--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have never really got used to being on…" description: "\"I have never really got used to being on this earth. Sometimes I think our presence here is due to a cosmic blunder, that we were meant for another pla..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/172/john-banville-2532_arrangements_i-have-never-really-got-used-to-being-on_1267057.jpg" --- # I have never really got used to being on this earth… ![“I have never really got used to being on this earth. Sometimes I think our presence here is due to a cosmic blunder, that we were meant for another planet altogether, with other arrangements, and other laws, and other, grimmer skies. I try to imagine it, our true place, off on the far side of the…” quote by John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/172/john-banville-2532_arrangements_i-have-never-really-got-used-to-being-on_1267057.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/172/john-banville-2532_arrangements_i-have-never-really-got-used-to-being-on_1267057.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/172/john-banville-2532_arrangements_i-have-never-really-got-used-to-being-on_1267057.jpg) > “I have never really got used to being on this earth. Sometimes I think our presence here is due to a cosmic blunder, that we were meant for another planet altogether, with other arrangements, and other laws, and other, grimmer skies. I try to imagine it, our true place, off on the far side of the galaxy, whirling and whirling. And the ones who were meant for here, are they out there, baffled and homesick, like us? No, they would have become extinct long ago. How could they survive, these gentle earthlings, in a world that was made to contain us.” [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels alienated on Earth, imagining humanity as misplaced and yearning for a different world. **In simple terms:** Feeling out of place on Earth. Key Takeaway Consider how you find belonging. Themes alienation existential longing Mood melancholic reflective Type existential literary When to use this quote - space exploration - philosophical reflection - creative writing - personal introspection - environmental awareness Key Concepts cosmic misplacement identity crisis Questions to Reflect On - What would a different world look like for you? - How can we cultivate belonging where we feel alienated? A Different Perspective The view may overlook humanity's capacity to adapt and create meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arrangements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrangements/) [Baffled](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/baffled/) [Blunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blunders/) [Cosmic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cosmic/) [Dues](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dues/) [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Earthlings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthlings-284629/) [Earthlings World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earthlings-world-4047632/) [Extinct Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/extinct-long-4047631/) [Far side](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far-side/) [Galaxy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/galaxy/) [Gentle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gentle/) [Homesick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homesick/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/law/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Meant Planet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meant-planet-4047633/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Planets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/planets/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Trying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trying/) [Used](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/used/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“It was not just the drink, though, that was making me happy, but the tenderness of things, the simple goodness of the world. 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I don't seem to see the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-banville/i-sometimes-think-that-i-might-be-slightly-autistic-there-might-be-a/) [John Banville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-banville/) > [“We're all Earthlings so Be kind to each other”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debby-feo/we-re-all-earthlings-so-be-kind-to-each-other/) [Debby Feo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debby-feo/) > [Ultimately, we actually all belong to only one tribe, to Earthlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-tarter/ultimately-we-actually-all-belong-to-only-one-tribe-to-earthlings/) [Jill Tarter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-tarter/) > [To survive as a species on this planet, we're going to have to see ourselves as Earthlings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-jemison/to-survive-as-a-species-on-this-planet-we-re-going-to-have-to-see/) [Mae Jemison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-jemison/) > [Earthlings are confused, insecure. 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