--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A human being would certainly not grow to…" description: "\"A human being would certainly not grow to be seventy or eighty years old if this longevity had no meaning for the species. The afternoon of human life ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/carl-jung-274_human-life_a-human-being-would-certainly-not-grow-t_1050680.jpg" --- # A human being would certainly not grow to be seventy or… ![“A human being would certainly not grow to be seventy or eighty years old if this longevity had no meaning for the species. The afternoon of human life must also have a significance of its own and cannot be merely a pitiful appendage to life's morning.” quote by Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/carl-jung-274_human-life_a-human-being-would-certainly-not-grow-t_1050680.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/carl-jung-274_human-life_a-human-being-would-certainly-not-grow-t_1050680.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f95/carl-jung-274_human-life_a-human-being-would-certainly-not-grow-t_1050680.jpg) > “A human being would certainly not grow to be seventy or eighty years old if this longevity had no meaning for the species. The afternoon of human life must also have a significance of its own and cannot be merely a pitiful appendage to life's morning.” [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human lifespan must have purpose; aging without meaning is wasteful for the species. **In simple terms:** Life must have meaning at every stage. Key Takeaway Seek purpose in later years. Themes purpose aging meaning existence Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - retirement - health care - family caregiving Key Concepts existentialism psychology lifespan Questions to Reflect On - How can we find meaning in old age? - What societal roles support elder purpose? A Different Perspective Longevity alone doesn't guarantee fulfillment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Longevity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longevity/) [Morning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/morning/) ## Related quotes > [The afternoon of a human life must have a significance of its own, and cannot be merely a pitiful appendage to life's morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-afternoon-of-a-human-life-must-have-a-significance-of-its-own-and/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [You can not have significance in this life if it is all about you. You get your significance, you find your joy in life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tudor-jones/you-can-not-have-significance-in-this-life-if-it-is-all-about-you-you/) [Paul Tudor Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tudor-jones/) > [My life is full of meaning to me. The life around me must be full of significance to itself. If I am to expect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/my-life-is-full-of-meaning-to-me-the-life-around-me-must-be-full-of/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [When we talk about having a life of significance and meaning, it's not about fame or money or resources. It's about people and lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-tebow/when-we-talk-about-having-a-life-of-significance-and-meaning-it-s-not/) [Tim Tebow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-tebow/) > [Just like plants people also withering, dying. Make life significance before it is too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/just-like-plants-people-also-withering-dying-make-life-significance/) [Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/) > [“Without time, you have only the bottomless, shapeless mire of eternity…Time is what gives life significance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/without-time-you-have-only-the-bottomless-shapeless-mire-of-eternity/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [People talk about 'lives of significance'-as if there's an alternative. If you're not leading a life of significance, you're not living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-williams/people-talk-about-lives-of-significance-as-if-there-s-an-alternative/) [Andrew Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-williams/) > [Dwelling-place and food are useful for life but give it no significance: the immediate goals of the housekeeper are only means, not true ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/dwelling-place-and-food-are-useful-for-life-but-give-it-no/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [“If you have committed all things to impacting a life at a time, or impacting a community or society, then welcome to a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/if-you-have-committed-all-things-to-impacting-a-life-at-a-time-or/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“Whatever success you are having will never completely fulfill you. A life of significance — of really mattering — is yours for the taking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-p-buford/whatever-success-you-are-having-will-never-completely-fulfill-you-a/) [Bob P. Buford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-p-buford/) > [The view of life as a struggle for power generates a language in which life has no significance and only power matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-french/the-view-of-life-as-a-struggle-for-power-generates-a-language-in/) [Marilyn French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-french/) > [“The greatest people in history were those who lived a life of significance and service. You can join them if you’re willing to serve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mensah-oteh/the-greatest-people-in-history-were-those-who-lived-a-life-of/) [Mensah Oteh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mensah-oteh/) > [“It is a good thing to live long but it is much more important to make a difference in life by living a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/it-is-a-good-thing-to-live-long-but-it-is-much-more-important-to-make/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [“We each carry with us unique gifts, recognized and unrecognized. We long to harness those gifts in a way that gives life significance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hayes/we-each-carry-with-us-unique-gifts-recognized-and-unrecognized-we/) [Tom Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hayes/) > [Life can have significance even if it appears to be a series of failures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-cornell/life-can-have-significance-even-if-it-appears-to-be-a-series-of/) [Joseph Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-cornell/) ## More by Carl Jung > [No man can change himself into anything from sheer reason; he can only change into what he potentially is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/no-man-can-change-himself-into-anything-from-sheer-reason-he-can-only/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Whenever we touch nature we get clean. People who have got dirty through too much civilization take a walk in the woods, or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/whenever-we-touch-nature-we-get-clean-people-who-have-got-dirty/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [ The self is defined psychologically as the psychic totality of the individual. Anything that a \[person\] postulates as being a greater totality than \[oneself\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/the-self-is-defined-psychologically-as-the-psychic-totality-of-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Metaphysical assertions, however, are statements of the psyche, and are therefore psychological. Whenever the Westerner hears the word “psychological,” it always sounds to him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/metaphysical-assertions-however-are-statements-of-the-psyche-and-are/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [To be normal is the ultimate aim of the unsuccessful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/to-be-normal-is-the-ultimate-aim-of-the-unsuccessful/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Like the sea itself, the unconscious yields an endless and self-replenishing abundance of creatures, a wealth beyond our fathoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/like-the-sea-itself-the-unconscious-yields-an-endless-and-self/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Astrology is knocking at the gates of our universities: A Tübingen professor has switched over to astrology and a course on astrology was given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/astrology-is-knocking-at-the-gates-of-our-universities-a-t-bingen/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Synchronicity reveals the meaningful connections between the subjective and objective world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/synchronicity-reveals-the-meaningful-connections-between-the/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Instinct is like Nature herself - prodigiously conservative, and yet transcending her own historical conditions in her acts of creation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/instinct-is-like-nature-herself-prodigiously-conservative-and-yet/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Paul hardly ever allows the real Jesus of Nazareth to get a word in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/paul-hardly-ever-allows-the-real-jesus-of-nazareth-to-get-a-word-in/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [“He would have lived countless times over the life of the individual, of the family, tribe and people, and he would possess the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/he-would-have-lived-countless-times-over-the-life-of-the-individual/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [People learn from who we are, rather than what we say, and to believe otherwise is a disease of the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/people-learn-from-who-we-are-rather-than-what-we-say-and-to-believe/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Neurosis is an inner cleavage-the state of being at war with oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/neurosis-is-an-inner-cleavage-the-state-of-being-at-war-with-oneself/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [It is sad but unfortunately true that man learns nothing from history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/it-is-sad-but-unfortunately-true-that-man-learns-nothing-from-history/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [Life is a luminous pause between two mysteries that are yet one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/life-is-a-luminous-pause-between-two-mysteries-that-are-yet-one/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) [Explore all 775 Carl Jung quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) ## More Human life quotes > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“Conception is the beginning of human life. From the time that an ovum is fertilized a new life begins that is neither that of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/declaration-on-procured-abortion-congregation-for-the-doctrine-of-the-faith-1974/conception-is-the-beginning-of-human-life-from-the-time-that-an-ovum/) Declaration on Procured Abortion Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith 1974 > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Art is not a pleasure, a solace, or an amusement; art is great matter. Art is an organ of human life, transmitting man's reasonable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/art-is-not-a-pleasure-a-solace-or-an-amusement-art-is-great-matter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I free slaves because I believe we are all created equal. I just can't think of anything that has a higher purpose than putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-williams/i-free-slaves-because-i-believe-we-are-all-created-equal-i-just-can-t/) [Virginia Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-williams/) > [Human life consists of doing certain things ... to take part in the life of the community; to be able to talk about subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/human-life-consists-of-doing-certain-things-to-take-part-in-the-life/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [There seems to be a kind of order in the universe…in the movement of the stars and the turning of the Earth and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/there-seems-to-be-a-kind-of-order-in-the-universe-in-the-movement-of/) [Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/) > [I think we are not spend our life as it pick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ankit-narwal/i-think-we-are-not-spend-our-life-as-it-pick/) ANKIT NARWAL > [“Whenever I think about ancient cultures nostalgia seizes me. Perhaps this is nothing but envy of the sweet slowness of the history of that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/whenever-i-think-about-ancient-cultures-nostalgia-seizes-me-perhaps/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [To all conservative women out there: If you are so sure the embryo needed for stem cell research are precious human life that can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-maher/to-all-conservative-women-out-there-if-you-are-so-sure-the-embryo/) [Bill Maher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-maher/) > [Anyone who thinks science is trying to make human life easier or more pleasant is utterly mistaken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anyone-who-thinks-science-is-trying-to-make-human-life-easier-or-more/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Human life is created in God's image, and that makes it sacred.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-s-smith/human-life-is-created-in-god-s-image-and-that-makes-it-sacred/) [Colin S. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-s-smith/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [In these years we are witnessing the gigantic spectacle of innumerable human lives wandering about lost in their own labyrinths, through not having anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/in-these-years-we-are-witnessing-the-gigantic-spectacle-of/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) [Browse all 2,309 Human life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A human being would certainly not grow to be seventy or eighty years old if this longevity had no meaning for the species. 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