--- 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.\" — Jack London" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/jack-london-595_magnificent_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_835260.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.” quote by Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/jack-london-595_magnificent_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_835260.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/jack-london-595_magnificent_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_835260.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/jack-london-595_magnificent_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_835260.jpg) > “I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.” [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 brief, brilliant existence is preferable to a long, dull one. **In simple terms:** Live intensely, even briefly. Key Takeaway Embrace passionate, fleeting experiences. Themes life intensity transience Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - creative pursuits - adventure travel - artistic projects - high‑risk careers - personal relationships Key Concepts existentialism carpe diem Questions to Reflect On - What would you sacrifice for a brighter, shorter life? - Is a long, steady life ever truly satisfying? A Different Perspective Short brilliance may leave regrets of unfulfilled potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Atom Magnificent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/atom-magnificent-595194/) [Glow Sleepy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glow-sleepy-595193/) [Magnificent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnificent/) [Magnificent Glow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnificent-glow-595196/) [Permanent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanent/) [Sleepy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleepy/) [Sleepy Permanent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleepy-permanent-595195/) [Superb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superb/) [Superb Meteor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/superb-meteor-595192/) ## Related quotes > [“I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every-atom-of-me-in-magnificent-2/) [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-that-my-spark-should-burn-out-in-a-brilliant-blaze/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-ashes-than-dust-i-would-rather-that-my-spark-should/) [Jack London](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/) > [The only criticism heard with any frequency of Elton John's first American album, 'Elton John,' was that the production was too grandiose. The melodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-landau/the-only-criticism-heard-with-any-frequency-of-elton-john-s-first/) [Jon Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-landau/) > [The sole perfection which modern civilization attains is a mechanical one; machines are splendid and flawless, but the life which serves them or is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karel-capek/the-sole-perfection-which-modern-civilization-attains-is-a-mechanical/) [Karel Capek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karel-capek/) > [One of the problems with technology is that no photograph, as superb and outstanding as it may be, will ever be as satisfying as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perry-brass/one-of-the-problems-with-technology-is-that-no-photograph-as-superb/) [Perry Brass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perry-brass/) > [“Access to knowledge is the superb, the supreme act of truly great civilizations. Of all the institutions that purport to do this, free libraries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-morrison/access-to-knowledge-is-the-superb-the-supreme-act-of-truly-great/) [Toni Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-morrison/) > [However amazing a dish looks, it is always the taste that lingers in your memory. Family and friends will appreciate a meal that tastes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-ramsay/however-amazing-a-dish-looks-it-is-always-the-taste-that-lingers-in/) [Gordon Ramsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-ramsay/) > [Indeeed superb one ever <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shy-boy/indeeed-superb-one-ever-3/) [SHy BOy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shy-boy/) > [At times it has been doubtful to me if Emerson really knows or feels what Poetry is at its highest, as in the Bible,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-whitman/at-times-it-has-been-doubtful-to-me-if-emerson-really-knows-or-feels/) [Walt Whitman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-whitman/) > ['The Sound of Things Falling' may be a page turner, but it's also a deep meditation on fate and death. Even in translation, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/the-sound-of-things-falling-may-be-a-page-turner-but-it-s-also-a-deep/) [Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/) > [I think Brendan Rodgers as a coach and a manager is absolutely superb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darren-bent/i-think-brendan-rodgers-as-a-coach-and-a-manager-is-absolutely-superb/) [Darren Bent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darren-bent/) > [“Love is a word that is constantly heard, Hate is a word that is not. Love, I am told, is more precious that gold.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/love-is-a-word-that-is-constantly-heard-hate-is-a-word-that-is-not/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) > [The poet or storyteller who feels that he is competing with a superb double play in the World Series is a lost man. One…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cheever/the-poet-or-storyteller-who-feels-that-he-is-competing-with-a-superb/) [John Cheever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cheever/) > [Sir: This point of observation commands an area nearly 50 miles in diameter. The city, with its girdle of encampments, presents a superb scene.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thaddeus-s-c-lowe/sir-this-point-of-observation-commands-an-area-nearly-50-miles-in/) [Thaddeus S. C. Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thaddeus-s-c-lowe/) ## 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 Magnificent quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [The show was number one in the ratings, Gordon Russell was our head writer, the story lines were magnificent and the acting most exciting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-storm/the-show-was-number-one-in-the-ratings-gordon-russell-was-our-head/) [Michael Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-storm/) > [Some say that you should not want money at all because the desire for money is materialistic and not Spiritual. But we want you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/some-say-that-you-should-not-want-money-at-all-because-the-desire-for/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [And I always think of life like a giant wave. You know, it rises and it crests and it flies, and it's just magnificent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-seymour/and-i-always-think-of-life-like-a-giant-wave-you-know-it-rises-and-it/) [Jane Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-seymour/) > [Shaw's works make me admire the magnificent tolerance and broadmindedness of the english.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/shaw-s-works-make-me-admire-the-magnificent-tolerance-and/) [James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/) > [Portland is a pretty magnificent place to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leni-zumas/portland-is-a-pretty-magnificent-place-to-live/) [Leni Zumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leni-zumas/) > [“I've decided that has been the great achievement of our age: to so thoroughly flood the planet with megabits that every image and fact…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-lightman/i-ve-decided-that-has-been-the-great-achievement-of-our-age-to-so/) [Alan Lightman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-lightman/) > [I took a wrong turn on the way to the bathroom and found myself in a beautifully proportioned room I had never seen before,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-took-a-wrong-turn-on-the-way-to-the-bathroom-and-found-myself-in-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Musically, the bebop route was magnificent, but businesswise, it was the dumbest thing I ever did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-herman/musically-the-bebop-route-was-magnificent-but-businesswise-it-was-the/) [Woody Herman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-herman/) > [Wishing you a magnificent 80th Birthday!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wishing-you-a-magnificent-80th-birthday/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There are plenty of alcoholics who can be magnificent when drunk: it does not make them any less alcoholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ingrid-bengis/there-are-plenty-of-alcoholics-who-can-be-magnificent-when-drunk-it/) [Ingrid Bengis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ingrid-bengis/) > [“The Sun is so magnificent how God created it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martellis-thurmand/the-sun-is-so-magnificent-how-god-created-it/) [Martellis Thurmand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martellis-thurmand/) > [Of all the jaw-droppingly beautiful women who've become genuine movie stars, none has had a longer film career (62 years), has been filmed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-osborne/of-all-the-jaw-droppingly-beautiful-women-who-ve-become-genuine-movie/) [Robert Osborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-osborne/) > [The magnificent cause of being, The imagination, the one reality In this imagined world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/the-magnificent-cause-of-being-the-imagination-the-one-reality-in/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [The common man, finding himself in a world so excellent, technically and socially, believes it has been produced by nature, and never thinks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-common-man-finding-himself-in-a-world-so-excellent-technically/) [Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/) [Browse all 765 Magnificent quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/magnificent/) ```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.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jack London" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every-atom-of-me-in-magnificent/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Magnificent" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every-atom-of-me-in-magnificent/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/jack-london-595_magnificent_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_835260.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/jack-london-595_magnificent_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_835260.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/jack-london-595_magnificent_i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every_835260.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet.” — Jack London", "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": "Jack London", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-london/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I would rather be a superb...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every-atom-of-me-in-magnificent/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-london/i-would-rather-be-a-superb-meteor-every-atom-of-me-in-magnificent/#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 } } ] } ```