--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You're going to be a very successful…" description: "\"“You're going to be a very successful lawyer-or-something and get married and have babies and live your whole little life, and then you're going to die..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/john-green-12_high-school_you-re-going-to-be-a-very-successful-law_1996061.jpg" --- # You're going to be a very successful lawyer-or-something… ![“You're going to be a very successful lawyer-or-something and get married and have babies and live your whole little life, and then you're going to die, and in your last moments, when you're choking on your own bile in the nursing home, you'll say to yourself: 'Well I wasted my whole goddamned…” quote by John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/john-green-12_high-school_you-re-going-to-be-a-very-successful-law_1996061.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/john-green-12_high-school_you-re-going-to-be-a-very-successful-law_1996061.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b3/john-green-12_high-school_you-re-going-to-be-a-very-successful-law_1996061.jpg) > ““You're going to be a very successful lawyer-or-something and get married and have babies and live your whole little life, and then you're going to die, and in your last moments, when you're choking on your own bile in the nursing home, you'll say to yourself: 'Well I wasted my whole goddamned life, but at least I broke into SeaWorld with Margo Roth Spiegelman in my senior year of high school. At least I carpe'd the one diem”” [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. Life’s fleeting successes are trivial compared to inevitable death; cherish moments. **In simple terms:** Life is brief; cherish moments. Key Takeaway Live fully now. Themes mortality success regret Mood melancholic thoughtful Type literary existential When to use this quote - career planning - relationship building - health awareness Key Concepts existentialism carpe diem Questions to Reflect On - What truly matters at life’s end? - How can we balance ambition and presence? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex lives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [High school](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-school/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Margo roth spiegelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/margo-roth-spiegelman/) [Senior year](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/senior-year/) ## Related quotes > [Q, you're going to go to Duke. You're going to be a very successful lawyer-or-something and get married and have babies and live your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/q-you-re-going-to-go-to-duke-you-re-going-to-be-a-very-successful/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Say your life broke down. The last good kiss/ you had was years ago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/say-your-life-broke-down-the-last-good-kiss-you-had-was-years-ago/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“your life broke down. The last good kiss / You”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/your-life-broke-down-the-last-good-kiss-you/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Margo was so beautiful that even her fake smiles were convincing. (54)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/margo-was-so-beautiful-that-even-her-fake-smiles-were-convincing-54/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“I couldn’t figure out which of these ideas, if any, was at the core of the poem. But thinking about the grass and all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-couldn-t-figure-out-which-of-these-ideas-if-any-was-at-the-core-of/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [And now life has become the future. Every moment of your life is lived for the future—you go to high school so you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/and-now-life-has-become-the-future-every-moment-of-your-life-is-lived/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [All the things paper-thin and paper-frail, and all the people too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/all-the-things-paper-thin-and-paper-frail-and-all-the-people-too/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Hey, I notice you look like you're coming down off a meth binge and smell vaguely of algae. Were you perchance dancing with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/hey-i-notice-you-look-like-you-re-coming-down-off-a-meth-binge-and/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [But my miracle was different. My miracle was this: out of all the houses in all the subdivisions in all of Florida, I ended…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/but-my-miracle-was-different-my-miracle-was-this-out-of-all-the/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“Everything's uglier close up -Margo Roth Spiegelman”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/everything-s-uglier-close-up-margo-roth-spiegelman/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“You know your problem, Quentin? You keep expecting people not to be themselves. I mean, I could hate you for being massively unpunctual and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-know-your-problem-quentin-you-keep-expecting-people-not-to-be/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [To find Margo Roth Spiegelman, you must become Margo Roth Spiegelman. And I had done many of the things she might have done: I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/to-find-margo-roth-spiegelman-you-must-become-margo-roth-spiegelman/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“As we walked, I kept taking glances at her through the crowd, quick snapshots: a photographic series entitled Perfection Stands Still While Mortals Walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/as-we-walked-i-kept-taking-glances-at-her-through-the-crowd-quick/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“You see how fake it all is. It's not even hard enough to be made out of plastic. It's a paper town. I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/you-see-how-fake-it-all-is-it-s-not-even-hard-enough-to-be-made-out-2/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [Tonight, darling, we are going to right a lot of wrongs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/tonight-darling-we-are-going-to-right-a-lot-of-wrongs/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) ## 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 High school quotes > [High school sucked. It was a universal truth, and whoever said these were supposed to be the best years of your life was probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kami-garcia/high-school-sucked-it-was-a-universal-truth-and-whoever-said-these/) [Kami Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kami-garcia/) > [High school, going into my junior year, I kind of had the idea I was going to be the starting running back. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saquon-barkley/high-school-going-into-my-junior-year-i-kind-of-had-the-idea-i-was/) [Saquon Barkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saquon-barkley/) > [I was in high school and I had an independent album out, and we kept sending that out, and I was doing shows. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyler-hilton/i-was-in-high-school-and-i-had-an-independent-album-out-and-we-kept/) [Tyler Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyler-hilton/) > [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) > [“This was going to be worse than the time I table danced in the diner in high school!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-bryson/this-was-going-to-be-worse-than-the-time-i-table-danced-in-the-diner/) [Kathy Bryson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-bryson/) > [I remember throughout middle school and high school how excited my mom, sister and I would be when a UNC game was on TV.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harrison-barnes/i-remember-throughout-middle-school-and-high-school-how-excited-my/) [Harrison Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harrison-barnes/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [In high school, I did some musicals, but I never took acting until college. I was studying opera, classical voice, and a speech teacher…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forest-whitaker/in-high-school-i-did-some-musicals-but-i-never-took-acting-until/) [Forest Whitaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forest-whitaker/) > [I have wrestled in almost every tournament in the world. I've won the Olympics, NCAAs, and World Championships, but none of those can truly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jordan-burroughs/i-have-wrestled-in-almost-every-tournament-in-the-world-i-ve-won-the/) [Jordan Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jordan-burroughs/) > [My mother worked in the white world, but I lived almost exclusively in a black world. I don't think I had ever seen a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-p-jones/my-mother-worked-in-the-white-world-but-i-lived-almost-exclusively-in/) [Edward P. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-p-jones/) > [I was born in Cuba. At the age of 14 years of age I was involved in a revolution. We were suffering from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-was-born-in-cuba-at-the-age-of-14-years-of-age-i-was-involved-in-a/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [“I swear that I will never cause trouble for anybody, as long as I live!! So please! Nobody cause any trouble for me, either!!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minoru-furuya/i-swear-that-i-will-never-cause-trouble-for-anybody-as-long-as-i-live/) Minoru Furuya > [I was just putting way too much pressure on myself. I was just trying to get that validation from my dad. It got so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-griffey-jr/i-was-just-putting-way-too-much-pressure-on-myself-i-was-just-trying/) [Ken Griffey Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-griffey-jr/) > [“I’ve had boyfriends before, and frankly, each one was a disappointment. There was nothing horribly wrong with these boys. It was my fault. I’m…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bushnell/i-ve-had-boyfriends-before-and-frankly-each-one-was-a-disappointment/) [Candace Bushnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bushnell/) > [I was so shy. 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