--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Better to be a first-class matchbox than…" description: "\"Better to be a first-class matchbox than a second-class match.\" — Haruki Murakami" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/haruki-murakami-21_class_better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than_2742941.jpg" --- # Better to be a first-class matchbox than a second-class… ![“Better to be a first-class matchbox than a second-class match.” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/haruki-murakami-21_class_better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than_2742941.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/haruki-murakami-21_class_better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than_2742941.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/haruki-murakami-21_class_better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than_2742941.jpg) > “Better to be a first-class matchbox than a second-class match.” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Being a high‑quality, self‑contained individual is better than being a lesser version of something dependent. **In simple terms:** Be self‑contained and high quality. Key Takeaway Strive for self‑sufficiency. Themes self‑reliance quality independence Mood determined thoughtful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career - relationships - personal growth - creative work Key Concepts personal excellence autonomy self‑value Questions to Reflect On - How can you improve your own standards? - What dependencies hinder you? A Different Perspective Comparison can be limiting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Matchboxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matchboxes/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm the scratchy stuff on the side of the matchbox. But that's fine with me. I don't mind at all. Better to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-m-the-scratchy-stuff-on-the-side-of-the-matchbox-but-that-s-fine/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [My capacity for happiness," he added, "you could fit into a matchbox without taking out the matches first](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/my-capacity-for-happiness-he-added-you-could-fit-into-a-matchbox/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [“I have a lot more patience for others than I have for myself, and I'm much better at bringing out the best in others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-have-a-lot-more-patience-for-others-than-i-have-for-myself-and-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“If you have to put a matchbox under your chair, you need to straighten out your floor. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mcconnell/if-you-have-to-put-a-matchbox-under-your-chair-you-need-to-straighten/) John McConnell > [A mere collector of supposed facts is as useful as a collector of matchboxes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucien-febvre/a-mere-collector-of-supposed-facts-is-as-useful-as-a-collector-of/) [Lucien Febvre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucien-febvre/) > [I was taught that candles are like house cats - domesticated versions of something wild and dangerous. There's no way to know how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-was-taught-that-candles-are-like-house-cats-domesticated-versions/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [Philosophy is like a normal personal organizer, but it's smaller than a matchbox.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/philosophy-is-like-a-normal-personal-organizer-but-it-s-smaller-than/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [If Neptune were analogized with a Chevy Impala in mass, then how big is pluto compared to that? Pluto would be a matchbox car…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/if-neptune-were-analogized-with-a-chevy-impala-in-mass-then-how-big/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [I wish I had a nickel for every song that I've left in the bathroom, written down on a matchbox, or just totally forgotten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-shaw/i-wish-i-had-a-nickel-for-every-song-that-i-ve-left-in-the-bathroom/) [Tommy Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-shaw/) > [The original necessity for the ceaseless presence of the woman to maintain that altar fire - and it was an altar fire in very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-perkins-gilman/the-original-necessity-for-the-ceaseless-presence-of-the-woman-to/) [Charlotte Perkins Gilman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-perkins-gilman/) > [As a kid, I loved my Matchbox cars, my Big Wheels, and the race cars on TV. When I laid eyes on my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-lally/as-a-kid-i-loved-my-matchbox-cars-my-big-wheels-and-the-race-cars-on/) [Andy Lally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-lally/) > [Bouillabaisse is only good because cooked by the French, who, if they cared to try, could produce an excellent and nutritious substitute out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-douglas/bouillabaisse-is-only-good-because-cooked-by-the-french-who-if-they/) [Norman Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-douglas/) > [ If you gave \[Jerry\] Falwell an enema he could be buried in a matchbox. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/if-you-gave-jerry-falwell-an-enema-he-could-be-buried-in-a-matchbox/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Hit the ball up to the hole... You meet a better class of people up there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-hogan/hit-the-ball-up-to-the-hole-you-meet-a-better-class-of-people-up-there/) [Ben Hogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-hogan/) > [Money couldn't buy friends, but you got a better class of enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-milligan/money-couldn-t-buy-friends-but-you-got-a-better-class-of-enemy/) [Spike Milligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-milligan/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Class quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [If I had to guess and put a name on it, I'd say that at some point, the drug war was as much a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-simon/if-i-had-to-guess-and-put-a-name-on-it-i-d-say-that-at-some-point-the/) [David Simon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-simon/) > [I grew up in the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-scaramucci/i-grew-up-in-the-middle-class/) [Anthony Scaramucci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-scaramucci/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [The rich people are apparently leaving America. They're giving up their citizenship. These great lovers of America who made their money in this country-when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-sanders/the-rich-people-are-apparently-leaving-america-they-re-giving-up/) [Bernie Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-sanders/) > [I certainly don't think that the heirs of the American Revolution were a particularly noble class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-w-brands/i-certainly-don-t-think-that-the-heirs-of-the-american-revolution/) [H. W. Brands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-w-brands/) > [You’re crazy,” said her best friend, Angela, as the bell rang to signal five minutes before the first class on the first day back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/you-re-crazy-said-her-best-friend-angela-as-the-bell-rang-to-signal/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [“Poor people do not go on holiday; they go home.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/poor-people-do-not-go-on-holiday-they-go-home/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Right now, for many Americans, class is being foregrounded like never before because of the economic situation. It doesn't mean that race doesn't matter,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bell-hooks/right-now-for-many-americans-class-is-being-foregrounded-like-never/) [Bell Hooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bell-hooks/) > [But I don't think the Democratic Party is at eye level with the middle class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-i-don-t-think-the-democratic-party-is-at-eye-level-with-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'm not a dancer. Never took a dance class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrishell-stause/i-m-not-a-dancer-never-took-a-dance-class/) [Chrishell Stause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrishell-stause/) > [Most startups are not just built for the person who is using them. When you do that, every now and then you get really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmett-shear/most-startups-are-not-just-built-for-the-person-who-is-using-them/) [Emmett Shear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmett-shear/) > [The structure of the Swiss ruling class is rock-hard, and unchanged since the time of Napoleon. They sit on their mountains and lecture the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-ziegler/the-structure-of-the-swiss-ruling-class-is-rock-hard-and-unchanged/) [Jean Ziegler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-ziegler/) > [We are not going back to the failed policies of the past. We are fighting for the middle class!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-pelosi/we-are-not-going-back-to-the-failed-policies-of-the-past-we-are/) [Nancy Pelosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-pelosi/) [Browse all 7,637 Class quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Better to be a first-class matchbox than a second-class match.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Haruki Murakami" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than-a-second-class-match/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Class" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than-a-second-class-match/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/haruki-murakami-21_class_better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than_2742941.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/haruki-murakami-21_class_better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than_2742941.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cb5/haruki-murakami-21_class_better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than_2742941.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Better to be a first-class matchbox than a second-class match.” — Haruki Murakami", "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": "Haruki Murakami", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Better to be a first-class matchbox...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than-a-second-class-match/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/better-to-be-a-first-class-matchbox-than-a-second-class-match/#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 } } ] } ```