---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: May the days be aimless. Do not advance…"
description: "\"May the days be aimless. Do not advance action according to a plan.\" — Don DeLillo"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/don-delillo-294_action_may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-a_2090750.jpg"
---

#  May the days be aimless. Do not advance action according…

![“May the days be aimless. Do not advance action according to a plan.” quote by Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/don-delillo-294_action_may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-a_2090750.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/don-delillo-294_action_may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-a_2090750.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/don-delillo-294_action_may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-a_2090750.jpg)

> “May the days be aimless. Do not advance action according to a plan.”

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Aimlessness is suggested; rigid plans are discouraged, advocating spontaneous living.

**In simple terms:** Live without strict plans; embrace spontaneity.

Key Takeaway

Allow flexibility in daily actions.

Themes

spontaneity aimlessness flexibility

Mood

reflective open-ended

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- travel
- creative work
- daily routines

Key Concepts

existentialism modernity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance spontaneity with responsibility?
- When is planning essential?

A Different Perspective

Too much aimlessness can cause lack of direction.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Aimless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aimless/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/)

## Related quotes

> [Every sentence must do one of two things-reveal character or advance the action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/every-sentence-must-do-one-of-two-things-reveal-character-or-advance/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [Let's enjoy the aimless days while we still can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/let-s-enjoy-the-aimless-days-while-we-still-can/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [Intelligence in isolation turns to aimless marauding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/intelligence-in-isolation-turns-to-aimless-marauding/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [It's funny how aimless a person can feel at times, even when they know God is in control.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-fabry/it-s-funny-how-aimless-a-person-can-feel-at-times-even-when-they-know/)

[Chris Fabry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-fabry/)

> [Aimless person is a shameless person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/aimless-person-is-a-shameless-person/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“\[ Responding to the Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Wilberforce's question whether he traced his descent from an ape on his mother's or his father's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/responding-to-the-bishop-of-oxford-samuel-wilberforce-s-question/)

[Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/)

> [We all know them — the unstructured person whose every action seems aimless and the totally organized person whose every action defeats some purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/we-all-know-them-the-unstructured-person-whose-every-action-seems/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [Even aimless journeys have a purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-horwitz/even-aimless-journeys-have-a-purpose/)

[Tony Horwitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-horwitz/)

> [To the Taoist mentality, the aimless, empty life does not suggest anything depressing. On the contrary, it suggests the freedom of clouds and mountain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/to-the-taoist-mentality-the-aimless-empty-life-does-not-suggest/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [I was going to say he's aimless," the witch replied. "I know he's a bit old to be old to living at home with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buckley/i-was-going-to-say-he-s-aimless-the-witch-replied-i-know-he-s-a-bit/)

[Michael Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buckley/)

> [Aimless drifting also fulfills an intention.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/aimless-drifting-also-fulfills-an-intention/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [“To be useful was the best thing the old men ever hoped for themselves, and to be aimless was their worst fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/to-be-useful-was-the-best-thing-the-old-men-ever-hoped-for-themselves/)

[Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/)

> [“As the crow flies. That’s how she liked to walk. So what if she had nowhere to go? So what if no one on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-pascal/as-the-crow-flies-that-s-how-she-liked-to-walk-so-what-if-she-had/)

[Francine Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-pascal/)

> [The ellipse is as aimless as that, Stretching invisibly into the future so as to reappear In our present. Its flexing is its account,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/the-ellipse-is-as-aimless-as-that-stretching-invisibly-into-the/)

[John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/)

> [An objective is an ambition, and life without ambition is ... well, aimless wandering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-wainwright/an-objective-is-an-ambition-and-life-without-ambition-is-well-aimless/)

[Alfred Wainwright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-wainwright/)

## More by Don DeLillo

> [“We all know how the thing we secretly fear is not a secret at all but the open and eternal thing that predicts its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/we-all-know-how-the-thing-we-secretly-fear-is-not-a-secret-at-all-but/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [Everything is barely weeks. Everything is days. We have minutes to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/everything-is-barely-weeks-everything-is-days-we-have-minutes-to-live/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [The novel is the dream release, the suspension of reality that history needs to escape its own brutal confinements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-novel-is-the-dream-release-the-suspension-of-reality-that-history/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“As I listened I thought a featureless baggy man was striking me in slow motion with a well-polished stone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/as-i-listened-i-thought-a-featureless-baggy-man-was-striking-me-in/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Murray said, 'I don't trust anybody's nostalgia but my own. Nostalgia is a product of dissatisfaction and rage. It´s a settling of grievances between…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/murray-said-i-don-t-trust-anybody-s-nostalgia-but-my-own-nostalgia-is/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“She is beginning to think it is possible that all creation is a spurt of blank matter that chances to make an emerald planet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/she-is-beginning-to-think-it-is-possible-that-all-creation-is-a-spurt/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Those who have abandoned belief must still believe in us. They are sure that they are right not to believe but they know belief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/those-who-have-abandoned-belief-must-still-believe-in-us-they-are/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“The plane had lost power in all three engines, dropped from thirty-four thousand feet to twelve thousand feet. Something like four miles. When the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-plane-had-lost-power-in-all-three-engines-dropped-from-thirty/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Grass: I live in a great steel tower that reflects the blazing sun. People catch fire just walking by. The more bodies that pile…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/grass-i-live-in-a-great-steel-tower-that-reflects-the-blazing-sun/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“What people discard could make a nation”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/what-people-discard-could-make-a-nation/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“Marriage is something we make from available materials. In this sense it’s improvised, it’s almost offhand. Maybe this is why we know so little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/marriage-is-something-we-make-from-available-materials-in-this-sense/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [The true life is not reducible to words spoken or written, not by anyone, ever. The true life takes place when we're alone, thinking,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/the-true-life-is-not-reducible-to-words-spoken-or-written-not-by/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [I've come to think of Europe as a hardcover book, America as the paperback version.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-ve-come-to-think-of-europe-as-a-hardcover-book-america-as-the/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [There is a set of balances and rhythms to a novel that we can't experience in real life. So I think there is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-a-set-of-balances-and-rhythms-to-a-novel-that-we-can-t/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [“There is no lie in war or preparation of war that can't be defended. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/there-is-no-lie-in-war-or-preparation-of-war-that-can-t-be-defended/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

[Explore all 699 Don DeLillo quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

## More Action quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/)

[Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/)

[Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/)

> [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/)

[Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

[Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "May the days be aimless. Do not advance action according to a plan.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Don DeLillo"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-action-according-to-a-plan/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Action"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-action-according-to-a-plan/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/don-delillo-294_action_may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-a_2090750.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/don-delillo-294_action_may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-a_2090750.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ed/don-delillo-294_action_may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-a_2090750.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“May the days be aimless. Do not advance action according to a plan.” — Don DeLillo",
                "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": "Don DeLillo",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "May the days be aimless. Do...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-action-according-to-a-plan/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/may-the-days-be-aimless-do-not-advance-action-according-to-a-plan/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
