--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: To put meaning in one's life may end in…" description: "\"To put meaning in one's life may end in madness, But life without meaning is the torture Of restlessness and vague desire-It is a boat longing for the ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/edgar-lee-masters-14862_boat_to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in_658066.png" --- # To put meaning in one's life may end in madness, But life… ![“To put meaning in one's life may end in madness, But life without meaning is the torture Of restlessness and vague desire-It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.” quote by Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/edgar-lee-masters-14862_boat_to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in_658066.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/edgar-lee-masters-14862_boat_to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in_658066.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/edgar-lee-masters-14862_boat_to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in_658066.png) > “To put meaning in one's life may end in madness, But life without meaning is the torture Of restlessness and vague desire-It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.” [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeking meaning can drive one mad, yet a life without purpose feels like restless longing and fear. **In simple terms:** Searching for purpose can cause madness; lack of purpose feels restless. Key Takeaway Find purpose to avoid existential torment. Themes existential purpose madness Mood contemplative thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - therapy - creative writing Key Concepts meaning restlessness desire Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning? - How do you confront restlessness? A Different Perspective Too abstract for practical guidance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-meaning/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Madness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/madness/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Sea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sea/) [Torture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/torture/) ## Related quotes > [“I have studied many times The marble which was chiseled for me— A boat with a furled sail at rest in a harbor. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/i-have-studied-many-times-the-marble-which-was-chiseled-for-me-a-boat/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [“Sorrow knocked at my door, but I was afraid Ambition called to me, but I dreaded the chances. 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If you want a meaning in your life, find a… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/t-here-is-nothing-to-say-about-life-it-has-no-meaning-you-make/) [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) > [Life is short,Make it happy,don't keep bitterness and pain to our heart and give meaning our life.Life is awesome with God and don't care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariane-corbito/life-is-short-make-it-happy-don-t-keep-bitterness-and-pain-to-our/) [Mariane Corbito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariane-corbito/) ## More by Edgar Lee Masters > [The earth keeps some vibration going There in your heart, and that is you. And if the people find you can fiddle, why fiddle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/the-earth-keeps-some-vibration-going-there-in-your-heart-and-that-is/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [O maternal earth which rocks the fallen leaf to sleep!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/o-maternal-earth-which-rocks-the-fallen-leaf-to-sleep/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [And I never started to plow in my life That some one did not stop in the road And take me away to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/and-i-never-started-to-plow-in-my-life-that-some-one-did-not-stop-in/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [Did I follow Truth wherever she led, And stand against the whole world for a cause, And uphold the weak against the strong? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/did-i-follow-truth-wherever-she-led-and-stand-against-the-whole-world/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [The spiritual kinship between Lincoln and Whitman was founded upon their Americanism, their essential Westernism. Whitman had grown up without much formal education; Lincoln…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/the-spiritual-kinship-between-lincoln-and-whitman-was-founded-upon/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [“Henry got me with child, Knowing that I could not bring forth life Without losing my own. 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He is sent to school Little or much, where he imbibes the rule Of safety first and comfort; in his youth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/the-typical-american-he-is-sent-to-school-little-or-much-where-he/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [Many books have been written to show that Christianity has emasculated the world, that it shoved aside the enlightenment and wisdom of Hellas for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/many-books-have-been-written-to-show-that-christianity-has/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [The dust's for crawling, heaven's for flying, Wherefore, O Soul, whose wings are grown, Soar upward to the sun!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/the-dust-s-for-crawling-heaven-s-for-flying-wherefore-o-soul-whose/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [To love is to find your own soul Through the soul of the beloved one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/to-love-is-to-find-your-own-soul-through-the-soul-of-the-beloved-one/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [There is no marriage in Heaven, but there is love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/there-is-no-marriage-in-heaven-but-there-is-love/) [Edgar Lee Masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/) > [The mind sees the world as a thing apart, And the soul makes the world at one with itself. 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Waterman Browse all 1,788 Boat quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "To put meaning in one's life may end in madness, But life without meaning is the torture Of restlessness and vague desire-It is a boat longing for the sea and yet afraid.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Edgar Lee Masters" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in-madness-but-life-without/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boat" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in-madness-but-life-without/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/edgar-lee-masters-14862_boat_to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in_658066.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/edgar-lee-masters-14862_boat_to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in_658066.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/770/edgar-lee-masters-14862_boat_to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in_658066.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“To put meaning in one's life may end in madness, But life without meaning is the torture Of restlessness and…” — Edgar Lee Masters", "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": "Edgar Lee Masters", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-lee-masters/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "To put meaning in one's life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in-madness-but-life-without/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-lee-masters/to-put-meaning-in-one-s-life-may-end-in-madness-but-life-without/#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 } } ] } ```