--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whatever happened in the world was a…" description: "\"“Whatever happened in the world was a decree from God. A task to be completed. Any crying or joy just got in the way of being useful. Any emotion was d..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/chuck-palahniuk-37_anticipation_whatever-happened-in-the-world-was-a-dec_322084.jpg" --- # Whatever happened in the world was a decree from God. A… ![“Whatever happened in the world was a decree from God. A task to be completed. Any crying or joy just got in the way of being useful. Any emotion was decadent. Anticipation or regret was a silly extra. A luxury.” quote by Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/chuck-palahniuk-37_anticipation_whatever-happened-in-the-world-was-a-dec_322084.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/chuck-palahniuk-37_anticipation_whatever-happened-in-the-world-was-a-dec_322084.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4e/chuck-palahniuk-37_anticipation_whatever-happened-in-the-world-was-a-dec_322084.jpg) > ““Whatever happened in the world was a decree from God. A task to be completed. Any crying or joy just got in the way of being useful. Any emotion was decadent. Anticipation or regret was a silly extra. A luxury.”” [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Emotions are distractions; usefulness and action are paramount. **In simple terms:** Emotions hinder usefulness. Key Takeaway Prioritize purpose over feeling. Themes purpose detachment utilitarianism spirituality Mood critical thoughtful Type philosophical social commentary When to use this quote - workplace productivity - creative projects - personal discipline - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism stoicism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you balance emotion and utility? - What role do feelings play in decision making? A Different Perspective Suppressing emotions can lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) ## Related quotes > [It is not an arbitrary "decree of God," but in the nature of man, that a veil shuts down on the facts of to-morrow;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/it-is-not-an-arbitrary-decree-of-god-but-in-the-nature-of-man-that-a/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [By predestination we mean the eternal decree of God, by which He determined with Himself whatever He wished to happen with regard to every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/by-predestination-we-mean-the-eternal-decree-of-god-by-which-he/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Man can, indeed, act contrarily to the decrees of God, as far as they have been written like laws in the minds of ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/man-can-indeed-act-contrarily-to-the-decrees-of-god-as-far-as-they/) [Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/) > [In the exercise of God's efficiency, the decree of God comes first. This manner of working is the most perfect of all and notably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ames/in-the-exercise-of-god-s-efficiency-the-decree-of-god-comes-first/) [William Ames](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ames/) > [ \[Necessity is\] the sum of all things, which being now existent, conduce and concur to the production of that action hereafter, whereof if any… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/necessity-is-the-sum-of-all-things-which-being-now-existent-conduce/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) > [Every child is a thought in the mind of God, and our task is to recognize this thought and help it toward completion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-arnold/every-child-is-a-thought-in-the-mind-of-god-and-our-task-is-to/) [Eberhard Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-arnold/) > [As soon as we abandon ourselves to God and do the task He has placed closest to us, He begins to fill our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/as-soon-as-we-abandon-ourselves-to-god-and-do-the-task-he-has-placed/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [We cannot know the whole truth, which belongs to God alone, but our task nevertheless is to seek to know what is true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/we-cannot-know-the-whole-truth-which-belongs-to-god-alone-but-our-2/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [“Remember that, as George Whitefield said, man is immortal till his work is done (though God alone defines the work), and get on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/remember-that-as-george-whitefield-said-man-is-immortal-till-his-work/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This election to glory is not some general decree of God about saving the faithful and the godly, who shall persevere in their faith…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-witsius/this-election-to-glory-is-not-some-general-decree-of-god-about-saving/) [Herman Witsius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-witsius/) > [“For if any decree of God could be changed, it would be, because God either would not or could not effect the thing decreed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-witsius/for-if-any-decree-of-god-could-be-changed-it-would-be-because-god/) [Herman Witsius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-witsius/) > [“we have authority in the earth to decree God's judgments (Gen. 1:28; Ps. 115:15-16). Adam and Eve may have fallen into sin, but we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-trimm/we-have-authority-in-the-earth-to-decree-god-s-judgments-gen-1-28-ps/) [Cindy Trimm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-trimm/) > [“The logic of the Bible says: Act according to God's "will of command," not according to his "will of decree." God's "will of decree"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/the-logic-of-the-bible-says-act-according-to-god-s-will-of-command/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) > [When the human organism is discharging its negative experience efficiently, the mind is empty of past or future concerns; there is no worry, anticipation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/when-the-human-organism-is-discharging-its-negative-experience/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Kings or parliaments could not give the rights essential to happiness... We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/kings-or-parliaments-could-not-give-the-rights-essential-to-happiness/) [John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/) ## More by Chuck Palahniuk > [Because after you've crossed some lines, you just keep crossing them. And there's no escaping from constant escape. Distracting ourselves. Avoiding confrontation. Getting past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/because-after-you-ve-crossed-some-lines-you-just-keep-crossing-them/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [According to Plato, we don't learn anything. Our soul has lived so many lives that we know everything. Teachers and education can only remind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/according-to-plato-we-don-t-learn-anything-our-soul-has-lived-so-many/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [His saliva tasted like the wet dicks of ten thousand lonely truck drivers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/his-saliva-tasted-like-the-wet-dicks-of-ten-thousand-lonely-truck/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“shoulder. They weigh that much. Tyler’s a banquet waiter,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/shoulder-they-weigh-that-much-tyler-s-a-banquet-waiter/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [We'll never be as young as we are tonight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-ll-never-be-as-young-as-we-are-tonight/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“We drive west the rest of the night, away from where the sun will come up, trying to outrace it, trying not to see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/we-drive-west-the-rest-of-the-night-away-from-where-the-sun-will-come/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Just for the record, how I feel right now is very terrific.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/just-for-the-record-how-i-feel-right-now-is-very-terrific/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Nobody's told me anything to date that I've been completely reviled by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/nobody-s-told-me-anything-to-date-that-i-ve-been-completely-reviled-by/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/then-you-re-trapped-in-your-lovely-nest-and-the-things-you-used-to/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Some stories, you use up. Others use you up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/some-stories-you-use-up-others-use-you-up/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Verbs allow you to communicate a story in a much more converged or involuntary way for a reader. The verbs allow you to come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/verbs-allow-you-to-communicate-a-story-in-a-much-more-converged-or/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Waiters will always pee in soup, people will always fall in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/waiters-will-always-pee-in-soup-people-will-always-fall-in-love/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Branch Bacardi, star of The Da Vinci Load, To Drill a Mockingbird, The Postman Always Cums Twice, Chitty Chitty Gang Bang, The Twilight Bone,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/branch-bacardi-star-of-the-da-vinci-load-to-drill-a-mockingbird-the/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Every unkind remark or crude gesture by others is a blessing, an opportunity to exercise our own capacity to forgive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/every-unkind-remark-or-crude-gesture-by-others-is-a-blessing-an/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“Nuestro deber es enseñar a esos hombres y mujeres la libertad a través de la esclavitud; y el coraje a través del miedo.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/nuestro-deber-es-ense-ar-a-esos-hombres-y-mujeres-la-libertad-a-trav/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) [Explore all 2,041 Chuck Palahniuk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) ## More Anticipation quotes > [There is something to be said though when you have 4 or 5 guys playing with no net, there is a sense of urgency,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-mendoza/there-is-something-to-be-said-though-when-you-have-4-or-5-guys/) [Marco Mendoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-mendoza/) > [Long intros are cool because there's a little bit of anticipation, you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miranda-lambert/long-intros-are-cool-because-there-s-a-little-bit-of-anticipation-you/) [Miranda Lambert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miranda-lambert/) > [Playing shortstop is 75 to 80 percent anticipation, knowing the hitter and the pitch being thrown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-boudreau/playing-shortstop-is-75-to-80-percent-anticipation-knowing-the-hitter/) [Lou Boudreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-boudreau/) > [Marriages are always moving from one season to another. Sometimes we find ourselves in winter--discouraged, detached, and dissatisfied; other times we experience springtime, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/marriages-are-always-moving-from-one-season-to-another-sometimes-we/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [“O I'm so afraid that it's true about to travel hopefully being better than to arrive. It might be all in the quest, all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brigid-brophy/o-i-m-so-afraid-that-it-s-true-about-to-travel-hopefully-being-better/) [Brigid Brophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brigid-brophy/) > [“If you come at four in the afternoon, I'll begin to be happy by three.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/if-you-come-at-four-in-the-afternoon-i-ll-begin-to-be-happy-by-three/) [Antoine de Saint-Exupéry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-de-saint-exup-ry/) > [Science is not a system of certain, or -established, statements; nor is it a system which steadily advances towards a state of finality... And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-popper/science-is-not-a-system-of-certain-or-established-statements-nor-is/) [Karl Popper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-popper/) > [\[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelig-pliskin/it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and-what-isn-t-and-therefore/) [Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelig-pliskin/) > [The so called unconscious inferences can be traced back to the all-preserving memory, which presents us with parallel experiences and hence already knows the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/the-so-called-unconscious-inferences-can-be-traced-back-to-the-all/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [ The only thing is that ordinarily when I do dance with \[women\] they think I am suddenly going to throw them over a table… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/the-only-thing-is-that-ordinarily-when-i-do-dance-with-women-they/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [Many live in dread of what is coming. Why should we? The unknown puts adventure into life. ... The unexpected around the corner gives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/many-live-in-dread-of-what-is-coming-why-should-we-the-unknown-puts/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [The pilot who is always dreading a rock or a tempest must not complain if he remain a poor fisherman. We must at times…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/the-pilot-who-is-always-dreading-a-rock-or-a-tempest-must-not/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [I am honoured to be asked to take on this role, especially as it comes at such an integral time for our relationship with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-boateng/i-am-honoured-to-be-asked-to-take-on-this-role-especially-as-it-comes/) Paul Boateng > [“I can handle Evil, but I cannot handle Anticipation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabbo-de-la-parra/i-can-handle-evil-but-i-cannot-handle-anticipation/) [Gabbo De La Parra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabbo-de-la-parra/) > [Hope is itself a species of happiness...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/hope-is-itself-a-species-of-happiness/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) Browse all 758 Anticipation quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Whatever happened in the world was a decree from God. 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