---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: This comment, however, leads me to…"
description: "\"“This comment, however, leads me to wonder: What do you mean by meant? Given the final futility of our struggle, is the fleeting jolt of meaning that a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/john-green-12_art_this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder_197799.jpg"
---

#  This comment, however, leads me to wonder: What do you…

![“This comment, however, leads me to wonder: What do you mean by meant? Given the final futility of our struggle, is the fleeting jolt of meaning that art gives us valuable? Or is the only value in passing the time as comfortably as possible? What should a story seek to emulate, Augustus? A ringing…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/john-green-12_art_this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder_197799.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/john-green-12_art_this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder_197799.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/john-green-12_art_this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder_197799.jpg)

> ““This comment, however, leads me to wonder: What do you mean by meant? Given the final futility of our struggle, is the fleeting jolt of meaning that art gives us valuable? Or is the only value in passing the time as comfortably as possible? What should a story seek to emulate, Augustus? A ringing alarm? A call to arms? A morphine drip? Of course, like all interrogation of the universe, this line of inquiry inevitably reduces us to asking what it means to be human and whether—to borrow a phrase from the angst-encumbered sixteen-year-olds you no doubt revile— there is a point to it all.””

[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.

It questions whether art’s fleeting meaning justifies effort versus simply seeking comfort, and what purpose stories serve in defining humanity.

**In simple terms:** Art’s meaning vs comfort; purpose of stories.

Key Takeaway

Consider both meaning and comfort.

Themes

meaning purpose humanity

Mood

contemplative philosophical

Type

literary existential

When to use this quote

- reading literature
- creative writing
- personal reflection
- philosophical debate

Key Concepts

existentialism artistic value comfort

Questions to Reflect On

- What gives your life meaning?
- Can comfort be a purpose?

A Different Perspective

Art may not solve existential dread.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [What do you mean by meant? Given the final futility of our struggle, is the fleeting jolt of meaning that art gives us valuable?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/what-do-you-mean-by-meant-given-the-final-futility-of-our-struggle-is/)

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

> [“What should a story seek to emulate, Augustus? A ringing alarm? A call to arms? A morphine drip? Of course, like all interrogation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/what-should-a-story-seek-to-emulate-augustus-a-ringing-alarm-a-call/)

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

> [“Just because she was not meant for a great life, it did not mean she was meant for a small life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrice-sarath/just-because-she-was-not-meant-for-a-great-life-it-did-not-mean-she/)

Patrice Sarath

> [The fact that you guys are inlove doesn't necessarily mean that you are meant to be together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/portia-ladyposh-jonathan/the-fact-that-you-guys-are-inlove-doesn-t-necessarily-mean-that-you/)

Portia Ladyposh Jonathan

> [Asking someone to go out with you means, I love you even with your flaws and your traits even how you act bad or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/asking-someone-to-go-out-with-you-means-i-love-you-even-with-your/)

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

> [Cookies are not meant to be given to those who want you for it; it gets given naturally to those who not only want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drusila-t/cookies-are-not-meant-to-be-given-to-those-who-want-you-for-it-it/)

[Drusila T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drusila-t/)

> [“I’ve always felt that a heart is meant to be given to only one person at a time. And, too, when it moves on,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deb-caletti/i-ve-always-felt-that-a-heart-is-meant-to-be-given-to-only-one-person/)

[Deb Caletti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deb-caletti/)

> [We pray pious blether, our will is not in it, and then we say God does not answer; we never asked Him for anything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/we-pray-pious-blether-our-will-is-not-in-it-and-then-we-say-god-does/)

[Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/)

> [“Its other name was Satis, which is Greek, or Latin, or Hebrew, or all three -- or all one to me -- for enough…but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/its-other-name-was-satis-which-is-greek-or-latin-or-hebrew-or-all/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [If there is something to gain and nothing to lose by asking, by all means ask!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-clement-stone/if-there-is-something-to-gain-and-nothing-to-lose-by-asking-by-all/)

[W. Clement Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-clement-stone/)

> [“Believe me. Everything is meant.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-smith/believe-me-everything-is-meant/)

[Ali Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-smith/)

> [Love is not meant to be troublesome, analyzed, or dissected; It is simply just meant to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-not-meant-to-be-troublesome-analyzed-or-dissected-it-is/)

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

> [When something is truly meant for YOU, you won't have to force it, rush it, or manipulate it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-lahart/when-something-is-truly-meant-for-you-you-won-t-have-to-force-it-rush/)

[Stephanie Lahart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-lahart/)

> [When any civilization is dust and ashes," he said, "art is all that's left over. Images, words, music. Imaginative structures. Meaning—human meaning, that is—is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/when-any-civilization-is-dust-and-ashes-he-said-art-is-all-that-s/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [If we are meant to be, no matter what, no matter how long it takes, we will be together. So I hope that at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ely/if-we-are-meant-to-be-no-matter-what-no-matter-how-long-it-takes-we/)

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

## 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 Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

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

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“This comment, however, leads me to wonder: What do you mean by meant? Given the final futility of our struggle, is the fleeting jolt of meaning that art gives us valuable? Or is the only value in passing the time as comfortably as possible? What should a story seek to emulate, Augustus? A ringing alarm? A call to arms? A morphine drip? Of course, like all interrogation of the universe, this line of inquiry inevitably reduces us to asking what it means to be human and whether—to borrow a phrase from the angst-encumbered sixteen-year-olds you no doubt revile— there is a point to it all.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "John Green"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder-what-do-you-mean-by-meant/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder-what-do-you-mean-by-meant/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/john-green-12_art_this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder_197799.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/john-green-12_art_this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder_197799.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/29d/john-green-12_art_this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder_197799.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“This comment, however, leads me to wonder: What do you mean by meant? Given the final futility of our…” — 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": "“This comment, however, leads me to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder-what-do-you-mean-by-meant/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/this-comment-however-leads-me-to-wonder-what-do-you-mean-by-meant/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
