--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is compost." description: "\"“Life is compost.”\" — Diane Setterfield" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e5/diane-setterfield-1008_compost_life-is-compost-2644515_2644515.png" --- # Life is compost. ![“Life is compost.” quote by Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e5/diane-setterfield-1008_compost_life-is-compost-2644515_2644515.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e5/diane-setterfield-1008_compost_life-is-compost-2644515_2644515.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e5/diane-setterfield-1008_compost_life-is-compost-2644515_2644515.png) > ““Life is compost.”” [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life, like compost, is made of broken pieces that decompose into nourishment for new growth. **In simple terms:** Life transforms waste into growth. Key Takeaway Embrace loss as a source of renewal. Themes growth transformation resilience Mood hopeful inspirational Type philosophical metaphorical When to use this quote - grief processing - personal development - creative projects Key Concepts decomposition renewal Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn personal setbacks into strengths? - What does “compost” symbolize in your life? A Different Perspective Not all loss leads to positive outcomes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compost/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Compost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-compost-2298272/) ## Related quotes > [“People are just like seeds, needing the compost, in other words, harsh conditions, to grow. All the inconveniences in our lives serve as fertilizers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talidari/people-are-just-like-seeds-needing-the-compost-in-other-words-harsh/) [Talidari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talidari/) > [In the '80s, I thought I'd be a success as a woman if I were the president of a billion dollar company, had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-guisewite/in-the-80s-i-thought-i-d-be-a-success-as-a-woman-if-i-were-the/) [Cathy Guisewite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-guisewite/) > [The gardener knows how to turn garbage into compost. Therefore our anger, sadness, and fear is the best compost for our compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-mueller/the-gardener-knows-how-to-turn-garbage-into-compost-therefore-our/) [Kayla Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla-mueller/) > [Grant knew that people could not imagine geological time. Human life was lived on another scale of time entirely. An apple turned brown in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/grant-knew-that-people-could-not-imagine-geological-time-human-life/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [In my beginning is my end. In succession Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended, Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/in-my-beginning-is-my-end-in-succession-houses-rise-and-fall-crumble/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [I've frequently been asked over the years who Lily Savage was based on and I've always answered that it was no one in particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-o-grady/i-ve-frequently-been-asked-over-the-years-who-lily-savage-was-based/) [Paul O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-o-grady/) > [All sorts of dung and compost contain some matter which, when mixed with the soil, ferments therein; and by such ferment dissolves, crumbles, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jethro-tull/all-sorts-of-dung-and-compost-contain-some-matter-which-when-mixed/) [Jethro Tull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jethro-tull/) > [The organic gardener does not think of throwing away the garbage. She knows that she needs the garbage. She is capable of transforming the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-organic-gardener-does-not-think-of-throwing-away-the-garbage-she/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [My whole life has been spent waiting for an epiphany, a manifestation of God's presence, the kind of transcendent, magical experience that let's you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/my-whole-life-has-been-spent-waiting-for-an-epiphany-a-manifestation/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [It's all a compost heap. You just put down a layer of humus that helps other stuff grow. Your work will all be forgotten,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-edelman/it-s-all-a-compost-heap-you-just-put-down-a-layer-of-humus-that-helps/) [Murray Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-edelman/) > [“You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/you-are-not-a-beautiful-and-unique-snowflake-you-are-the-same-2/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“I’m not even much of a gardener—my contribution to the family garden consists mainly of compost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-vogel/i-m-not-even-much-of-a-gardener-my-contribution-to-the-family-garden/) [Steven Vogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-vogel/) > [The main characteristic of Nature's farming can therefore be summed up in a few words. Mother earth never attempts to farm without live stock;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-main-characteristic-of-nature-s-farming-can-therefore-be-summed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So let's not get frightened when the children read fantasy. It's the compost for a healthy mind. It stimulate s the inquisitive nodes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/so-let-s-not-get-frightened-when-the-children-read-fantasy-it-s-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Producing quality compost is the most important job on the organic farm. A lot of the problems I see on farms I visit could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-coleman/producing-quality-compost-is-the-most-important-job-on-the-organic/) [Eliot Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-coleman/) ## More by Diane Setterfield > [“They are more real than the books on the shelves, books that are sketched with the barest hint of a line here and there,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/they-are-more-real-than-the-books-on-the-shelves-books-that-are/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“Margaret Lea.” “The biographer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/margaret-lea-the-biographer/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“He was the first of my ghosts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/he-was-the-first-of-my-ghosts/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“It was like living entirely inside a book.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/it-was-like-living-entirely-inside-a-book/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“Then something rang a bell in his mind. What”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/then-something-rang-a-bell-in-his-mind-what/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [What better way to get to know someone than through her choice and treatment of books?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/what-better-way-to-get-to-know-someone-than-through-her-choice-and/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“I have always been a reader; I have read at every stage of my life, and there has never been a time when reading…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/i-have-always-been-a-reader-i-have-read-at-every-stage-of-my-life-and/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“Yesterday or the day before, while I had been going about my business, quietly and in private, some unknown person—some stranger—had gone to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/yesterday-or-the-day-before-while-i-had-been-going-about-my-business/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“the Missus stood like a ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/the-missus-stood-like-a-ghost/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“But perhaps the answer is to stop writing altogether, for when I do write, even now as I write this very sentence, this very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/but-perhaps-the-answer-is-to-stop-writing-altogether-for-when-i-do/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [Our clients' faces, with the customary outward paleness and inner glow of the book lover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/our-clients-faces-with-the-customary-outward-paleness-and-inner-glow/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [“He felt something move in his chest, as though an organ had been removed and something unfamiliar left in its place. A sentiment he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/he-felt-something-move-in-his-chest-as-though-an-organ-had-been/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [Still in my coat and hat, I sank onto the stair to read the letter. (I never read without making sure I am in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/still-in-my-coat-and-hat-i-sank-onto-the-stair-to-read-the-letter-i/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [I still believe in stories. I still forget myself when I am in the middle of a good book. Books are for me, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/i-still-believe-in-stories-i-still-forget-myself-when-i-am-in-the/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) > [Of course I loved books more than people. Of course I valued "Jane Eyre" over the anonymous stranger...Of course all of Shakespeare was worth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/of-course-i-loved-books-more-than-people-of-course-i-valued-jane-eyre/) [Diane Setterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) [Explore all 292 Diane Setterfield quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/) ## More Compost quotes > [“People are just like seeds, needing the compost, in other words, harsh conditions, to grow. All the inconveniences in our lives serve as fertilizers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talidari/people-are-just-like-seeds-needing-the-compost-in-other-words-harsh/) [Talidari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/talidari/) > [So let's not get frightened when the children read fantasy. It's the compost for a healthy mind. It stimulate s the inquisitive nodes, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/so-let-s-not-get-frightened-when-the-children-read-fantasy-it-s-the/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [The main characteristic of Nature's farming can therefore be summed up in a few words. Mother earth never attempts to farm without live stock;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-main-characteristic-of-nature-s-farming-can-therefore-be-summed/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I’m not even much of a gardener—my contribution to the family garden consists mainly of compost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-vogel/i-m-not-even-much-of-a-gardener-my-contribution-to-the-family-garden/) [Steven Vogel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-vogel/) > [“You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same decaying organic matter as everyone else, and we are all a part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/you-are-not-a-beautiful-and-unique-snowflake-you-are-the-same-2/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [It's all a compost heap. You just put down a layer of humus that helps other stuff grow. Your work will all be forgotten,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-edelman/it-s-all-a-compost-heap-you-just-put-down-a-layer-of-humus-that-helps/) [Murray Edelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-edelman/) > [My whole life has been spent waiting for an epiphany, a manifestation of God's presence, the kind of transcendent, magical experience that let's you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bette-midler/my-whole-life-has-been-spent-waiting-for-an-epiphany-a-manifestation/) [Bette Midler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bette-midler/) > [The organic gardener does not think of throwing away the garbage. She knows that she needs the garbage. She is capable of transforming the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/the-organic-gardener-does-not-think-of-throwing-away-the-garbage-she/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [All sorts of dung and compost contain some matter which, when mixed with the soil, ferments therein; and by such ferment dissolves, crumbles, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jethro-tull/all-sorts-of-dung-and-compost-contain-some-matter-which-when-mixed/) [Jethro Tull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jethro-tull/) > [I've frequently been asked over the years who Lily Savage was based on and I've always answered that it was no one in particular…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-o-grady/i-ve-frequently-been-asked-over-the-years-who-lily-savage-was-based/) [Paul O'Grady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-o-grady/) > [In my beginning is my end. In succession Houses rise and fall, crumble, are extended, Are removed, destroyed, restored, or in their place Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-s-eliot/in-my-beginning-is-my-end-in-succession-houses-rise-and-fall-crumble/) [T. S. Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-s-eliot/) > [Grant knew that people could not imagine geological time. Human life was lived on another scale of time entirely. An apple turned brown in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/grant-knew-that-people-could-not-imagine-geological-time-human-life/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [The gardener knows how to turn garbage into compost. Therefore our anger, sadness, and fear is the best compost for our compassion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayla-mueller/the-gardener-knows-how-to-turn-garbage-into-compost-therefore-our/) [Kayla Mueller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayla-mueller/) > [In the '80s, I thought I'd be a success as a woman if I were the president of a billion dollar company, had a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-guisewite/in-the-80s-i-thought-i-d-be-a-success-as-a-woman-if-i-were-the/) [Cathy Guisewite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-guisewite/) > [Producing quality compost is the most important job on the organic farm. A lot of the problems I see on farms I visit could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliot-coleman/producing-quality-compost-is-the-most-important-job-on-the-organic/) [Eliot Coleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliot-coleman/) [Browse all 67 Compost quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compost/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Life is compost.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Diane Setterfield" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/life-is-compost/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compost" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/life-is-compost/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e5/diane-setterfield-1008_compost_life-is-compost-2644515_2644515.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e5/diane-setterfield-1008_compost_life-is-compost-2644515_2644515.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e5/diane-setterfield-1008_compost_life-is-compost-2644515_2644515.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life is compost.” — Diane Setterfield", "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": "Diane Setterfield", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-setterfield/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Life is compost.”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/life-is-compost/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-setterfield/life-is-compost/#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 } } ] } ```