--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is it life?\" he answered, \"I would rather…" description: "\"“Is it life?\" he answered, \"I would rather be without it,\" he said, \"for there is queer small utility in it. You cannot eat it or drink it or smoke it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/flann-o-brien-6916_bacon_is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be_1632146.png" --- # Is it life?" he answered, "I would rather be without it,"… ![“Is it life?" he answered, "I would rather be without it," he said, "for there is queer small utility in it. You cannot eat it or drink it or smoke it in your pipe, it does not keep the rain out and it is a poor armful in the dark if you strip it and take it to bed with you after a night of porter…” quote by Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/flann-o-brien-6916_bacon_is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be_1632146.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/flann-o-brien-6916_bacon_is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be_1632146.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/flann-o-brien-6916_bacon_is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be_1632146.png) > ““Is it life?" he answered, "I would rather be without it," he said, "for there is queer small utility in it. You cannot eat it or drink it or smoke it in your pipe, it does not keep the rain out and it is a poor armful in the dark if you strip it and take it to bed with you after a night of porter when you are shivering with the red passion. It is a great mistake and a thing better done without, like bed-jars and foreign bacon.”” [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is portrayed as a burdensome, useless existence offering offers no practical benefit, urging a rejection of its perceived value. **In simple terms:** Life seems pointless and burdensome. Key Takeaway Question the usefulness of life’s comforts. Themes existentialism nihilism absurdity Mood darkly humorous critical Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - daily routines - social expectations - material pursuits Key Concepts The Third Policeman flann o brien absurd literature Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of life give you purpose? - Can absurdity coexist with meaning? A Different Perspective Life may hold hidden meaning despite apparent futility. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bacon/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“Is it life?' he answered.'I would rather be without it' he said, ' for there is a queer small utility in it. You cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be-without-it-he-said-for-there/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [If you can't eat it, drink it, smoke it, or snort it... then f\*ck it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/if-you-can-t-eat-it-drink-it-smoke-it-or-snort-it-then-f-ck-it/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [As a guest who doesn't eat, drink or smoke, you leave much to be desired, but as a writer, you're my girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thelma-ritter/as-a-guest-who-doesn-t-eat-drink-or-smoke-you-leave-much-to-be/) [Thelma Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thelma-ritter/) > [“Yet he would smoke his pipe at the Battery with a far more sagacious air then anywhere else - even with a learned air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/yet-he-would-smoke-his-pipe-at-the-battery-with-a-far-more-sagacious/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [On land, on sea, at home abroad, I smoke my pipe and worship God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-sebastian-bach/on-land-on-sea-at-home-abroad-i-smoke-my-pipe-and-worship-god/) [Johann Sebastian Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-sebastian-bach/) > [I smoke a pipe abroad, because To all cigars I much prefer it, And as I scorn you social laws, My choice has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/i-smoke-a-pipe-abroad-because-to-all-cigars-i-much-prefer-it-and-as-i/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [A studio is a good place to smoke your pipe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-sorolla/a-studio-is-a-good-place-to-smoke-your-pipe/) [Joaquin Sorolla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-sorolla/) > [Smoke the pipe of peace, bury the tomahawk, and become one nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zebulon-pike/smoke-the-pipe-of-peace-bury-the-tomahawk-and-become-one-nation/) [Zebulon Pike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zebulon-pike/) > [I like to smoke a pipe, because it's the punch line indicator. Whenever I take a hit of the pipe, you should be laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-like-to-smoke-a-pipe-because-it-s-the-punch-line-indicator-whenever/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [It's hard to smoke a pipe, and it's actually kind of brutal. It burns your mouth and your throat, and to keep it lit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-hunnam/it-s-hard-to-smoke-a-pipe-and-it-s-actually-kind-of-brutal-it-burns/) [Charlie Hunnam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-hunnam/) > [The smoke of glory is not worth the smoke of a pipe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/the-smoke-of-glory-is-not-worth-the-smoke-of-a-pipe/) [George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/) > [Smoke. Smoke. Smoke. Only a pipe distinguishes man from beast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honore-daumier/smoke-smoke-smoke-only-a-pipe-distinguishes-man-from-beast/) Honore Daumier > [I got so many bills running through my mind...Just drink and smoke, wanna flow, unwind...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wiz-khalifa/i-got-so-many-bills-running-through-my-mind-just-drink-and-smoke/) [Wiz Khalifa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wiz-khalifa/) > [Some people Drink and smoke weed to escape reality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levita-charin/some-people-drink-and-smoke-weed-to-escape-reality/) [Levita Charin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levita-charin/) > [Hell, if I didn't drink drink or smoke, I'd win twenty games every year. It's easy when you don't drink or smoke or horse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitey-ford/hell-if-i-didn-t-drink-drink-or-smoke-i-d-win-twenty-games-every-year/) [Whitey Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitey-ford/) ## More by Flann O'Brien > [“I discovered that everything you do is in response to a request or a suggestion made to you by some other party either inside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/i-discovered-that-everything-you-do-is-in-response-to-a-request-or-a/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [Rome wasn't built in A.D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/rome-wasn-t-built-in-a-d/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [Moderation, we find, is an extremely difficult thing to get in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/moderation-we-find-is-an-extremely-difficult-thing-to-get-in-this/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [Strange enlightenments are vouchsafed to those who seek the higher places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/strange-enlightenments-are-vouchsafed-to-those-who-seek-the-higher/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“I am your soul and all your souls. When I am gone you are dead. Past humanity is not only implicit in each new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/i-am-your-soul-and-all-your-souls-when-i-am-gone-you-are-dead-past/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [Do you know what I am going to tell you, he said with his wry mouth, a pint of plain is your only man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/do-you-know-what-i-am-going-to-tell-you-he-said-with-his-wry-mouth-a/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [A wise old owl once lived in a wood, the more he heard the less he said, the less he said the more he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/a-wise-old-owl-once-lived-in-a-wood-the-more-he-heard-the-less-he/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“In Boston he met a pretty lady, fat and forty, but beautiful with the bloom of cash and collateral.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/in-boston-he-met-a-pretty-lady-fat-and-forty-but-beautiful-with-the/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“Here I had a strange idea not unworthy of de Selby. Why was Joe so disturbed at the suggestion that he had a body?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/here-i-had-a-strange-idea-not-unworthy-of-de-selby-why-was-joe-so/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [Your talk," I said, "is surely the handiwork of wisdom because not one word of it do I understand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/your-talk-i-said-is-surely-the-handiwork-of-wisdom-because-not-one/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“Thoughts which have no chance of succeeding do not take the trouble to come into your head at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/thoughts-which-have-no-chance-of-succeeding-do-not-take-the-trouble/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [When money's tight and is hard to get And your horse has also ran, When all you have is a heap of debt A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/when-money-s-tight-and-is-hard-to-get-and-your-horse-has-also-ran/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [still loved but deprived of grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/still-loved-but-deprived-of-grace/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [A woman doesn't care if she hasn't a stomach, provided she looks as if she hasn't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/a-woman-doesn-t-care-if-she-hasn-t-a-stomach-provided-she-looks-as-if/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) > [“With these words there came the rending scream of a shattered stirk and an angry troubling of the branches as the poor madman percolated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/with-these-words-there-came-the-rending-scream-of-a-shattered-stirk/) [Flann O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) [Explore all 93 Flann O'Brien quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/) ## More Bacon quotes > [I'll only diet for a Marvel movie. I will give up bacon and waffles to be Storm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-james/i-ll-only-diet-for-a-marvel-movie-i-will-give-up-bacon-and-waffles-to/) [Janelle James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-james/) > [“I was unsure about many things in my life, but I was fairly certain God did not intend bacon to be made from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-johnson/i-was-unsure-about-many-things-in-my-life-but-i-was-fairly-certain/) [Suzanne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-johnson/) > [Butter, cream, and bacon. That's such a great foundation right there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ree-drummond/butter-cream-and-bacon-that-s-such-a-great-foundation-right-there/) [Ree Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ree-drummond/) > [But to me I find Francis Bacon the most likely candidate to be the author.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-rylance/but-to-me-i-find-francis-bacon-the-most-likely-candidate-to-be-the/) [Mark Rylance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-rylance/) > [Various different people have inspired me throughout my career. From Francis Bacon to Vassareli, Coco Chanel to Christian Dior, Cecil Beaton, musicians, architects... the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dries-van-noten/various-different-people-have-inspired-me-throughout-my-career-from/) [Dries van Noten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dries-van-noten/) > [The only thing more enjoyable than chocolate, is bacon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-steingarten/the-only-thing-more-enjoyable-than-chocolate-is-bacon/) [Jeffrey Steingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-steingarten/) > [I like a good protein and fat breakfast, so avocado, bacon, eggs, and some veggies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-ricciardo/i-like-a-good-protein-and-fat-breakfast-so-avocado-bacon-eggs-and/) [Daniel Ricciardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-ricciardo/) > [I didn't eat pork either. Except bacon, of course. Everyone eats bacon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarryn-fisher/i-didn-t-eat-pork-either-except-bacon-of-course-everyone-eats-bacon/) [Tarryn Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarryn-fisher/) > [I’ve long said that if I were about to be executed and were given a choice of my last meal, it would be bacon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-beard/i-ve-long-said-that-if-i-were-about-to-be-executed-and-were-given-a/) [James Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-beard/) > [Bacon is like a good pair of Levi's-it never goes out of style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-symon/bacon-is-like-a-good-pair-of-levi-s-it-never-goes-out-of-style/) [Michael Symon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-symon/) > [Well, of all the bacon-brained, sapskulled, squirish, buffle-headed nodcocks!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/well-of-all-the-bacon-brained-sapskulled-squirish-buffle-headed/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [When you hear bacon cooking…that sizzling sound isn't the fat cooking…that's applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-gaffigan/when-you-hear-bacon-cooking-that-sizzling-sound-isn-t-the-fat-cooking/) [Jim Gaffigan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-gaffigan/) > [What is the one thing that 43% of men prefer over sex? Bacon!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-taffer/what-is-the-one-thing-that-43-of-men-prefer-over-sex-bacon/) [Jon Taffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-taffer/) > [The first slap-jack given me for dinner was a cake of flour, partially fried in a pan of fat bacon. I nibbled about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-smith/the-first-slap-jack-given-me-for-dinner-was-a-cake-of-flour-partially/) [James Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-smith/) > [It's not just that I love bacon so much; I feel like something about bacon reflects my personality. It's salty and it's bad for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cara-delevingne/it-s-not-just-that-i-love-bacon-so-much-i-feel-like-something-about/) [Cara Delevingne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cara-delevingne/) [Browse all 319 Bacon quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bacon/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Is it life?\" he answered, \"I would rather be without it,\" he said, \"for there is queer small utility in it. You cannot eat it or drink it or smoke it in your pipe, it does not keep the rain out and it is a poor armful in the dark if you strip it and take it to bed with you after a night of porter when you are shivering with the red passion. It is a great mistake and a thing better done without, like bed-jars and foreign bacon.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Flann O'Brien" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be-without-it-he-said-for-there-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bacon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be-without-it-he-said-for-there-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/flann-o-brien-6916_bacon_is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be_1632146.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/flann-o-brien-6916_bacon_is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be_1632146.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/585/flann-o-brien-6916_bacon_is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be_1632146.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Is it life?\" he answered, \"I would rather be without it,\" he said, \"for there is queer small utility in it…” — Flann O'Brien", "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": "Flann O'Brien", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flann-o-brien/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Is it life?\" he answered, \"I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be-without-it-he-said-for-there-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flann-o-brien/is-it-life-he-answered-i-would-rather-be-without-it-he-said-for-there-2/#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 } } ] } ```