--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Given that bringing a life into existence…" description: "\"“Given that bringing a life into existence always constitutes a harm (since that life will inevitably suffer at various points), whereas the absence of..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/jacob-graham-66527_existence_given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existenc_2326103.jpg" --- # Given that bringing a life into existence always… ![“Given that bringing a life into existence always constitutes a harm (since that life will inevitably suffer at various points), whereas the absence of existence is never a harm, it follows that nonexistence is preferable to existence.” quote by Jacob Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/jacob-graham-66527_existence_given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existenc_2326103.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/jacob-graham-66527_existence_given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existenc_2326103.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/jacob-graham-66527_existence_given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existenc_2326103.jpg) > ““Given that bringing a life into existence always constitutes a harm (since that life will inevitably suffer at various points), whereas the absence of existence is never a harm, it follows that nonexistence is preferable to existence.”” Jacob Graham ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Bringing a new life inevitably causes suffering, while nonexistence avoids harm, so nonexistence is better. **In simple terms:** Creating life causes pain; not existing avoids it. Key Takeaway Consider the ethical weight of procreation. Themes ethics procreation philosophy Mood thoughtful philosophical Type ethical argumentative When to use this quote - family planning - bioethics debates - population policy Key Concepts harm principle existential risk moral calculus Questions to Reflect On - Is suffering always outweighs potential happiness? - Can we justify preventing existence? A Different Perspective It assumes all lives are net harmful, ignoring potential joy and meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“What is more, in fact, we very soon look upon the world as something whose non-existence is not only conceivable, but even preferable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/what-is-more-in-fact-we-very-soon-look-upon-the-world-as-something/) [Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/) > [It is unlikely that many people will take to heart the conclusion that coming into existence is always a harm. It is even less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-benatar/it-is-unlikely-that-many-people-will-take-to-heart-the-conclusion/) [David Benatar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-benatar/) > [Each one of us was harmed by being brought into existence. 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Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. 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May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. 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It tells us to banish our expectations and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-graham/pessimism-by-contrast-prepares-us-for-a-world-that-is-constantly/) Jacob Graham Explore all 4 Jacob Graham quotes ## More Existence quotes > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. 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The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Browse all 7,646 Existence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Given that bringing a life into existence always constitutes a harm (since that life will inevitably suffer at various points), whereas the absence of existence is never a harm, it follows that nonexistence is preferable to existence.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jacob Graham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-graham/given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existence-always-constitutes-a-harm/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Existence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-graham/given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existence-always-constitutes-a-harm/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/jacob-graham-66527_existence_given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existenc_2326103.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/jacob-graham-66527_existence_given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existenc_2326103.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f32/jacob-graham-66527_existence_given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existenc_2326103.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Given that bringing a life into existence always constitutes a harm (since that life will inevitably suffer…” — Jacob Graham", "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": "Jacob Graham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-graham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Given that bringing a life into...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-graham/given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existence-always-constitutes-a-harm/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-graham/given-that-bringing-a-life-into-existence-always-constitutes-a-harm/#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 } } ] } ```