--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It must be one of life’s little jokes…" description: "\"“It must be one of life’s little jokes... how we take everything, even life itself, for granted. We waste our childhoods wishing for what we don’t have..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/james-michael-rice-54477_apocalypse_it-must-be-one-of-life-s-little-jokes-ho_1429289.jpg" --- # It must be one of life’s little jokes... how we take… ![“It must be one of life’s little jokes... how we take everything, even life itself, for granted. We waste our childhoods wishing for what we don’t have, longing for the future, dreaming of ways to speed the time so we can hurry up and see the world. And in our later years, we’d give anything just…” quote by James Michael Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/james-michael-rice-54477_apocalypse_it-must-be-one-of-life-s-little-jokes-ho_1429289.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/james-michael-rice-54477_apocalypse_it-must-be-one-of-life-s-little-jokes-ho_1429289.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c13/james-michael-rice-54477_apocalypse_it-must-be-one-of-life-s-little-jokes-ho_1429289.jpg) > ““It must be one of life’s little jokes... how we take everything, even life itself, for granted. We waste our childhoods wishing for what we don’t have, longing for the future, dreaming of ways to speed the time so we can hurry up and see the world. And in our later years, we’d give anything just to slow things down and go back to what we once had.”” [James Michael Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-michael-rice/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often rush through life, wishing for the future, then later regret not savoring the present. **In simple terms:** We rush, then wish we could slow down. Key Takeaway Live mindfully now. Themes time nostalgia gratitude regret Mood reflective melancholic Type personal inspirational When to use this quote - career planning - personal growth - family moments - creative projects Key Concepts mindfulness life pacing reflection Questions to Reflect On - What moment are you missing now? - How can you create space for present joy? A Different Perspective The desire to control time can cause anxiety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Apocalypse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/apocalypse/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life itself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-itself/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wishing/) [Zombie-thriller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zombie-thriller/) ## Related quotes > [In life you can make jokes, but do not make jokes with life ¥](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/space-man/in-life-you-can-make-jokes-but-do-not-make-jokes-with-life/) Space\_man > [“ Just stay still, if you stay still it can't find you. That's sharks, you idiot. Sharks and dinosaurs. This isn't Jurassic Park. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/just-stay-still-if-you-stay-still-it-can-t-find-you-that-s-sharks-you/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [It's hard to enjoy practical jokes when your whole life feels like one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/it-s-hard-to-enjoy-practical-jokes-when-your-whole-life-feels-like-one/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“ROSA MET ME at the door with a shotgun. Strictly speaking, not aimed at me, but you don’t really have to aim a sawed-off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-c-nelson/rosa-met-me-at-the-door-with-a-shotgun-strictly-speaking-not-aimed-at/) [J.C. Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-c-nelson/) > [“The best jokes in life, are the lies that have come out of your mouth”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melinda/the-best-jokes-in-life-are-the-lies-that-have-come-out-of-your-mouth/) Melinda > [“Where monsters lurked, love also waited. Bigger than any monster could be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dianna-hardy/where-monsters-lurked-love-also-waited-bigger-than-any-monster-could/) [Dianna Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dianna-hardy/) > [“If you don’t learn to laugh at yourself, You'll miss out on a lot of good jokes in life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-edward-lee-miller/if-you-don-t-learn-to-laugh-at-yourself-you-ll-miss-out-on-a-lot-of/) [Cody Edward Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-edward-lee-miller/) > [“She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and bit her bottom lip. I found it to be such an erotic gesture that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-hachton/she-tucked-a-strand-of-hair-behind-her-ear-and-bit-her-bottom-lip-i/) [Rae Hachton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-hachton/) > [“Solomon breathed a sigh of relief ever so slightly, thankful that the cricket had not been eaten. Not that he was concerned for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-delaware/solomon-breathed-a-sigh-of-relief-ever-so-slightly-thankful-that-the/) [Michael Delaware](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-delaware/) > [“One of the great jokes of life is that by the time you're old enough to recognize how little you know, all you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-deberry-donna-grant/one-of-the-great-jokes-of-life-is-that-by-the-time-you-re-old-enough/) Virginia DeBerry Donna Grant > [“If anyone rises to power, it's not only because he could, but also because the stars were aligned in his favor. Many with apparent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/if-anyone-rises-to-power-it-s-not-only-because-he-could-but-also/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [This is a story about survival. Letting go and learning to let in. Getting along and moving on. The truth about life. The things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-is-a-story-about-survival-letting-go-and-learning-to-let-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“One day, I noticed that my father’s uniform had changed from a smart, light green colour with silver edging on the shoulder straps to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nestor/one-day-i-noticed-that-my-father-s-uniform-had-changed-from-a-smart/) [Alfred Nestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nestor/) > [“I remember seeing one elderly man look at us, and he held his hand out, and most frightening were his eyes, dark as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nestor/i-remember-seeing-one-elderly-man-look-at-us-and-he-held-his-hand-out/) [Alfred Nestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nestor/) > [“I look at my mother, connected by a breath of glimmering hope, her red and shadowed eyes reveal that some element of our whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-nestor/i-look-at-my-mother-connected-by-a-breath-of-glimmering-hope-her-red/) [Alfred Nestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-nestor/) ## More by James Michael Rice > [“In the end, every person's life is a tough act to follow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-michael-rice/in-the-end-every-person-s-life-is-a-tough-act-to-follow/) [James Michael Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-michael-rice/) > [“I see us milling around our lockers in Tri-County High, laughing and joking and making plans for the weekend, whispering about girls and sex…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-michael-rice/i-see-us-milling-around-our-lockers-in-tri-county-high-laughing-and/) [James Michael Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-michael-rice/) > [“The stars are always shining...even when you can't see them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-michael-rice/the-stars-are-always-shining-even-when-you-can-t-see-them/) [James Michael Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-michael-rice/) > [“Someone once asked me if I’ve ever been in love. .. I wasn’t sure how to answer her. Out of all the billions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-michael-rice/someone-once-asked-me-if-i-ve-ever-been-in-love-i-wasn-t-sure-how-to/) [James Michael Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-michael-rice/) > [“…Late at night, when the hour is none, I dream the dreams of the damned.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-michael-rice/late-at-night-when-the-hour-is-none-i-dream-the-dreams-of-the-damned/) [James Michael Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-michael-rice/) [Explore all 6 James Michael Rice quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-michael-rice/) ## More Apocalypse quotes > [People always wonder when the world is going to end. 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There is hope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/if-it-makes-you-feel-any-better-this-isn-t-my-first-apocalypse-there/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Funerals and weddings were commonplace, and nothing could have been so interesting to them as the coming of the end of the world ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-eggleston/funerals-and-weddings-were-commonplace-and-nothing-could-have-been-so/) [Edward Eggleston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-eggleston/) > [“The world did not end with a bang, nor did it end with a whimper. It was more of a chomp. And a slurp.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-rudolph/the-world-did-not-end-with-a-bang-nor-did-it-end-with-a-whimper-it/) J. Rudolph > [Nuclear apocalypse-who do you need? Actors are probably not top of the list. What can I do for you? I can pretend to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-bale/nuclear-apocalypse-who-do-you-need-actors-are-probably-not-top-of-the/) [Christian Bale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-bale/) > [“It was a comfortable, familiar apocalypse,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrian-barnes/it-was-a-comfortable-familiar-apocalypse/) [Adrian Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrian-barnes/) > [In the New Testament alone there are Gospels, acts, epistles, and an apocalypse. Gospels contain literary forms like miracles, parables, pronouncements, proverbs, farewell discourses,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-blomberg/in-the-new-testament-alone-there-are-gospels-acts-epistles-and-an/) [Craig Blomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-blomberg/) > [The day came. The wrath descended. Sin, guilt, and retribution? The manic psychoses of those entities we referred to as states, institutions, systems -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-k-dick/the-day-came-the-wrath-descended-sin-guilt-and-retribution-the-manic/) [Philip K. Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-k-dick/) > [“People have always been good at imagining the end of the world, which is much easier to picture than the strange sidelong paths of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/people-have-always-been-good-at-imagining-the-end-of-the-world-which/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [The awkward moment when you predict the end of the world and nothing happens :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-awkward-moment-when-you-predict-the-end-of-the-world-and-nothing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I once fed a dog-fight operator to the dogs he had abused for so long, and do you want to know something? It felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cedric-nye/i-once-fed-a-dog-fight-operator-to-the-dogs-he-had-abused-for-so-long/) [Cedric Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cedric-nye/) > [“You and I are victims of the same disease. 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