": "Bruce Springsteen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“...this, this life, this \"everything\" you...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/this-this-life-this-everything-you-know-is-a-mere-paper-construction/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/this-this-life-this-everything-you-know-is-a-mere-paper-construction/#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 } } ] } ```