--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I guess that seems like an absurd premise…" description: "\"“I guess that seems like an absurd premise until we consider the possibility that the dead are always with us, beckoning from the shade, reminding us t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/james-lee-burke-2289_absurd_i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premis_2643777.png" --- # I guess that seems like an absurd premise until we… ![“I guess that seems like an absurd premise until we consider the possibility that the dead are always with us, beckoning from the shade, reminding us that we’re actors in the same drama they have already lived and that they can help us with our lives if we will only let them.” quote by James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/james-lee-burke-2289_absurd_i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premis_2643777.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/james-lee-burke-2289_absurd_i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premis_2643777.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/james-lee-burke-2289_absurd_i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premis_2643777.png) > ““I guess that seems like an absurd premise until we consider the possibility that the dead are always with us, beckoning from the shade, reminding us that we’re actors in the same drama they have already lived and that they can help us with our lives if we will only let them.”” [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We carry the influence of those who have died, shaping our actions and offering guidance if we are open to it. **In simple terms:** The dead influence us and can guide us. Key Takeaway Listen to the lessons of the past. Themes mortality guidance legacy Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grief counseling - creative writing - personal reflection - decision making Key Concepts spirituality psychology memory Questions to Reflect On - How do you honor the past in daily choices? - What signs do you interpret as guidance? A Different Perspective The dead cannot directly intervene; interpretation is subjective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) [Absurd Premise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd-premise-2291069/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Like Absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-absurd-262627/) [Premise Consider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/premise-consider-2291071/) [Reminding Actors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reminding-actors-2291070/) ## Related quotes > [I like being absurd. Being silly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-fallon/i-like-being-absurd-being-silly/) [Jimmy Fallon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-fallon/) > [When do not choose what we like it becomes absurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouss-deep/when-do-not-choose-what-we-like-it-becomes-absurd/) [Ouss Deep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouss-deep/) > [The main thing I don't like about myself is an absurd level of self-consciousness that makes any sort of social encounter an ordeal for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarvis-cocker/the-main-thing-i-don-t-like-about-myself-is-an-absurd-level-of-self/) [Jarvis Cocker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarvis-cocker/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [To deprecate human reason by saying that none of us is or can be omniscient is absurd, for it takes an impossible standard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/to-deprecate-human-reason-by-saying-that-none-of-us-is-or-can-be/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; & the simple truth is, I detest it. Not mildly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-heard-enough-classical-music-to-be-able-to-enjoy-it-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/) [Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/it-is-human-nature-to-think-wisely-and-to-act-in-an-absurd-fashion/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) ## More by James Lee Burke > [“Why don’t you try to make me feel bad?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/why-don-t-you-try-to-make-me-feel-bad/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [ But the participants \[in war\] never forgot the details of their experience, and like the Wandering Jew, they were condemned to remain their own… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/but-the-participants-in-war-never-forgot-the-details-of-their/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“A wet cigarette butt clung to my cheek like a mashed cockroach. I could smell whiskey and beer in my clothes and Gable’s blood…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/a-wet-cigarette-butt-clung-to-my-cheek-like-a-mashed-cockroach-i/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“And I suppose that what I have learned is a lesson that the years, or self-concern, had begun to hide from me, namely, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/and-i-suppose-that-what-i-have-learned-is-a-lesson-that-the-years-or/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“The Homeric Epic does not have to be discovered inside a book; it begins just west of Fort Worth and extends all the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/the-homeric-epic-does-not-have-to-be-discovered-inside-a-book-it/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“The best moments in life are not the kind many historians record.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/the-best-moments-in-life-are-not-the-kind-many-historians-record/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“I would almost forget about Ida Durbin. But a sin of omission, if indeed that's what it was, can be like the rusty head…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-would-almost-forget-about-ida-durbin-but-a-sin-of-omission-if/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [The best thing about being a best-selling writer is being a best-selling writer. More seriously, today I can write full time and pay the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/the-best-thing-about-being-a-best-selling-writer-is-being-a-best/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [If there is any human tragedy, there is only one, and it occurs when we forget who we are and remain silent while a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/if-there-is-any-human-tragedy-there-is-only-one-and-it-occurs-when-we/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [I sometimes subscribe to the belief that all historical events occur simultaneously, like a dream in the mind of God. Perhaps it is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-sometimes-subscribe-to-the-belief-that-all-historical-events-occur/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“If people stick together, they can always make do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/if-people-stick-together-they-can-always-make-do/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“When a man molests a woman or girl, he steals her identity. You don't know who you are anymore. You don't have an address…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/when-a-man-molests-a-woman-or-girl-he-steals-her-identity-you-don-t/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [writing is like being in love. You never get better at it or learn more about it. The day you think you do is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/writing-is-like-being-in-love-you-never-get-better-at-it-or-learn/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [“beautiful street in the Western world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/beautiful-street-in-the-western-world/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) > [Using a first-person narrator is simply a matter of hearing the voice inside yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/using-a-first-person-narrator-is-simply-a-matter-of-hearing-the-voice/) [James Lee Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) [Explore all 169 James Lee Burke quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/) ## More Absurd quotes > [“It seem absurd to me that they don't know, haven't felt any change or tremor, even as my life has been completely turned upside…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/it-seem-absurd-to-me-that-they-don-t-know-haven-t-felt-any-change-or/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [When a person’s tongue is extensively wrong, it is absurd, no less than unscriptural, to say that their heart is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-ryle/when-a-person-s-tongue-is-extensively-wrong-it-is-absurd-no-less-than/) [J. C. Ryle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-ryle/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is human nature to think wisely and to act in an absurd fashion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/it-is-human-nature-to-think-wisely-and-to-act-in-an-absurd-fashion/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I thought to myself: if it’s true that every person has a star in the sky, mine must be distant, dim, and absurd. Perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sadegh-hedayat/i-thought-to-myself-if-it-s-true-that-every-person-has-a-star-in-the/) [Sadegh Hedayat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sadegh-hedayat/) > [If, indeed, a firearm were more dangerous to its possessors than to potential aggressors, would it not make sense for the government to arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mamet/if-indeed-a-firearm-were-more-dangerous-to-its-possessors-than-to/) [David Mamet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mamet/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. "But of course…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/you-were-torturing-a-cat-she-says-with-a-freaking-prod-a-prod-i-built/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [I have never heard enough classical music to be able to enjoy it; & the simple truth is, I detest it. Not mildly, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-have-never-heard-enough-classical-music-to-be-able-to-enjoy-it-the/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [To deprecate human reason by saying that none of us is or can be omniscient is absurd, for it takes an impossible standard as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-rothbard/to-deprecate-human-reason-by-saying-that-none-of-us-is-or-can-be/) [Murray Rothbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-rothbard/) > [“Rachel got up and did this happy little shuffle, like she was some cheerful farmer chick who'd just stepped outside to find the hick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/rachel-got-up-and-did-this-happy-little-shuffle-like-she-was-some/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [The absurd duty, too often inculcated, of obeying a parent only on account of his being a parent, shackles the mind, and prepares it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wollstonecraft/the-absurd-duty-too-often-inculcated-of-obeying-a-parent-only-on/) [Mary Wollstonecraft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wollstonecraft/) > [The workman of today works every day in his life at the same tasks, and this fate is no less absurd. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-workman-of-today-works-every-day-in-his-life-at-the-same-tasks/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I was once part of a Christmas cabaret. I sang 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.' I tap-danced. I had a ten-gallon hat. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-dinklage/i-was-once-part-of-a-christmas-cabaret-i-sang-i-saw-mommy-kissing/) [Peter Dinklage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-dinklage/) > [Solitude produces originality, bold and astonishing beauty, poetry. But solitude also produces perverseness, the disproportianate, the absurd and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-mann/solitude-produces-originality-bold-and-astonishing-beauty-poetry-but/) [Thomas Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-mann/) [Browse all 1,644 Absurd quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/absurd/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I guess that seems like an absurd premise until we consider the possibility that the dead are always with us, beckoning from the shade, reminding us that we’re actors in the same drama they have already lived and that they can help us with our lives if we will only let them.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Lee Burke" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premise-until-we-consider-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Absurd" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premise-until-we-consider-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/james-lee-burke-2289_absurd_i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premis_2643777.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/james-lee-burke-2289_absurd_i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premis_2643777.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e74/james-lee-burke-2289_absurd_i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premis_2643777.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I guess that seems like an absurd premise until we consider the possibility that the dead are always with…” — James Lee Burke", "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": "James Lee Burke", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-lee-burke/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I guess that seems like an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premise-until-we-consider-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-lee-burke/i-guess-that-seems-like-an-absurd-premise-until-we-consider-the/#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 } } ] } ```