--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Here is the key to existence. Are you…" description: "\"Here is the key to existence. Are you listening? Here is the key to existence; when I tell you this you will know how to run your lives. You will know ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/christopher-durang-22423_affair_here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-lis_183847.jpg" --- # Here is the key to existence. Are you listening? Here is… ![“Here is the key to existence. Are you listening? Here is the key to existence; when I tell you this you will know how to run your lives. You will know if you have been living life to the full, and if you realize you haven't been, you will know immediately how to correct that state of affairs. As…” quote by Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/christopher-durang-22423_affair_here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-lis_183847.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/christopher-durang-22423_affair_here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-lis_183847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/christopher-durang-22423_affair_here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-lis_183847.jpg) > “Here is the key to existence. Are you listening? Here is the key to existence; when I tell you this you will know how to run your lives. You will know if you have been living life to the full, and if you realize you haven't been, you will know immediately how to correct that state of affairs. As soon as I tell you the key to existence. Are you ready? Are you ready for me to tell you?... Always breathe. That's the basis of life, breathing. That's basically the basis. If you don't breathe, you die.” [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The passage emphasizes that conscious breathing is fundamental to life and suggests that awareness of this simple fact can guide one to live fully and correct misaligned living. **In simple terms:** Breathing is essential; being aware of it can help you live a fuller life. Key Takeaway Use mindful breathing as a grounding tool to assess and improve your life. Themes well‑being mindfulness self‑awareness Mood calm inspirational Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - stress management - daily routine - health coaching Key Concepts physiology psychology personal development Questions to Reflect On - How does conscious breathing affect your decision making? - What other simple practices can help you realign your life? A Different Perspective Focusing solely on breathing may oversimplify complex life challenges. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Breathing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breathing/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Live life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-life/) [Living life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-life/) [Living life to the full](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-life-to-the-full/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) ## Related quotes > [I am not a logician. I am an existentialist. I believe in this meaningless, beautiful chaos of existence, and I am ready to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/i-am-not-a-logician-i-am-an-existentialist-i-believe-in-this/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“In all of your living, don't forget to live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-maye/in-all-of-your-living-don-t-forget-to-live/) [Ricky Maye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-maye/) > [“To move forward clinging to the past is like dragging a ball and chain. The prisoner is not the one who has committed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/to-move-forward-clinging-to-the-past-is-like-dragging-a-ball-and/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [We are all guilty of crime the great crime of not living life to the full. But we are all potentially free. We can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/we-are-all-guilty-of-crime-the-great-crime-of-not-living-life-to-the/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [How can you prove that you love a me when all you do is to hide from my existence? How can you tell the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myself/how-can-you-prove-that-you-love-a-me-when-all-you-do-is-to-hide-from/) Myself > [By telling you anything at all I'm at least believing in you, believe you're there, I believe you into being. Because I'm telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/by-telling-you-anything-at-all-i-m-at-least-believing-in-you-believe/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“I keep on going with this sad and hungry and sordid, this limping and mutilated story, because after all I want you to hear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-keep-on-going-with-this-sad-and-hungry-and-sordid-this-limping-and/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“By telling you anything at all I’m at least believing in you, I believe you’re there, I believe you into being. Because I’m telling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/by-telling-you-anything-at-all-i-m-at-least-believing-in-you-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“But I keep on going with this sad and hungry and sordid, this limping and mutilated story, because after all I want you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/but-i-keep-on-going-with-this-sad-and-hungry-and-sordid-this-limping/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Children of the light, live in the light.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/children-of-the-light-live-in-the-light/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [We’re not always going to be here. Live life to the full, with purpose & passion, pursuing your dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/we-re-not-always-going-to-be-here-live-life-to-the-full-with-purpose/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [I'm not a model, I'm an artist. In one of my videos, I'm doing this shot of me with no make-up on where I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessie-j/i-m-not-a-model-i-m-an-artist-in-one-of-my-videos-i-m-doing-this-shot/) [Jessie J](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessie-j/) > [“Creativity is not just thinking outside the box but living outside it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-shamas/creativity-is-not-just-thinking-outside-the-box-but-living-outside-it/) Victor Shamas > [“Each day is a gift To embrace and welcome”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hackel/each-day-is-a-gift-to-embrace-and-welcome/) [Karen Hackel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hackel/) > [All I have learned in life really just boils down to this: there is only one difference between the so-called wise and the so-called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/all-i-have-learned-in-life-really-just-boils-down-to-this-there-is/) [Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/) ## More by Christopher Durang > [It was before Vatican II and the liberalization of church doctrine. You weren't meant to eat meat on Friday in deference to Christ, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/it-was-before-vatican-ii-and-the-liberalization-of-church-doctrine/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [In my 20s, I was more cynical/despairing (even though I still wrote comically), but I often sent audiences home with rather dark last moments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/in-my-20s-i-was-more-cynical-despairing-even-though-i-still-wrote/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [The first several scenes are about sexual addiction. They're not specifically political at all. . . . I didn't sit down and think, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/the-first-several-scenes-are-about-sexual-addiction-they-re-not/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [Then in college I became obsessed with film, and wanted to be part of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/then-in-college-i-became-obsessed-with-film-and-wanted-to-be-part-of/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [“No, I was just thinking about Chernobyl. That's like a scream from the universe warning us, but we're not paying any attention.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/no-i-was-just-thinking-about-chernobyl-that-s-like-a-scream-from-the/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [Unless you go through all the genuine angers you feel, both justified and unjustified, the feelings of love that you have will not have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/unless-you-go-through-all-the-genuine-angers-you-feel-both-justified/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [I write intuitively, and with most of my plays, I don't know what is always going to happen. This means I can sometimes go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/i-write-intuitively-and-with-most-of-my-plays-i-don-t-know-what-is/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [Laughter can bring a new perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/laughter-can-bring-a-new-perspective/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [ “\[The Greeks\] went to the open-air theatre expecting the drama they saw to evoke terror and pity. Nowadays we have enough terror and pity… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/the-greeks-went-to-the-open-air-theatre-expecting-the-drama-they-saw/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [I never graduated to being an atheist. I only graduated to being an agnostic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/i-never-graduated-to-being-an-atheist-i-only-graduated-to-being-an/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [It is a sin to follow your horoscope because only God knows the future and He won't tell us. Also, we can tell horoscopes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/it-is-a-sin-to-follow-your-horoscope-because-only-god-knows-the/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [My parents didn't really know one another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/my-parents-didn-t-really-know-one-another/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [I didn't have a teacher like Sister Mary Ignatius.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/i-didn-t-have-a-teacher-like-sister-mary-ignatius/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [On the one hand, I'm grateful to be hired and thrilled to be paid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/on-the-one-hand-i-m-grateful-to-be-hired-and-thrilled-to-be-paid/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) > [My biggest problem with organized religion is that God has been imagined as a human being with emotions. I feel if you let go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/my-biggest-problem-with-organized-religion-is-that-god-has-been/) [Christopher Durang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) [Explore all 27 Christopher Durang quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/) ## More Affair quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) Michael Atherton > [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Here is the key to existence. Are you listening? Here is the key to existence; when I tell you this you will know how to run your lives. You will know if you have been living life to the full, and if you realize you haven't been, you will know immediately how to correct that state of affairs. As soon as I tell you the key to existence. Are you ready? Are you ready for me to tell you?... Always breathe. That's the basis of life, breathing. That's basically the basis. If you don't breathe, you die.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Christopher Durang" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-listening-here-is-the-key-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affair" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-listening-here-is-the-key-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/christopher-durang-22423_affair_here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-lis_183847.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/christopher-durang-22423_affair_here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-lis_183847.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/04e/christopher-durang-22423_affair_here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-lis_183847.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Here is the key to existence. Are you listening? Here is the key to existence; when I tell you this you will…” — Christopher Durang", "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": "Christopher Durang", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-durang/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Here is the key to existence....", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-listening-here-is-the-key-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-durang/here-is-the-key-to-existence-are-you-listening-here-is-the-key-to/#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 } } ] } ```