--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is tough, and it's really tough when…" description: "\"Life is tough, and it's really tough when you're stupid.\" — Damon Runyon" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/damon-runyon-23150_life_life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when_705172.jpg" --- # Life is tough, and it's really tough when you're stupid. ![“Life is tough, and it's really tough when you're stupid.” quote by Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/damon-runyon-23150_life_life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when_705172.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/damon-runyon-23150_life_life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when_705172.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/damon-runyon-23150_life_life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when_705172.jpg) > “Life is tough, and it's really tough when you're stupid.” [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) ## 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 hard, and it becomes even harder when one lacks intelligence. **In simple terms:** Life is hard, especially when stupid. Key Takeaway Seek knowledge to ease life’s challenges. Themes hardship intelligence self‑awareness Mood cynical wry Type advice humorous When to use this quote - career setbacks - financial difficulties - relationship problems Key Concepts education personal development Questions to Reflect On - How can you improve decision‑making despite limitations? - What resources help compensate for lack of knowledge? A Different Perspective Intelligence isn’t the only factor in difficulty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life is tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-tough/) [Life Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-tough-230906/) [Really Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-tough-232332/) [Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stupid/) [Tough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough/) [Tough Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough-really-1269017/) [Tough Stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tough-stupid-1358082/) [You re stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you-re-stupid/) ## Related quotes > [Life is tough, but if you are stupid, it's a lot tougher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/life-is-tough-but-if-you-are-stupid-it-s-a-lot-tougher/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [Life is tough,but it's together when you're stupid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/el-jush/life-is-tough-but-it-s-together-when-you-re-stupid/) [El Jush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/el-jush/) > [Life is tough pilgrim, it is even tougher if you're stupid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wayne/life-is-tough-pilgrim-it-is-even-tougher-if-you-re-stupid/) [John Wayne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wayne/) > [Being an entrepreneur is tough. Really, really tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-rose/being-an-entrepreneur-is-tough-really-really-tough/) [David S. Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-rose/) > [“Life is tough, then you die. The sooner you accept that and move on with your life, the better off you'll be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-murphy/life-is-tough-then-you-die-the-sooner-you-accept-that-and-move-on/) [Michael Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-murphy/) > [Life is tough cause people make it tough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teady/life-is-tough-cause-people-make-it-tough/) [$Teady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teady/) > [Life is tough, but so are you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-tough-but-so-are-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A lot of people say, 'Well, I like a challenge. 'I don't like challenges. Life is tough enough without any challenges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jackie-gleason/a-lot-of-people-say-well-i-like-a-challenge-i-don-t-like-challenges/) [Jackie Gleason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jackie-gleason/) > [Life is tough in Mumbai when you are alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kartik-aaryan/life-is-tough-in-mumbai-when-you-are-alone/) [Kartik Aaryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kartik-aaryan/) > [Life is tough, then you die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/life-is-tough-then-you-die/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Whoever said that life is tough at the top was right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whoever-said-that-life-is-tough-at-the-top-was-right/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Over the years I've learned that life is tough, but I'm TOUGHER.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-sayward/over-the-years-i-ve-learned-that-life-is-tough-but-i-m-tougher/) [Zoe Sayward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-sayward/) > [“LIFE IS TOUGH WHEN YOU ARE ALWAYS TALKING TO PEOPLE SMARTER THAN YOU...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chetan-bhagat/life-is-tough-when-you-are-always-talking-to-people-smarter-than-you/) [Chetan Bhagat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chetan-bhagat/) > [Life is tough, and if we don't laugh, we're going to - our head will explode.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-ross/life-is-tough-and-if-we-don-t-laugh-we-re-going-to-our-head-will/) [Jeff Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-ross/) > [Life is tough enough without having someone kick you from the inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rita-rudner/life-is-tough-enough-without-having-someone-kick-you-from-the-inside/) [Rita Rudner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rita-rudner/) ## More by Damon Runyon > [Growing up in that fashion is a breeding ground for insecurity and doubt; it also leaves you questioning motives. It took me a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/growing-up-in-that-fashion-is-a-breeding-ground-for-insecurity-and/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [“New York is the place where everyone will stop a championship fight to look at an usher giving a drunk the bum's rush.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/new-york-is-the-place-where-everyone-will-stop-a-championship-fight/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [I came to the conclusion long ago that all life is six to five against.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/i-came-to-the-conclusion-long-ago-that-all-life-is-six-to-five-against/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [I'm inspired by love, by the moments that we commit to something with all our heart - be it a person, a project, an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/i-m-inspired-by-love-by-the-moments-that-we-commit-to-something-with/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [You can become a winner only if you are willing to walk over the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/you-can-become-a-winner-only-if-you-are-willing-to-walk-over-the-edge/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [“A person who asks questions can get a reputation such as a person who wishes to find things out.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/a-person-who-asks-questions-can-get-a-reputation-such-as-a-person-who/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [“The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, but that's how the smart money bets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/the-race-is-not-always-to-the-swift-nor-the-battle-to-the-strong-but/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [A free-loader is a confirmed guest. He is the man who is always willing to come to dinner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/a-free-loader-is-a-confirmed-guest-he-is-the-man-who-is-always-2/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [ He \[Will Rogers\] was America's most complete human document. One-third humor. One-third humanitarian. One-third heart. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/he-will-rogers-was-america-s-most-complete-human-document-one-third/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [She has a laugh so hearty it knocks the whipped cream off an order of strawberry shortcake on a table fifty feet away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/she-has-a-laugh-so-hearty-it-knocks-the-whipped-cream-off-an-order-of/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [I've failed so many times in my life that my recovery time has improved. I'm better at redirecting my attention. I've trained in Radical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/i-ve-failed-so-many-times-in-my-life-that-my-recovery-time-has/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [Damon Runyon. A day-coach boy in a parlor car seat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/damon-runyon-a-day-coach-boy-in-a-parlor-car-seat/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [Always try to rub up against money, for if you rub up against money long enough, some of it may rub off on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/always-try-to-rub-up-against-money-for-if-you-rub-up-against-money/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [The race may not always be to the swift nor the victory to the strong, but that's how you bet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/the-race-may-not-always-be-to-the-swift-nor-the-victory-to-the-strong/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) > [“Well, now, Dobber has a pretty fair sort of memory, and he says that Miss Sarah Brown tells The Sky that since he seems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/well-now-dobber-has-a-pretty-fair-sort-of-memory-and-he-says-that/) [Damon Runyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) [Explore all 26 Damon Runyon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [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/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life is tough, and it's really tough when you're stupid.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Damon Runyon" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when-you-re-stupid/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when-you-re-stupid/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/damon-runyon-23150_life_life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when_705172.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/damon-runyon-23150_life_life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when_705172.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f7/damon-runyon-23150_life_life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when_705172.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life is tough, and it's really tough when you're stupid.” — Damon Runyon", "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": "Damon Runyon", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-runyon/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life is tough, and it's really...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when-you-re-stupid/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-runyon/life-is-tough-and-it-s-really-tough-when-you-re-stupid/#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 } } ] } ```