--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I would rather be a superb meteor, every…" description: "\"“I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of a man is to live, ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/jack-london-595_jack-london_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_1452410.jpg" --- # I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in… ![“I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of a man is to live, not to exist. Jack London” quote by Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/jack-london-595_jack-london_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_1452410.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/jack-london-595_jack-london_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_1452410.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6c7/jack-london-595_jack-london_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_1452410.jpg) > ““I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of a man is to live, not to exist. Jack London”” [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A brilliant, intense life is preferable to a dull, endless existence; true purpose is to live fully, not merely survive. **In simple terms:** Live fully, not just exist. Key Takeaway Seek vibrant purpose over stagnant existence. Themes purpose vibrancy existence life philosophy Mood passionate reflective Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career ambition - creative projects - personal growth - risk taking Key Concepts Existentialism carpe diem Questions to Reflect On - What does “living fully” mean to you? - How can you balance intensity with sustainability? A Different Perspective A relentless pursuit of intensity can lead to burnout or neglect of stability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet ## Related quotes > [I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every-atom-of-me-in-magnificent/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark burn out in a brilliant blaze than it be stifled by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust-i-would-rather-that-my-spark-burn/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-that-my-spark-should-burn-out-in-a-brilliant-blaze-2/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“Jack London (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), was an American author who wrote The Call of the Wild and other books. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/jack-london-january-12-1876-november-22-1916-was-an-american-author/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“The Complete Novels of Jack London”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/the-complete-novels-of-jack-london/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“Here am I, a little animal called a man--a bit of vitalized matter, one hundred and sixty-five pounds of meat and blood, nerve, sinew,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/here-am-i-a-little-animal-called-a-man-a-bit-of-vitalized-matter-one/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“Imperial is like Robert Caro’s The Power Broker with the attitude of Mike Davis’s City of Quartz, if Robert Caro had been raised in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-anderson-ny-magazine/imperial-is-like-robert-caro-s-the-power-broker-with-the-attitude-of/) Sam Anderson - NY Magazine > [“As usual, Junko thought about Jack London's 'To Build a Fire.' It was the story of a man traveling alone through the snowy Alaskan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/as-usual-junko-thought-about-jack-london-s-to-build-a-fire-it-was-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [My office walls are covered with autographs of famous writers - it's what my children call my 'dead author wall.' I have signatures from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-macomber/my-office-walls-are-covered-with-autographs-of-famous-writers-it-s/) [Debbie Macomber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-macomber/) > [Jack London is a very generous description of my small hiking, bicycling, and canoeing habit. I myself feel like a weak urbanite a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/jack-london-is-a-very-generous-description-of-my-small-hiking/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [“You entered, Abrupt like “Take it!”, Mauling suede gloves, you tarried, And said: “You know,- I’m soon getting married.” Get married then. It’s all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/you-entered-abrupt-like-take-it-mauling-suede-gloves-you-tarried-and/) [Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/) > [If you want to know why the coast is such an inspirational place, ask Herman Melville, Jack London, Nordhoff and Hall, Robert Louis Stevenson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/if-you-want-to-know-why-the-coast-is-such-an-inspirational-place-ask/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [The best American writers have come from the hinterlands -- Mark Twain, Theodore Dreiser, Jack London, Hemingway, Faulkner, Wolfe, Steinbeck. Most of them never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/the-best-american-writers-have-come-from-the-hinterlands-mark-twain/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. Jack London. My favorite quote. : ) Don't tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggi-allder/you-can-t-wait-for-inspiration-you-have-to-go-after-it-with-a-club/) Reggi Allder > [Once I tried to do Jack London's 'Sea Wolf' as a picture. I wanted to film most of the scenes at sea but ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/once-i-tried-to-do-jack-london-s-sea-wolf-as-a-picture-i-wanted-to/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) ## More by Jack London > [It's better to stand by someone's side than by yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/it-s-better-to-stand-by-someone-s-side-than-by-yourself/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“And all the while the four men lay beside me and watched and made no move. Nor did I move, and without shame I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/and-all-the-while-the-four-men-lay-beside-me-and-watched-and-made-no/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“As the days went by, the evolution of LIKE into LOVE was accelerated. White Fang himself began to grow aware of it, though in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/as-the-days-went-by-the-evolution-of-like-into-love-was-accelerated/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [My life shall be free and broad and great, and I will not be the slave to the sense delights which chained my ancient…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/my-life-shall-be-free-and-broad-and-great-and-i-will-not-be-the-slave/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“But he knew life, its foulness as well as its fairness, its greatness in spite of the slime that infested it, and by God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/but-he-knew-life-its-foulness-as-well-as-its-fairness-its-greatness/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [more you drink more you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/more-you-drink-more-you-want/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Of her own experience she had no memory of the thing happening; but in her instinct, which was the experience of all mothers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/of-her-own-experience-she-had-no-memory-of-the-thing-happening-but-in/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [Socialism, when the last word is said, is merely a new economic and political system whereby more men can get food to eat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/socialism-when-the-last-word-is-said-is-merely-a-new-economic-and/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“As I, my real self, grew older, I entered more and more into the substance of my dreams. One may dream, and even in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/as-i-my-real-self-grew-older-i-entered-more-and-more-into-the/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [A good soldier is a blind, heartless, soulless, murderous machine. He is not a man. His is not a brute, for brutes kill only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/a-good-soldier-is-a-blind-heartless-soulless-murderous-machine-he-is/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [I would rather be ashes than dust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“I believe that when I am dead, I am dead. I believe that with my death I am just as much obliterated as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-believe-that-when-i-am-dead-i-am-dead-i-believe-that-with-my-death/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“He wastes his time over his writing, trying to accomplish what geniuses and rare men with college educations sometimes accomplish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/he-wastes-his-time-over-his-writing-trying-to-accomplish-what/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [“Strength is an empty shell. One cannot violate the promptings of one’s nature without having that nature recoil upon itself. Show me a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/strength-is-an-empty-shell-one-cannot-violate-the-promptings-of-one-s/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [I'd rather sing one wild song and burst my heart with it, than live a thousand years watching my digestion and being afraid of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-d-rather-sing-one-wild-song-and-burst-my-heart-with-it-than-live-a/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) [Explore all 425 Jack London quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) ## More Jack London quotes > [Once I tried to do Jack London's 'Sea Wolf' as a picture. I wanted to film most of the scenes at sea but ran…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sterling-hayden/once-i-tried-to-do-jack-london-s-sea-wolf-as-a-picture-i-wanted-to/) [Sterling Hayden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sterling-hayden/) > [“You can't wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club. Jack London. My favorite quote. : ) Don't tell me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reggi-allder/you-can-t-wait-for-inspiration-you-have-to-go-after-it-with-a-club/) Reggi Allder > [“The Complete Novels of Jack London”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/the-complete-novels-of-jack-london/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [The best American writers have come from the hinterlands -- Mark Twain, Theodore Dreiser, Jack London, Hemingway, Faulkner, Wolfe, Steinbeck. Most of them never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/the-best-american-writers-have-come-from-the-hinterlands-mark-twain/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [If you want to know why the coast is such an inspirational place, ask Herman Melville, Jack London, Nordhoff and Hall, Robert Louis Stevenson…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cooper-clarke/if-you-want-to-know-why-the-coast-is-such-an-inspirational-place-ask/) [John Cooper Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cooper-clarke/) > [“You entered, Abrupt like “Take it!”, Mauling suede gloves, you tarried, And said: “You know,- I’m soon getting married.” Get married then. It’s all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-mayakovsky/you-entered-abrupt-like-take-it-mauling-suede-gloves-you-tarried-and/) [Vladimir Mayakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-mayakovsky/) > [Jack London is a very generous description of my small hiking, bicycling, and canoeing habit. I myself feel like a weak urbanite a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/jack-london-is-a-very-generous-description-of-my-small-hiking/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [My office walls are covered with autographs of famous writers - it's what my children call my 'dead author wall.' I have signatures from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-macomber/my-office-walls-are-covered-with-autographs-of-famous-writers-it-s/) [Debbie Macomber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-macomber/) > [“As usual, Junko thought about Jack London's 'To Build a Fire.' It was the story of a man traveling alone through the snowy Alaskan…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/as-usual-junko-thought-about-jack-london-s-to-build-a-fire-it-was-the/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Imperial is like Robert Caro’s The Power Broker with the attitude of Mike Davis’s City of Quartz, if Robert Caro had been raised in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-anderson-ny-magazine/imperial-is-like-robert-caro-s-the-power-broker-with-the-attitude-of/) Sam Anderson - NY Magazine > [“There were others, such as Jack London,who offered their readers such a respite from the miserable horror of existence that their books were like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-boyne/there-were-others-such-as-jack-london-who-offered-their-readers-such/) [John Boyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-boyne/) > [I have always loved and avidly read the novels of Jack London, Jules Verne and Ernest Hemingway. The characters depicted in their books, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/i-have-always-loved-and-avidly-read-the-novels-of-jack-london-jules/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The poem you sent me was as fiery and virile as anything you've ever written - or anybody else, for that matter. Especially the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/the-poem-you-sent-me-was-as-fiery-and-virile-as-anything-you-ve-ever/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [“(Jack London)“He was an adventurer and a man of action as few writers have ever been . . . the excellence of his short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/jack-london-he-was-an-adventurer-and-a-man-of-action-as-few-writers/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Thinking of Poe, thinking of Mark Twain and Vachel Lindsay, thinking of Jack London and Tom Wolfe, one begins to feel there is almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-algren/thinking-of-poe-thinking-of-mark-twain-and-vachel-lindsay-thinking-of/) [Nelson Algren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-algren/) Browse all 24 Jack London quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of a man is to live, not to exist. 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