--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is short. If you doubt me, ask a…" description: "\"Life is short. If you doubt me, ask a butterfly. Their average life span is a mere five to fourteen days.\" — Ellen DeGeneres" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9be/ellen-degeneres-604_age-life_life-is-short-if-you-doubt-me-ask-a-butt_864199.jpg" --- # Life is short. If you doubt me, ask a butterfly. Their… ![“Life is short. If you doubt me, ask a butterfly. Their average life span is a mere five to fourteen days.” quote by Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9be/ellen-degeneres-604_age-life_life-is-short-if-you-doubt-me-ask-a-butt_864199.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9be/ellen-degeneres-604_age-life_life-is-short-if-you-doubt-me-ask-a-butt_864199.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9be/ellen-degeneres-604_age-life_life-is-short-if-you-doubt-me-ask-a-butt_864199.jpg) > “Life is short. If you doubt me, ask a butterfly. Their average life span is a mere five to fourteen days.” [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Butterfly lifespans are brief, reminding us life is fleeting and we should act promptly. **In simple terms:** Butterflies live short lives; act now. Key Takeaway Take action before time runs out. Themes mortality urgency nature Mood hopeful urgent Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - decision making - goal setting - health choices Key Concepts ephemerality life lessons Questions to Reflect On - How does awareness of brevity change priorities? - What actions will you take now? A Different Perspective Short lifespans may not reflect human timelines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Average life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/average-life/) [Butterfly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/butterfly/) [Doubt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt/) [Doubt me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doubt-me/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is-short/) [Life span](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-span/) ## Related quotes > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [I had two family members involved in World War I: two great-uncles. One of them is on a memorial in France. And the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-had-two-family-members-involved-in-world-war-i-two-great-uncles-one/) [Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/) > [“Many legacy institutions (like Kodak) once were able to make a great living resting on their laurels. According to Yale professor Richard Foster, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-diamandis/many-legacy-institutions-like-kodak-once-were-able-to-make-a-great/) [Peter H. Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-diamandis/) > [Human beings have been smart enough to turn nature to their ends, generate vast wealth for themselves, and double their average life span. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-homer-dixon/human-beings-have-been-smart-enough-to-turn-nature-to-their-ends/) [Thomas Homer-Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-homer-dixon/) > [When I am at a dinner table, I love to ask everybody, 'How long do you think our species might last?' I've read that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/when-i-am-at-a-dinner-table-i-love-to-ask-everybody-how-long-do-you/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [“Did you know that for pretty much the entire history of the human species, the average life span was less than thirty years? You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/did-you-know-that-for-pretty-much-the-entire-history-of-the-human/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“the average life span of a romantic obsession is two years.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-chapman/the-average-life-span-of-a-romantic-obsession-is-two-years/) [Gary Chapman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-chapman/) > [When I was trying to figure out why lives have improved so much in the last 300 years, where we've gone from a third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-gates/when-i-was-trying-to-figure-out-why-lives-have-improved-so-much-in/) [Bill Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-gates/) > [“Margo managed to speak in her usual manic soliloquy without answering my question. “Did you know that for pretty much the entire history of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/margo-managed-to-speak-in-her-usual-manic-soliloquy-without-answering/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“In the United States, influenza death rates were so high that the average life span fell by twelve years, from fifty-one in 1917 to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-marrin/in-the-united-states-influenza-death-rates-were-so-high-that-the/) [Albert Marrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-marrin/) > [“sixty-seven years.14 Not anymore. 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Four decades in which to live long and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-tan/so-here-you-are-in-your-twenties-thinking-that-you-ll-have-another-40-2/) [Adrian Tan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-tan/) > [“By not burning their poppy fields to the ground but instead maintaining a security umbrella that international development agencies could safely work under as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-wood/by-not-burning-their-poppy-fields-to-the-ground-but-instead/) [Jake Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-wood/) > [“Death was a constant fact of life. The reaper struck with fire and drowning; typhus, malaria, yellow fever, and a host of other diseases;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-weisberg/death-was-a-constant-fact-of-life-the-reaper-struck-with-fire-and/) Barbara Weisberg ## More by Ellen DeGeneres > [I wanted to have money; I wanted to be special; I wanted people to like me; I wanted to be famous.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-wanted-to-have-money-i-wanted-to-be-special-i-wanted-people-to-like/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [I think what saved me is me being honest. I think I somewhow had the courage to do something and say something that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-what-saved-me-is-me-being-honest-i-think-i-somewhow-had-the/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [I think there's too much mult-tasking going on. I think people need to quiet down and focus and be still more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/i-think-there-s-too-much-mult-tasking-going-on-i-think-people-need-to/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [We can sit and worry about what's going to happen to us two weeks from now. I'd rather focus on the amazing things happening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/we-can-sit-and-worry-about-what-s-going-to-happen-to-us-two-weeks/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [It's our challenges and obstacles that give us layers of depth and make us interesting. Are they fun when they happen? No. But they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/it-s-our-challenges-and-obstacles-that-give-us-layers-of-depth-and/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [I had done a sitcom and a movie and hosted the Emmys, and all of a sudden, I lost everything. 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Never.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/answers-to-frequently-asked-questions-yes-yes-no-one-time-in-high/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [Actually this is really funny - one time she accidentally forgot to leave a note and I had no idea she had even moved.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/actually-this-is-really-funny-one-time-she-accidentally-forgot-to/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [A circus! 100 clowns of injustice have climbed out of the tiny clown car of this court room.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/a-circus-100-clowns-of-injustice-have-climbed-out-of-the-tiny-clown/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [Gratitude is looking on the brighter side of the life, even if it means hurting your eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/gratitude-is-looking-on-the-brighter-side-of-the-life-even-if-it/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [What's New Orleans without music? And what's music without dancing?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/what-s-new-orleans-without-music-and-what-s-music-without-dancing/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [The legend goes that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. I was thinking... that must be hard to put all the tiny…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/the-legend-goes-that-st-patrick-drove-the-snakes-out-of-ireland-i-was/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) > [Quick decision makers are often stuck behind annoying people in line at Starbucks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-degeneres/quick-decision-makers-are-often-stuck-behind-annoying-people-in-line/) [Ellen DeGeneres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) [Explore all 450 Ellen DeGeneres quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-degeneres/) ## More Age life quotes > [In one century, we've added 28 years to our average life span - a change so rapid that our brains couldn't possibly have evolved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martha-beck/in-one-century-we-ve-added-28-years-to-our-average-life-span-a-change/) [Martha Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martha-beck/) > [Iam a teenage girl, I love, get my heart broken, break heart, parrty, sleep like there's no tommorow, ake mistakes, tears, get into fight,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/iam-a-teenage-girl-i-love-get-my-heart-broken-break-heart-parrty/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Were anyone wondering how Sen. Harry Reid intended to manage life in the minority, it took one day of the 114th Congress to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kimberley-strassel/were-anyone-wondering-how-sen-harry-reid-intended-to-manage-life-in/) Kimberley Strassel > [Cancer has been the No. 1 cause of death during the last half-century. The trend is getting even worse as the average life span increases.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasuku-honjo/cancer-has-been-the-no-1-cause-of-death-during-the-last-half-century/) [Tasuku Honjo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasuku-honjo/) > [“sixty-seven years.14 Not anymore. Today the final three Ds in our chain reaction can disassemble companies and disrupt industries almost overnight, reducing the average…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-h-diamandis/sixty-seven-years-14-not-anymore-today-the-final-three-ds-in-our/) [Peter H. Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-h-diamandis/) > [If I could transform my stage life to the movies, I'd be Jack Nicholson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-dennehy/if-i-could-transform-my-stage-life-to-the-movies-i-d-be-jack-nicholson/) [Brian Dennehy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-dennehy/) > [“Death was a constant fact of life. The reaper struck with fire and drowning; typhus, malaria, yellow fever, and a host of other diseases;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-weisberg/death-was-a-constant-fact-of-life-the-reaper-struck-with-fire-and/) Barbara Weisberg > [“In an average lifetime, a heart pumps about one million barrels of blood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-kellett/in-an-average-lifetime-a-heart-pumps-about-one-million-barrels-of/) [Jenny Kellett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-kellett/) > [“By not burning their poppy fields to the ground but instead maintaining a security umbrella that international development agencies could safely work under as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-wood/by-not-burning-their-poppy-fields-to-the-ground-but-instead/) [Jake Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-wood/) > [When you get to my age life seems little more than one long march to and from the lavatory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-c-benson/when-you-get-to-my-age-life-seems-little-more-than-one-long-march-to/) [A. 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