---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live as best we may in a world of worms."
description: "\"“We live as best we may in a world of worms.”\" — Jeanette Winterson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/jeanette-winterson-166_live_we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-wor_1348076.png"
---

#  We live as best we may in a world of worms.

![“We live as best we may in a world of worms.” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/jeanette-winterson-166_live_we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-wor_1348076.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/jeanette-winterson-166_live_we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-wor_1348076.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/jeanette-winterson-166_live_we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-wor_1348076.png)

> ““We live as best we may in a world of worms.””

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

## About This Quote

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

Human existence is fragile, likened to worms, urging acceptance of life's impermanence.

**In simple terms:** Life is fragile and fleeting.

Key Takeaway

Embrace life's fleeting nature.

Themes

fragility existence acceptance

Mood

melancholic thoughtful

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- illness
- death
- environmental crisis
- personal loss

Key Concepts

impermanence human condition philosophy nature

Questions to Reflect On

- What does embracing fragility change your priorities?
- How can we find meaning despite life's fleetingness?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook resilience and joy amidst fragility.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Best World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/best-world/) [Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) [Live Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-best/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [World Worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-worms-3659946/) [Worms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worms/)

## Related quotes

> [It was the day of the worms. That first almost-warm, after-the-rainy-night day in April, when you bolt from your house to find yourself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-spinelli/it-was-the-day-of-the-worms-that-first-almost-warm-after-the-rainy/)

[Jerry Spinelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-spinelli/)

> [“I am so tired of waiting. Aren’t you, for the world to become good and beautiful and kind? Let us take a knife and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/langston-hughes/i-am-so-tired-of-waiting-aren-t-you-for-the-world-to-become-good-and/)

[Langston Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/langston-hughes/)

> [We do live best in this world when we keep the next in mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/we-do-live-best-in-this-world-when-we-keep-the-next-in-mind/)

[Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/)

> [Live always in the best company when you read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/live-always-in-the-best-company-when-you-read/)

[Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/)

> [Life: nothing is pre written &amp; nothing can't be re-written! so live the best &amp; leave the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/life-nothing-is-pre-written-nothing-can-t-be-re-written-so-live-the/)

[Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/)

> [“That kiss...that kiss was exceptional, and I'll never forget it. As I stand here and as long as I live, it was the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynetta-halat/that-kiss-that-kiss-was-exceptional-and-i-ll-never-forget-it-as-i/)

[Lynetta Halat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynetta-halat/)

> [My mom taught me to be the best person you can be. Strive to live your life to the fullest and don't let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowland-hill/my-mom-taught-me-to-be-the-best-person-you-can-be-strive-to-live-your/)

[Rowland Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowland-hill/)

> [My Mama always use to tell me, If you can't find something to live for, you best find something to die for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/my-mama-always-use-to-tell-me-if-you-can-t-find-something-to-live-for/)

[Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/)

> [My philosophy is I take today, live it the best way I can and if I wake up I'll take another shot at tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-henderson/my-philosophy-is-i-take-today-live-it-the-best-way-i-can-and-if-i/)

[Paul Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-henderson/)

> [We were born and we die. In between, I think we try to live as best we can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olga-kurylenko/we-were-born-and-we-die-in-between-i-think-we-try-to-live-as-best-we/)

[Olga Kurylenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olga-kurylenko/)

> [Letting go of the past.. Giving the very best in the present and expecting less yet ready for more in future... is the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-njenga/letting-go-of-the-past-giving-the-very-best-in-the-present-and/)

[Chris Njenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-njenga/)

> [If you ain't got nothing to live for you best have something to die for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahmiiz-abader/if-you-ain-t-got-nothing-to-live-for-you-best-have-something-to-die/)

[Tahmiiz Abader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahmiiz-abader/)

> [Life is not fair at times you learn to live with what you have and do the best you can with the time that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/life-is-not-fair-at-times-you-learn-to-live-with-what-you-have-and-do/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [“Live your best life!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oprah-winfrey/live-your-best-life/)

[Oprah Winfrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oprah-winfrey/)

> [“You were born to live the best of being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/you-were-born-to-live-the-best-of-being/)

[Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/)

## More by Jeanette Winterson

> [“After nine nights must come ten and every desperate meeting only leaves you desperate for another. There is never enough to eat, never enough…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/after-nine-nights-must-come-ten-and-every-desperate-meeting-only/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [You never give away your heart; you lend it from time to time. If it were not so, how could we take it back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-never-give-away-your-heart-you-lend-it-from-time-to-time-if-it/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [I have found that I am not a space where people want to live, at least not without decorating first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-have-found-that-i-am-not-a-space-where-people-want-to-live-at-least/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“Yes. Just pass me my leg will you? It's on top of the wardrobe where he threw it, and I think my right arm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/yes-just-pass-me-my-leg-will-you-it-s-on-top-of-the-wardrobe-where-he/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [Every second the Universe divides into possibilities and most of those possibilities never happen. It is not a uni-verse -- there is more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/every-second-the-universe-divides-into-possibilities-and-most-of/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [You are a pool of clear water where the light plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/you-are-a-pool-of-clear-water-where-the-light-plays/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“It's the cliches that cause the trouble. A precise emotion seeks a precise expression. If what I feel is not precise than how should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-s-the-cliches-that-cause-the-trouble-a-precise-emotion-seeks-a/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [What would it have meant to be happy? What would it have meant if things had been bright, clear, good between us?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-would-it-have-meant-to-be-happy-what-would-it-have-meant-if/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“Mrs Ratlow was a widow, and she was head of English, but she still did all the cooking and cleaning for her two sons,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/mrs-ratlow-was-a-widow-and-she-was-head-of-english-but-she-still-did/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“I shall have nowt to talk to now the baby is boiled.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/i-shall-have-nowt-to-talk-to-now-the-baby-is-boiled/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“What art does is to coax us away from the mechanical and towards the miraculous. The so-called uselessness of art is a clue to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-art-does-is-to-coax-us-away-from-the-mechanical-and-towards-the/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [Happy Valentines Day to those who have found love, in whatever shape or form, and to those who are still hunting, don’t give up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/happy-valentines-day-to-those-who-have-found-love-in-whatever-shape/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“It took me a long time to realise that there are two kinds of writing: the one you write and the one that writes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/it-took-me-a-long-time-to-realise-that-there-are-two-kinds-of-writing/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [A curse on this game. How can you stick at a game when the rules keep on changing? I shall call myself Alice and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/a-curse-on-this-game-how-can-you-stick-at-a-game-when-the-rules-keep/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

> [“He turned away and I turned to him in vivid heat to look on the sun-dried world. The groves and towers were gone. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/he-turned-away-and-i-turned-to-him-in-vivid-heat-to-look-on-the-sun/)

[Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

[Explore all 1,016 Jeanette Winterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/)

## More Live quotes

> [As far as Vern and I go, we have had situations where people have tried to take photographs of me and cut Vernon out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/as-far-as-vern-and-i-go-we-have-had-situations-where-people-have/)

[Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/)

> [I live life without limits and I will go after anything I want with no hesitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-morgan/i-live-life-without-limits-and-i-will-go-after-anything-i-want-with/)

[Liv Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-morgan/)

> [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/)

[Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/)

> [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/)

[Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/)

> [You gotta make sacrifices sometimes. It's just the life that we live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-shelton/you-gotta-make-sacrifices-sometimes-it-s-just-the-life-that-we-live/)

[Ben Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-shelton/)

> [I don't want my kids to live like I do, sweating in a little metal box. I want them to have sunshine. I want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-higgins/i-don-t-want-my-kids-to-live-like-i-do-sweating-in-a-little-metal-box/)

[Alex Higgins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-higgins/)

> [Well, I've been politically involved for a really long time. Growing up in the segregated South, it was a very painful experience for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cybill-shepherd/well-i-ve-been-politically-involved-for-a-really-long-time-growing-up/)

[Cybill Shepherd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cybill-shepherd/)

> [“Live is like a box of chocolates, we are all just waiting for a hungry hand to come down and grab us and eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunshine/live-is-like-a-box-of-chocolates-we-are-all-just-waiting-for-a-hungry/)

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

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [We should not live in fear, we should all enjoy being able to express our views freely and openly, challenge each other on issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/we-should-not-live-in-fear-we-should-all-enjoy-being-able-to-express/)

[Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/)

> [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/)

[Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/)

> [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/)

[Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/)

> [I like fantasy, but I don't live and breathe fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/i-like-fantasy-but-i-don-t-live-and-breathe-fantasy/)

[Lauren Schmidt Hissrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/)

> [Humor is the only reason to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/humor-is-the-only-reason-to-live/)

[Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/)

> [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/)

[Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/)

[Browse all 14,026 Live quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“We live as best we may in a world of worms.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeanette Winterson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-worms/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Live"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-worms/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/jeanette-winterson-166_live_we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-wor_1348076.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/jeanette-winterson-166_live_we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-wor_1348076.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/84d/jeanette-winterson-166_live_we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-wor_1348076.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We live as best we may in a world of worms.” — Jeanette Winterson",
                "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": "Jeanette Winterson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“We live as best we may...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-worms/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/we-live-as-best-we-may-in-a-world-of-worms/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
