--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Oblivion seemed the only reasonable option." description: "\"Oblivion seemed the only reasonable option.\" — Ian Mcewan" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/ian-mcewan-494_oblivion_oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-opti_1974885.png" --- # Oblivion seemed the only reasonable option. ![“Oblivion seemed the only reasonable option.” quote by Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/ian-mcewan-494_oblivion_oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-opti_1974885.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/ian-mcewan-494_oblivion_oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-opti_1974885.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/ian-mcewan-494_oblivion_oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-opti_1974885.png) > “Oblivion seemed the only reasonable option.” [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Despair can make oblivion seem like an escape, reflecting deep hopelessness. **In simple terms:** Oblivion feels like an easy escape. Key Takeaway Recognize despair, seek help. Themes despair existential crisis escape Mood somber introspective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - mental health crisis - relationship breakdown - career failure Key Concepts psychology nihilism Questions to Reflect On - What drives you toward oblivion? - How can you find meaning despite despair? A Different Perspective Oblivion is not a solution; it deepens pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Oblivion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oblivion/) ## Related quotes > [“In reality, though, most of the time we don’t choose the best option—we choose the first reasonable option, a strategy known as satisficing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-krug/in-reality-though-most-of-the-time-we-don-t-choose-the-best-option-we/) [Steve Krug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-krug/) > [Monogamy is god's way of making death seem like a more reasonable option.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dov-davidoff/monogamy-is-god-s-way-of-making-death-seem-like-a-more-reasonable/) [Dov Davidoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dov-davidoff/) > [I like to think that it isn't weakness or evasion, but a final act of kindness, a stand against oblivion and despair, ...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-like-to-think-that-it-isn-t-weakness-or-evasion-but-a-final-act-of/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“She can't catch on to slumber, the relief of oblivion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-gemmell/she-can-t-catch-on-to-slumber-the-relief-of-oblivion/) [Nikki Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-gemmell/) > [Then there are the addicts, the hunger addicts, the rage addicts, the poverty addicts , and power addicts, and the pure addicts who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeet-thayil/then-there-are-the-addicts-the-hunger-addicts-the-rage-addicts-the/) [Jeet Thayil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeet-thayil/) > [“Oblivion and significance/brush our bones, leave us weeping for strangers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-adamshick/oblivion-and-significance-brush-our-bones-leave-us-weeping-for/) Carl Adamshick > [Gabriel pulled her over his body to lie on the bed beside him. His kisses pressed her down into the oblivion of the mattress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-curtis-klause/gabriel-pulled-her-over-his-body-to-lie-on-the-bed-beside-him-his/) [Annette Curtis Klause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-curtis-klause/) > [“Unless death is made a lesson for the living, the life lived is wasted. Why should life come into existence only to be destroyed?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/unless-death-is-made-a-lesson-for-the-living-the-life-lived-is-wasted/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [Time's stern tide, with cold Oblivion's wave, Shall soon dissolve each fair, each fading charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-seward/time-s-stern-tide-with-cold-oblivion-s-wave-shall-soon-dissolve-each/) [Anna Seward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-seward/) > [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Among our crimes oblivion may be set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/among-our-crimes-oblivion-may-be-set/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [“What matters is at the end of life, when you're about to pass into oblivion, that you've at least scratched 'Kilroy was here,' on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-matters-is-at-the-end-of-life-when-you-re-about-to-pass-into/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [“I just tried to put myself in her place and figure out what would be the scariest thing. If I thought I might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-gaffney/i-just-tried-to-put-myself-in-her-place-and-figure-out-what-would-be/) [Patricia Gaffney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-gaffney/) > [Ignorance is not bliss — it is oblivion. Determined ignorance is the hastiest kind of oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/ignorance-is-not-bliss-it-is-oblivion-determined-ignorance-is-the/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) ## More by Ian Mcewan > [“As you will see, we do not believe that artists have an obligation to strike up attitudes to the war. Indeed, they are wise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/as-you-will-see-we-do-not-believe-that-artists-have-an-obligation-to/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [You could say that all novels are spy novels and all novelists are spy masters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/you-could-say-that-all-novels-are-spy-novels-and-all-novelists-are/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I've never had a moment's doubt. I love you. I believe in you completely. You are my dearest one. My reason for life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-ve-never-had-a-moment-s-doubt-i-love-you-i-believe-in-you/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“It is shaming sometimes, how the body will not, or cannot, lie about emotions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/it-is-shaming-sometimes-how-the-body-will-not-or-cannot-lie-about/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“While my friends struggled and calculated, I reached a solution by a set of floating steps that were partly visual, partly just a feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/while-my-friends-struggled-and-calculated-i-reached-a-solution-by-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Once, on a walk by a river- Eskdale in low reddish sunlight, with a dusting of snow- his daughter quoted to him an opening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/once-on-a-walk-by-a-river-eskdale-in-low-reddish-sunlight-with-a/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Perhaps it's one of those cases of a microcosm giving you the whole world. Like a spode dinner plate. Or a single cell. Or,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/perhaps-it-s-one-of-those-cases-of-a-microcosm-giving-you-the-whole/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [Who you get, and how it works out- there's so much luck involved, as well as the million branching consequences of your conscious choice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/who-you-get-and-how-it-works-out-there-s-so-much-luck-involved-as/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“On Chesil Beach he could have called out to Florence, he could have gone after her. 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And it is a terrifying prospect and actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-would-rather-be-physically-disabled-obviously-than-mentally-i-would/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [“Words, as I'm beginning to appreciate, can make things true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/words-as-i-m-beginning-to-appreciate-can-make-things-true/) [Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I couldn't think about novels at all. It seemed the only writing that was appropriate to that horrendous event was journalism, reportage. And, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-couldn-t-think-about-novels-at-all-it-seemed-the-only-writing-that/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) > [I did not kill my father, but I sometimes felt I had helped him on his way. And but for the fact that it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/i-did-not-kill-my-father-but-i-sometimes-felt-i-had-helped-him-on-his/) [Ian Mcewan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) [Explore all 496 Ian Mcewan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/) ## More Oblivion quotes > [Ignorance is not bliss — it is oblivion. Determined ignorance is the hastiest kind of oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/ignorance-is-not-bliss-it-is-oblivion-determined-ignorance-is-the/) [Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/) > [“I just tried to put myself in her place and figure out what would be the scariest thing. If I thought I might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-gaffney/i-just-tried-to-put-myself-in-her-place-and-figure-out-what-would-be/) [Patricia Gaffney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-gaffney/) > [“What matters is at the end of life, when you're about to pass into oblivion, that you've at least scratched 'Kilroy was here,' on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-matters-is-at-the-end-of-life-when-you-re-about-to-pass-into/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Winning a competition in architecture is a ticket to oblivion. It's just an idea. Ninety-nine per cent never get built](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-libeskind/winning-a-competition-in-architecture-is-a-ticket-to-oblivion-it-s/) [Daniel Libeskind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-libeskind/) > [Among our crimes oblivion may be set.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/among-our-crimes-oblivion-may-be-set/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [Now it is autumn and the falling fruit and the long journey towards oblivion. The apples falling like great drops of dew to bruise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/now-it-is-autumn-and-the-falling-fruit-and-the-long-journey-towards/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [Time's stern tide, with cold Oblivion's wave, Shall soon dissolve each fair, each fading charm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-seward/time-s-stern-tide-with-cold-oblivion-s-wave-shall-soon-dissolve-each/) [Anna Seward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-seward/) > [“Unless death is made a lesson for the living, the life lived is wasted. Why should life come into existence only to be destroyed?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/unless-death-is-made-a-lesson-for-the-living-the-life-lived-is-wasted/) [Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/) > [Gabriel pulled her over his body to lie on the bed beside him. His kisses pressed her down into the oblivion of the mattress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annette-curtis-klause/gabriel-pulled-her-over-his-body-to-lie-on-the-bed-beside-him-his/) [Annette Curtis Klause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annette-curtis-klause/) > [“Oblivion and significance/brush our bones, leave us weeping for strangers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-adamshick/oblivion-and-significance-brush-our-bones-leave-us-weeping-for/) Carl Adamshick > [Then there are the addicts, the hunger addicts, the rage addicts, the poverty addicts , and power addicts, and the pure addicts who are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeet-thayil/then-there-are-the-addicts-the-hunger-addicts-the-rage-addicts-the/) [Jeet Thayil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeet-thayil/) > [“She can't catch on to slumber, the relief of oblivion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikki-gemmell/she-can-t-catch-on-to-slumber-the-relief-of-oblivion/) [Nikki Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikki-gemmell/) > [“I'm always angry about the death of people who are still alive, their eyes are opened, yet they can't see anything...the spell of ignorance”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/i-m-always-angry-about-the-death-of-people-who-are-still-alive-their/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [I have reared a memorial more enduring than brass, and loftier than the regal structure of the pyramids, which neither the corroding shower nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horace/i-have-reared-a-memorial-more-enduring-than-brass-and-loftier-than/) [Horace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horace/) > [And what importance do I have in the courtroom of oblivion?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-neruda/and-what-importance-do-i-have-in-the-courtroom-of-oblivion/) [Pablo Neruda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-neruda/) [Browse all 475 Oblivion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/oblivion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Oblivion seemed the only reasonable option.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ian Mcewan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-option/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Oblivion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-option/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/ian-mcewan-494_oblivion_oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-opti_1974885.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/ian-mcewan-494_oblivion_oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-opti_1974885.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/56a/ian-mcewan-494_oblivion_oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-opti_1974885.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Oblivion seemed the only reasonable option.” — Ian Mcewan", "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 Mcewan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Oblivion seemed the only reasonable option.", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-option/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/oblivion-seemed-the-only-reasonable-option/#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 } } ] } ```