--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes it takes a wake-up call…" description: "\"Sometimes it takes a wake-up call, doesn't it, to alert us to the fact that we're hurrying through our lives instead of actually living them; that we'r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/carl-honor-10241_actually_sometimes-it-takes-a-wake-up-call-doesn_1306187.jpg" --- # Sometimes it takes a wake-up call, doesn't it, to alert us… ![“Sometimes it takes a wake-up call, doesn't it, to alert us to the fact that we're hurrying through our lives instead of actually living them; that we're living the fast life instead of the good life. And I think, for many people, that wake-up call takes the form of an illness.” quote by Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/carl-honor-10241_actually_sometimes-it-takes-a-wake-up-call-doesn_1306187.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/carl-honor-10241_actually_sometimes-it-takes-a-wake-up-call-doesn_1306187.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a9/carl-honor-10241_actually_sometimes-it-takes-a-wake-up-call-doesn_1306187.jpg) > “Sometimes it takes a wake-up call, doesn't it, to alert us to the fact that we're hurrying through our lives instead of actually living them; that we're living the fast life instead of the good life. And I think, for many people, that wake-up call takes the form of an illness.” [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Highlights how crises force us to pause and reassess our rushed lifestyles, urging a shift to quality living. **In simple terms:** Crises make us notice we’re rushing, not living. Key Takeaway Use setbacks to refocus on meaningful life. Themes mindfulness health balance Mood contemplative inspirational Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career burnout - health scare - midlife crisis Key Concepts life‑design well‑being Questions to Reflect On - What would you change if you slowed down? - How can you recognize subtle warning signs? A Different Perspective Not all wake‑up calls are health‑related; some are subtle. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fast life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fast-life/) [Good life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-life/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/) ## Related quotes > [My life had become an endless race against the clock. I was always in a hurry, scrambling to save a minute here, a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/my-life-had-become-an-endless-race-against-the-clock-i-was-always-in/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Im living the fast life cause I'm just letting the past fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teady/im-living-the-fast-life-cause-i-m-just-letting-the-past-fly/) $Teady > [Living a fast life so death wont win the race.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-quperlier/living-a-fast-life-so-death-wont-win-the-race/) [Simon Quperlier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-quperlier/) > [If you look at the language of illness, you can use it to describe race - you could experience race as an illness. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-solomon/if-you-look-at-the-language-of-illness-you-can-use-it-to-describe/) [Andrew Solomon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-solomon/) > [I was definitely living fast. I was working, traveling a lot, playing. I didn't stop. It all became unbalanced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-moss/i-was-definitely-living-fast-i-was-working-traveling-a-lot-playing-i/) [Kate Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-moss/) > [The secret of my success was clean living and a fast outfield.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lefty-gomez/the-secret-of-my-success-was-clean-living-and-a-fast-outfield/) [Lefty Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lefty-gomez/) > [Speed damages our souls because living fast consumes every ounce of our energy. Speed has a deafening roar that drowns our the whispering voices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/speed-damages-our-souls-because-living-fast-consumes-every-ounce-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Pull Up On The Block In The Drop Top Chicken Box, Mr. KFC, VVS's Is In The Watch, Living Fast Where Its All About…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/pull-up-on-the-block-in-the-drop-top-chicken-box-mr-kfc-vvs-s-is-in/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [“Living in the fast lane is great as long as you remember where the slip roads are”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benny-bellamacina/living-in-the-fast-lane-is-great-as-long-as-you-remember-where-the/) [Benny Bellamacina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benny-bellamacina/) > [Superstars have so much adulation and love which people get used to, living it up in fast lane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angad-bedi/superstars-have-so-much-adulation-and-love-which-people-get-used-to/) [Angad Bedi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angad-bedi/) > [Some folks they take to living fast while some prefer a slow death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hiatt/some-folks-they-take-to-living-fast-while-some-prefer-a-slow-death/) [John Hiatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hiatt/) > [Living fast where it's all about the money bags? Never front.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-ross/living-fast-where-it-s-all-about-the-money-bags-never-front/) [Rick Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-ross/) > [The name of the game is to keep from pushing the accelerator pedal so hard that we speed up the aging process. The average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-buettner/the-name-of-the-game-is-to-keep-from-pushing-the-accelerator-pedal-so/) [Dan Buettner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-buettner/) > [ \[in the sleeve notes for The Beach Boys 1964 album, "All Summer Long"\] They say I live a fast life. Maybe I just like… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-wilson/in-the-sleeve-notes-for-the-beach-boys-1964-album-all-summer-long/) [Dennis Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-wilson/) > [This fast life soon shatters; Cause after all the lights nad screams; Nothing but my dreams matter -](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/2pac/this-fast-life-soon-shatters-cause-after-all-the-lights-nad-screams/) [2pac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/2pac/) ## More by Carl Honore > [“Speed can give you a great feeling of excitement, and there is a place for that in life and in music," says Kliemt. "But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/speed-can-give-you-a-great-feeling-of-excitement-and-there-is-a-place/) [Carl Honoré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [I always felt through writing that I wanted to rotate the world slightly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/i-always-felt-through-writing-that-i-wanted-to-rotate-the-world/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [In this media-drenched, multitasking, always-on age, many of us have forgotten how to unplug and immerse ourselves completely in the moment. We have forgotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/in-this-media-drenched-multitasking-always-on-age-many-of-us-have/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Whether it's mending a failing company, fighting corruption, tackling disease, or rebuilding a marriage, the hardest problems defy just-add-water remedies. Indeed, slapping on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/whether-it-s-mending-a-failing-company-fighting-corruption-tackling/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Warnings about children being overscheduled, racing from one enriching activity to the next, first surfaced in the early 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/warnings-about-children-being-overscheduled-racing-from-one-enriching/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Smaller families mean we have more time and money to lavish on each child. Parents are more anxious because small families give them less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/smaller-families-mean-we-have-more-time-and-money-to-lavish-on-each/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [In this media-drenched, data-rich, channel-surfing, computer-gaming age, we have lost the art of doing nothing, of shutting out the background noise and distractions, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/in-this-media-drenched-data-rich-channel-surfing-computer-gaming-age/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [“While the rest of the world roars on, a large and growing minority is choosing not to do everything at full-throttle. In every human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/while-the-rest-of-the-world-roars-on-a-large-and-growing-minority-is/) [Carl Honoré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [I love all this stuff. I look at all the gadgets that come out and I think, ‘Oh, this fix works for me. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/i-love-all-this-stuff-i-look-at-all-the-gadgets-that-come-out-and-i/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Slow parents understand that childrearing should not be a cross between a competitive sport and product-development. It is not a project; it's a journey.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/slow-parents-understand-that-childrearing-should-not-be-a-cross/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [This is where our obsession with going fast and saving time leads. To road rage, air rage, shopping rage, relationship rage, office rage, vacation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/this-is-where-our-obsession-with-going-fast-and-saving-time-leads-to/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [Many kids, particularly in lower-income families, would actually benefit from more structured activities. Plenty of children, especially teenagers, thrive on a busy schedule. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/many-kids-particularly-in-lower-income-families-would-actually/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [“Much has already been destroyed. We have forgotten how to look forward to things, and how to enjoy the moment when they arrive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/much-has-already-been-destroyed-we-have-forgotten-how-to-look-forward/) [Carl Honoré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [“When people moan, “Oh, I’m so busy, I’m run off my feet, my life is a blur, I haven’t got time for anything,” what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/when-people-moan-oh-i-m-so-busy-i-m-run-off-my-feet-my-life-is-a-blur/) [Carl Honoré](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) > [I could be working 300 hours a week. I just say 'no.' The power of slow is the power of no. I can't go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-honor/i-could-be-working-300-hours-a-week-i-just-say-no-the-power-of-slow/) [Carl Honore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) [Explore all 67 Carl Honore quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-honor/) ## More Actually quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [I just think my own ambition would not allow me to sit on the gifts that my creator had given me. And so that's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/i-just-think-my-own-ambition-would-not-allow-me-to-sit-on-the-gifts/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [I actually like getting out of my comfort zone. It shakes me up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-sheehy/i-actually-like-getting-out-of-my-comfort-zone-it-shakes-me-up/) [Gail Sheehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-sheehy/) > [You have to talk about why things happened the way they did. You can't actually explain my political life except by a series of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lange/you-have-to-talk-about-why-things-happened-the-way-they-did-you-can-t/) [David Lange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lange/) > [Failure actually makes you strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neha-sharma/failure-actually-makes-you-strong/) [Neha Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neha-sharma/) > [There's always that discussion about fiction about how do you market it - these are books for boys, these are books for girls, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/there-s-always-that-discussion-about-fiction-about-how-do-you-market/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) > [I'm from Europe, England, and I actually lived in Italy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/i-m-from-europe-england-and-i-actually-lived-in-italy/) [Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adewale-akinnuoye-agbaje/) > [The alternative comedy scene is actually pretty small, I guess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-wilson/the-alternative-comedy-scene-is-actually-pretty-small-i-guess/) [Casey Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-wilson/) > [I was a very good student. Procrastinating gives me anxiety, and getting a B really ticked me off. Sure, I didn't always want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-loren/i-was-a-very-good-student-procrastinating-gives-me-anxiety-and/) [Josie Loren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-loren/) > [The shelves of many evangelicals are full of books that point out the flaws in evolution, discuss it only as a theory, and almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-collins/the-shelves-of-many-evangelicals-are-full-of-books-that-point-out-the/) [Francis Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-collins/) > [Somebody said that part of my reaction to British cinema is actually, paradoxically, a patriotic one. I'm so disappointed that we're not better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-brownlow/somebody-said-that-part-of-my-reaction-to-british-cinema-is-actually/) [Kevin Brownlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-brownlow/) > [I actually do sing sometimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morten-harket/i-actually-do-sing-sometimes/) [Morten Harket](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morten-harket/) > [I've actually got quite a good memory. I've good recall. It's often things which other people might not notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-frame/i-ve-actually-got-quite-a-good-memory-i-ve-good-recall-it-s-often/) [Ronald Frame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-frame/) > [Because there is actually something very interesting in Goodfellas, how the style of the film changes as time goes by and based on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-cox/because-there-is-actually-something-very-interesting-in-goodfellas/) [Alex Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-cox/) > ['Inequality' has become the political theme/slogan of our time in both Europe and the U.S., yet political leaders do not even bother to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-singer/inequality-has-become-the-political-theme-slogan-of-our-time-in-both/) [Paul Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-singer/) Browse all 4,248 Actually quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Sometimes it takes a wake-up call, doesn't it, to alert us to the fact that we're hurrying through our lives instead of actually living them; that we're living the fast life instead of the good life. 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