---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why is it so difficult to assemble those…"
description: "\"Why is it so difficult to assemble those things that really matter in life and to dwell among them only? I am referring to certain landscapes, persons,..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/james-salter-2584_assemble_why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those_2443278.jpg"
---

#  Why is it so difficult to assemble those things that…

![“Why is it so difficult to assemble those things that really matter in life and to dwell among them only? I am referring to certain landscapes, persons, beasts, books, rooms, meteorological conditions, fruits.” quote by James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/james-salter-2584_assemble_why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those_2443278.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/james-salter-2584_assemble_why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those_2443278.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/james-salter-2584_assemble_why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those_2443278.jpg)

> “Why is it so difficult to assemble those things that really matter in life and to dwell among them only? I am referring to certain landscapes, persons, beasts, books, rooms, meteorological conditions, fruits.”

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Expresses difficulty in gathering meaningful experiences and relationships.

**In simple terms:** Hard to gather what truly matters.

Key Takeaway

Seek depth over breadth.

Themes

meaning relationships search

Mood

contemplative yearning

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- travel
- friendship
- creative pursuits

Key Concepts

existential longing material vs. spiritual

Questions to Reflect On

- What truly matters to you?
- How can you create space for those things?

A Different Perspective

May romanticize struggle.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Assemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assemble/) [Assemble Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assemble-things-506306/) [Beast](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beast/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Difficult](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult/) [Difficult Assemble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/difficult-assemble-506307/) [Fruit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fruit/) [Landscape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/landscape/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matter/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Rooms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rooms/) [Things Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-really/)

## Related quotes

> [To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit: it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rand/to-design-is-much-more-than-simply-to-assemble-to-order-or-even-to/)

[Paul Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rand/)

> [The living all assemble! What's the cue?-- Do what the clumsy partner wants to do!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/the-living-all-assemble-what-s-the-cue-do-what-the-clumsy-partner/)

[Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/)

> [The house I grew up in had large plate-glass windows, which birds frequently crashed into headfirst. My father helped me assemble a bird hospital,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-davis/the-house-i-grew-up-in-had-large-plate-glass-windows-which-birds/)

[Patti Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-davis/)

> [When I was a child, on Sunday mornings the family would assemble around the blue-leather-covered gramophone to listen to records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-grant/when-i-was-a-child-on-sunday-mornings-the-family-would-assemble/)

[Linda Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-grant/)

> [You know, why at the end of your life should you assemble thousands of pages of 'Why am I so sad, why am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/you-know-why-at-the-end-of-your-life-should-you-assemble-thousands-of/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [I'm trying to assemble materials for a different mode of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-flynt/i-m-trying-to-assemble-materials-for-a-different-mode-of-life/)

[Henry Flynt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-flynt/)

> [If you want to assemble the same people, then you have a big problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-emmerich/if-you-want-to-assemble-the-same-people-then-you-have-a-big-problem/)

[Roland Emmerich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-emmerich/)

> [“Recollection builds up our personality. Our individuality is based on all the little pieces we assembled in the past. ("The past was her best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/recollection-builds-up-our-personality-our-individuality-is-based-on/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [We need to codify our values and build consensus around what we want from a free society and a free Internet. We need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brooke/we-need-to-codify-our-values-and-build-consensus-around-what-we-want/)

[Heather Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-brooke/)

> [Google Apps for Education is a suite of applications intended to be helpful to higher level educational institutions, but in the long run, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/google-apps-for-education-is-a-suite-of-applications-intended-to-be/)

[Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/)

> [Just to be involved in anything Disney, whether it's 'Avengers Assemble' or 'Planes' or straight-to-dvd work, it's great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/just-to-be-involved-in-anything-disney-whether-it-s-avengers-assemble/)

[Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/)

> [The first sort of big present I remember getting from Santa Claus was quite a small telescope that I remember going into our backyard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/the-first-sort-of-big-present-i-remember-getting-from-santa-claus-was/)

[Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/)

> [“Do you build a team or assemble a team?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vineet-raj-kapoor/do-you-build-a-team-or-assemble-a-team/)

[Vineet Raj Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vineet-raj-kapoor/)

> [The reason we form networks is because the benefits of a connected life outweigh the costs. It's to our advantage as individuals and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-a-christakis/the-reason-we-form-networks-is-because-the-benefits-of-a-connected/)

[Nicholas A. Christakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-a-christakis/)

> [You have to assemble your life yourself - action by action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/you-have-to-assemble-your-life-yourself-action-by-action/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

## More by James Salter

> [It seems to me that literature is giving way a little bit to the immediacy of other diversions, other forms of entertainment. What will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/it-seems-to-me-that-literature-is-giving-way-a-little-bit-to-the/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [Women fall in love when they get to know you. Men are just the opposite. When they finally know you they're ready to leave](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/women-fall-in-love-when-they-get-to-know-you-men-are-just-the/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [Not necessarily narrow so much as impatient, intense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/not-necessarily-narrow-so-much-as-impatient-intense/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [I write in longhand. I am accustomed to that proximity, that feel of writing. Then I sit down and type.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-write-in-longhand-i-am-accustomed-to-that-proximity-that-feel-of/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [A writer writes a book. People read it. You don't know what they're reading, really. You read a review and think, "That is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/a-writer-writes-a-book-people-read-it-you-don-t-know-what-they-re/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [“Strauss’s, for instance, which begins in the heavens. The artist doesn’t ascend to glory, he appears in it, he already has it and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/strauss-s-for-instance-which-begins-in-the-heavens-the-artist-doesn-t/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [Normally, what you’re envious of is a book, not a writer: standards, ideas, levels … almost nonexistent things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/normally-what-you-re-envious-of-is-a-book-not-a-writer-standards/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [Sometimes I write with a particular person in mind. I think it's fair to say that I write for a perceptive reader. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/sometimes-i-write-with-a-particular-person-in-mind-i-think-it-s-fair/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [Lots of scripts are written and not made, even scripts that people want to make.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/lots-of-scripts-are-written-and-not-made-even-scripts-that-people/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [I'd given up everything to be a writer, and if I didn't then go on to do that - to write - then I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/i-d-given-up-everything-to-be-a-writer-and-if-i-didn-t-then-go-on-to/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [“One should not believe too easily in a life which can easily vanish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/one-should-not-believe-too-easily-in-a-life-which-can-easily-vanish/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [“Life is separated by scars, like the rings in the inside of a tree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/life-is-separated-by-scars-like-the-rings-in-the-inside-of-a-tree/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [“Dean is still asleep. His clothes are strewn about. The shutters are closed. He never dreams. He’s like a dead musician, like a spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/dean-is-still-asleep-his-clothes-are-strewn-about-the-shutters-are/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [The dreams are the skeleton of all reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/the-dreams-are-the-skeleton-of-all-reality/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

> [There came a time when I felt I was not going to be satisfied with life unless I could write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/there-came-a-time-when-i-felt-i-was-not-going-to-be-satisfied-with/)

[James Salter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

[Explore all 156 James Salter quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/)

## More Assemble quotes

> [To design is much more than simply to assemble, to order, or even to edit: it is to add value and meaning, to illuminate,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-rand/to-design-is-much-more-than-simply-to-assemble-to-order-or-even-to/)

[Paul Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-rand/)

> [The reason we form networks is because the benefits of a connected life outweigh the costs. It's to our advantage as individuals and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-a-christakis/the-reason-we-form-networks-is-because-the-benefits-of-a-connected/)

[Nicholas A. Christakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-a-christakis/)

> [“Do you build a team or assemble a team?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vineet-raj-kapoor/do-you-build-a-team-or-assemble-a-team/)

[Vineet Raj Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vineet-raj-kapoor/)

> [The first sort of big present I remember getting from Santa Claus was quite a small telescope that I remember going into our backyard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chelsea-clinton/the-first-sort-of-big-present-i-remember-getting-from-santa-claus-was/)

[Chelsea Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chelsea-clinton/)

> [Just to be involved in anything Disney, whether it's 'Avengers Assemble' or 'Planes' or straight-to-dvd work, it's great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-craig-smith/just-to-be-involved-in-anything-disney-whether-it-s-avengers-assemble/)

[Roger Craig Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-craig-smith/)

> [Google Apps for Education is a suite of applications intended to be helpful to higher level educational institutions, but in the long run, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vint-cerf/google-apps-for-education-is-a-suite-of-applications-intended-to-be/)

[Vint Cerf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vint-cerf/)

> [We need to codify our values and build consensus around what we want from a free society and a free Internet. We need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-brooke/we-need-to-codify-our-values-and-build-consensus-around-what-we-want/)

[Heather Brooke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-brooke/)

> [“Recollection builds up our personality. Our individuality is based on all the little pieces we assembled in the past. ("The past was her best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/recollection-builds-up-our-personality-our-individuality-is-based-on/)

[Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/)

> [If you want to assemble the same people, then you have a big problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-emmerich/if-you-want-to-assemble-the-same-people-then-you-have-a-big-problem/)

[Roland Emmerich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-emmerich/)

> [I'm trying to assemble materials for a different mode of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-flynt/i-m-trying-to-assemble-materials-for-a-different-mode-of-life/)

[Henry Flynt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-flynt/)

> [You know, why at the end of your life should you assemble thousands of pages of 'Why am I so sad, why am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/you-know-why-at-the-end-of-your-life-should-you-assemble-thousands-of/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [When I was a child, on Sunday mornings the family would assemble around the blue-leather-covered gramophone to listen to records.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-grant/when-i-was-a-child-on-sunday-mornings-the-family-would-assemble/)

[Linda Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-grant/)

> [The house I grew up in had large plate-glass windows, which birds frequently crashed into headfirst. My father helped me assemble a bird hospital,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patti-davis/the-house-i-grew-up-in-had-large-plate-glass-windows-which-birds/)

[Patti Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patti-davis/)

> [The living all assemble! What's the cue?-- Do what the clumsy partner wants to do!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roethke/the-living-all-assemble-what-s-the-cue-do-what-the-clumsy-partner/)

[Theodore Roethke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roethke/)

> [You have to assemble your life yourself - action by action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/you-have-to-assemble-your-life-yourself-action-by-action/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

[Browse all 27 Assemble quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assemble/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Why is it so difficult to assemble those things that really matter in life and to dwell among them only? I am referring to certain landscapes, persons, beasts, books, rooms, meteorological conditions, fruits.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "James Salter"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those-things-that-really-matter-in/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Assemble"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those-things-that-really-matter-in/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/james-salter-2584_assemble_why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those_2443278.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/james-salter-2584_assemble_why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those_2443278.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/james-salter-2584_assemble_why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those_2443278.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Why is it so difficult to assemble those things that really matter in life and to dwell among them only? I…” — James Salter",
                "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 Salter",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-salter/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Why is it so difficult to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those-things-that-really-matter-in/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-salter/why-is-it-so-difficult-to-assemble-those-things-that-really-matter-in/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
