--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The problem in public life is learning to…" description: "\"The problem in public life is learning to overcome terror; the problem in married life is learning to overcome boredom.\" — Gabriel Garcia Marquez" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce7/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_boredom_the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-t_946961.jpg" --- # The problem in public life is learning to overcome terror… ![“The problem in public life is learning to overcome terror; the problem in married life is learning to overcome boredom.” quote by Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce7/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_boredom_the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-t_946961.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce7/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_boredom_the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-t_946961.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce7/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_boredom_the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-t_946961.jpg) > “The problem in public life is learning to overcome terror; the problem in married life is learning to overcome boredom.” [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing public anxieties with personal monotony requires confronting fear and boredom alike. **In simple terms:** Face fear and boredom in public and private life. Key Takeaway Address both fear and boredom directly. Themes courage marriage public life personal growth Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - political activism - relationship counseling - self‑help - creative projects Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you recognize when fear or boredom is limiting you? - What small actions can break the cycle? A Different Perspective Boredom can be as paralyzing as terror, making change harder. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boredom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married/) [Married life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married-life/) [Overcome Boredom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcome-boredom-1659819/) [Overcome Terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcome-terror-1120985/) [Overcoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Problem Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem-married-1659820/) [Public life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/public-life/) [Terror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror/) [Terror Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terror-problem-1659818/) ## Related quotes > [“I know so much pressure is on all of us to waste time and to just trivialize it. 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With love, strength, and hope, we prevail.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-darer-littman/because-with-joy-we-overcome-the-terror-with-love-strength-and-hope/) [Sarah Darer Littman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-darer-littman/) > [The direst foe of courage is the fear itself, not the object of it; and the man who can overcome his own terror is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-macdonald/the-direst-foe-of-courage-is-the-fear-itself-not-the-object-of-it-and/) [George MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-macdonald/) > [The coward’s fear of death stems in large part from his incapacity to love anything but his own body. 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I believe that people should stay married for life, like pigeons and Catholics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-m-very-old-fashioned-i-believe-that-people-should-stay-married-for/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [“... having been with Boaz for so long that she could predict every one of his moves, their sex life was more like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-antopol/having-been-with-boaz-for-so-long-that-she-could-predict-every-one-of/) [Molly Antopol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-antopol/) > [Married life had taught him the futility of arguing with a female in a dark-brown mood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/married-life-had-taught-him-the-futility-of-arguing-with-a-female-in/) [Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/) > [“How do I make my married life wonderful instead of “nothing special”? (I would rather have a minute of wonderful than a lifetime of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-budzinski/how-do-i-make-my-married-life-wonderful-instead-of-nothing-special-i/) [Karen Budzinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-budzinski/) > [“It is lack of communication that leads to unhappy marriage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/it-is-lack-of-communication-that-leads-to-unhappy-marriage/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Christian marriage is that sacrament which builds up the community of the Church and of society. Marriage has been inscribed in creation's design by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/christian-marriage-is-that-sacrament-which-builds-up-the-community-of/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [I wanted to have a peaceful married life with my wife, so we both moved to Sydney in Australia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-roy/i-wanted-to-have-a-peaceful-married-life-with-my-wife-so-we-both/) [Rahul Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-roy/) ## More by Gabriel Garcia Marquez > [“The Captain looked at Fermina Daza and saw on her eyelashes the first glimmer of wintry frost. Then he looked at Florentino Ariza, his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-captain-looked-at-fermina-daza-and-saw-on-her-eyelashes-the-first/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Courage did not come from the need to survive, or from a brute indifference inherited from someone else, but from a driving need for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/courage-did-not-come-from-the-need-to-survive-or-from-a-brute/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“He aprendido que un hombre sólo tiene derecho a mirar a otro hacia abajo cuando ha de ayudarle a levantarse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-aprendido-que-un-hombre-s-lo-tiene-derecho-a-mirar-a-otro-hacia/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [From the moment I wrote 'Leaf Storm' I realized I wanted to be a writer and that nobody could stop me and that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/from-the-moment-i-wrote-leaf-storm-i-realized-i-wanted-to-be-a-writer/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Berhentilah sepi, hidup ini pendek.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/berhentilah-sepi-hidup-ini-pendek/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“They were people whose lives were slow, who did not see themselves growing old, or falling sick, or dying, but who disappeared little by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/they-were-people-whose-lives-were-slow-who-did-not-see-themselves/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“I didn't do any of what they told me,' she said, 'because the more I thought about it, the more I realized that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-didn-t-do-any-of-what-they-told-me-she-said-because-the-more-i/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [He thought about his people without sentimentalily, with a strick closing of his accounts with life, beginning to understand how much he really loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-thought-about-his-people-without-sentimentalily-with-a-strick/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Why were you so old when we met? I answered with the truth: Age isn't how old you are but how old you feel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/why-were-you-so-old-when-we-met-i-answered-with-the-truth-age-isn-t/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [Between the covers of the books that no one had ever read again, in the old parchments damaged by dampness, a livid flower had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/between-the-covers-of-the-books-that-no-one-had-ever-read-again-in/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [I was asked the other day if I would be interested in the Nobel Prize, but I think that for me it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/i-was-asked-the-other-day-if-i-would-be-interested-in-the-nobel-prize/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Fear had absorbed her completely and remained there, fixed, tenacious, almost corporeal, as if it were some invisible person who had made up his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/fear-had-absorbed-her-completely-and-remained-there-fixed-tenacious/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“Today I know I was right. The adolescents of my generation, greedy for life, forgot in body and soul about their hopes for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/today-i-know-i-was-right-the-adolescents-of-my-generation-greedy-for/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [“...It was then, for the first time, that she understood above all her virtues what was in command was the vanity of a metaphysical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/it-was-then-for-the-first-time-that-she-understood-above-all-her/) [Gabriel García Márquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) [Explore all 872 Gabriel Garcia Marquez quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) ## More Boredom quotes > [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Boredom is vastly underrated. Boredom means that nothing is trying to kill you every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/boredom-is-vastly-underrated-boredom-means-that-nothing-is-trying-to/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [I'm bored of being bored because being bored is very boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/i-m-bored-of-being-bored-because-being-bored-is-very-boring/) [Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/) > [When people look in the mirror, sometimes they see are their shells in the mirror, nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-look-in-the-mirror-sometimes-they-see-are-their-shells-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think anyone wants to do the same thing over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bachmann/i-don-t-think-anyone-wants-to-do-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again/) [Eric Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bachmann/) > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [We shop out of boredom, for release, for excitement, for a sense of achievement, for a sense of control over our unruly existences. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/we-shop-out-of-boredom-for-release-for-excitement-for-a-sense-of/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [That human life must be some kind of mistake is sufficiently proved by the simple observation that man is a compound of needs which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/that-human-life-must-be-some-kind-of-mistake-is-sufficiently-proved/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Isn’t ‘not to be bored’ one of the principal goals of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/isn-t-not-to-be-bored-one-of-the-principal-goals-of-life/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [The worst sin, the ultimate sin for me, in anything, is to be bored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/the-worst-sin-the-ultimate-sin-for-me-in-anything-is-to-be-bored/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/exploitation-and-manipulation-produce-boredom-and-triviality-they/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“To me, at least in retrospect, the really interesting question is why dullness proves to be such a powerful impediment to attention. Why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/to-me-at-least-in-retrospect-the-really-interesting-question-is-why/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Listen deeply. Meditate on that which is arising. Even if it's boredom or difficulty or maybe a feeling of being stuck, that in itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-yee/listen-deeply-meditate-on-that-which-is-arising-even-if-it-s-boredom/) [Rodney Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-yee/) [Browse all 1,505 Boredom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The problem in public life is learning to overcome terror; the problem in married life is learning to overcome boredom.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gabriel Garcia Marquez" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-to-overcome-terror-the-problem/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Boredom" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-to-overcome-terror-the-problem/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce7/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_boredom_the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-t_946961.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce7/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_boredom_the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-t_946961.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce7/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez-116_boredom_the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-t_946961.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The problem in public life is learning to overcome terror; the problem in married life is learning to…” — Gabriel Garcia Marquez", "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": "Gabriel Garcia Marquez", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The problem in public life is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-to-overcome-terror-the-problem/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/the-problem-in-public-life-is-learning-to-overcome-terror-the-problem/#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 } } ] } ```