---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think I could ever settle down. I…"
description: "\"I don't think I could ever settle down. I have known too much of the depths of life already, and I would prefer anything to an anticlimax.\" — Everett R..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/everett-ruess-21906_anticlimax_i-don-t-think-i-could-ever-settle-down-i_390250.jpg"
---

#  I don't think I could ever settle down. I have known too…

![“I don't think I could ever settle down. I have known too much of the depths of life already, and I would prefer anything to an anticlimax.” quote by Everett Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/everett-ruess-21906_anticlimax_i-don-t-think-i-could-ever-settle-down-i_390250.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/everett-ruess-21906_anticlimax_i-don-t-think-i-could-ever-settle-down-i_390250.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/165/everett-ruess-21906_anticlimax_i-don-t-think-i-could-ever-settle-down-i_390250.jpg)

> “I don't think I could ever settle down. I have known too much of the depths of life already, and I would prefer anything to an anticlimax.”

[Everett Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-ruess/)

## About This Quote

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

Life’s depth has shown me that a plain, uneventful ending feels unacceptable; I seek continual excitement.

**In simple terms:** Too much life depth makes ordinary endings unsatisfying.

Key Takeaway

Pursue meaningful experiences.

Themes

adventure existentialism ful‑seeking

Mood

thoughtful melancholic

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- traveling to remote places
- creative projects
- philosophical study
- spiritual quests

Key Concepts

meaning of life existential dread personal growth

Questions to Reflect On

- What does an “anticlimax” mean to you?
- How can you find peace without constant novelty?

A Different Perspective

Constant seeking may cause restlessness and avoid contentment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Anticlimax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anticlimax-9459/) [Depth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depth/) [Depths Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depths-life-575346/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Prefer Anticlimax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prefer-anticlimax-3521995/) [Settling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settling/) [Settling down](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/settling-down/) [Think Settle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-settle-3131386/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/)

## Related quotes

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> [I know of no other advice than this: Go within and scale the depths of your being from which your very life springs forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/i-know-of-no-other-advice-than-this-go-within-and-scale-the-depths-of/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [To call it an anticlimax would be an insult not only to climaxes but to prefixes. It's a crummy secret, about one step up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/to-call-it-an-anticlimax-would-be-an-insult-not-only-to-climaxes-but/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [I have to experience all the ghastly, bottomless depths for life for myself; it's for that reason that I went to war, and for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-dix/i-have-to-experience-all-the-ghastly-bottomless-depths-for-life-for/)

[Otto Dix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-dix/)

> [“Achievement brings it own anticlimax.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/achievement-brings-it-own-anticlimax/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Anticlimax is, of course, the warp and way of things. Real life seldom structures a decent denouement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/anticlimax-is-of-course-the-warp-and-way-of-things-real-life-seldom/)

[Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/)

> [Achievement brings its own anticlimax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/achievement-brings-its-own-anticlimax/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [Whatever we say and mean by life is just a journey toward death. If you can understand that your whole life is just a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/whatever-we-say-and-mean-by-life-is-just-a-journey-toward-death-if/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [“Only those who spend long times with themselves can touch the depths of life!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/only-those-who-spend-long-times-with-themselves-can-touch-the-depths/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [you are not too old and it is not too late to dive into your increasing depths where life calmly gives out it's own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-are-not-too-old-and-it-is-not-too-late-to-dive-into-your/)

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[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [I could give you no advice but this: to go into yourself and to explore the depths where your life wells forth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/i-could-give-you-no-advice-but-this-to-go-into-yourself-and-to/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [Where I'm living is not a storybook world. It's the real world, full of gaps and inconsistencies and anticlimaxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/where-i-m-living-is-not-a-storybook-world-it-s-the-real-world-full-of/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

## More by Everett Ruess

> [I must pack my short lifer full of interesting events and creative activity. Philosophy and aesthetic contemplation are not enough. I intend to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-ruess/i-must-pack-my-short-lifer-full-of-interesting-events-and-creative/)

[Everett Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-ruess/)

> [I thought that there were two rules in life - never count the cost, and never do anything unless you can do it wholeheartedly.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-ruess/i-thought-that-there-were-two-rules-in-life-never-count-the-cost-and/)

[Everett Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-ruess/)

> [I have seen almost more beauty than I can bear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-ruess/i-have-seen-almost-more-beauty-than-i-can-bear/)

[Everett Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-ruess/)

> [I have not tired of the wilderness; rather I enjoy its beauty and the vagrant life I lead, more keenly all the time. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-ruess/i-have-not-tired-of-the-wilderness-rather-i-enjoy-its-beauty-and-the/)

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> [“I like to be perfectly open and sincere, and yet it is impossible to be sincere to all of one's self at once, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-ruess/i-like-to-be-perfectly-open-and-sincere-and-yet-it-is-impossible-to/)

[Everett Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-ruess/)

> [Happiness lies in a large measure of self-forgetfulness, either in work . . . or in the love of others. ♥](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-ruess/happiness-lies-in-a-large-measure-of-self-forgetfulness-either-in/)

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> [Say that I starved; that I was lost and weary; That I was burned and blinded by the desert sun; Footsore, thirsty, sick with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-ruess/say-that-i-starved-that-i-was-lost-and-weary-that-i-was-burned-and/)

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[Everett Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-ruess/)

> [I'm drunk on the fiery elixer of beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-ruess/i-m-drunk-on-the-fiery-elixer-of-beauty/)

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[Everett Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-ruess/)

> [“As to this half-baked pother about my always feeling inferior in the presence of college graduates, that fear is groundless too. I am not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everett-ruess/as-to-this-half-baked-pother-about-my-always-feeling-inferior-in-the/)

[Everett Ruess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-ruess/)

[Explore all 26 Everett Ruess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everett-ruess/)

## More Anticlimax quotes

> [Achievement brings with it its own anticlimax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/achievement-brings-with-it-its-own-anticlimax/)

[Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/)

> [“A promise fulfilled may be a classic moment, but prophecies mean anticlimax. How much more awesome was an unexpected salvation?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/china-mi-ville/a-promise-fulfilled-may-be-a-classic-moment-but-prophecies-mean/)

[China Miéville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/china-mi-ville/)

> [Achievement brings its own anticlimax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/achievement-brings-its-own-anticlimax/)

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> [Anticlimax is, of course, the warp and way of things. Real life seldom structures a decent denouement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-simmons/anticlimax-is-of-course-the-warp-and-way-of-things-real-life-seldom/)

[Dan Simmons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-simmons/)

> [“Achievement brings it own anticlimax.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/achievement-brings-it-own-anticlimax/)

[Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/)

> [To call it an anticlimax would be an insult not only to climaxes but to prefixes. It's a crummy secret, about one step up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/to-call-it-an-anticlimax-would-be-an-insult-not-only-to-climaxes-but/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [Where I'm living is not a storybook world. It's the real world, full of gaps and inconsistencies and anticlimaxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/where-i-m-living-is-not-a-storybook-world-it-s-the-real-world-full-of/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

[Browse all 8 Anticlimax quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anticlimax-9459/)

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