---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Nothing happens while you live. The…"
description: "\"Nothing happens while you live. The scenery changes, people come in and go out, that's all. There are no beginnings. Days are tacked on to days without..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/jean-paul-sartre-220_days_nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scene_2666920.png"
---

#  Nothing happens while you live. The scenery changes…

![“Nothing happens while you live. The scenery changes, people come in and go out, that's all. There are no beginnings. Days are tacked on to days without rhyme or reason, an interminable, monotonous addition.” quote by Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/jean-paul-sartre-220_days_nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scene_2666920.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/jean-paul-sartre-220_days_nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scene_2666920.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/jean-paul-sartre-220_days_nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scene_2666920.png)

> “Nothing happens while you live. The scenery changes, people come in and go out, that's all. There are no beginnings. Days are tacked on to days without rhyme or reason, an interminable, monotonous addition.”

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

## About This Quote

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

Life is a repetitive, meaningless flow; existence lacks inherent beginnings or purpose.

**In simple terms:** Life is monotonous and purposeless.

Key Takeaway

Find personal meaning despite monotony.

Themes

existentialism monotony meaninglessness

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- daily routines
- long-term projects
- creative pursuits

Key Concepts

absurdity free will temporal flow

Questions to Reflect On

- How can one create meaning in a repetitive existence?
- Can routine be a source of freedom?

A Different Perspective

Monotony can also provide comfort and stability.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Days](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/days/) [Happens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens/) [Happens Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happens-live-592472/) [Live Scenery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-scenery-2472754/) [Monotonous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/monotonous/) [Nausea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nausea/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Rhyme](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rhyme/) [Scenery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scenery/) [Scenery Changes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scenery-changes-2472753/)

## Related quotes

> [Unless you're lead dog, the scenery never changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-whitall-smith/unless-you-re-lead-dog-the-scenery-never-changes/)

[Hannah Whitall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-whitall-smith/)

> [If you are not the lead dog, your scenery never changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-grizzard/if-you-are-not-the-lead-dog-your-scenery-never-changes/)

[Lewis Grizzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-grizzard/)

> [If you ain't the lead dog, the scenery never changes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-ain-t-the-lead-dog-the-scenery-never-changes/)

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

> [“What happens to those who live dangerously by being true to who they are?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/what-happens-to-those-who-live-dangerously-by-being-true-to-who-they/)

[Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/)

> [“True wisdom would be the ability to live without this scenery, to be the same person even at the bottom of a well. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fran-ois-lelord/true-wisdom-would-be-the-ability-to-live-without-this-scenery-to-be/)

[François Lelord](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fran-ois-lelord/)

> [“My passion was dead. For years it had rolled over and submerged me; now I felt empty. But that wasn't the worst: before me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/my-passion-was-dead-for-years-it-had-rolled-over-and-submerged-me-now/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“Something has happened to me, I can't doubt it any more. It came as an illness does, not like an ordinary certainty, not like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/something-has-happened-to-me-i-can-t-doubt-it-any-more-it-came-as-an/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“People. You must love people. Men are admirable. I want to vomit—and suddenly, there it is: the Nausea”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/people-you-must-love-people-men-are-admirable-i-want-to-vomit-and/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“The Nausea has stayed down there, in the yellow light. I am happy: this cold is so pure, this night so pure: am I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-nausea-has-stayed-down-there-in-the-yellow-light-i-am-happy-this/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“I lean all my weight on the porcelain ledge, I draw my face closer until it touches the mirror. The eyes, nose, and mouth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-lean-all-my-weight-on-the-porcelain-ledge-i-draw-my-face-closer/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [Objects should not touch because they are not alive. You use them, put them back in place, you live among them: they are useful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/objects-should-not-touch-because-they-are-not-alive-you-use-them-put/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“General ideas are more flattering. And then professionals and even amateurs always end up by being right”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/general-ideas-are-more-flattering-and-then-professionals-and-even/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“Perhaps it was a passing moment of madness after all. There is no trace of it any more. My odd feelings of the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/perhaps-it-was-a-passing-moment-of-madness-after-all-there-is-no/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [From the period when I wrote La Nausea I wanted to create a morality. My evolution consists in my no longer dreaming of doing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/from-the-period-when-i-wrote-la-nausea-i-wanted-to-create-a-morality/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“know very well that I don’t want to do anything: to do something is to create existence—and there’s quite enough existence as it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/know-very-well-that-i-don-t-want-to-do-anything-to-do-something-is-to/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

## More by Jean-Paul Sartre

> [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“All these creatures spend their time explaining, realizing happily that they agree with each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/all-these-creatures-spend-their-time-explaining-realizing-happily/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“she has suddenly emptied herself of me, and all other consciousness in the world has also emptied itself of me. It seems funny. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-has-suddenly-emptied-herself-of-me-and-all-other-consciousness-in/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [ \[Stéphane Mallarmé\] theory of the hermetic is a mistake, but he can be only difficult to read when he has difficult things to say. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/st-phane-mallarm-theory-of-the-hermetic-is-a-mistake-but-he-can-be/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [I can always choose, but I ought to know that if I do not choose, I am still choosing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-can-always-choose-but-i-ought-to-know-that-if-i-do-not-choose-i-am/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [When the rich wage war, it's the poor who die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/when-the-rich-wage-war-it-s-the-poor-who-die/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“She smiled. First I lost the memory of her eyes, then the memory of her long body. I kept her smile as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/she-smiled-first-i-lost-the-memory-of-her-eyes-then-the-memory-of-her/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [Life is a useless passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/life-is-a-useless-passion/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [The more one is absorbed in fighting evil, the less one is tempted to place the good in question.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-more-one-is-absorbed-in-fighting-evil-the-less-one-is-tempted-to/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [This is what I thought: for the most banal even to become an adventure, you must (and this is enough) begin to recount it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/this-is-what-i-thought-for-the-most-banal-even-to-become-an-adventure/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“I am free: there is absolutely no more reason for living, all the ones I have tried have given way and I can’t imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-am-free-there-is-absolutely-no-more-reason-for-living-all-the-ones/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“If I am not mistaken, if all the signs which have been amassed are precursors of a new overthrow in my life, well then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/if-i-am-not-mistaken-if-all-the-signs-which-have-been-amassed-are/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [“I want to leave, go to some place where I will be really in my own niche, where I will fit in. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/i-want-to-leave-go-to-some-place-where-i-will-be-really-in-my-own/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [...Uncalled-for aggression arouses the hatred of the civilian population...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/uncalled-for-aggression-arouses-the-hatred-of-the-civilian-population/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [The best work is not what is most difficult for you; it is what you do best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/the-best-work-is-not-what-is-most-difficult-for-you-it-is-what-you-do/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

[Explore all 728 Jean-Paul Sartre quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

## More Days quotes

> [Five days or five months, but it certainly isn't going to last longer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/five-days-or-five-months-but-it-certainly-isn-t-going-to-last-longer/)

[Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/)

> [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/)

[Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/)

> [We're on the road 300 days a year. There's no recovery time. It's a test of your physical and mental endurance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-phoenix/we-re-on-the-road-300-days-a-year-there-s-no-recovery-time-it-s-a/)

[Beth Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-phoenix/)

> [It's going to be used in the last days to get people to come against Christ, and that's the issue: they come against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-lahaye/it-s-going-to-be-used-in-the-last-days-to-get-people-to-come-against/)

[Tim LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-lahaye/)

> [When I wake up on a Monday morning, it's nice knowing for the next 10-12 days that I don't have to do much of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arn-anderson/when-i-wake-up-on-a-monday-morning-it-s-nice-knowing-for-the-next-10/)

[Arn Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arn-anderson/)

> [Everybody has bad days, but how you respond to it is a testament to whether you are a winner or a loser.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-gordon/everybody-has-bad-days-but-how-you-respond-to-it-is-a-testament-to/)

[Aaron Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-gordon/)

> [I recently had an epiphany and now I'm making the most of my days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-recently-had-an-epiphany-and-now-i-m-making-the-most-of-my-days/)

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

> [Back in the really olden days, dinner was seldom a ceremonial event for U.S. families. Only the very wealthy had a separate dining room.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/back-in-the-really-olden-days-dinner-was-seldom-a-ceremonial-event/)

[Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/)

> [I've always been a fan of old-time hymns and Scots-Irish dirges, though I wouldn't necessarily consider myself an expert on the type of music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-bingham/i-ve-always-been-a-fan-of-old-time-hymns-and-scots-irish-dirges/)

[Ryan Bingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-bingham/)

> [Everything is barely weeks. Everything is days. We have minutes to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/everything-is-barely-weeks-everything-is-days-we-have-minutes-to-live/)

[Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/)

> [These were days when my heart was volcanic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allen-poe/these-were-days-when-my-heart-was-volcanic/)

[Edgar Allen Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allen-poe/)

> [Some days, I'm going to miss shots; some days, I'm not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-green/some-days-i-m-going-to-miss-shots-some-days-i-m-not/)

[Gerald Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-green/)

> [Whose school-hours are all the days and nights of our existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/whose-school-hours-are-all-the-days-and-nights-of-our-existence/)

[Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/)

> [We simply do not have time as we move from one meeting to the next to have hours to peruse leisure websites of whatever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/we-simply-do-not-have-time-as-we-move-from-one-meeting-to-the-next-to/)

[Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/)

> [The country of Iraq is somewhat of an artificial creation going back to colonial days. And so you have the Kurds and then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clapper/the-country-of-iraq-is-somewhat-of-an-artificial-creation-going-back/)

[James Clapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clapper/)

[Browse all 4,561 Days quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/days/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Nothing happens while you live. The scenery changes, people come in and go out, that's all. There are no beginnings. Days are tacked on to days without rhyme or reason, an interminable, monotonous addition.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jean-Paul Sartre"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scenery-changes-people-come-in-and-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Days"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scenery-changes-people-come-in-and-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/jean-paul-sartre-220_days_nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scene_2666920.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/jean-paul-sartre-220_days_nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scene_2666920.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eea/jean-paul-sartre-220_days_nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scene_2666920.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Nothing happens while you live. The scenery changes, people come in and go out, that's all. There are no…” — Jean-Paul Sartre",
                "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": "Jean-Paul Sartre",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Nothing happens while you live. The...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scenery-changes-people-come-in-and-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/nothing-happens-while-you-live-the-scenery-changes-people-come-in-and-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
