--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This world is all a fleeting show, For…" description: "\"This world is all a fleeting show, For man's illusion given The smiles of joy, the tears of woe, Deceitful shine, deceitful flow, Theres nothing true b..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/charles-lamb-1144_deceit_this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-ma_546063.jpg" --- # This world is all a fleeting show, For man's illusion… ![“This world is all a fleeting show, For man's illusion given The smiles of joy, the tears of woe, Deceitful shine, deceitful flow, Theres nothing true but Heaven.” quote by Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/charles-lamb-1144_deceit_this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-ma_546063.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/charles-lamb-1144_deceit_this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-ma_546063.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/charles-lamb-1144_deceit_this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-ma_546063.jpg) > “This world is all a fleeting show, For man's illusion given The smiles of joy, the tears of woe, Deceitful shine, deceitful flow, Theres nothing true but Heaven.” [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is fleeting, full of joy and sorrow, and only the divine remains constant amid deception. **In simple terms:** Life is brief and deceptive; only heaven is true. Key Takeaway Seek lasting spiritual truth beyond worldly illusion. Themes transience illusion spirituality truth Mood melancholic thoughtful Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - contemplating mortality - seeking meaning - spiritual practice - artistic expression Key Concepts philosophy poetry existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What gives life meaning despite its fleeting nature? - How do we discern truth from illusion? A Different Perspective The poem may overlook the value of human experiences. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deceit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceit/) [Deceitful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceitful/) [Fleeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleeting/) [Flow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow/) [Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/given/) [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Illusion Given](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion-given-4555469/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Man Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-illusion-2768978/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Shining](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shining/) [Shows](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shows/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) [This world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-world/) [True Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/true-heaven-1233647/) [Woe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/woe/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Fleeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-fleeting-367898/) ## Related quotes > [The whole world is fleeting. Life is fleeting. So grab a pen, save it for later.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-whole-world-is-fleeting-life-is-fleeting-so-grab-a-pen-save-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In the stream, Rushing past To the dusty world, My fleeting form Casts no reflection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dogen/in-the-stream-rushing-past-to-the-dusty-world-my-fleeting-form-casts/) [Dogen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dogen/) > [“Build a legacy that outlives the world’s fleeting moments; make your mark unforgettable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuel-apetsi/build-a-legacy-that-outlives-the-world-s-fleeting-moments-make-your/) [Emmanuel Apetsi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuel-apetsi/) > [The world is fleeting; all things pass away; Or is it we that pass and they that stay?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucian/the-world-is-fleeting-all-things-pass-away-or-is-it-we-that-pass-and/) [Lucian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucian/) > [The first man to see an illusion by which men have flourished for centuries surely stands in a lonely place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/the-first-man-to-see-an-illusion-by-which-men-have-flourished-for/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [No other human being, no woman, no poem or music, book or painting can replace alcohol in its power to give man the illusion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/no-other-human-being-no-woman-no-poem-or-music-book-or-painting-can/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [If the moon, in the act of completing its eternal way around the earth, were gifted with self-consciousness, it would feel thoroughly convinced that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/if-the-moon-in-the-act-of-completing-its-eternal-way-around-the-earth/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [So would a Being, endowed with higher insight and more perfect intelligence, watching man and his doings, smile about man's illusion that he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/so-would-a-being-endowed-with-higher-insight-and-more-perfect/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [“Man is under the illusion that thoughts are enclosed in his skull, but they are only reflected there.” Rudolf Steiner”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-booth/man-is-under-the-illusion-that-thoughts-are-enclosed-in-his-skull-but/) [Mark Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-booth/) > [“One man's reality is another man's illusion! That is life!!! You are not going to win all the time. Whatever makes you Happy, go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-okafor/one-man-s-reality-is-another-man-s-illusion-that-is-life-you-are-not/) [DAVID OKAFOR](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-okafor/) > [Thou saw'st the locked lovers when leaping from their flaming ship; heart to heart they sank beneath the exulting wave; true to each other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/thou-saw-st-the-locked-lovers-when-leaping-from-their-flaming-ship/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [And step by step, along the path of life, There's nothing true but Heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/and-step-by-step-along-the-path-of-life-there-s-nothing-true-but/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [Live for those who love me, For those who know me true, For the Heaven that smiles above me, And awaits my coming too;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/live-for-those-who-love-me-for-those-who-know-me-true-for-the-heaven/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is said that the Devil has all the best tunes. This is broadly true. But Heaven has the best choreographers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/it-is-said-that-the-devil-has-all-the-best-tunes-this-is-broadly-true/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [I live for those who love me, for those who know me true, for the heaven so blue above me, and the good that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-linnaeus-banks/i-live-for-those-who-love-me-for-those-who-know-me-true-for-the/) [George Linnaeus Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-linnaeus-banks/) ## More by Charles Lamb > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [In the indications of female poverty there can be no disguise. No woman dresses below herself from caprice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/in-the-indications-of-female-poverty-there-can-be-no-disguise-no/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [To sigh, yet feel no pain; To weep, yet scarce know why; To sport an hour with Beauty's chain, Then throw it idly by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/to-sigh-yet-feel-no-pain-to-weep-yet-scarce-know-why-to-sport-an-hour/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [“I love to lose myself in other men's minds. When I am not walking, I am reading.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/i-love-to-lose-myself-in-other-men-s-minds-when-i-am-not-walking-i-am/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [While childhood, and while dreams, producing childhood, shall be left, imagination shall not have spread her holy wings totally to fly the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/while-childhood-and-while-dreams-producing-childhood-shall-be-left/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [Man, while he loves, is never quite depraved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/man-while-he-loves-is-never-quite-depraved/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [Summer, as my friend Coleridge waggishly writes, has set in with its usual severity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/summer-as-my-friend-coleridge-waggishly-writes-has-set-in-with-its/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [Here cometh April again, and as far as I can see the world hath more fools in it than ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/here-cometh-april-again-and-as-far-as-i-can-see-the-world-hath-more/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [A presentation copy...is a copy of a book whoch does not sell, sent you by the author, with his foolish autograph at the beginning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/a-presentation-copy-is-a-copy-of-a-book-whoch-does-not-sell-sent-you/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I counsel thee, shut not thy heart, nor thy library.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/i-counsel-thee-shut-not-thy-heart-nor-thy-library/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [Nothing to me is more distasteful than that entire complacency and satisfaction which beam in the countenances of a new married couple; in that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/nothing-to-me-is-more-distasteful-than-that-entire-complacency-and/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [My theory is to enjoy life, but the practice is against it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/my-theory-is-to-enjoy-life-but-the-practice-is-against-it/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [All, all are gone, the old familiar faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/all-all-are-gone-the-old-familiar-faces/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [Those evening bells! those evening bells! How many a tale their music tells Of youth and home, and that sweet time When last I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/those-evening-bells-those-evening-bells-how-many-a-tale-their-music/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [Beholding heaven, and feeling hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/beholding-heaven-and-feeling-hell/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) [Explore all 283 Charles Lamb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) ## More Deceit quotes > [There is no deceit in death. It delivers precisely what it has promised. Betrayal, though ... betrayal is the willful slaughter of hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/km-ii/there-is-no-deceit-in-death-it-delivers-precisely-what-it-has/) [KM II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/km-ii/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [When one fib becomes due as it were, you must forge another to take up the old acceptance; and so the stock of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/when-one-fib-becomes-due-as-it-were-you-must-forge-another-to-take-up/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [“The fact that I can get away with something is the very reason why I shouldn’t do it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-fact-that-i-can-get-away-with-something-is-the-very-reason-why-i/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-may-the-outward-shows-be-least-themselves-the-world-is-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't let him, trick you into thinking he will always be there for you, because the minute a more prettier women walks into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-let-him-trick-you-into-thinking-he-will-always-be-there-for-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A false mind is false in everything, just as a cross eye always looks askant. But one may err once, nay, a hundred times,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-joubert/a-false-mind-is-false-in-everything-just-as-a-cross-eye-always-looks/) [Joseph Joubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-joubert/) > [Self-deceit is a sure defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/self-deceit-is-a-sure-defeat/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [Only fools argue whether to eat meat or not. They don't understand truth nor do they meditate on it. Who can define what is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/only-fools-argue-whether-to-eat-meat-or-not-they-don-t-understand/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [“You can be bit in the leg by a rattlesnake and seek help to heal your wound, or you can run after it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/you-can-be-bit-in-the-leg-by-a-rattlesnake-and-seek-help-to-heal-your/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [While the prosecution has said this is about the defendants lies, one worries that those lies already have been buried under too much discussion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-berg/while-the-prosecution-has-said-this-is-about-the-defendants-lies-one/) [David Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-berg/) > [It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/it-is-discouraging-how-many-people-are-shocked-by-honesty-and-how-few/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [“They have secret weapons that break the heart of innocents, elevate stress levels, shoot down to make it look guilt. They can burn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-karvouni/they-have-secret-weapons-that-break-the-heart-of-innocents-elevate/) [Maria Karvouni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-karvouni/) > [Our distrust of another justifies his deceit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/our-distrust-of-another-justifies-his-deceit/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [You used me when you needed a companion, I love you unconditionally. Now you think you are done while I can't get over you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usman-ismaheel/you-used-me-when-you-needed-a-companion-i-love-you-unconditionally/) [Usman Ismaheel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usman-ismaheel/) [Browse all 990 Deceit quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deceit/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "This world is all a fleeting show, For man's illusion given The smiles of joy, the tears of woe, Deceitful shine, deceitful flow, Theres nothing true but Heaven.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Lamb" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-man-s-illusion-given-the-smiles/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Deceit" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-man-s-illusion-given-the-smiles/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/charles-lamb-1144_deceit_this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-ma_546063.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/charles-lamb-1144_deceit_this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-ma_546063.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d8/charles-lamb-1144_deceit_this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-ma_546063.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“This world is all a fleeting show, For man's illusion given The smiles of joy, the tears of woe, Deceitful…” — Charles Lamb", "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": "Charles Lamb", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "This world is all a fleeting...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-man-s-illusion-given-the-smiles/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/this-world-is-all-a-fleeting-show-for-man-s-illusion-given-the-smiles/#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 } } ] } ```