--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do you suppose the human race invented…" description: "\"Do you suppose the human race invented boredom to make the prospect of death more palatable?\" — C.D. Payne" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/c-d-payne-39486_boredom_do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-b_1608270.png" --- # Do you suppose the human race invented boredom to make the… ![“Do you suppose the human race invented boredom to make the prospect of death more palatable?” quote by C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/c-d-payne-39486_boredom_do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-b_1608270.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/c-d-payne-39486_boredom_do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-b_1608270.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/c-d-payne-39486_boredom_do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-b_1608270.png) > “Do you suppose the human race invented boredom to make the prospect of death more palatable?” [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) ## 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 suggests boredom might be a psychological tool to make death seem less daunting. **In simple terms:** Boredom could make death feel less scary. Key Takeaway Use boredom to reflect on mortality. Themes existential psychology philosophy Mood contemplative curious Type existential psychological When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - personal reflection Key Concepts meaning of life coping mechanisms Questions to Reflect On - Why do we feel boredom? - Can boredom be productive? A Different Perspective Boredom may also stem from lack of engagement, not just coping. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boredom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) [Boredom Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom-make-6128946/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Death Palatable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death-palatable-6128947/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Invented Boredom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invented-boredom-1029310/) [Nature of man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-man/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) ## Related quotes > [No other species anywhere in the world had invented boredom. Perhaps it was boredom, not intelligence, that had propelled them up to the evolutionary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/no-other-species-anywhere-in-the-world-had-invented-boredom-perhaps/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [“Dullness. Only humans could have invented it. What imaginations they had.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/dullness-only-humans-could-have-invented-it-what-imaginations-they-had/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [My life is a tsunami of inspirations. Number one is that I really do just love my BBQ. I mean it's the sustenance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/my-life-is-a-tsunami-of-inspirations-number-one-is-that-i-really-do/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [Human Race is all over universe! And I am the first person to inform you. I am the most influential person of this decade…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashwani-kumar-ojha/human-race-is-all-over-universe-and-i-am-the-first-person-to-inform/) [Ashwani Kumar Ojha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashwani-kumar-ojha/) > [Christianity teaches that the human race is depraved, fallen, and sinful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-james-kennedy/christianity-teaches-that-the-human-race-is-depraved-fallen-and-sinful/) [D. James Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-james-kennedy/) > [It's time for the human race to enter the solar system.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-quayle/it-s-time-for-the-human-race-to-enter-the-solar-system/) [Dan Quayle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-quayle/) > [“The human race comes from Africa, but inhumanity originated in Europe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/the-human-race-comes-from-africa-but-inhumanity-originated-in-europe/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [So tell me, as an outsider, what do you think of the human race?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-tell-me-as-an-outsider-what-do-you-think-of-the-human-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The human race does not have a very good record of intelligent behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-human-race-does-not-have-a-very-good-record-of-intelligent/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [“Behind every preventable threat to the future of the human race lurks a boy in a man's body with both hands buried deep in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-prokop/behind-every-preventable-threat-to-the-future-of-the-human-race-lurks/) [Daniel Prokop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-prokop/) > [The greatest bloodbaths in the history of the human race were recorded in the twentieth century in countries that sought to eliminate God, worship,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/the-greatest-bloodbaths-in-the-history-of-the-human-race-were/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [“Human race had never planned to show up in this universe. I wonder whether current human efforts are relevant to its sustainability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/human-race-had-never-planned-to-show-up-in-this-universe-i-wonder/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“My problem is that the human race seems to want to be destroyed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhonen-vasquez/my-problem-is-that-the-human-race-seems-to-want-to-be-destroyed/) [Jhonen Vasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhonen-vasquez/) > [“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.” —Albert A. Bartlett”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/the-greatest-shortcoming-of-the-human-race-is-our-inability-to/) [Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/) > [Poetry fettered, fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/poetry-fettered-fetters-the-human-race-nations-are-destroyed-or/) [William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/) ## More by C.D. Payne > [One of the tragic consequences of divorce is that the kids are legally obligated by the courts to spend a fixed amount of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/one-of-the-tragic-consequences-of-divorce-is-that-the-kids-are/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) > [“As much as I think about sex, I can only with extreme difficulty conceive of myself actually performing the act. And here's another thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/as-much-as-i-think-about-sex-i-can-only-with-extreme-difficulty/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) > [I have found that people who can successfully resist temptation invariably lead depressingly stunted lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/i-have-found-that-people-who-can-successfully-resist-temptation/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) > [Now I know why women get their ears pierced. Once they've survived this ordeal of mutilation, they can face the discomforts of childbirth with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/now-i-know-why-women-get-their-ears-pierced-once-they-ve-survived/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) > [Consider, if you will, the morning boner. What a metaphor of hope and renewal! How can anyone give way to despair when one’s groin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/consider-if-you-will-the-morning-boner-what-a-metaphor-of-hope-and/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) > [Confession can be good for the soul, but it can exact a heavy toll on friendships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/confession-can-be-good-for-the-soul-but-it-can-exact-a-heavy-toll-on/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) > [“Dwayne! Don't be ridiculous. Guy's don't share their girlfriends.' Why not?' Because they don't. Men are instinctually competitive. It's so there'll be lots of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/dwayne-don-t-be-ridiculous-guy-s-don-t-share-their-girlfriends-why/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) > [“I've decided Mom's boyfriends are a lot like U.S. Presidents. You keep thinking they can't get any worse. And then she comes up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/i-ve-decided-mom-s-boyfriends-are-a-lot-like-u-s-presidents-you-keep/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) > [I take it, then, Vijay, you are still a virgin?'Yes, and I find it extremely galling. When Gandhi was my age he had already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/i-take-it-then-vijay-you-are-still-a-virgin-yes-and-i-find-it/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) > [“Fuel-efficient my big engine is not. I drove 38 miles and burned through more than a quarter-tank of expensive premium gas. Every time I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/fuel-efficient-my-big-engine-is-not-i-drove-38-miles-and-burned/) [C.D. Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) [Explore all 11 C.D. Payne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/) ## More Boredom quotes > [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Boredom is vastly underrated. Boredom means that nothing is trying to kill you every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/boredom-is-vastly-underrated-boredom-means-that-nothing-is-trying-to/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [I'm bored of being bored because being bored is very boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/i-m-bored-of-being-bored-because-being-bored-is-very-boring/) [Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/) > [When people look in the mirror, sometimes they see are their shells in the mirror, nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-look-in-the-mirror-sometimes-they-see-are-their-shells-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think anyone wants to do the same thing over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bachmann/i-don-t-think-anyone-wants-to-do-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again/) [Eric Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bachmann/) > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [We shop out of boredom, for release, for excitement, for a sense of achievement, for a sense of control over our unruly existences. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/we-shop-out-of-boredom-for-release-for-excitement-for-a-sense-of/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [That human life must be some kind of mistake is sufficiently proved by the simple observation that man is a compound of needs which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/that-human-life-must-be-some-kind-of-mistake-is-sufficiently-proved/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Isn’t ‘not to be bored’ one of the principal goals of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/isn-t-not-to-be-bored-one-of-the-principal-goals-of-life/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [The worst sin, the ultimate sin for me, in anything, is to be bored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/the-worst-sin-the-ultimate-sin-for-me-in-anything-is-to-be-bored/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/exploitation-and-manipulation-produce-boredom-and-triviality-they/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“To me, at least in retrospect, the really interesting question is why dullness proves to be such a powerful impediment to attention. Why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/to-me-at-least-in-retrospect-the-really-interesting-question-is-why/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Listen deeply. Meditate on that which is arising. Even if it's boredom or difficulty or maybe a feeling of being stuck, that in itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-yee/listen-deeply-meditate-on-that-which-is-arising-even-if-it-s-boredom/) [Rodney Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-yee/) [Browse all 1,505 Boredom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do you suppose the human race invented boredom to make the prospect of death more palatable?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.D. Payne" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-boredom-to-make-the-prospect/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boredom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-boredom-to-make-the-prospect/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/c-d-payne-39486_boredom_do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-b_1608270.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/c-d-payne-39486_boredom_do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-b_1608270.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/c-d-payne-39486_boredom_do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-b_1608270.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Do you suppose the human race invented boredom to make the prospect of death more palatable?” — C.D. Payne", "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": "C.D. Payne", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-d-payne/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Do you suppose the human race...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-boredom-to-make-the-prospect/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-d-payne/do-you-suppose-the-human-race-invented-boredom-to-make-the-prospect/#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 } } ] } ```