--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is brief and to have to spend every…" description: "\"Life is brief and to have to spend every day of it doing what somebody else wants you to do is not the way to live it.\" — Cormac McCarthy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-day_life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every_1027755.jpg" --- # Life is brief and to have to spend every day of it doing… ![“Life is brief and to have to spend every day of it doing what somebody else wants you to do is not the way to live it.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-day_life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every_1027755.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-day_life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every_1027755.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-day_life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every_1027755.jpg) > “Life is brief and to have to spend every day of it doing what somebody else wants you to do is not the way to live it.” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living for others' expectations wastes life; pursue your own purpose. **In simple terms:** Follow your own path. Key Takeaway Identify personal goals and act on them. Themes self‑determination freedom meaning Mood reflective motivational Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - creative projects - relationship choices - health decisions Key Concepts Existentialism individualism Questions to Reflect On - What does living authentically mean to you? - How do you balance personal desires with responsibilities? A Different Perspective External pressures can be motivating for some. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“The best way to live is to spend each day doing God's will, like what Christ showed us an example.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stu/the-best-way-to-live-is-to-spend-each-day-doing-god-s-will-like-what/) Stu > [I'm happy when I can spend every day doing the things that I like to do. That's my luxury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-buffett/i-m-happy-when-i-can-spend-every-day-doing-the-things-that-i-like-to/) [Warren Buffett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-buffett/) > [I don't wanna go on vacation. There's nothing about it that appeals to me. People look forward to doing that; I look forward to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-simmons/i-don-t-wanna-go-on-vacation-there-s-nothing-about-it-that-appeals-to/) [Gene Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-simmons/) > [The best way to prepare for death is to spend every day of life as though it were the last.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-neri/the-best-way-to-prepare-for-death-is-to-spend-every-day-of-life-as/) [Philip Neri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-neri/) > [“This life is but a brief tenure, one of many perspectives a spirit must experience in the quest for eternity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-rathbone/this-life-is-but-a-brief-tenure-one-of-many-perspectives-a-spirit/) [Brian Rathbone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-rathbone/) > [... life itself is brief, and that is what charges the day with such ridiculous beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garrison-keillor/life-itself-is-brief-and-that-is-what-charges-the-day-with-such/) [Garrison Keillor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garrison-keillor/) > [Life is too brief and too rich to tiptoe through half-heartedly, rather than galloping at it with whooping excitement and ambition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-humphreys/life-is-too-brief-and-too-rich-to-tiptoe-through-half-heartedly/) [Alastair Humphreys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-humphreys/) > [Life is brief but love is LONG .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/life-is-brief-but-love-is-long/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [And we wept that one so lovely should have a life so brief;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-we-wept-that-one-so-lovely-should-have-a-life-so-brief/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We don't get a chance to do that many things, and every one should be really excellent. 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For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. 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On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More Every day quotes > [“Don’t allow anyone to pressure you into taking a job in a field that doesn’t feel right in your gut. You are the one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-james/don-t-allow-anyone-to-pressure-you-into-taking-a-job-in-a-field-that/) Alison James > [OBSESSED, p.p. Vexed by an evil spirit, like the Gadarene swine and other critics. Obsession was once more common than it is now. Arasthus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/obsessed-p-p-vexed-by-an-evil-spirit-like-the-gadarene-swine-and/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) > [I loved the game so much that even though our playing field was muddy and we had many trees on it, I used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roberto-clemente/i-loved-the-game-so-much-that-even-though-our-playing-field-was-muddy/) [Roberto Clemente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roberto-clemente/) > [On stage, you can bring all those strong emotions that you don't have the opportunity to live. You don't want to die for love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvie-guillem/on-stage-you-can-bring-all-those-strong-emotions-that-you-don-t-have/) [Sylvie Guillem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvie-guillem/) > [A real Christian in an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-real-christian-in-an-odd-number-anyway-he-feels-supreme-love-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think naturally I've been kind of a lead-by-doing guy. Just showing up to work every day. You never ask teammates something you wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terrell-suggs/i-think-naturally-i-ve-been-kind-of-a-lead-by-doing-guy-just-showing/) [Terrell Suggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terrell-suggs/) > [Love is the Key started in 1994 with a simple idea: that Love is the Key that would open all the doors in life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/love-is-the-key/love-is-the-key-started-in-1994-with-a-simple-idea-that-love-is-the/) [Love Is The Key®](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/love-is-the-key/) > [Being under-recruited coming out of Highland, I've carried that with me. I keep pushing forward, keep working hard every day, keep my head on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-daniels/being-under-recruited-coming-out-of-highland-i-ve-carried-that-with/) [Mike Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-daniels/) > [“(one would say yes, if not every day, at least fairly regularly), whether only for yourself or also for others (often only for yourself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italo-calvino/one-would-say-yes-if-not-every-day-at-least-fairly-regularly-whether/) [Italo Calvino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italo-calvino/) > [“Are you sure?" he asked in a low voice. "Because if I had the chance... I would spend every moment of every day with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandra-monir/are-you-sure-he-asked-in-a-low-voice-because-if-i-had-the-chance-i/) [Alexandra Monir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandra-monir/) > [I don't think I've ever bench-pressed anything in my life. Until about two years ago I swam a mile almost every day. Then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-antosca/i-don-t-think-i-ve-ever-bench-pressed-anything-in-my-life-until-about/) [Nick Antosca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-antosca/) > [I have to justify my job every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-silva/i-have-to-justify-my-job-every-day/) [Marco Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-silva/) > [Merlin' was awesome, but the costumes would drive you insane. Every day, you'd get into chain mail and wear 30 pounds of that stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-macken/merlin-was-awesome-but-the-costumes-would-drive-you-insane-every-day/) [Eoin Macken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-macken/) > [This cold weather has set all the young Folks to providing Bedfellows. 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Sometimes I don't accomplish anything every day, but if I don't work every day, I get depressed and get afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/i-work-every-day-sometimes-i-don-t-accomplish-anything-every-day-but/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) Browse all 16,614 Every day quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life is brief and to have to spend every day of it doing what somebody else wants you to do is not the way to live it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cormac McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every-day-of-it-doing-what/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Every day" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every-day-of-it-doing-what/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-day_life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every_1027755.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-day_life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every_1027755.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3af/cormac-mccarthy-181_every-day_life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every_1027755.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life is brief and to have to spend every day of it doing what somebody else wants you to do is not the way…” — Cormac McCarthy", "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": "Cormac McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life is brief and to have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every-day-of-it-doing-what/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/life-is-brief-and-to-have-to-spend-every-day-of-it-doing-what/#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 } } ] } ```