--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like this life. I like it when it's…" description: "\"I like this life. I like it when it's hard, and I like it better when it's not, but I know you don't get the sweet part without the bitter.\" — Holly Near" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/holly-near-13172_bitter_i-like-this-life-i-like-it-when-it-s-har_709095.jpg" --- # I like this life. I like it when it's hard, and I like it… ![“I like this life. I like it when it's hard, and I like it better when it's not, but I know you don't get the sweet part without the bitter.” quote by Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/holly-near-13172_bitter_i-like-this-life-i-like-it-when-it-s-har_709095.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/holly-near-13172_bitter_i-like-this-life-i-like-it-when-it-s-har_709095.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b32/holly-near-13172_bitter_i-like-this-life-i-like-it-when-it-s-har_709095.jpg) > “I like this life. I like it when it's hard, and I like it better when it's not, but I know you don't get the sweet part without the bitter.” [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s richness comes from experiencing both hardship and ease; the sweet moments are earned through enduring bitterness. **In simple terms:** Hardship makes sweet moments valuable. Key Takeaway Embrace challenges to appreciate joy. Themes resilience balance gratitude Mood reflective hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - relationships - mental health - overcoming adversity Key Concepts dualism growth contrast Questions to Reflect On - What hardships have shaped your appreciation of joy? - How can you find balance between ease and difficulty? A Different Perspective Hardship alone doesn’t guarantee sweetness; context matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“We doona get the sweet without the bitter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-doona-get-the-sweet-without-the-bitter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There's no life like the life I've lived. You're free like a cloud floating up in the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doyle-brunson/there-s-no-life-like-the-life-i-ve-lived-you-re-free-like-a-cloud/) [Doyle Brunson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doyle-brunson/) > [I like my life and I like to be positive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-koeman/i-like-my-life-and-i-like-to-be-positive/) [Ronald Koeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-koeman/) > [I don't have a love life. I have a like life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/i-don-t-have-a-love-life-i-have-a-like-life/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [They say the movies should be more like life; I think life should be more like the movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myrna-loy/they-say-the-movies-should-be-more-like-life-i-think-life-should-be/) [Myrna Loy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myrna-loy/) > [I like my life. I like my friends. I don't want to go anywhere else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norah-jones/i-like-my-life-i-like-my-friends-i-don-t-want-to-go-anywhere-else/) [Norah Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norah-jones/) > [Life is not like a novel, but a novel can be like life. The best ones always are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-chambers/life-is-not-like-a-novel-but-a-novel-can-be-like-life-the-best-ones/) [Aidan Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-chambers/) > [There are those who say that life is like a book, with chapters for each event in your life and a limited number of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-those-who-say-that-life-is-like-a-book-with-chapters-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Amazing how a person’s life could be cut into segments, like an orange, with pith and all. Good part, bad part. Sweet and bitter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-campisi/amazing-how-a-person-s-life-could-be-cut-into-segments-like-an-orange/) [Mary Campisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-campisi/) > [\*LOVE\* is the most sweetest thing in the World... Sweet as it's,.. Is the most bitter... Very Dangerous... Depending on the content Sorrounding It](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imisioluwat94/love-is-the-most-sweetest-thing-in-the-world-sweet-as-it-s-is-the/) ImisioluwaT94 > [“Life is sweet or bitter depending on where your attention is, at that moment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-alexiou/life-is-sweet-or-bitter-depending-on-where-your-attention-is-at-that/) [George Alexiou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-alexiou/) > [I think that life is just too sweet to be bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kris-carr/i-think-that-life-is-just-too-sweet-to-be-bitter/) [Kris Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kris-carr/) > [The sweet of bitter bark And burning clove.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-frost/the-sweet-of-bitter-bark-and-burning-clove/) [Robert Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-frost/) > [I drink coffee because it reminds me of you: sweet with a very bitter aftertaste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-drink-coffee-because-it-reminds-me-of-you-sweet-with-a-very-bitter/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Chewing the food of sweet and bitter fancy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/chewing-the-food-of-sweet-and-bitter-fancy/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by Holly Near > [When the students were killed at Kent State, the cast voted to do a demonstration from the stage, and I abstained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/when-the-students-were-killed-at-kent-state-the-cast-voted-to-do-a/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [All my life I have gone out on a limb, but I have turned the limb into a bridge, and there is cool, clear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/all-my-life-i-have-gone-out-on-a-limb-but-i-have-turned-the-limb-into/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [My creativity and my political work are linked. I don't do this work out of guilt or out of responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/my-creativity-and-my-political-work-are-linked-i-don-t-do-this-work/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [You can't just leave out one part; the bread won't rise if the yeast isn't there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/you-can-t-just-leave-out-one-part-the-bread-won-t-rise-if-the-yeast/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [My parents had been involved in the labor movement; if we'd grown up in the city, we would have been red-diaper babies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/my-parents-had-been-involved-in-the-labor-movement-if-we-d-grown-up/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Whenever new ideas emerge, songs soon follow, and before long the songs are leading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/whenever-new-ideas-emerge-songs-soon-follow-and-before-long-the-songs/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [A lot of artists say, I'm not political. People are afraid of this word.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/a-lot-of-artists-say-i-m-not-political-people-are-afraid-of-this-word/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [In less than a century we experienced great movement. The youth movement! The labor movement! The civil rights movement! The peace movement! The solidarity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/in-less-than-a-century-we-experienced-great-movement-the-youth/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Peace can start with just one heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/peace-can-start-with-just-one-heart/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Music can be used against us as much as it can be used for us. Muzak can put a whole nation to sleep, whereas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/music-can-be-used-against-us-as-much-as-it-can-be-used-for-us-muzak/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Why do we kill people who are killing people to show that killing people is wrong?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/why-do-we-kill-people-who-are-killing-people-to-show-that-killing/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Time has passed through me and become a song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/time-has-passed-through-me-and-become-a-song/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Leaping away from my mistakes has propelled me forward. It has great force behind it. It makes for great storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/leaping-away-from-my-mistakes-has-propelled-me-forward-it-has-great/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [White middle- and upper-class men have a longer journey to go than many people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/white-middle-and-upper-class-men-have-a-longer-journey-to-go-than/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [When I am willing, all sound is available to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/when-i-am-willing-all-sound-is-available-to-me/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) [Explore all 51 Holly Near quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) ## More Bitter quotes > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [From the bitter cold winter at Valley Forge, to the mountains of Afghanistan and the deserts of Iraq, our soldiers have courageously answered when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-ortiz/from-the-bitter-cold-winter-at-valley-forge-to-the-mountains-of/) [Solomon Ortiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-ortiz/) > [Don't be bitter. Everybody suffers. If you can accept your suffering then you will understand other people better. Be grateful for pain. Love life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-colbert/don-t-be-bitter-everybody-suffers-if-you-can-accept-your-suffering/) [Stephen Colbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-colbert/) > [Troy was a sweet, good man. We just were never destined to be married. We just didn't have the same values. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/troy-was-a-sweet-good-man-we-just-were-never-destined-to-be-married/) [Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Holy shadows of the dead, I'm not to blame for your cruel and bitter fate, but the accursed rivalry which brought sister nations and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/holy-shadows-of-the-dead-i-m-not-to-blame-for-your-cruel-and-bitter/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [One may have been a fool, but there's no foolishness like being bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/one-may-have-been-a-fool-but-there-s-no-foolishness-like-being-bitter/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [“I doubt taking in a sullen, bitter, teenage girl with more issues than National Geographic is at the center of the vision board for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katja-millay/i-doubt-taking-in-a-sullen-bitter-teenage-girl-with-more-issues-than/) [Katja Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katja-millay/) > [Tireless passion, fierce jealousy, longing to possess and crush-these alone were left of all his love for Rosalind; these remained to him as payment…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/tireless-passion-fierce-jealousy-longing-to-possess-and-crush-these/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [Life is too bitter already, without territories and wars and noble feuds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-too-bitter-already-without-territories-and-wars-and-noble/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [With every interview you feel like you lose a piece of yourself, and with every bad review you become just that little bit more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-march/with-every-interview-you-feel-like-you-lose-a-piece-of-yourself-and/) [Jane March](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-march/) > [“Without the bitter, the sweet ain’t as sweet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/without-the-bitter-the-sweet-ain-t-as-sweet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I refuse to be one of those artists who, 10 years from now, they're bitter about the rise and the fall of their career.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-bryan/i-refuse-to-be-one-of-those-artists-who-10-years-from-now-they-re/) [Luke Bryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-bryan/) > [“In these days in which we live, when existence has become a thing of infinite complexity and fate, if it slips us a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-g-wodehouse/in-these-days-in-which-we-live-when-existence-has-become-a-thing-of/) [P.G. Wodehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-g-wodehouse/) > [If a sudden jar can cause me to speak an impatient, unloving word, then I know nothing of Calvary love. For a cup brimful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-carmichael/if-a-sudden-jar-can-cause-me-to-speak-an-impatient-unloving-word-then/) [Amy Carmichael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-carmichael/) Browse all 1,923 Bitter quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I like this life. 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