--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You need an entire drama to construct…" description: "\"You need an entire drama to construct your life around to avoid living it.\" — Jerry Stahl" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/jerry-stahl-4491_constructs_you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-yo_2651727.png" --- # You need an entire drama to construct your life around to… ![“You need an entire drama to construct your life around to avoid living it.” quote by Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/jerry-stahl-4491_constructs_you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-yo_2651727.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/jerry-stahl-4491_constructs_you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-yo_2651727.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/jerry-stahl-4491_constructs_you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-yo_2651727.png) > “You need an entire drama to construct your life around to avoid living it.” [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People construct elaborate narratives to avoid confronting real life. **In simple terms:** We create dramas to avoid living authentically. Key Takeaway Face reality instead of fantasy. Themes psychology existential storytelling Mood melancholic introspective Type philosophical cautionary When to use this quote - therapy - creative writing - self‑help Key Concepts self‑deception narrative construction avoidance Questions to Reflect On - What truths are you avoiding? - How can authentic living be cultivated? A Different Perspective Escapism can become harmful addiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [“Don't live your life in fear thinking that you will disappoint everyone. Always remember that not everyone will agree with the things you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcia-m-edwards/don-t-live-your-life-in-fear-thinking-that-you-will-disappoint/) [Marcia M Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcia-m-edwards/) > [Freedom is the basic concept and construct of life everywhere, because freedom is the basic nature of God. All systems which reduce, restrict, impinge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/freedom-is-the-basic-concept-and-construct-of-life-everywhere-because/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [Sometimes, one gesture comprises an entire drama, the accent of one word ruins an entire existence, and the indifference of one glance kills the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-de-balzac/sometimes-one-gesture-comprises-an-entire-drama-the-accent-of-one/) [Honore de Balzac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-de-balzac/) > [Your words are building blocks of which you construct your life and future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-capps/your-words-are-building-blocks-of-which-you-construct-your-life-and/) [Charles Capps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-capps/) > [Like so many Americans, she was trying to construct a life that made sense from things she found in gift shops.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-so-many-americans-she-was-trying-to-construct-a-life-that-made/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [He only thing that's unavoidable is death. The only issue is, will you avoid living just to stay alive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayma/he-only-thing-that-s-unavoidable-is-death-the-only-issue-is-will-you/) [MAYMA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayma/) > [I really tried to avoid living in L.A. for as long as I can.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dunn/i-really-tried-to-avoid-living-in-l-a-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Sarah Dunn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dunn/) > [“The only way to avoid trouble is to avoid living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-only-way-to-avoid-trouble-is-to-avoid-living/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“The only thing that's unavoidable is death. The only issue is, will you avoid living just to stay alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaia-michaelis/the-only-thing-that-s-unavoidable-is-death-the-only-issue-is-will-you/) Kaia Michaelis > [The best way to waste your life, is by taking notes. The easiest way to avoid living is to just watch. Look for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-best-way-to-waste-your-life-is-by-taking-notes-the-easiest-way-to-2/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“The best way to waste your life is by taking notes. The easiest way to avoid living is to just watch. Look for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/the-best-way-to-waste-your-life-is-by-taking-notes-the-easiest-way-to/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [“The choice to avoid risk is the choice to avoid living, and to avoid living is one of the greatest risk of all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/the-choice-to-avoid-risk-is-the-choice-to-avoid-living-and-to-avoid/) [Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/) > [“Avoidance is never the answer. Yes, life is all about pain and trouble and frustration and anger, but it's also about love and friendship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/avoidance-is-never-the-answer-yes-life-is-all-about-pain-and-trouble/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [“You are too afraid to let go of the past and live your life to its fullest. You have envied people so, you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenty-rosse/you-are-too-afraid-to-let-go-of-the-past-and-live-your-life-to-its/) Kenty Rosse > [There is a warning. The path of God-exalting joy will cost you your life. Jesus said, “Whoever loses his life for my sake and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/there-is-a-warning-the-path-of-god-exalting-joy-will-cost-you-your/) [John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/) ## More by Jerry Stahl > [“This was, I sometimes thought, the last gift my father gave me. And the best: His death stood out as the supreme-o excuse for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-was-i-sometimes-thought-the-last-gift-my-father-gave-me-and-the/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [I think there's a phenomenon of people who want to be around something that seems "dangerous." It makes them feel more real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/i-think-there-s-a-phenomenon-of-people-who-want-to-be-around/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [I always figured I myself would never be lucky enough to die, I'd just live on and on in this increasingly dreary spiral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/i-always-figured-i-myself-would-never-be-lucky-enough-to-die-i-d-just/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“Not until I stopped doing drugs altogether did I feel like a man. Not until I walked out of that fire did I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/not-until-i-stopped-doing-drugs-altogether-did-i-feel-like-a-man-not/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“This book, for me, is less an exercise in recall than exorcism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/this-book-for-me-is-less-an-exercise-in-recall-than-exorcism/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“Not doing something crude right off is about as close as a guy like me ever gets to class.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/not-doing-something-crude-right-off-is-about-as-close-as-a-guy-like/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [A waft of sweet hash drifted by, and I wanted to float after it like Wimpy levitating at the scent of a hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/a-waft-of-sweet-hash-drifted-by-and-i-wanted-to-float-after-it-like/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [I always tell myself, when I remember the non-stop self-generated hell party that used to be my life, I wouldn't be here if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/i-always-tell-myself-when-i-remember-the-non-stop-self-generated-hell/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [My own theory is that people are just so desperate for somebody they can feel better than, in America. Now that everyone's going broke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/my-own-theory-is-that-people-are-just-so-desperate-for-somebody-they/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“...with enough rock in your system, you could hear every noise in the universe.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/with-enough-rock-in-your-system-you-could-hear-every-noise-in-the/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [I think that a lot of people are in love with stress. It's the dirty little secret of Western civilization. People often mistake stress…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/i-think-that-a-lot-of-people-are-in-love-with-stress-it-s-the-dirty/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“There are stories you don't want to tell, and there are stories that scald your brainpan right down to the tongue at the mere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/there-are-stories-you-don-t-want-to-tell-and-there-are-stories-that/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [Heroin spread that soft blanket over everything. But once the blanket was ripped off, it took a layer of skin with it, leaving nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/heroin-spread-that-soft-blanket-over-everything-but-once-the-blanket/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“In some odd gush of patriotism, my mother had once vomited on the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, and a bust of Benjamin…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/in-some-odd-gush-of-patriotism-my-mother-had-once-vomited-on-the/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [“Being a junkie, when you broke it down, was nothing more than a crazed day job.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/being-a-junkie-when-you-broke-it-down-was-nothing-more-than-a-crazed/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) [Explore all 110 Jerry Stahl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) ## More Constructs quotes > [A language possesses utility only insofar as it can construct conventional boundaries. A language of no boundaries is no language at all, and thus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-wilber/a-language-possesses-utility-only-insofar-as-it-can-construct/) [Ken Wilber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-wilber/) > [I reject the idea there are just two sides. I think that with the amount of ideas and thoughts there are, it's not even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-stewart/i-reject-the-idea-there-are-just-two-sides-i-think-that-with-the/) [Jon Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-stewart/) > [My thinking was that today's spectator is so well-versed in film language that all theories about suspense, as argued by Dreyer and Hitchcock, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruno-dumont/my-thinking-was-that-today-s-spectator-is-so-well-versed-in-film/) [Bruno Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruno-dumont/) > [Charming Alnaschar visions! it is the happy privilege of youth to construct you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/charming-alnaschar-visions-it-is-the-happy-privilege-of-youth-to/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [Want to talk third wave feminism, you could cite Ariel Levy and the idea that women have internalized male oppression. Going to spring break…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/want-to-talk-third-wave-feminism-you-could-cite-ariel-levy-and-the/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [To me the female principle is, or at least historically has been, basically anarchic. It values order without constraint, rule by custom not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/to-me-the-female-principle-is-or-at-least-historically-has-been/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [The second commandment is "Thou shall not construct any graven images." Is this really the pinnacle of what we can achieve morally? The second…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-harris/the-second-commandment-is-thou-shall-not-construct-any-graven-images/) [Sam Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-harris/) > [Philosophy first constructs a scheme of happiness and then tries to fit the world to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/philosophy-first-constructs-a-scheme-of-happiness-and-then-tries-to/) [H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/) > [You can see the rider serving the elephant when people are morally dumbfounded. They have strong gut feelings about what is right and wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/you-can-see-the-rider-serving-the-elephant-when-people-are-morally/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [She and Thomas had helped construct the Maze; at the same time she’d exerted a lot of effort to build a wall holding back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-dashner/she-and-thomas-had-helped-construct-the-maze-at-the-same-time-she-d/) [James Dashner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-dashner/) > [Today, when we look at a brain, we see an intricate network of billions of neurons in constant, crackling communication, a chemical labyrinth that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-zimmer/today-when-we-look-at-a-brain-we-see-an-intricate-network-of-billions/) [Carl Zimmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-zimmer/) > [Inevitably we construct ourselves. Let me explain. I enter this house and immediately I become what I have to become, what I can become:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luigi-pirandello/inevitably-we-construct-ourselves-let-me-explain-i-enter-this-house/) [Luigi Pirandello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luigi-pirandello/) > [I see stardom very clearly as a construct that's been created in order to sell things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-christie/i-see-stardom-very-clearly-as-a-construct-that-s-been-created-in/) [Julie Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-christie/) > [The movie on the screen is always going to be different from the movie in your head. How it makes you feel is what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ayer/the-movie-on-the-screen-is-always-going-to-be-different-from-the/) [David Ayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ayer/) > [If God had sufficient wisdom and power to construct such a beautiful world as this, then we must admit that his wisdom and power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-pratt/if-god-had-sufficient-wisdom-and-power-to-construct-such-a-beautiful/) [Orson Pratt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-pratt/) Browse all 544 Constructs quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "You need an entire drama to construct your life around to avoid living it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Jerry Stahl" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-your-life-around-to-avoid/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Constructs" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-your-life-around-to-avoid/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/jerry-stahl-4491_constructs_you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-yo_2651727.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/jerry-stahl-4491_constructs_you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-yo_2651727.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2f3/jerry-stahl-4491_constructs_you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-yo_2651727.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You need an entire drama to construct your life around to avoid living it.” — Jerry Stahl", "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": "Jerry Stahl", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You need an entire drama to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-your-life-around-to-avoid/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/you-need-an-entire-drama-to-construct-your-life-around-to-avoid/#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 } } ] } ```