---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: never to do anything standing up that…"
description: "\"“never to do anything standing up that could just as easily be done lying down. a”\" — John Green"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60f/john-green-12_lying_never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-co_1789001.jpg"
---

#  never to do anything standing up that could just as easily…

![“never to do anything standing up that could just as easily be done lying down. a” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60f/john-green-12_lying_never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-co_1789001.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60f/john-green-12_lying_never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-co_1789001.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60f/john-green-12_lying_never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-co_1789001.jpg)

> ““never to do anything standing up that could just as easily be done lying down. a””

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## About This Quote

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

Avoid unnecessary effort; choose the simplest, most efficient way to act.

**In simple terms:** Do things the easy way when possible.

Key Takeaway

Seek simplicity in actions.

Themes

efficiency practicality humor

Mood

lighthearted thoughtful pragmatic

Type

humorous philosophical

When to use this quote

- daily chores
- work tasks
- study habits

Key Concepts

Occam’s razor minimalism

Questions to Reflect On

- When is taking the easy route harmful?
- How do you balance simplicity and quality?

A Different Perspective

May overlook benefits of thoroughness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Easily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easily/) [Easily Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easily-lying-1063608/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Standing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing/) [Standing Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/standing-just-252343/)

## Related quotes

> [On the plus side, death is one of the few things that can be done as easily lying down .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/on-the-plus-side-death-is-one-of-the-few-things-that-can-be-done-as/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [“On the plus side, death is one of the few things that can be done just as easily as lying down.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/on-the-plus-side-death-is-one-of-the-few-things-that-can-be-done-just/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [Colin had always preferred baths; one of his general policies in life was never to do anything standing up that could just as easily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/colin-had-always-preferred-baths-one-of-his-general-policies-in-life/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [One I was standing all by myself in the dark of lonliness and then I realised there is someone standing just by my side…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijeet-mishra/one-i-was-standing-all-by-myself-in-the-dark-of-lonliness-and-then-i/)

[Abhijeet Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijeet-mishra/)

> [Dying is one of the few things that can be done as easily lying down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/dying-is-one-of-the-few-things-that-can-be-done-as-easily-lying-down/)

[Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/)

> [“The world could be standing still, and we'd all be just as dizzy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guadalupe-garcia-mccall/the-world-could-be-standing-still-and-we-d-all-be-just-as-dizzy/)

[Guadalupe Garcia McCall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guadalupe-garcia-mccall/)

> [Standing by myself, just having everybody looking at me the entire time, is not my idea of a good time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lynch/standing-by-myself-just-having-everybody-looking-at-me-the-entire/)

[Jane Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lynch/)

> [I do believe in standing for something more than just a product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/waris-ahluwalia/i-do-believe-in-standing-for-something-more-than-just-a-product/)

[Waris Ahluwalia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/waris-ahluwalia/)

> [I couldn’t help but think about school and everything else ending. I liked standing just outside the couches and watching them—it was a kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-couldn-t-help-but-think-about-school-and-everything-else-ending-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Colin thought about the dork mantra: sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. What a dirty lie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/colin-thought-about-the-dork-mantra-sticks-and-stones-may-break-my/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [She may be lying in bed reading a book, she may be making love with a prize fighter, or she may be running like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/she-may-be-lying-in-bed-reading-a-book-she-may-be-making-love-with-a/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [I don't scare very easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-the-drag-queen/i-don-t-scare-very-easily/)

[Bob the Drag Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-the-drag-queen/)

> [I don't fall in love easily. It's odd; one of the first things I think about when I go out with a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-dillon/i-don-t-fall-in-love-easily-it-s-odd-one-of-the-first-things-i-think/)

[Matt Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-dillon/)

> [It is true that from a behavioral economics perspective we are fallible, easily confused, not that smart, and often irrational. We are more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-is-true-that-from-a-behavioral-economics-perspective-we-are/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [I can occupy myself quite easily with what's going on inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/i-can-occupy-myself-quite-easily-with-what-s-going-on-inside-me/)

[Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/)

## More by John Green

> [Issac:"I dislike living in a world without Augustus Waters." Computer: "I don't understand-" Issac: "Me neither. Pause](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/issac-i-dislike-living-in-a-world-without-augustus-waters-computer-i/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“I just want to stay away from people and read books and think”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-just-want-to-stay-away-from-people-and-read-books-and-think/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, "Y'all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die." -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/she-smiled-with-all-the-delight-of-a-kid-on-christmas-morning-and/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [A Margo for each of us--and each more mirror than window.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/a-margo-for-each-of-us-and-each-more-mirror-than-window/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“No one ever says good-bye unless they want to see you again.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/no-one-ever-says-good-bye-unless-they-want-to-see-you-again/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Neither novels or their readers benefit from any attempts to divine whether any facts hide inside a story. Such efforts attack the very idea…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/neither-novels-or-their-readers-benefit-from-any-attempts-to-divine/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Traffic's not too bad on Sheridan, and I'm cornering the car like it's the Indy 500, and we're listening to my favorite NMH song,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/traffic-s-not-too-bad-on-sheridan-and-i-m-cornering-the-car-like-it-s/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“Praise God for good nurses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/praise-god-for-good-nurses/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [So I was ugly. I was never fat, really, and I never wore headgear or had zits or anything. But I was ugly. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/so-i-was-ugly-i-was-never-fat-really-and-i-never-wore-headgear-or-had/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Nothing has ever looked like that ever in all of human history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/nothing-has-ever-looked-like-that-ever-in-all-of-human-history/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“said to him quietly, as if I couldn’t hear or something. Dad was about to respond but I interrupted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/said-to-him-quietly-as-if-i-couldn-t-hear-or-something-dad-was-about/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I believe humans have souls, and I believe in the conservation of souls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-believe-humans-have-souls-and-i-believe-in-the-conservation-of-souls/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [“He was hot. A nonhotboy stares at you relentlessly and it is, at best, awkward and, at worst, a form of assault. But a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/he-was-hot-a-nonhotboy-stares-at-you-relentlessly-and-it-is-at-best/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [I think if you keep the box closed long enough you do kill the cat, actually.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-think-if-you-keep-the-box-closed-long-enough-you-do-kill-the-cat/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

> [Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (...) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/imagining-the-future-is-a-kind-of-nostalgia-you-spend-your-whole-life/)

[John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

[Explore all 3,614 John Green quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/)

## More Easily quotes

> [I can occupy myself quite easily with what's going on inside me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-rampling/i-can-occupy-myself-quite-easily-with-what-s-going-on-inside-me/)

[Charlotte Rampling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-rampling/)

> [It is true that from a behavioral economics perspective we are fallible, easily confused, not that smart, and often irrational. We are more like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-ariely/it-is-true-that-from-a-behavioral-economics-perspective-we-are/)

[Dan Ariely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-ariely/)

> [I don't fall in love easily. It's odd; one of the first things I think about when I go out with a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-dillon/i-don-t-fall-in-love-easily-it-s-odd-one-of-the-first-things-i-think/)

[Matt Dillon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-dillon/)

> [I don't scare very easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-the-drag-queen/i-don-t-scare-very-easily/)

[Bob the Drag Queen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-the-drag-queen/)

> [Success not like speech of church. which you get easily](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/success-not-like-speech-of-church-which-you-get-easily/)

[Mak\_786](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mak-786/)

> [As all of us are only too aware, the loud and frantic voices of the outer world easily drown out the small, still loving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/as-all-of-us-are-only-too-aware-the-loud-and-frantic-voices-of-the/)

[Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/)

> [I can easily cut 10 to 15 pounds without feeling like I'm killing myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanna-jedrzejczyk/i-can-easily-cut-10-to-15-pounds-without-feeling-like-i-m-killing/)

[Joanna Jedrzejczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanna-jedrzejczyk/)

> [I typically don't get out of shape that easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-covington/i-typically-don-t-get-out-of-shape-that-easily/)

[Robert Covington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-covington/)

> [nothing makes one so easily a fatalist as indifference.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-thompson/nothing-makes-one-so-easily-a-fatalist-as-indifference/)

[Sylvia Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-thompson/)

> [I'm a huge Joe Nichols fan, and he put this song out an album called 'Real Things.' I was excited for Joe when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-shelton/i-m-a-huge-joe-nichols-fan-and-he-put-this-song-out-an-album-called/)

[Blake Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-shelton/)

> [The thing one most tries to hide is the one most easily seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ichabod-crane/the-thing-one-most-tries-to-hide-is-the-one-most-easily-seen/)

[Ichabod Crane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ichabod-crane/)

> [I get startled really easily, so I hate horror films. I have to close my eyes when I think something is going to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leigh-lezark/i-get-startled-really-easily-so-i-hate-horror-films-i-have-to-close/)

[Leigh Lezark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leigh-lezark/)

> [I can easily eat 15-20 dosas or idlis at a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/prabhu-deva/i-can-easily-eat-15-20-dosas-or-idlis-at-a-time/)

[Prabhu Deva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/prabhu-deva/)

> [Often, equipment can as easily function as a security blanket for musicians unwilling or unable to risk anything personal in the studio. Whether one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-landau/often-equipment-can-as-easily-function-as-a-security-blanket-for/)

[Jon Landau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-landau/)

> [I'd always really wanted to act; but the modelling contracts came more easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-dornan/i-d-always-really-wanted-to-act-but-the-modelling-contracts-came-more/)

[Jamie Dornan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-dornan/)

[Browse all 842 Easily quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easily/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“never to do anything standing up that could just as easily be done lying down. a”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Green"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-could-just-as-easily-be-done/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Easily"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-could-just-as-easily-be-done/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60f/john-green-12_lying_never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-co_1789001.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60f/john-green-12_lying_never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-co_1789001.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/60f/john-green-12_lying_never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-co_1789001.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“never to do anything standing up that could just as easily be done lying down. a” — John Green",
                "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": "John Green",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“never to do anything standing up...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-could-just-as-easily-be-done/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/never-to-do-anything-standing-up-that-could-just-as-easily-be-done/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
