--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I need nothing I have everything I need I…" description: "\"“I need nothing I have everything I need I lie upon the coffin a doughnut in my hand”\" — Ivor Cutler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/ivor-cutler-42864_coffin_i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need_1540956.png" --- # I need nothing I have everything I need I lie upon the… ![“I need nothing I have everything I need I lie upon the coffin a doughnut in my hand” quote by Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/ivor-cutler-42864_coffin_i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need_1540956.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/ivor-cutler-42864_coffin_i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need_1540956.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/ivor-cutler-42864_coffin_i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need_1540956.png) > ““I need nothing I have everything I need I lie upon the coffin a doughnut in my hand”” [Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A surreal confession of having everything needed, yet lying on a coffin with a doughnut, hinting at absurdity and mortality. **In simple terms:** He has all he needs, even in death. Key Takeaway Find humor in life's absurdities. Themes absurdity mortality contentment Mood wry contemplative Type poetic musical When to use this quote - deathbed reflections - creative writing - performance art Key Concepts existentialism surrealism humor Questions to Reflect On - What comforts you in dark moments? - How does humor help face mortality? A Different Perspective May trivialize serious themes. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [“If I go back home to Wittenberg, I'll lie down in a coffin and give the maggots a fat doctor to eat.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/if-i-go-back-home-to-wittenberg-i-ll-lie-down-in-a-coffin-and-give/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [I don't need to lie. But, sometimes, I like to give the truth an extreme makeover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-need-to-lie-but-sometimes-i-like-to-give-the-truth-an-extreme/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“ After he killed the farmer's daughter, said the monster, the prince lay down next to her and returned to sleep. When he awoke,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/after-he-killed-the-farmer-s-daughter-said-the-monster-the-prince-lay/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [I only lie for sex or money or to practice for when I need to lie for sex or money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-schneider/i-only-lie-for-sex-or-money-or-to-practice-for-when-i-need-to-lie-for/) [Stephen Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-schneider/) > [Dare to be true. Nothing can need a lie: a fault which needs it most, grows two thereby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-herbert/dare-to-be-true-nothing-can-need-a-lie-a-fault-which-needs-it-most/) [George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-herbert/) > [Sometimes... We really NEED to lie. Admit it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rakii-retondo/sometimes-we-really-need-to-lie-admit-it/) [Rakii Retondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rakii-retondo/) > [Sometimes yo need to lie to keep things better. Because not everyone will understand the truth . And not everyone understand why you LIED ..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/weny-jane/sometimes-yo-need-to-lie-to-keep-things-better-because-not-everyone/) [Weny Jane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/weny-jane/) > [In order to feel loved, be respected and stay connected, we humans have a tendency to lie. We lie about who we are, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iyanla-vanzant/in-order-to-feel-loved-be-respected-and-stay-connected-we-humans-have/) [Iyanla Vanzant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iyanla-vanzant/) > [Straight out of line I don't need a reason. You don't need to lie to me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/godsmack/straight-out-of-line-i-don-t-need-a-reason-you-don-t-need-to-lie-to-me/) [Godsmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/godsmack/) > [He who does not need to lie is proud of not being a liar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/he-who-does-not-need-to-lie-is-proud-of-not-being-a-liar/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [Anyone can spot a lie, unless he is in need of that lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clarence-darrow/anyone-can-spot-a-lie-unless-he-is-in-need-of-that-lie/) [Clarence Darrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clarence-darrow/) > [Like a garbage truck, we need a 'lie-truck' which will collect lies from everyone's houses every morning, even every hour!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/like-a-garbage-truck-we-need-a-lie-truck-which-will-collect-lies-from/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Children need the lie to be brave enough to sleep in their beds; parents need it to be able to get up the next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrik-backman/children-need-the-lie-to-be-brave-enough-to-sleep-in-their-beds/) [Fredrik Backman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrik-backman/) > [You might hold an ethical position that it's wrong to lie, but if you have plans for a war in Iraq, and you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/you-might-hold-an-ethical-position-that-it-s-wrong-to-lie-but-if-you/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [“...trying to prove some stupid point to himself that he didn't need her. It was such a lie. He did need her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-banks/trying-to-prove-some-stupid-point-to-himself-that-he-didn-t-need-her/) [Maya Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-banks/) ## More by Ivor Cutler > [I do not know what dust is, I do not know where it comes from, I only know that it settles on things. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/i-do-not-know-what-dust-is-i-do-not-know-where-it-comes-from-i-only/) [Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) > [“How do you know you're a girl? I'm wearing a frock. And if you take it off? I get cold, so I put it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/how-do-you-know-you-re-a-girl-i-m-wearing-a-frock-and-if-you-take-it/) [Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) > [“The veins stood out on her angry temples like wormcasts.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/the-veins-stood-out-on-her-angry-temples-like-wormcasts/) [ivor cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) > [I was stuck on the side of a mountain in Scotland. I was looking down on emptiness. I lay on my back and looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/i-was-stuck-on-the-side-of-a-mountain-in-scotland-i-was-looking-down/) [Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) > [“Finally, I was let down and joined the others at the window, to watch the sleet fall.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/finally-i-was-let-down-and-joined-the-others-at-the-window-to-watch/) [Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) > [“Several notes were missing. They had always been missing, except for two that I had levered out with a poker when three...The anticipated thrill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/several-notes-were-missing-they-had-always-been-missing-except-for/) [ivor cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) > [There's nothing quite like a Scotch education. One is left with an irreparable debt. My head is full of irregular verbs still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/there-s-nothing-quite-like-a-scotch-education-one-is-left-with-an/) [Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) > [Imperfection is an end. Perfection is only an aim.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/imperfection-is-an-end-perfection-is-only-an-aim/) [Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) > [The best thing about being dead is you no longer have to say 'I wish I were dead.' The best thing about being alive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/the-best-thing-about-being-dead-is-you-no-longer-have-to-say-i-wish-i/) [Ivor Cutler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) [Explore all 10 Ivor Cutler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/) ## More Coffin quotes > [“I decided to get my butt up out of the coffin, just like Jesus Christ, and come and chitchat with all my beautiful and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-neill/i-decided-to-get-my-butt-up-out-of-the-coffin-just-like-jesus-christ/) [Heather O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-neill/) > [Marriage is like a coffin and each kid is like another nail.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer-simpson/marriage-is-like-a-coffin-and-each-kid-is-like-another-nail/) [Homer Simpson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer-simpson/) > [“Like King, we need to put on our cemetery clothes and be coffin-ready for the next great democratic battle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/like-king-we-need-to-put-on-our-cemetery-clothes-and-be-coffin-ready/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“Lies made it arduous to find a coffin that fit”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-carl-evans/lies-made-it-arduous-to-find-a-coffin-that-fit/) Richard Carl Evans > [His smile is like the silver plate on a coffin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-philpot-curran/his-smile-is-like-the-silver-plate-on-a-coffin/) [John Philpot Curran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-philpot-curran/) > [At my funeral, if one said, 'Nick was a generous person,' trust me I won't be doing cartwheels in my coffin. Recognition from people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-vujicic/at-my-funeral-if-one-said-nick-was-a-generous-person-trust-me-i-won-t/) [Nick Vujicic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-vujicic/) > [Well, I guess I am about the livest dead man you ever saw; although I was once asked to accept a coffin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-rice/well-i-guess-i-am-about-the-livest-dead-man-you-ever-saw-although-i/) Dan Rice > [She wanted to be buried in a coffin filled with used paperbacks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/she-wanted-to-be-buried-in-a-coffin-filled-with-used-paperbacks/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“Death is only attractive in a fashionable dress, with lilies and an open coffin.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-l-sullivan/death-is-only-attractive-in-a-fashionable-dress-with-lilies-and-an/) [Laura L. Sullivan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-l-sullivan/) > [“An expensive coffin does not decrease the deceased’s chances of going to hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/an-expensive-coffin-does-not-decrease-the-deceased-s-chances-of-going/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I never change, I'm like a corpse in a coffin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-cole/i-never-change-i-m-like-a-corpse-in-a-coffin/) [J Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-cole/) > [“This is the most uncomfortable coffin I've ever been in. You are wasting my time.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bela-lugosi-ed-wood/this-is-the-most-uncomfortable-coffin-i-ve-ever-been-in-you-are/) Bela Lugosi (Ed Wood > [“It's daylight. Shouldn't you have burned to a crisp, or something? Don't you have to crawl into a coffin? Where do you keep it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-howard/it-s-daylight-shouldn-t-you-have-burned-to-a-crisp-or-something-don-t/) [Linda Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-howard/) > [For me, curiosity is life. If you are not curious, you are in your coffin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-boulez/for-me-curiosity-is-life-if-you-are-not-curious-you-are-in-your-coffin/) [Pierre Boulez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-boulez/) > [“A premature death does not only rob one of the countless instances where one would have experienced pleasure, it also saves one from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/a-premature-death-does-not-only-rob-one-of-the-countless-instances/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) Browse all 215 Coffin quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I need nothing I have everything I need I lie upon the coffin a doughnut in my hand”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ivor Cutler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need-i-lie-upon-the-coffin-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Coffin" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need-i-lie-upon-the-coffin-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/ivor-cutler-42864_coffin_i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need_1540956.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/ivor-cutler-42864_coffin_i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need_1540956.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/ivor-cutler-42864_coffin_i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need_1540956.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I need nothing I have everything I need I lie upon the coffin a doughnut in my hand” — Ivor Cutler", "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": "Ivor Cutler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ivor-cutler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I need nothing I have everything...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need-i-lie-upon-the-coffin-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ivor-cutler/i-need-nothing-i-have-everything-i-need-i-lie-upon-the-coffin-a/#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 } } ] } ```