--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How lame this is, how small, terrible. Or…" description: "\"“How lame this is, how small, terrible. Or maybe it is beautiful. I can't decide if what I am doing is beautiful and noble and right, or small and disg..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/dave-eggers-638_dark_how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-m_2058826.png" --- # How lame this is, how small, terrible. Or maybe it is… ![“How lame this is, how small, terrible. Or maybe it is beautiful. I can't decide if what I am doing is beautiful and noble and right, or small and disgusting.” quote by Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/dave-eggers-638_dark_how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-m_2058826.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/dave-eggers-638_dark_how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-m_2058826.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/dave-eggers-638_dark_how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-m_2058826.png) > ““How lame this is, how small, terrible. Or maybe it is beautiful. I can't decide if what I am doing is beautiful and noble and right, or small and disgusting.”” [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker wrestles with the moral ambiguity of their actions, oscillating between seeing them as noble or repulsive. **In simple terms:** Unsure if actions are noble or disgusting. Key Takeaway Reflect on the moral weight of your deeds. Themes morality self‑doubt beauty ugliness Mood conflicted introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal decisions - creative work - social media activism - political protest Key Concepts existentialism ethical ambiguity Questions to Reflect On - What values guide your judgment? - Can something be both beautiful and terrible? A Different Perspective The tension may never fully resolve, leaving lingering discomfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Human condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) [Lame Small](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lame-small-3917915/) [Life and living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-and-living/) [Maybe Beautiful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-beautiful-1145205/) [Small Disgusting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-disgusting-3917917/) [Small Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/small-terrible-3917916/) [Terrible Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible-maybe-3917918/) ## Related quotes > [“Maybe even though what they had was beautiful, it wasn't meant to last forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-konen/maybe-even-though-what-they-had-was-beautiful-it-wasn-t-meant-to-last/) [Leah Konen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-konen/) > [“I started to think that maybe I was as beautiful as he believed. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-picoult/i-started-to-think-that-maybe-i-was-as-beautiful-as-he-believed-i/) [Jodi Picoult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-picoult/) > [There's always going to be somebody that you consider maybe more beautiful. But nine times out of ten here in L.A., that beauty isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-schull/there-s-always-going-to-be-somebody-that-you-consider-maybe-more/) [Amanda Schull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-schull/) > [I have some people in my life who are stunning on the outside but maybe not as beautiful on the inside and I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicola-roberts/i-have-some-people-in-my-life-who-are-stunning-on-the-outside-but/) [Nicola Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicola-roberts/) > [“This was, I realized, a beautiful planet. Maybe it was the most beautiful of all. But beauty creates its own troubles. You look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-haig/this-was-i-realized-a-beautiful-planet-maybe-it-was-the-most/) [Matt Haig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-haig/) > [Hmmm , who knows ! maybe by some beautiful miracle ; we'll become friends & who know's , maybe by an even more beautiful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/preasia-moore/hmmm-who-knows-maybe-by-some-beautiful-miracle-we-ll-become-friends/) [Preasia Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/preasia-moore/) > [“Maybe ‘beautiful’ isn’t the proper word. It’s too common, and the way you look is . . . rare. You deserve a rare compliment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tessa-dare/maybe-beautiful-isn-t-the-proper-word-it-s-too-common-and-the-way-you/) [Tessa Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tessa-dare/) > [When you are happy and in love and when you have children, then maybe you are beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-beart/when-you-are-happy-and-in-love-and-when-you-have-children-then-maybe/) [Emmanuelle Beart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-beart/) > [I think that laziness in many ways is the human condition, and that's what has led us to this place where, as we've developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-think-that-laziness-in-many-ways-is-the-human-condition-and-that-s/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [My horizon on humanity is enlarged by reading the writers of poems, seeing a painting, listening to some music, some opera, which has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/my-horizon-on-humanity-is-enlarged-by-reading-the-writers-of-poems/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [“A basic guide for application offers this equation: The intention of the text The human condition of the text The human situation of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-eswine/a-basic-guide-for-application-offers-this-equation-the-intention-of/) [Zack Eswine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-eswine/) > [Changes in human conditions are brought about by the pioneering of the cleverest and most energetic men. They take the lead and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/changes-in-human-conditions-are-brought-about-by-the-pioneering-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [“It's the basic truth of the human condition: everybody lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/it-s-the-basic-truth-of-the-human-condition-everybody-lies/) [house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house/) > [“I sighed, he sighed, the wind and flowers sighed too. I think those marble statues sighed along as well, in their lack of understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/i-sighed-he-sighed-the-wind-and-flowers-sighed-too-i-think-those/) [V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/) ## More by Dave Eggers > [“4. THE CRUMBLING WALL (Hamburger, prepared medium well, with bacon and barbecue sauce. Courtesy of that place on Solano, where, it should be mentioned,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/4-the-crumbling-wall-hamburger-prepared-medium-well-with-bacon-and/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“LOW-FLYING, QUICK-MOVING CLOUDS: I haven't long to live. TREETOPS, ROUNDED AND ROUGH: That's probably true. LOW-FLYING, QUICK-MOVING CLOUDS: I won't even make it to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/low-flying-quick-moving-clouds-i-haven-t-long-to-live-treetops/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [But the grind has begun. The windows don’t open, and even the availability of near-constant jokes about Jews and Mormons fails to stem the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/but-the-grind-has-begun-the-windows-don-t-open-and-even-the/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“One button for the rest of your life online.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/one-button-for-the-rest-of-your-life-online/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [We feel that to reveal embarrassing or private things, we have given someone something, that, like a primitive person fearing that a photographer will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/we-feel-that-to-reveal-embarrassing-or-private-things-we-have-given/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [I think I'm far too hopeful and trusting. That's something I got from my mum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/i-think-i-m-far-too-hopeful-and-trusting-that-s-something-i-got-from/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“Overnight, all comment boards became civil, all posters held accountable. The trolls, who had more or less overtaken the internet, were driven back into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/overnight-all-comment-boards-became-civil-all-posters-held/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“Have we wasted precious space dust on you?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/have-we-wasted-precious-space-dust-on-you/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“What can one do with one's hands when the camera is interested in other things?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/what-can-one-do-with-one-s-hands-when-the-camera-is-interested-in/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“The money that could have saved the Shuttle, and the money we send to random countries, that we use to remake unchangeable countries ten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-money-that-could-have-saved-the-shuttle-and-the-money-we-send-to/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Write your goddamned book now. The world awaits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/write-your-goddamned-book-now-the-world-awaits/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [The only infallible truth of our lives is that everything we love in life will be taken from us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/the-only-infallible-truth-of-our-lives-is-that-everything-we-love-in/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [“First of all: I am tired. I am true of heart! And Also: You are tired. You are true of heart!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/first-of-all-i-am-tired-i-am-true-of-heart-and-also-you-are-tired-you/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [And what we were trying to offer every day was one-on-one attention. The goal was to have a one-to-one ratio with every one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/and-what-we-were-trying-to-offer-every-day-was-one-on-one-attention/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) > [Suffering is only suffering if it’s done in silence, in solitude. Pain experienced in public, in view of loving millions, was no longer pain.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/suffering-is-only-suffering-if-it-s-done-in-silence-in-solitude-pain/) [Dave Eggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) [Explore all 428 Dave Eggers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/) ## More Dark quotes > [Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in which... public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/crony-capitalism-is-essentially-a-condition-in-which-public-officials/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [“I could see her will leaving and death seeping through her skin to skewer her soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-stroube/i-could-see-her-will-leaving-and-death-seeping-through-her-skin-to/) [J.D. Stroube](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-stroube/) > [The soul wanders in the dark, until it finds love. And so, wherever our love goes, there we find our soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-zimmerman/the-soul-wanders-in-the-dark-until-it-finds-love-and-so-wherever-our/) [Mary Zimmerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-zimmerman/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [All comedy comes from a dark place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katt-williams/all-comedy-comes-from-a-dark-place/) [Katt Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katt-williams/) > [It's a really dark, emotionally wrenching world that we've created on 'The Walking Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/it-s-a-really-dark-emotionally-wrenching-world-that-we-ve-created-on/) [Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I guess he'll have to figure out someday that he is supposed to have this dark side, that it is part of what it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/i-guess-he-ll-have-to-figure-out-someday-that-he-is-supposed-to-have/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Once upon a time, there was a naïve and innocent girl who thought she could tame the beast and live happily ever after. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nenia-campbell/once-upon-a-time-there-was-a-na-ve-and-innocent-girl-who-thought-she/) [Nenia Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nenia-campbell/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Like the water of a deep stream, love is always too much. We did not make it. Though we drink till we burst, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/like-the-water-of-a-deep-stream-love-is-always-too-much-we-did-not/) [Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/) > [Let death bless me with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-death-bless-me-with-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“what do you call/that space between the dark geographies of sex?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-trethaway/what-do-you-call-that-space-between-the-dark-geographies-of-sex/) [Natasha Trethaway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-trethaway/) > [Twinking tears in a sea of black. Soft light in a world of darkness. Tiny wishes in a place of dreams. Do you see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-gentile/twinking-tears-in-a-sea-of-black-soft-light-in-a-world-of-darkness/) [Nicole Gentile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-gentile/) > [Even in the dark your shadow is like a guide to me! you are my rising sun that brings forth hope just as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkemjika-linus/even-in-the-dark-your-shadow-is-like-a-guide-to-me-you-are-my-rising/) [Nkemjika Linus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkemjika-linus/) [Browse all 10,198 Dark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“How lame this is, how small, terrible. Or maybe it is beautiful. I can't decide if what I am doing is beautiful and noble and right, or small and disgusting.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Dave Eggers" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-maybe-it-is-beautiful-i-can-t/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Dark" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-maybe-it-is-beautiful-i-can-t/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/dave-eggers-638_dark_how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-m_2058826.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/dave-eggers-638_dark_how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-m_2058826.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/efa/dave-eggers-638_dark_how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-m_2058826.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How lame this is, how small, terrible. Or maybe it is beautiful. I can't decide if what I am doing is…” — Dave Eggers", "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": "Dave Eggers", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-eggers/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How lame this is, how small,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-maybe-it-is-beautiful-i-can-t/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-eggers/how-lame-this-is-how-small-terrible-or-maybe-it-is-beautiful-i-can-t/#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 } } ] } ```