--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Paradise or no paradise, I have the very…" description: "\"“Paradise or no paradise, I have the very definite impression that the people of this vicinity are striving to live up to the grandeur and nobility whi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/henry-miller-179_paradise_paradise-or-no-paradise-i-have-the-very_3075443.jpg" --- # Paradise or no paradise, I have the very definite… ![“Paradise or no paradise, I have the very definite impression that the people of this vicinity are striving to live up to the grandeur and nobility which is such an integral part of the setting. They behave as if it were a privilege to live here, as if it were by an act of grace they found…” quote by Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/henry-miller-179_paradise_paradise-or-no-paradise-i-have-the-very_3075443.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/henry-miller-179_paradise_paradise-or-no-paradise-i-have-the-very_3075443.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/538/henry-miller-179_paradise_paradise-or-no-paradise-i-have-the-very_3075443.jpg) > ““Paradise or no paradise, I have the very definite impression that the people of this vicinity are striving to live up to the grandeur and nobility which is such an integral part of the setting. They behave as if it were a privilege to live here, as if it were by an act of grace they found themselves here. The place itself is so overwhelmingly bigger, greater, than anyone could hope to make it that it engenders a humility and reverence not frequently met with in Americans. There is nothing to improve on in the surroundings, the tendency is to set about improving oneself.”” [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often focus on improving their surroundings, but true growth comes from self‑improvement within a grand setting. **In simple terms:** Improving oneself matters more than changing the environment. Key Takeaway Prioritize personal development over external fixes. Themes self‑improvement humility environment growth Mood inspirational contemplative Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career advancement - education - spiritual practice Key Concepts personal responsibility existential reflection place‑attachment Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of yourself need work? - How does your environment inspire humility? A Different Perspective Neglecting self‑growth can limit potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Paradise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradise/) ## Related quotes > [Santa Barbara is a paradise; Disneyland is a paradise; the U.S. is a paradise. Paradise is just paradise. Mournful, monotonous, and superficial though it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-baudrillard/santa-barbara-is-a-paradise-disneyland-is-a-paradise-the-u-s-is-a/) [Jean Baudrillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-baudrillard/) > [“The only true paradise is a paradise lost”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-only-true-paradise-is-a-paradise-lost/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“The only true paradise is paradise lost”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-only-true-paradise-is-paradise-lost/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [The longing for paradise is paradise itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/the-longing-for-paradise-is-paradise-itself/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [Paradise? Paradise can go fuck itself. -Mark Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-descendants/paradise-paradise-can-go-fuck-itself-mark-mitchell/) [The Descendants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/the-descendants/) > [The fruit of the tree of knowledge always drives man from some paradise or other; and even the paradise of fools is not an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ralph-inge/the-fruit-of-the-tree-of-knowledge-always-drives-man-from-some/) [William Ralph Inge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ralph-inge/) > [The only paradise is paradise lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-only-paradise-is-paradise-lost/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Life is paradise, and we are all in paradise, but we refuse to see it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-paradise-and-we-are-all-in-paradise-but-we-refuse-to-see-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The child in each of us Knows paradise. Paradise is home. Home as it was Or home as it should have been. Paradise is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-child-in-each-of-us-knows-paradise-paradise-is-home-home-as-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I still dwelled deep in my elected paradise--a paradise whose skies were the color of hell-flames--but still a paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/i-still-dwelled-deep-in-my-elected-paradise-a-paradise-whose-skies/) [Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/) > [Certainly paradise, whatever, wherever it be, contains flaws. (Paradisical flaws, if you like.) If it did not, it would be incapable of drawing the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/certainly-paradise-whatever-wherever-it-be-contains-flaws-paradisical/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [When I wrote 'Paradise,' it was going to be an interlude - like a segue from the song before. Then I just added more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mnek/when-i-wrote-paradise-it-was-going-to-be-an-interlude-like-a-segue/) [MNEK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mnek/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [“ALAS, IF ALL HUMANS WERE WISE AND HAD MORE GOOD WILL THE WORLD WOULD BE A PARADISE NOW IT IS MOSTLY A HELL”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/alas-if-all-humans-were-wise-and-had-more-good-will-the-world-would/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) ## More by Henry Miller > [“I reached out for something to attach myself to—and I found nothing. But in reaching out, in the effort to grasp, to attach myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-reached-out-for-something-to-attach-myself-to-and-i-found-nothing/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“I saw the errors I had made and assumed full responsibility for everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-saw-the-errors-i-had-made-and-assumed-full-responsibility-for/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [The monstrous thing is not that men have created roses out of this dung heap, but that, for some reason or other, they should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-monstrous-thing-is-not-that-men-have-created-roses-out-of-this/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [They never opened the door which leads to the soul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/they-never-opened-the-door-which-leads-to-the-soul/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“(...)I decided to let myself drift with the tide, to make not the least resistance to fate, no matter in what form it presented…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/i-decided-to-let-myself-drift-with-the-tide-to-make-not-the-least/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“If it be knowledge or wisdom one is seeking, then one had better go direct to the source. And the source is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/if-it-be-knowledge-or-wisdom-one-is-seeking-then-one-had-better-go/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“In the egocentric prism the helpless victim is walled in by the very light which he refracts. The ego dies in its own glass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/in-the-egocentric-prism-the-helpless-victim-is-walled-in-by-the-very/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“When one spends what he has on himself, when one has a thoroughly good time with his own money, people are apt to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/when-one-spends-what-he-has-on-himself-when-one-has-a-thoroughly-good/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Paint what you like and die happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/paint-what-you-like-and-die-happy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“And no one sets about saving the world unless he has first experienced the miracle of personal salvation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/and-no-one-sets-about-saving-the-world-unless-he-has-first/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“He looks about the room at the few sticks of furniture, at the dirty bed sheets and the wash basin with the dirty water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/he-looks-about-the-room-at-the-few-sticks-of-furniture-at-the-dirty/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Since then, of course, I have discovered what every madman in Paris discovers sooner of later; that there are no ready made infernos for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/since-then-of-course-i-have-discovered-what-every-madman-in-paris/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“Looking back upon my career, I see myself as a person capable of undertaking almost any task, any vocation. It was the monotony and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/looking-back-upon-my-career-i-see-myself-as-a-person-capable-of/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [“The word in your mouth is anarchy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/the-word-in-your-mouth-is-anarchy/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) [Explore all 894 Henry Miller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) ## More Paradise quotes > [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [“ALAS, IF ALL HUMANS WERE WISE AND HAD MORE GOOD WILL THE WORLD WOULD BE A PARADISE NOW IT IS MOSTLY A HELL”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/alas-if-all-humans-were-wise-and-had-more-good-will-the-world-would/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [Memory revises me. Even now a letter comes from a place I don’t know, from someone with my name and postmarked years ago, while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/memory-revises-me-even-now-a-letter-comes-from-a-place-i-don-t-know/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [When I wrote 'Paradise,' it was going to be an interlude - like a segue from the song before. Then I just added more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mnek/when-i-wrote-paradise-it-was-going-to-be-an-interlude-like-a-segue/) [MNEK](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mnek/) > [And as regards Adam and Eve we must maintain that before the fall they were virgins in Paradise: but after they sinned, and were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-jerome/and-as-regards-adam-and-eve-we-must-maintain-that-before-the-fall/) [St. Jerome](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-jerome/) > [“Life... is a paradise to what we fear of death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/life-is-a-paradise-to-what-we-fear-of-death/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [The thing is, it has to do with heart - we have to understand what hearts are for before we can get back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-trudell/the-thing-is-it-has-to-do-with-heart-we-have-to-understand-what/) [John Trudell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-trudell/) > [The fatal mistake we make is looking for a paradise that endures...This obsession with what lasts causes us to overlook many a fleeting paradise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-makine/the-fatal-mistake-we-make-is-looking-for-a-paradise-that-endures-this/) [Andreï Makine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-makine/) > [“An atheist is someone who is disappointed in his search of god. He is a man who strongly needed god but couldn't find him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/an-atheist-is-someone-who-is-disappointed-in-his-search-of-god-he-is/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Just as we would have no need of the farmer's labor and toil if we were living amid the delights of paradise, so also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-basil/just-as-we-would-have-no-need-of-the-farmer-s-labor-and-toil-if-we/) [Saint Basil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-basil/) > [Shall we keep men in a fool's paradise? Shall we lull them into soft slumbers from which they will awake in hell? Are we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/shall-we-keep-men-in-a-fool-s-paradise-shall-we-lull-them-into-soft/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [What can my enemies do to me? My paradise is in my heart, it is with me wherever I go. To imprison me is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-taymiyyah/what-can-my-enemies-do-to-me-my-paradise-is-in-my-heart-it-is-with-me/) [Ibn Taymiyyah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-taymiyyah/) > [I found out there is a production paradise in Brazil. I was able to make my second collection for less money but without sacrificing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-brown/i-found-out-there-is-a-production-paradise-in-brazil-i-was-able-to/) [Antonio Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-brown/) > [The one perfectly divine thing, the one glimpse of God's paradise given on earth, is to fight a losing battle - and not lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-one-perfectly-divine-thing-the-one-glimpse-of-god-s-paradise/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most religion-mongers have bated their paradises with a bit of toasted cheese. They have tempted the body with large promises of possessions in their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-russell-lowell/most-religion-mongers-have-bated-their-paradises-with-a-bit-of/) [James Russell Lowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-russell-lowell/) [Browse all 1,426 Paradise quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/paradise/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Paradise or no paradise, I have the very definite impression that the people of this vicinity are striving to live up to the grandeur and nobility which is such an integral part of the setting. They behave as if it were a privilege to live here, as if it were by an act of grace they found themselves here. The place itself is so overwhelmingly bigger, greater, than anyone could hope to make it that it engenders a humility and reverence not frequently met with in Americans. 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