--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are certain queer times and…" description: "\"“There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/herman-melville-162_life_there-are-certain-queer-times-and-occasi_1203717.jpg" --- # There are certain queer times and occasions in this… ![“There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody's expense but his own.” quote by Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/herman-melville-162_life_there-are-certain-queer-times-and-occasi_1203717.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/herman-melville-162_life_there-are-certain-queer-times-and-occasi_1203717.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/45d/herman-melville-162_life_there-are-certain-queer-times-and-occasi_1203717.jpg) > ““There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for a vast practical joke, though the wit thereof he but dimly discerns, and more than suspects that the joke is at nobody's expense but his own.”” [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life can feel absurd, as if the universe is a joke we don’t fully understand, and the punchline seems aimed at us personally. **In simple terms:** Life may seem like a personal joke. Key Takeaway Accept absurdity, seek meaning. Themes absurdity existentialism self-awareness Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal crisis - creative work - philosophical reflection - daily stress Key Concepts nihilism human condition perception Questions to Reflect On - Do you feel life is mocking you? - How can you find purpose amid absurdity? A Different Perspective The view may ignore moments of genuine purpose beyond absurdity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Homosexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homosexuality/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Practical joke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/practical-joke/) [Queer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/queer/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes his whole universe for a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/there-are-certain-queer-times-and-occasions-in-this-strange-mixed-3/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“There are certain queer times and occasions in this strange mixed affair we call life when a man takes this whole universe for avast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/there-are-certain-queer-times-and-occasions-in-this-strange-mixed-2/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“nothing but that one sufficient little word queer; he's queer, says Stubb; he's queer—queer, queer; and keeps dinning it into Mr. Starbuck all the”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/nothing-but-that-one-sufficient-little-word-queer-he-s-queer-says/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [These names: gay, queer, homosexual are limiting. 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Acquaviva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kimberly-d-acquaviva/) > [“There's something very... I don't know; primitive, perhaps, about you, Gurgeh. You've never changed sex, have you?' He shook his head. 'Or slept with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iain-m-banks/there-s-something-very-i-don-t-know-primitive-perhaps-about-you/) [Iain M. Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iain-m-banks/) > [I'm terrible at practical jokes. I do them too well, so they're not funny. 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All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/if-you-make-people-laugh-or-cry-about-little-black-marks-on-sheets-of/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“As his wife, Emilia must know Iago better than anybody else. She does not know, any more than the others, that he is malevolent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-h-auden-2/as-his-wife-emilia-must-know-iago-better-than-anybody-else-she-does/) [W.H. Auden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-h-auden-2/) ## More by Herman Melville > [“and man, though idiotic, and knowing not what he does, yet full of the sweet things of love and gratitude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/and-man-though-idiotic-and-knowing-not-what-he-does-yet-full-of-the/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“But were the coming narrative to reveal in any instance, the complete abasement of poor Starbuck's fortitude, scarce might I have the heart to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/but-were-the-coming-narrative-to-reveal-in-any-instance-the-complete/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [“(On Ralph Waldo Emerson)I love all men who dive. 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