--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There was never enough air in the world…" description: "\"“There was never enough air in the world, but the shortage was particularly acute in that moment.”\" — John Green" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/john-green-12_shortage_there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world_550625.jpg" --- # There was never enough air in the world, but the shortage… ![“There was never enough air in the world, but the shortage was particularly acute in that moment.” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/john-green-12_shortage_there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world_550625.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/john-green-12_shortage_there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world_550625.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/john-green-12_shortage_there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world_550625.jpg) > ““There was never enough air in the world, but the shortage was particularly acute in that moment.”” [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. The narrator feels suffocated by the world’s pressures, especially in a critical moment. **In simple terms:** Feeling trapped in a crucial time. Key Takeaway Recognize and address moments of overwhelm. Themes stress pressure existential crisis Mood anxious reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - public speaking - high stakes decisions Key Concepts psychology environmental metaphor Questions to Reflect On - When do you feel most constrained? - How can you create space for clarity? A Different Perspective The metaphor may overstate literal air shortage. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acute Moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acute-moment-4584428/) [Particularly Acute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particularly-acute-4584427/) [Shortage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shortage/) [Shortage Particularly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shortage-particularly-4584426/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [World Shortage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world-shortage-562105/) ## Related quotes > [“What has more value in this world? That which is in shortage.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/what-has-more-value-in-this-world-that-which-is-in-shortage/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [The world has a shortage of solution providers. Everybody want to be in the 'Forbes' list.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arunachalam-muruganantham/the-world-has-a-shortage-of-solution-providers-everybody-want-to-be/) [Arunachalam Muruganantham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arunachalam-muruganantham/) > [But still," Ayumi said, "it seems to me that this world has a serious shortage of both logic and kindness." "You may be right,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/but-still-ayumi-said-it-seems-to-me-that-this-world-has-a-serious/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [It seemed to me that this world has a serious shortage of both logic and kindness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/it-seemed-to-me-that-this-world-has-a-serious-shortage-of-both-logic/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [We don't suffer from a shortage of metaphors . . . But you have to be careful which metaphor you choose, because it matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/we-don-t-suffer-from-a-shortage-of-metaphors-but-you-have-to-be/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [there is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-is-no-shortage-of-fault-to-be-found-amid-our-stars/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [But there are a thousand ways to look at it: maybe the strings break, or maybe our ship s sink, or maybe we're grass--our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/but-there-are-a-thousand-ways-to-look-at-it-maybe-the-strings-break/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [ Skilled shortages in America exist because we are shielding our skilled labor force from world competition. \[Visa quotas\] have been substituted for the wage… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/skilled-shortages-in-america-exist-because-we-are-shielding-our/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [What we are saying is that we need to consolidate the capacity to lend support. Because, one of the problems that's mentioned with regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/what-we-are-saying-is-that-we-need-to-consolidate-the-capacity-to/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) > [You don't want to love - your eternal and abnormal craving is to be loved. You aren't positive, you're negative. You absorb, absorb, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-want-to-love-your-eternal-and-abnormal-craving-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Did you know that at one time trick-or-treating was stopped? It's true. During World War II children were not allowed to trick or treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bozzo/did-you-know-that-at-one-time-trick-or-treating-was-stopped-it-s-true/) [Linda Bozzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bozzo/) > [For Starbucks, there will be no shortage of the highest-quality arabica beans. I suspect that for some others there could potentially be a problem,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/for-starbucks-there-will-be-no-shortage-of-the-highest-quality/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [There is a nationwide shortage of drugs for Attention Deficit Disorder. The FDA says they're not sure how it happened. I guess somebody wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/there-is-a-nationwide-shortage-of-drugs-for-attention-deficit/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [A draft doesn't produce the people we need to satisfy our real manpower shortage. We need specialists to keep our jets flying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/a-draft-doesn-t-produce-the-people-we-need-to-satisfy-our-real/) [Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/) ## 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 Shortage quotes > [A draft doesn't produce the people we need to satisfy our real manpower shortage. We need specialists to keep our jets flying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/a-draft-doesn-t-produce-the-people-we-need-to-satisfy-our-real/) [Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/) > [There is a nationwide shortage of drugs for Attention Deficit Disorder. The FDA says they're not sure how it happened. I guess somebody wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/there-is-a-nationwide-shortage-of-drugs-for-attention-deficit/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [For Starbucks, there will be no shortage of the highest-quality arabica beans. I suspect that for some others there could potentially be a problem,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-schultz/for-starbucks-there-will-be-no-shortage-of-the-highest-quality/) [Howard Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-schultz/) > [“Did you know that at one time trick-or-treating was stopped? It's true. During World War II children were not allowed to trick or treat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-bozzo/did-you-know-that-at-one-time-trick-or-treating-was-stopped-it-s-true/) [Linda Bozzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-bozzo/) > [You don't want to love - your eternal and abnormal craving is to be loved. You aren't positive, you're negative. You absorb, absorb, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-don-t-want-to-love-your-eternal-and-abnormal-craving-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we are saying is that we need to consolidate the capacity to lend support. Because, one of the problems that's mentioned with regard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/what-we-are-saying-is-that-we-need-to-consolidate-the-capacity-to/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [ Skilled shortages in America exist because we are shielding our skilled labor force from world competition. \[Visa quotas\] have been substituted for the wage… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-greenspan/skilled-shortages-in-america-exist-because-we-are-shielding-our/) [Alan Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-greenspan/) > [Celebrity and charity have been bedfellows for many years. The key is to try and choose practical, sound and effective ones. There is no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-zane/celebrity-and-charity-have-been-bedfellows-for-many-years-the-key-is/) [Billy Zane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-zane/) > [The shortage of fresh water is the major ecological problem of this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-gorbachev/the-shortage-of-fresh-water-is-the-major-ecological-problem-of-this/) [Mikhail Gorbachev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-gorbachev/) > [The U.S. couldn't play a military role in different areas like Iraq and Afghanistan without huge quantities of oil. So a shortage or disruption…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-klare/the-u-s-couldn-t-play-a-military-role-in-different-areas-like-iraq/) [Michael Klare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-klare/) > [The impending teacher shortage is the most critical education issue we will face in the next decade.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-price/the-impending-teacher-shortage-is-the-most-critical-education-issue/) [David Price](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-price/) > [“B.C. sat back in his chair. “Whatever America needs, the world will supply. Cocaine? Colombia steps to the plate. Shortage of farmworkers, corn detasselers?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/b-c-sat-back-in-his-chair-whatever-america-needs-the-world-will/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [The problem with water, though, is that the shortfalls don't show up until the very end. You can go on pumping unsustainably until the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lester-r-brown/the-problem-with-water-though-is-that-the-shortfalls-don-t-show-up/) [Lester R. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lester-r-brown/) > [Have I got a black book? Yes, it's called a mobile phone. I do get offers. There is no shortage of people if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-cowell/have-i-got-a-black-book-yes-it-s-called-a-mobile-phone-i-do-get/) [Simon Cowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-cowell/) [Browse all 288 Shortage quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shortage/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“There was never enough air in the world, but the shortage was particularly acute in that moment.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Green" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world-but-the-shortage-was/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Shortage" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world-but-the-shortage-was/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/john-green-12_shortage_there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world_550625.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/john-green-12_shortage_there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world_550625.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ca/john-green-12_shortage_there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world_550625.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There was never enough air in the world, but the shortage was particularly acute in that moment.” — 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": "“There was never enough air in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world-but-the-shortage-was/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/there-was-never-enough-air-in-the-world-but-the-shortage-was/#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 } } ] } ```