--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And what is the most terrible thing about…" description: "\"“And what is the most terrible thing about boredom? Why do we rush to dispel it? Because it is a distraction-free state which soon enough reveals under..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/irvin-yalom-73336_boredom_and-what-is-the-most-terrible-thing-abou_2639758.jpg" --- # And what is the most terrible thing about boredom? Why do… ![“And what is the most terrible thing about boredom? Why do we rush to dispel it? Because it is a distraction-free state which soon enough reveals underlying unpalatable truths about existence—our insignificance, our meaningless existence, our inexorable progression to deterioration and death.” quote by Irvin Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/irvin-yalom-73336_boredom_and-what-is-the-most-terrible-thing-abou_2639758.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/irvin-yalom-73336_boredom_and-what-is-the-most-terrible-thing-abou_2639758.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/98f/irvin-yalom-73336_boredom_and-what-is-the-most-terrible-thing-abou_2639758.jpg) > ““And what is the most terrible thing about boredom? Why do we rush to dispel it? Because it is a distraction-free state which soon enough reveals underlying unpalatable truths about existence—our insignificance, our meaningless existence, our inexorable progression to deterioration and death.”” Irvin Yalom ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Boredom forces confronting harsh truths about existence, insignificance, and mortality, which are otherwise avoided by distractions. **In simple terms:** Boredom reveals uncomfortable truths about life and death. Key Takeaway Face boredom, reflect on deeper meaning. Themes existence death meaning boredom truth Mood contemplative somber introspective Type Boredom:1 Death:1 Distraction:0 Life:1 Thing Boredom:0 Existence Significanceificance:1 Meaningless Existence:1 Insignificance Meaningless:1 When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - therapy sessions - philosophical discussions - meditation Key Concepts existentialism nihilism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does boredom affect your perception of purpose? - What truths emerge when distractions are removed? A Different Perspective Boredom can lead to paralysis rather than insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boredom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Distraction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distraction/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [What do you do when everyone in the world has given up on you? As if there is no where else to go. Because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paige-smith/what-do-you-do-when-everyone-in-the-world-has-given-up-on-you-as-if/) Paige Smith > [“Work, worry, toil and trouble are certainly the lot of almost all throughout their lives. But if all desires were fulfilled as soon as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-d-yalom/work-worry-toil-and-trouble-are-certainly-the-lot-of-almost-all/) [Irvin D. Yalom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvin-d-yalom/) > [There's no such thing as boredom. There is always something to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kesha-caldwell/there-s-no-such-thing-as-boredom-there-is-always-something-to-do/) Kesha Caldwell > [“What is boredom? Endless repetitions, like, for example, Navidson’s corridors and rooms, which are consistently devoid of any Myst-like discoveries thus causing us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-z-danielewski-s/what-is-boredom-endless-repetitions-like-for-example-navidson-s/) Mark Z. Danielewski's > [To do the same thing over and over again is not only boredom: it is to be controlled by rather than to control what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heraclitus/to-do-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again-is-not-only-boredom-it-is-to/) [Heraclitus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heraclitus/) > [Repose is a good thing, but boredom is its brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/repose-is-a-good-thing-but-boredom-is-its-brother/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Thanks to Twitter, iPads, BlackBerrys, voice-activated in-dash navigation systems, and a hundred other technologies that offer distraction anywhere, anytime, boredom has loosened its grip…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/thanks-to-twitter-ipads-blackberrys-voice-activated-in-dash/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [Even the rich aren't often happy. Their wealth is at best only a temporary distraction. It doesn't make them immune to emotional and mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/even-the-rich-aren-t-often-happy-their-wealth-is-at-best-only-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Not knowing how to feed the spirit, we try to muffle its demands in distraction...What matters is that one be for a time inwardly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/not-knowing-how-to-feed-the-spirit-we-try-to-muffle-its-demands-in/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [As a social and as a personal force, religion has become a dependent variable. It does not originate; it reacts. It does not denounce;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-wright-mills/as-a-social-and-as-a-personal-force-religion-has-become-a-dependent/) [C. Wright Mills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-wright-mills/) > [To really be of benefit to others as the Buddha always taught, we ourselves must first get out of the swamp. One of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/to-really-be-of-benefit-to-others-as-the-buddha-always-taught-we/) [Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/) > [I spend a lot of time loathing the sentences that I put down on the page. Once I'm past that phase, it doesn't really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-link/i-spend-a-lot-of-time-loathing-the-sentences-that-i-put-down-on-the/) [Kelly Link](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-link/) > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/) [Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/) > [I don't think there's a direct correlation between my sexuality and my skiing ability. But I think because I was so concerned about it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-kenworthy/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-direct-correlation-between-my-sexuality-and/) [Gus Kenworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-kenworthy/) ## More by Irvin Yalom > [“..poking in the ashes of the past is just an excuse to evade personal responsibility for our actions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvin-yalom-2/poking-in-the-ashes-of-the-past-is-just-an-excuse-to-evade-personal/) Irvin Yalom Explore all 2 Irvin Yalom quotes ## More Boredom quotes > [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Life is what you make it¦If one refuses to use ones imagination..it will be boring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-what-you-make-it-if-one-refuses-to-use-ones-imagination-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Boredom is vastly underrated. Boredom means that nothing is trying to kill you every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/boredom-is-vastly-underrated-boredom-means-that-nothing-is-trying-to/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [I'm bored of being bored because being bored is very boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/i-m-bored-of-being-bored-because-being-bored-is-very-boring/) [Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/) > [When people look in the mirror, sometimes they see are their shells in the mirror, nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-look-in-the-mirror-sometimes-they-see-are-their-shells-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I don't think anyone wants to do the same thing over and over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bachmann/i-don-t-think-anyone-wants-to-do-the-same-thing-over-and-over-again/) [Eric Bachmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bachmann/) > [“A car is one of the most interesting inventions, but driving is one of the most boring activities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-car-is-one-of-the-most-interesting-inventions-but-driving-is-one-of/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [The most total opposite of pleasure is not pain but boredom, for we are willing to risk pain to make a boring life interesting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kreeft/the-most-total-opposite-of-pleasure-is-not-pain-but-boredom-for-we/) [Peter Kreeft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kreeft/) > [We shop out of boredom, for release, for excitement, for a sense of achievement, for a sense of control over our unruly existences. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-gunn/we-shop-out-of-boredom-for-release-for-excitement-for-a-sense-of/) [Tim Gunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-gunn/) > [That human life must be some kind of mistake is sufficiently proved by the simple observation that man is a compound of needs which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/that-human-life-must-be-some-kind-of-mistake-is-sufficiently-proved/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [Isn’t ‘not to be bored’ one of the principal goals of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/isn-t-not-to-be-bored-one-of-the-principal-goals-of-life/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [The worst sin, the ultimate sin for me, in anything, is to be bored.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-turner/the-worst-sin-the-ultimate-sin-for-me-in-anything-is-to-be-bored/) [Ted Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-turner/) > [Exploitation and manipulation produce boredom and triviality; they cripple man, and all factors that make man into a psychic cripple turn him also into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/exploitation-and-manipulation-produce-boredom-and-triviality-they/) [Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/) > [“To me, at least in retrospect, the really interesting question is why dullness proves to be such a powerful impediment to attention. Why we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/to-me-at-least-in-retrospect-the-really-interesting-question-is-why/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [Listen deeply. Meditate on that which is arising. Even if it's boredom or difficulty or maybe a feeling of being stuck, that in itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-yee/listen-deeply-meditate-on-that-which-is-arising-even-if-it-s-boredom/) [Rodney Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-yee/) [Browse all 1,505 Boredom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And what is the most terrible thing about boredom? Why do we rush to dispel it? 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