---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pity is for this life, pity is the worm…"
description: "\"Pity is for this life, pity is the worm inside the meat, pity is the meat, pity is the shaking pencil, pity is the shaking voice-- not enough money, no..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/jane-austen-39_arranging_pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-i_2845389.jpg"
---

#  Pity is for this life, pity is the worm inside the meat…

![“Pity is for this life, pity is the worm inside the meat, pity is the meat, pity is the shaking pencil, pity is the shaking voice-- not enough money, not enough love--pity for all of us--it is our grace, walking down the ramp or on the moving sidewalk, sitting in a chair, reading the paper, pity…” quote by Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/jane-austen-39_arranging_pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-i_2845389.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/jane-austen-39_arranging_pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-i_2845389.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/jane-austen-39_arranging_pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-i_2845389.jpg)

> “Pity is for this life, pity is the worm inside the meat, pity is the meat, pity is the shaking pencil, pity is the shaking voice-- not enough money, not enough love--pity for all of us--it is our grace, walking down the ramp or on the moving sidewalk, sitting in a chair, reading the paper, pity, turning a leaf to the light, arranging a thorn.”

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

## About This Quote

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

The quote juxtaposes everyday hardships with the pervasive feeling of pity, suggesting that pity is both a burden and a subtle grace that permeates mundane moments.

**In simple terms:** Pity is a constant, mixed feeling in daily life.

Key Takeaway

Recognize pity’s dual nature and use it to foster empathy.

Themes

empathy existentialism mundane life grace

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

poetic philosophical

When to use this quote

- commuting
- reading newspaper
- reflecting on daily routine
- observing surroundings

Key Concepts

Human condition psychology paradox

Questions to Reflect On

- How does pity motivate change?
- When does pity become a hindrance?

A Different Perspective

Pity may also lead to complacency if not acted upon.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Enough love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough-love/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Pity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pity/) [Reading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reading/) [Sitting in a chair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sitting-in-a-chair/) [This life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/this-life/) [Voice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/voice/)

## Related quotes

> [“For there comes a time in life when the pity previously reserved only for children takes on a different form, a time when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ir-ne-n-mirovsky/for-there-comes-a-time-in-life-when-the-pity-previously-reserved-only/)

[Irène Némirovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ir-ne-n-mirovsky/)

> [“Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show, That she (dear she) might take some pleasure of my pain; Pleasure might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-sidney/loving-in-truth-and-fain-in-verse-my-love-to-show-that-she-dear-she/)

[Philip Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-sidney/)

> [Was it for crimes that I had done He groaned upon the tree? Amazing pity! Grace unknown! And love beyond degree!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-watts/was-it-for-crimes-that-i-had-done-he-groaned-upon-the-tree-amazing/)

[Isaac Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-watts/)

> [If you see a man who has sinned and you do not pity him, the grace of God will leave you. Whoever curses bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/if-you-see-a-man-who-has-sinned-and-you-do-not-pity-him-the-grace-of/)

[Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/)

> [What poison is to food, self-pity is to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-c-wilson/what-poison-is-to-food-self-pity-is-to-life/)

Oliver C. Wilson

> [“Do not pity yourself. If you wallow in self-pity, life will be an endless nightmare.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kafka-asagiri/do-not-pity-yourself-if-you-wallow-in-self-pity-life-will-be-an/)

Kafka Asagiri

> [“Falling into the trap of self-pity will get you no where in life. It's sorrowful endless cycle will keep you from reaching your goals.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-pina/falling-into-the-trap-of-self-pity-will-get-you-no-where-in-life-it-s/)

[Timothy Pina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-pina/)

> [Its a pity ,,,,life doesn't tells us the WHEN'S or WHY](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/its-a-pity-life-doesn-t-tells-us-the-when-s-or-why/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [What a pity that in life we only get our lessons when they are of no use to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/what-a-pity-that-in-life-we-only-get-our-lessons-when-they-are-of-no/)

[Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/)

> [But mostly, I remembered what I’ve always believed. What my mom taught me. That while some things are just plain awful, most things in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-applegate/but-mostly-i-remembered-what-i-ve-always-believed-what-my-mom-taught/)

[Katherine Applegate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-applegate/)

> [I regret knowing all those weak, jealous souls cause what they d, is to bring sorrows and pity in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/i-regret-knowing-all-those-weak-jealous-souls-cause-what-they-d-is-to/)

[Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/)

> [The people who related to God best--Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah--treated him with startling familiarity. They talked to God as if he were sitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/the-people-who-related-to-god-best-abraham-moses-david-isaiah/)

[Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/)

> [Some people never get their feet on the ground, They're either sitting in a chair or theyre laying down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-ochs/some-people-never-get-their-feet-on-the-ground-they-re-either-sitting/)

[Phil Ochs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-ochs/)

> [Paper after paper, study after study, have shown that chairs give us back problems because they shorten our hip flexors, give us weak backs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-lieberman/paper-after-paper-study-after-study-have-shown-that-chairs-give-us/)

Daniel Lieberman

> [I meet Daniel Day-Lewis. He's just sitting in a chair on the set. Now, I had been told that Daniel Day-Lewis was kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-f-tompkins/i-meet-daniel-day-lewis-he-s-just-sitting-in-a-chair-on-the-set-now-i/)

[Paul F. Tompkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-f-tompkins/)

## More by Jane Austen

> [Let us have the luxury of silence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/let-us-have-the-luxury-of-silence/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“How earnestly did she then wish that her former opinions had been more reasonable, more moderate!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/how-earnestly-did-she-then-wish-that-her-former-opinions-had-been/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“it is very well worth-while to be tormented for two or three years of one's life, for the sake of being able to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-is-very-well-worth-while-to-be-tormented-for-two-or-three-years-of/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [ “Everybody is taken in at some period or another. \[...\] In marriage especially. \[...\] There is not one in a hundred of either sex,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/everybody-is-taken-in-at-some-period-or-another-in-marriage/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [She knew that what Marianne and her mother conjectured one moment, they believed the next: that with them, to wish was to hope, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/she-knew-that-what-marianne-and-her-mother-conjectured-one-moment/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“…for I look upon the Frasers to be about as unhappy as most other married people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/for-i-look-upon-the-frasers-to-be-about-as-unhappy-as-most-other/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“It raises my spleen more than any thing, to have the pretence of being asked, of being given a choice, and at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/it-raises-my-spleen-more-than-any-thing-to-have-the-pretence-of-being/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [her spirits wanted the solitude and silence which only numbers could give.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/her-spirits-wanted-the-solitude-and-silence-which-only-numbers-could/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“But in such cases as these a good memory is unpardonable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/but-in-such-cases-as-these-a-good-memory-is-unpardonable/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“...the pleasantness of an employment does not always evince its propriety.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/the-pleasantness-of-an-employment-does-not-always-evince-its-propriety/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [Such squeamish youths as cannot bear to be connected with a little absurdity are not worth a regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/such-squeamish-youths-as-cannot-bear-to-be-connected-with-a-little/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“I must tell you what you will not ask, though I may wish it unsaid the next moment”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/i-must-tell-you-what-you-will-not-ask-though-i-may-wish-it-unsaid-the/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“Lady Catherine seemed quite astonished at not receiving a direct answer; and Elizabeth suspected herself to be the first creature who had ever dared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/lady-catherine-seemed-quite-astonished-at-not-receiving-a-direct/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“He had suffered, and he had learnt to think, two advantages that he had never known before…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/he-had-suffered-and-he-had-learnt-to-think-two-advantages-that-he-had/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“Vanity was the beginning and the end of Sir Walter Eliot's character; vanity of person and of situation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/vanity-was-the-beginning-and-the-end-of-sir-walter-eliot-s-character/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

[Explore all 2,013 Jane Austen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

## More Arranging quotes

> [Figures often beguile me, particularly when I have the arranging of them myself; in which case the remark attributed to Disraeli would often apply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/figures-often-beguile-me-particularly-when-i-have-the-arranging-of/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [My central claim is that we become like Christ by doing one thing-by following Him in the overall style of life He chose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/my-central-claim-is-that-we-become-like-christ-by-doing-one-thing-by/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [I love arranging my music, not in alphabetical order but by mood, creating playlists for when I have energy and want to work out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natasha-bedingfield/i-love-arranging-my-music-not-in-alphabetical-order-but-by-mood/)

[Natasha Bedingfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natasha-bedingfield/)

> [The most important preliminary to the task of arranging one's life so that one may live fully and comfortably within one's daily budget of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-bennett/the-most-important-preliminary-to-the-task-of-arranging-one-s-life-so/)

[Arnold Bennett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-bennett/)

> [All the words I use in my stories can be found in the dictionary-it's just a matter of arranging them into the right sentences.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/all-the-words-i-use-in-my-stories-can-be-found-in-the-dictionary-it-s/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [I don't want any production credit. I think producers are overrated. They're for people who, first of all, don't know anything about music or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-verlaine/i-don-t-want-any-production-credit-i-think-producers-are-overrated/)

[Tom Verlaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-verlaine/)

> [Technology is the knack of so arranging the world that we don't have to experience it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-frisch/technology-is-the-knack-of-so-arranging-the-world-that-we-don-t-have/)

[Max Frisch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-frisch/)

> [Beautiful and minimalist, the traditional Japanese art of ikebana - arranging bouquets of cut flowers and leaves using very few elements - ideally corresponded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-ellena/beautiful-and-minimalist-the-traditional-japanese-art-of-ikebana/)

[Jean-Claude Ellena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-ellena/)

> [There is the first satisfaction of arranging it on a bit of paper; after many, many false tries, false moves, finally you have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-nabokov/there-is-the-first-satisfaction-of-arranging-it-on-a-bit-of-paper/)

[Vladimir Nabokov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-nabokov/)

> [My mother was a wonderful, wonderful woman with a lovely voice who hated housework, hated cooking even more and loved her children. She was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-forrester/my-mother-was-a-wonderful-wonderful-woman-with-a-lovely-voice-who/)

[Maureen Forrester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-forrester/)

> [I just play music by listening and responding, so I don't know anything about writing songs or arranging and all of this stuff. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaimoe/i-just-play-music-by-listening-and-responding-so-i-don-t-know/)

[Jaimoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaimoe/)

> [The real accomplishment of modern science and technology consists in taking ordinary men, informing them narrowly and deeply and then, through appropriate organization, arranging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/the-real-accomplishment-of-modern-science-and-technology-consists-in/)

[John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/)

> [Management is about arranging and telling. Leadership is about nurturing and enhancing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-peters/management-is-about-arranging-and-telling-leadership-is-about/)

[Tom Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-peters/)

> [The analysis of variance is not a mathematical theorem, but rather a convenient method of arranging the arithmetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-fisher/the-analysis-of-variance-is-not-a-mathematical-theorem-but-rather-a/)

[Ronald Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-fisher/)

> [I became friends on a social basis with a music professor (Dr. Alan Stein) who took a real interest in my work. He encouraged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keltonic/i-became-friends-on-a-social-basis-with-a-music-professor-dr-alan/)

[John Keltonic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keltonic/)

Browse all 122 Arranging quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Pity is for this life, pity is the worm inside the meat, pity is the meat, pity is the shaking pencil, pity is the shaking voice-- not enough money, not enough love--pity for all of us--it is our grace, walking down the ramp or on the moving sidewalk, sitting in a chair, reading the paper, pity, turning a leaf to the light, arranging a thorn.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jane Austen"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-inside-the-meat-pity-is-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arranging"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-inside-the-meat-pity-is-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/jane-austen-39_arranging_pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-i_2845389.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/jane-austen-39_arranging_pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-i_2845389.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/659/jane-austen-39_arranging_pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-i_2845389.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Pity is for this life, pity is the worm inside the meat, pity is the meat, pity is the shaking pencil, pity…” — Jane Austen",
                "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": "Jane Austen",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Pity is for this life, pity...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-inside-the-meat-pity-is-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/pity-is-for-this-life-pity-is-the-worm-inside-the-meat-pity-is-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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
