--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have always lived violently, drunk…" description: "\"I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-steinbeck-71_clock_i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-huge_575608.jpg" --- # I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too… ![“I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness. I've lifted, pulled, chopped, climbed, made love with joy and taken my hangovers as a…” quote by John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-steinbeck-71_clock_i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-huge_575608.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-steinbeck-71_clock_i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-huge_575608.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-steinbeck-71_clock_i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-huge_575608.jpg) > “I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness. I've lifted, pulled, chopped, climbed, made love with joy and taken my hangovers as a consequence, not as a punishment.” [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A confession of a life lived intensely, embracing extremes of work, pleasure, and exhaustion without self‑judgment. **In simple terms:** Living intensely without guilt. Key Takeaway Embrace life's extremes, learn from them. Themes intensity balance self‑acceptance Mood reflective intense Type personal confessional When to use this quote - creative pursuits - physical labor - relationships - health management Key Concepts existentialism hedonism work ethic Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance intensity with recovery? - What limits define healthy excess? A Different Perspective Such extremes can lead to burnout or health issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Clock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Drunk Hugely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk-hugely-4741510/) [Eaten Slept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eaten-slept-4741511/) [Glory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/glory/) [Hangover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hangover/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Laziness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laziness/) [Lived Violently](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lived-violently-610653/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Made](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/made/) [Night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/night/) [Punishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/punishment/) [Sleep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleep/) [Taken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken/) [Taken Hangovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taken-hangovers-1368790/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Too long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-long/) [Too much](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-much/) [Two](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/two/) [Violently Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/violently-drunk-4741512/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [“A kind of second childhood falls on so many men. They trade their violence for the promise of a small increase of life span.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/a-kind-of-second-childhood-falls-on-so-many-men-they-trade-their-2/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I've always taken my hangovers as consequence, not as a punishment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-ve-always-taken-my-hangovers-as-consequence-not-as-a-punishment/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Who doesn't like to be a center for concern? A kind of second childhood falls on so many men. They trade their violence for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/who-doesn-t-like-to-be-a-center-for-concern-a-kind-of-second/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [The plan was to drink until the pain is over, But what's worse, the pain or the hangover?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/the-plan-was-to-drink-until-the-pain-is-over-but-what-s-worse-the/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [There is no night life in Spain. They stay up late but they get up late. That is not night life. That is delaying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/there-is-no-night-life-in-spain-they-stay-up-late-but-they-get-up/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [Tension means hurry, fear, doubt. Tension means a constant effort to protect, to be secure, to be safe. Tension means preparing for the tomorrow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/tension-means-hurry-fear-doubt-tension-means-a-constant-effort-to/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I was a hangover of that era where they’d say “Take off that medal! Is that a St. Christopher medal? You’re going to lose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-hamilton/i-was-a-hangover-of-that-era-where-they-d-say-take-off-that-medal-is/) [George Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-hamilton/) > [Yes, it is the Big Easy, home of the shortest hangover on the planet, where libation can greet you on Monday morning with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-mcconaughey/yes-it-is-the-big-easy-home-of-the-shortest-hangover-on-the-planet/) [Matthew McConaughey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-mcconaughey/) > [The problem with leftism as a vice is that everyone else is stuck with the hangover.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/the-problem-with-leftism-as-a-vice-is-that-everyone-else-is-stuck/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [“ I KNEW IT WAS OVER when tonight you couldn't make the phone ring when you used to make the sun rise when trees…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-gottlieb/i-knew-it-was-over-when-tonight-you-couldn-t-make-the-phone-ring-when/) [Daphne Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-gottlieb/) > [ What's cool is that in the story of the movie \[The Hangover\] our characters are also really kind of getting to know each other… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-helms/what-s-cool-is-that-in-the-story-of-the-movie-the-hangover-our/) [Ed Helms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-helms/) > [Overspending is as certain a part of the holiday season as overeating. But pushing away from both the table and the cash register at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-kluger/overspending-is-as-certain-a-part-of-the-holiday-season-as-overeating/) [Jeffrey Kluger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-kluger/) > [“hangover is better than hanging…!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-a-samuel/hangover-is-better-than-hanging/) [felix a samuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-a-samuel/) > [I like to change liquor stores frequently because the clerks got to know your habits if you went in night and day and bought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/i-like-to-change-liquor-stores-frequently-because-the-clerks-got-to/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [We came out in the midst of the hippie hangover. All this mellow music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-young/we-came-out-in-the-midst-of-the-hippie-hangover-all-this-mellow-music/) [Angus Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-young/) ## More by John Steinbeck > [ Teaching might even be the greatest of the arts since the medium is the human mind and spirit. My three \[great teachers\] did not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/teaching-might-even-be-the-greatest-of-the-arts-since-the-medium-is/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Prayer never brought in no side-meat. Takes a shoat to bring in pork.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/prayer-never-brought-in-no-side-meat-takes-a-shoat-to-bring-in-pork/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“And now submarines are armed with mass murder, our silly, only way of deterring mass murder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/and-now-submarines-are-armed-with-mass-murder-our-silly-only-way-of/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“I’d think there are degrees of greatness,” Adam said. “I don’t think so,” said Samuel. “That would be like saying there is a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-d-think-there-are-degrees-of-greatness-adam-said-i-don-t-think-so/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“He was forever inventing a new way of doing an old thing and doing it better and quicker, but he never in his whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/he-was-forever-inventing-a-new-way-of-doing-an-old-thing-and-doing-it/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“You come back a changed man. Samuel, you don’t change him. He changes you. I can see the look of him in your face.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/you-come-back-a-changed-man-samuel-you-don-t-change-him-he-changes/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I find out of long experience that I admire all nations and hate all governments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-find-out-of-long-experience-that-i-admire-all-nations-and-hate-all/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [At about 10 o'clock in the morning the sun threw a bright dust-laden bar through one of the side windows and in and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/at-about-10-o-clock-in-the-morning-the-sun-threw-a-bright-dust-laden/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I have noticed that there is no dissatisfaction like that of the rich. Feed a man, clothe him, put him in a good house,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-noticed-that-there-is-no-dissatisfaction-like-that-of-the-rich/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Who in his mind has not probe the dark water?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/who-in-his-mind-has-not-probe-the-dark-water/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [People like you to be something, preferably what they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/people-like-you-to-be-something-preferably-what-they-are/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [“Suddenly he knew joy and sorrow felted into one fabric. Courage and fear were one thing too. He found that he had started to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/suddenly-he-knew-joy-and-sorrow-felted-into-one-fabric-courage-and/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I am writing this from what we Americans call Yurrp. In Yurrp writers are taken as seriously as Lana Turner's legs are in America…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-am-writing-this-from-what-we-americans-call-yurrp-in-yurrp-writers/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [I write because I like to write. I find joy in the texture and tone and rhythm of words. It is a satisfaction like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-write-because-i-like-to-write-i-find-joy-in-the-texture-and-tone/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) [Explore all 1,589 John Steinbeck quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) ## More Clock quotes > [Even Einstein had to rely for his time on his clock.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/even-einstein-had-to-rely-for-his-time-on-his-clock/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) > [“Time was never neutral and often felt dangerous. We either think we have all the time in the world or time moves too fast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-reay/time-was-never-neutral-and-often-felt-dangerous-we-either-think-we/) [Katherine Reay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-reay/) > [Before a clock was in the tower, Or e'er a watch was worn; I knew of night the passing hour, And prophesied the morn;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/before-a-clock-was-in-the-tower-or-e-er-a-watch-was-worn-i-knew-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A clock struck out the hour of twelve, and the bird in the hedgerow was still singing as we marched out to the roadway,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-macgill/a-clock-struck-out-the-hour-of-twelve-and-the-bird-in-the-hedgerow/) [Patrick MacGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-macgill/) > [“Time is, to put it in its most impressive and some might say poncy-sounding form, my domain. I can see things that once happened,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-rayner/time-is-to-put-it-in-its-most-impressive-and-some-might-say-poncy/) [Jacqueline Rayner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacqueline-rayner/) > [Time travel offends our sense of cause and effect - but maybe the universe doesn't insist on cause and effect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/time-travel-offends-our-sense-of-cause-and-effect-but-maybe-the/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [My only aim is to clock a time that everyone remembers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hima-das/my-only-aim-is-to-clock-a-time-that-everyone-remembers/) [Hima Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hima-das/) > [Time.The greatest creator, and the worst destroyer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-keely/time-the-greatest-creator-and-the-worst-destroyer/) [Levi Keely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levi-keely/) > [Steven Spielberg seems to have wanted to be a director from 13. He put his dog in a certain position and made him eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-brooks/steven-spielberg-seems-to-have-wanted-to-be-a-director-from-13-he-put/) [Albert Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-brooks/) > [No life goes past so swiftly as an eventless one, no clock spins like a clock whose days are all alike.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/no-life-goes-past-so-swiftly-as-an-eventless-one-no-clock-spins-like/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Those who stop marketing to save money are like those who stop a clock to save time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/those-who-stop-marketing-to-save-money-are-like-those-who-stop-a/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [Time is the nervous system of narration, whether factual or fictive. If it gets confused some of the minutiae of human nature are certain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenway-wescott/time-is-the-nervous-system-of-narration-whether-factual-or-fictive-if/) [Glenway Wescott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenway-wescott/) > [I don't know if it's just me or everyone, but the whole vibe with skiing is not so much thriving on competition against others…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/picabo-street/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-just-me-or-everyone-but-the-whole-vibe-with/) [Picabo Street](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/picabo-street/) > [Time goes on, even when yer not looking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/time-goes-on-even-when-yer-not-looking/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [CLOCK, n. A machine of great moral value to man, allaying his concern for the future by reminding him what a lot of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/clock-n-a-machine-of-great-moral-value-to-man-allaying-his-concern/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) [Browse all 2,738 Clock quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clock/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed two nights of sleeping, worked too hard and too long in glory, or slobbed for a time in utter laziness. I've lifted, pulled, chopped, climbed, made love with joy and taken my hangovers as a consequence, not as a punishment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Steinbeck" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-hugely-eaten-too-much-or-not-at/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Clock" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-hugely-eaten-too-much-or-not-at/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-steinbeck-71_clock_i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-huge_575608.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-steinbeck-71_clock_i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-huge_575608.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/821/john-steinbeck-71_clock_i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-huge_575608.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have always lived violently, drunk hugely, eaten too much or not at all, slept around the clock or missed…” — John Steinbeck", "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 Steinbeck", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have always lived violently, drunk...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-hugely-eaten-too-much-or-not-at/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-always-lived-violently-drunk-hugely-eaten-too-much-or-not-at/#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 } } ] } ```