--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Do not waste this life in vain pursuits." description: "\"Do not waste this life in vain pursuits.\" — Isaac of Nineveh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/isaac-of-nineveh-13019_life_do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits_275913.jpg" --- # Do not waste this life in vain pursuits. ![“Do not waste this life in vain pursuits.” quote by Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/isaac-of-nineveh-13019_life_do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits_275913.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/isaac-of-nineveh-13019_life_do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits_275913.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/isaac-of-nineveh-13019_life_do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits_275913.jpg) > “Do not waste this life in vain pursuits.” [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life should be spent on meaningful, purposeful pursuits rather than empty or frivolous activities. **In simple terms:** Seek purpose, avoid uselessness. Key Takeaway Focus on what truly matters. Themes purpose spirituality ethics Mood reflective serene Type moral philosophical When to use this quote - career choices - relationship building - volunteering - personal development Key Concepts asceticism meaningful living Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning? - How can you align daily tasks with deeper purpose? A Different Perspective Even purposeful actions can become routine and lose depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Pursuits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuits/) [This life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-life/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s not even that you have to drop vain pursuits. God is not asking you to give up your sweeties, your favorite treats. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mooji/it-s-not-even-that-you-have-to-drop-vain-pursuits-god-is-not-asking/) [Mooji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mooji/) > [This life has been given to you for repentance; do not waste it in vain pursuits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/this-life-has-been-given-to-you-for-repentance-do-not-waste-it-in/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [Sometimes I believe that this less material life is our truer life, and that our vain presence on the terraqueous globe is itself the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-i-believe-that-this-less-material-life-is-our-truer-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This life was given to you for repentance, do not waste it in vain pursuits.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-isaac-the-syrian/this-life-was-given-to-you-for-repentance-do-not-waste-it-in-vain/) St. Isaac the Syrian > [Poverty is a bitter thing; but it is not as bitter as the existence of restless vacuity and physical, moral, and intellectual flabbiness, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/poverty-is-a-bitter-thing-but-it-is-not-as-bitter-as-the-existence-of/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [But he who dies in despair has lived his whole life in vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-adorno/but-he-who-dies-in-despair-has-lived-his-whole-life-in-vain/) [Theodor Adorno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-adorno/) > [Those people work more wisely who seek to achieve good in their own small corner of the world ... than those who are forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-butterfield/those-people-work-more-wisely-who-seek-to-achieve-good-in-their-own/) [Herbert Butterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-butterfield/) > [“All life is in vain, for Death makes a nonsense of pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gasmaskman/all-life-is-in-vain-for-death-makes-a-nonsense-of-pain/) Gasmaskman > [So long as you can sweeten another's pain, life is not in vain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/so-long-as-you-can-sweeten-another-s-pain-life-is-not-in-vain/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [“The time has come. I really feel I must relinquish my former identity. I have to try to make a change, or I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wu-ming-yi/the-time-has-come-i-really-feel-i-must-relinquish-my-former-identity/) [Wu Ming-Yi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wu-ming-yi/) > [“La vie est vaine, Un peu d’amour, Un peu de haine, Et puis—Bonjour! La vie est brève: Un peu d’espoir, Un peu de rève…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-du-maurie/la-vie-est-vaine-un-peu-d-amour-un-peu-de-haine-et-puis-bonjour-la/) George du Maurie > [Assuredly whatsoever things are fabled to exist in deep Acheron, these all exist in this life. There is no wretched Tantalus, fearing the great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/assuredly-whatsoever-things-are-fabled-to-exist-in-deep-acheron-these/) [Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/) > [The skeptic has no illusions about life, nor a vain belief in the promise of immortality. Since this life here and now is all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kurtz/the-skeptic-has-no-illusions-about-life-nor-a-vain-belief-in-the/) [Paul Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kurtz/) > [Hence, all you vain delights, As short as are the nights Wherein you spend your folly! There's naught in this life sweet But only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fletcher/hence-all-you-vain-delights-as-short-as-are-the-nights-wherein-you/) [John Fletcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fletcher/) ## More by Isaac of Nineveh > [Whoever can weep over himself for one hour is greater than the one who is able to teach the whole world; whoever recognizes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/whoever-can-weep-over-himself-for-one-hour-is-greater-than-the-one/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [No one can sense his own weakness is at least a small temptation is not allowed to afflict either his body or his soul.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/no-one-can-sense-his-own-weakness-is-at-least-a-small-temptation-is/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [The man who follows Christ in solitary mourning is greater than he who praises Christ amid the congregation of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/the-man-who-follows-christ-in-solitary-mourning-is-greater-than-he/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [The beginning of divine wisdom is clemency and gentleness, which arise from greatness of soul and the bearing of infirmities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/the-beginning-of-divine-wisdom-is-clemency-and-gentleness-which-arise/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [The Lord bears all the weaknesses of men, but He does not bear a man who is always murmuring, and does not leave Him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/the-lord-bears-all-the-weaknesses-of-men-but-he-does-not-bear-a-man/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [The man with a heart cannot think about or see creatures without his eyes filling up with tears because of the immense compassion which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/the-man-with-a-heart-cannot-think-about-or-see-creatures-without-his/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [May your divinity, Lord, take pleasure in me and lead me above the world to be with you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/may-your-divinity-lord-take-pleasure-in-me-and-lead-me-above-the/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [Be dead in life, and you will not live in death. Let your soul die strenuously, and not live in weakness. Not only those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/be-dead-in-life-and-you-will-not-live-in-death-let-your-soul-die/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [Solitude is an ocean with wonderful places hidden in its depths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/solitude-is-an-ocean-with-wonderful-places-hidden-in-its-depths/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [There is love like a small lamp, which goes out when the oil is consumed; or like a stream which dries up when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/there-is-love-like-a-small-lamp-which-goes-out-when-the-oil-is/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [Whoever prematurely begins a work that is above his strength receives nothing, but only brings harm upon himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/whoever-prematurely-begins-a-work-that-is-above-his-strength-receives/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [It is impossible to draw near to God without sorrows, without which human righteousness cannot remain unchanged... If you desire virtue, than give yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/it-is-impossible-to-draw-near-to-god-without-sorrows-without-which/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [If a man does not argue with the thoughts that the enemy secretly sows in us, but by prayer to God uproots conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/if-a-man-does-not-argue-with-the-thoughts-that-the-enemy-secretly/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [Humility collects the soul into a single point by the power of silence. A truly humble man has no desire to be known or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/humility-collects-the-soul-into-a-single-point-by-the-power-of/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) > [Why do you increase your bonds? Take hold of your life before your light grows dark and you seek help and do not find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/why-do-you-increase-your-bonds-take-hold-of-your-life-before-your/) [Isaac of Nineveh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) [Explore all 52 Isaac of Nineveh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Do not waste this life in vain pursuits.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Isaac of Nineveh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/isaac-of-nineveh-13019_life_do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits_275913.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/isaac-of-nineveh-13019_life_do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits_275913.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/isaac-of-nineveh-13019_life_do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits_275913.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Do not waste this life in vain pursuits.” — Isaac of Nineveh", "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": "Isaac of Nineveh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-of-nineveh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Do not waste this life in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-of-nineveh/do-not-waste-this-life-in-vain-pursuits/#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 } } ] } ```