---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always smoked and drunk and loved…"
description: "\"I have always smoked and drunk and loved too much. In fact I have lived not too long but too much. One day the Iron Crab will get me. Then I shall have..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/ian-fleming-1862_crabs_i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved_1773681.jpg"
---

#  I have always smoked and drunk and loved too much. In fact…

![“I have always smoked and drunk and loved too much. In fact I have lived not too long but too much. One day the Iron Crab will get me. Then I shall have died of living too much.” quote by Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/ian-fleming-1862_crabs_i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved_1773681.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/ian-fleming-1862_crabs_i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved_1773681.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/ian-fleming-1862_crabs_i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved_1773681.jpg)

> “I have always smoked and drunk and loved too much. In fact I have lived not too long but too much. One day the Iron Crab will get me. Then I shall have died of living too much.”

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Living intensely leads to eventual downfall; excess in pleasure and love invites inevitable demise.

**In simple terms:** Too much living leads to death.

Key Takeaway

Moderate indulgence to avoid self-destruction.

Themes

excess mortality pleasure love consequence

Mood

cautious reflective

Type

philosophical warning

When to use this quote

- high‑stress careers
- relationships
- substance use
- creative pursuits

Key Concepts

hedonism fatalism self‑destruction

Questions to Reflect On

- What limits should you set on indulgence?
- How can you find fulfillment without overindulgence?

A Different Perspective

The quote glorifies excess without acknowledging healthy balance.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Facts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facts/)

## Related quotes

> [But I am greedy for life. I do too much of everything all the time. Suddenly one day my heart will fail. The Iron…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/but-i-am-greedy-for-life-i-do-too-much-of-everything-all-the-time/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [I have never smoked and have always drunk a lot of water, but cleanse, tone and moisturise every day? No way!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/i-have-never-smoked-and-have-always-drunk-a-lot-of-water-but-cleanse/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [She had only to stand in the orchard, to put her hand on a little crab tree and look up at the apples, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/she-had-only-to-stand-in-the-orchard-to-put-her-hand-on-a-little-crab/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [I wanna buy a bunch of hermit crabs and make them live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-wanna-buy-a-bunch-of-hermit-crabs-and-make-them-live-together/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [“Doc was collecting marine animals in the Great Tide Pool on the tip of the Peninsula. It is a fabulous place: when the tide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/doc-was-collecting-marine-animals-in-the-great-tide-pool-on-the-tip/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [Anyone who's onstage is going to attract a certain number of misguided people. But I was never very interested in groupies. Instead of thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/anyone-who-s-onstage-is-going-to-attract-a-certain-number-of/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [“Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oysters-open-completely-when-the-moon-is-full-and-when-the-crab-sees/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [In a recent interview, Hillary Clinton said that one of the jobs that prepared her to be president was sliming fish in Alaska. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/in-a-recent-interview-hillary-clinton-said-that-one-of-the-jobs-that/)

[Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/)

> [When a woman grabs my braids and says "How cute!" I crab her breast and say "How cute!" She never touches me again!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/when-a-woman-grabs-my-braids-and-says-how-cute-i-crab-her-breast-and/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [My father was a preacher in Maryland and we had crab feasts - with corn on the cob, but no beer, being Methodist -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/my-father-was-a-preacher-in-maryland-and-we-had-crab-feasts-with-corn/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [I'm a big fish eater. Salmon - I love salmon. My sister loves Chinese food and sushi and all that. I'm not as big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-fanning/i-m-a-big-fish-eater-salmon-i-love-salmon-my-sister-loves-chinese/)

[Elle Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-fanning/)

> [“Crabs and some shrimp, in contrast, will groom injured areas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-godfrey-smith/crabs-and-some-shrimp-in-contrast-will-groom-injured-areas/)

[Peter Godfrey-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-godfrey-smith/)

> [Marriage is a wrestling match where you hold on tight while your mate changes into a hundred different things. The trick is that you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/marriage-is-a-wrestling-match-where-you-hold-on-tight-while-your-mate/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [“Crabs and medusas were my natural enemies. Crabs because I once got bitten on my bum as I had fallen asleep on a rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patric-juillet/crabs-and-medusas-were-my-natural-enemies-crabs-because-i-once-got/)

[Patric Juillet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patric-juillet/)

## More by Ian Fleming

> [Most marriages don't add two people together. They subtract one from the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/most-marriages-don-t-add-two-people-together-they-subtract-one-from/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [All women love semi-rape. They love to be taken.It was his sweet brutality against my bruised body that made his act of love so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/all-women-love-semi-rape-they-love-to-be-taken-it-was-his-sweet/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Shooting hell out of a piece of cardboard doesn't prove anything' was his single-line introduction to the Small-arms Defence Manual.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/shooting-hell-out-of-a-piece-of-cardboard-doesn-t-prove-anything-was/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Danger, like a third man, was standing in the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/danger-like-a-third-man-was-standing-in-the-room/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Those who deserve to die, die the death they deserve.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/those-who-deserve-to-die-die-the-death-they-deserve/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Mr Bond, they have a saying in Chicago: 'Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it's enemy action'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/mr-bond-they-have-a-saying-in-chicago-once-is-happenstance-twice-is/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“There was no sign of life round the domed emplacement of the Moonraker, and the concrete, already beginning to shimmer in the early morning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/there-was-no-sign-of-life-round-the-domed-emplacement-of-the/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [The World Is Not Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/the-world-is-not-enough/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Somebody said that to become very rich you have to be helped by a combination of remarkable circumstances and an unbroken run of luck.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/somebody-said-that-to-become-very-rich-you-have-to-be-helped-by-a/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [Worry is a dividend paid to disaster before it is due](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/worry-is-a-dividend-paid-to-disaster-before-it-is-due/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Bond smelt the smell of danger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/bond-smelt-the-smell-of-danger/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [All the greatest men are maniacs. They are possessed by a mania which drives them forward towards thier goal. The great scientists, the philosophers,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/all-the-greatest-men-are-maniacs-they-are-possessed-by-a-mania-which/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Surround yourself with human beings, my dear James. They are easier to fight for than principles.' He laughed. 'But don't let me down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/surround-yourself-with-human-beings-my-dear-james-they-are-easier-to/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at three in the morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/the-scent-and-smoke-and-sweat-of-a-casino-are-nauseating-at-three-in/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

> [“Was it true what The Big Man had said, that she would have nothing to do with men? He doubted it. She seemed open…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/was-it-true-what-the-big-man-had-said-that-she-would-have-nothing-to/)

[Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

[Explore all 199 Ian Fleming quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/)

## More Crabs quotes

> [“Crabs and medusas were my natural enemies. Crabs because I once got bitten on my bum as I had fallen asleep on a rock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patric-juillet/crabs-and-medusas-were-my-natural-enemies-crabs-because-i-once-got/)

[Patric Juillet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patric-juillet/)

> [But she still had that something which fires the imagination, could still stop one's breath for a moment by a look or gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/but-she-still-had-that-something-which-fires-the-imagination-could/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [Marriage is a wrestling match where you hold on tight while your mate changes into a hundred different things. The trick is that you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherynne-m-valente/marriage-is-a-wrestling-match-where-you-hold-on-tight-while-your-mate/)

[Catherynne M. Valente](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherynne-m-valente/)

> [“Crabs and some shrimp, in contrast, will groom injured areas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-godfrey-smith/crabs-and-some-shrimp-in-contrast-will-groom-injured-areas/)

[Peter Godfrey-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-godfrey-smith/)

> [I'm a big fish eater. Salmon - I love salmon. My sister loves Chinese food and sushi and all that. I'm not as big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elle-fanning/i-m-a-big-fish-eater-salmon-i-love-salmon-my-sister-loves-chinese/)

[Elle Fanning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elle-fanning/)

> [My father was a preacher in Maryland and we had crab feasts - with corn on the cob, but no beer, being Methodist -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tori-amos/my-father-was-a-preacher-in-maryland-and-we-had-crab-feasts-with-corn/)

[Tori Amos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tori-amos/)

> [When a woman grabs my braids and says "How cute!" I crab her breast and say "How cute!" She never touches me again!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/when-a-woman-grabs-my-braids-and-says-how-cute-i-crab-her-breast-and/)

[Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/)

> [In a recent interview, Hillary Clinton said that one of the jobs that prepared her to be president was sliming fish in Alaska. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/in-a-recent-interview-hillary-clinton-said-that-one-of-the-jobs-that/)

[Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/)

> [“Oysters open completely when the moon is full; and when the crab sees one it throws a piece of stone or seaweed into it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/oysters-open-completely-when-the-moon-is-full-and-when-the-crab-sees/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Anyone who's onstage is going to attract a certain number of misguided people. But I was never very interested in groupies. Instead of thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/anyone-who-s-onstage-is-going-to-attract-a-certain-number-of/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

> [“Doc was collecting marine animals in the Great Tide Pool on the tip of the Peninsula. It is a fabulous place: when the tide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/doc-was-collecting-marine-animals-in-the-great-tide-pool-on-the-tip/)

[John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/)

> [I wanna buy a bunch of hermit crabs and make them live together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/i-wanna-buy-a-bunch-of-hermit-crabs-and-make-them-live-together/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [She had only to stand in the orchard, to put her hand on a little crab tree and look up at the apples, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/willa-cather/she-had-only-to-stand-in-the-orchard-to-put-her-hand-on-a-little-crab/)

[Willa Cather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/willa-cather/)

> [This hook nose and crab meister attitude has gotten me every job I've ever had. And more divorces than I care to remember.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-fell/this-hook-nose-and-crab-meister-attitude-has-gotten-me-every-job-i-ve/)

[Norman Fell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-fell/)

> [“Good,” Mapp said. “That’s very good. Eat some crabs. Grab Pilcher and smooch him on his face, go wild.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-harris/good-mapp-said-that-s-very-good-eat-some-crabs-grab-pilcher-and/)

[Thomas Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-harris/)

Browse all 139 Crabs quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I have always smoked and drunk and loved too much. In fact I have lived not too long but too much. One day the Iron Crab will get me. Then I shall have died of living too much.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ian Fleming"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved-too-much-in-fact-i-have/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Crabs"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved-too-much-in-fact-i-have/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/ian-fleming-1862_crabs_i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved_1773681.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/ian-fleming-1862_crabs_i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved_1773681.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c45/ian-fleming-1862_crabs_i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved_1773681.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I have always smoked and drunk and loved too much. In fact I have lived not too long but too much. One day…” — Ian Fleming",
                "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": "Ian Fleming",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I have always smoked and drunk...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved-too-much-in-fact-i-have/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/i-have-always-smoked-and-drunk-and-loved-too-much-in-fact-i-have/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```