--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a horror it would have been if the…" description: "\"What a horror it would have been if the world was real, because if the world was real, it would be immortal.\" — Jack Kerouac" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/065/jack-kerouac-182_horror_what-a-horror-it-would-have-been-if-the_2509547.jpg" --- # What a horror it would have been if the world was real… ![“What a horror it would have been if the world was real, because if the world was real, it would be immortal.” quote by Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/065/jack-kerouac-182_horror_what-a-horror-it-would-have-been-if-the_2509547.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/065/jack-kerouac-182_horror_what-a-horror-it-would-have-been-if-the_2509547.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/065/jack-kerouac-182_horror_what-a-horror-it-would-have-been-if-the_2509547.jpg) > “What a horror it would have been if the world was real, because if the world was real, it would be immortal.” [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that if reality were permanent, it would be unchanging and endless, making life feel oppressive. **In simple terms:** If reality were permanent, it would feel endless and oppressive. Key Takeaway Embrace impermanence. Themes existentialism reality impermanence Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - creative writing - philosophical essays - personal reflection Key Concepts philosophy ontological reflection Questions to Reflect On - How does accepting impermanence affect your choices? - What would you do if you believed life were endless? A Different Perspective Reality is not truly immutable; change is inevitable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Horror](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror/) [Horror World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horror-world-911791/) [Immortal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/immortal/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real Immortal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-immortal-1142325/) [Real world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-world/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-real-346543/) [Would be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/would-be/) ## Related quotes > [“What a horror it would have been if the world was real.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/what-a-horror-it-would-have-been-if-the-world-was-real/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Man can be that which he wishes to be; form and substance, they are but shadows. The mind, the ego, the essence of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/man-can-be-that-which-he-wishes-to-be-form-and-substance-they-are-but/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [The greatest horror in the world is not finding a monster but finding out you are the monster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-greatest-horror-in-the-world-is-not-finding-a-monster-but-finding/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Consistency is the horror of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-ueland/consistency-is-the-horror-of-the-world/) [Brenda Ueland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-ueland/) > [“at that instant i knew there was no horror the world could offer - no war, no genocide, no famine, no childhood cancer -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/at-that-instant-i-knew-there-was-no-horror-the-world-could-offer-no/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [I am determined to go through the horror of this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-epstein/i-am-determined-to-go-through-the-horror-of-this-world/) [Brian Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-epstein/) > [“It is the very horror of the world that obliges us to learn to hope.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-holloway/it-is-the-very-horror-of-the-world-that-obliges-us-to-learn-to-hope/) [John Holloway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-holloway/) > [One of the beauties of being an artist is that you can create a whole new world, with circumstances that are better in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-sendak/one-of-the-beauties-of-being-an-artist-is-that-you-can-create-a-whole/) [Maurice Sendak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-sendak/) > [The visible world only becomes the real world by the operation of thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-metzinger/the-visible-world-only-becomes-the-real-world-by-the-operation-of/) [Jean Metzinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-metzinger/) > [“What the real world is: that is a very difficult problem,' the man called Leader said as he lay on his stomach. 'What it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/what-the-real-world-is-that-is-a-very-difficult-problem-the-man/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You slept and went to the dream world, it was wonderful and then you woke up and found yourself in the nightmare world! If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/you-slept-and-went-to-the-dream-world-it-was-wonderful-and-then-you/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“A real man—real in all the ways that we recognize as real—finds himself suddenly abstracted from the world and deposited in a physical situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-r-donaldson/a-real-man-real-in-all-the-ways-that-we-recognize-as-real-finds/) [Stephen R. Donaldson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-donaldson/) > [The real world is simply too terrible to admit. it tells man that he is a small trembling animal who will someday decay and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/the-real-world-is-simply-too-terrible-to-admit-it-tells-man-that-he/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [...the tale that's told for no other reason but companionship, which is another (and my favorite) definition of literature, the tale that's told for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-tale-that-s-told-for-no-other-reason-but-companionship-which-is/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [ People say 'Scott's \[Derrickson\] movies are kind of scary, is this a horror movie?' Of course, \[Doctor Strange\] it's not a horror movie. But… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-feige/people-say-scott-s-derrickson-movies-are-kind-of-scary-is-this-a/) [Kevin Feige](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-feige/) ## More by Jack Kerouac > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The Beat Generation, that was a vision that we had, John Clellon Holmes and I, and Allen Ginsberg in an even wilder way, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-beat-generation-that-was-a-vision-that-we-had-john-clellon-holmes/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [But, outside of being a sweet little girl, she was awfully dumb and capable of doing horrible things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-outside-of-being-a-sweet-little-girl-she-was-awfully-dumb-and/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“For when you realized that God is Everything you know that you've got to love everything no matter how bad it is, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-when-you-realized-that-god-is-everything-you-know-that-you-ve-got/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“I'm an idealist who has outgrown my idealism I have nothing to do the rest of my life but do it and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-an-idealist-who-has-outgrown-my-idealism-i-have-nothing-to-do-the/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Most of them were running away from something―usually the law.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/most-of-them-were-running-away-from-something-usually-the-law/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“Non lo so, non importa e non fa nessuna differenza.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/non-lo-so-non-importa-e-non-fa-nessuna-differenza/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“And in the flush of the first few days of joy I confidently tell myself (not expecting what I'll do in three weeks only)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/and-in-the-flush-of-the-first-few-days-of-joy-i-confidently-tell/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I want a blaze of light to flame in me forever in a timeless, dear love of everything. And why should I pretend to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-want-a-blaze-of-light-to-flame-in-me-forever-in-a-timeless-dear/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“For the next week that was all I heard - manana, a lovely word and one that probably means heaven.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/for-the-next-week-that-was-all-i-heard-manana-a-lovely-word-and-one/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“O how wonderful life is, how miraculous, God made this and God made that", "how do you know he doesn't hate what He did:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/o-how-wonderful-life-is-how-miraculous-god-made-this-and-god-made/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Notoriety and public confession in the literary form is a frazzler of the heart you were born with, believe me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/notoriety-and-public-confession-in-the-literary-form-is-a-frazzler-of/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [I promise I shall never give up, and that I'll die yelling & laughing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-promise-i-shall-never-give-up-and-that-i-ll-die-yelling-laughing/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [“The hot water pools are steaming, Fagan and Monsanto and the others are all sitting peacefully up to their necks, they're all naked, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/the-hot-water-pools-are-steaming-fagan-and-monsanto-and-the-others/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) [Explore all 936 Jack Kerouac quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) ## More Horror quotes > [“In the attempt to find the just measure of horror and terror, I came upon the writing of Carole Gill whose work revealed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-gill/in-the-attempt-to-find-the-just-measure-of-horror-and-terror-i-came/) [Carole Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-gill/) > [I will say that when it comes to the horror genre, for me, the scariest thing is when something is actually in the frame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-whannell/i-will-say-that-when-it-comes-to-the-horror-genre-for-me-the-scariest/) [Leigh Whannell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-whannell/) > [Pakistan now is like a horror film franchise. 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For me, war is horror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gaspar-noe/one-day-if-i-had-to-do-a-horror-movie-it-will-be-a-very-realistic-war/) [Gaspar Noe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gaspar-noe/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Damn it, it wasn’t quite fresh enough!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-lovecraft-2/damn-it-it-wasn-t-quite-fresh-enough/) [H.P. Lovecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-lovecraft-2/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Photojournalists know the horrors of war can only be exposed at close range. Kodak Film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/photojournalists-know-the-horrors-of-war-can-only-be-exposed-at-close/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) > [“Other folk thought the Rage was simple bloodlust, a berserk savagery that neither knew nor cared what its target was, and so it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-weber/other-folk-thought-the-rage-was-simple-bloodlust-a-berserk-savagery/) [David Weber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-weber/) > [“When we mated I felt your heart stop beating and it was as if the world had stopped turning. 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