--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is a razor, you are always in hot…" description: "\"Life is a razor, you are always in hot water or a scrape.\" — John Updike" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/john-updike-396_hot_life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-wa_2268912.png" --- # Life is a razor, you are always in hot water or a scrape. ![“Life is a razor, you are always in hot water or a scrape.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/john-updike-396_hot_life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-wa_2268912.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/john-updike-396_hot_life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-wa_2268912.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/john-updike-396_hot_life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-wa_2268912.png) > “Life is a razor, you are always in hot water or a scrape.” [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is precarious, constantly shifting between comfort and danger. **In simple terms:** Life is precarious, shifting between comfort and danger. Key Takeaway Navigate challenges, stay adaptable. Themes precariousness adaptation danger Mood thoughtful somber Type literary inspirational When to use this quote - career changes - relationships - health crises - financial stress Key Concepts existential risk human condition Questions to Reflect On - When have you felt “in hot water”? - How do you recover from setbacks? A Different Perspective Comfort can become complacency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hot/) [Hot water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hot-water/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Life Razor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-razor-5249874/) [Razor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/razor/) [Razor Hot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/razor-hot-2490261/) [Razors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/razors/) [Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water/) [Water Scrape](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/water-scrape-5249875/) ## Related quotes > [The scissors cut the long-grown hair; The razor scrapes the remnant fuzz. Small-jawed, weak-chinned, big-eyed, I stare At the forgotten boy I was.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-scissors-cut-the-long-grown-hair-the-razor-scrapes-the-remnant/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Sizzling. This entire room is sizzling. From his voice to his eyes to that dimpled half smirk to those ripped muscles in his arms.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-mcgarry/sizzling-this-entire-room-is-sizzling-from-his-voice-to-his-eyes-to/) [Katie McGarry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-mcgarry/) > [Never put a razor inside your nose - even as a joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-johannsen/never-put-a-razor-inside-your-nose-even-as-a-joke/) [Jake Johannsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-johannsen/) > [I'm cold as a razor blade, inches from madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elton-john/i-m-cold-as-a-razor-blade-inches-from-madness/) [Elton John](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elton-john/) > [I would give my best quartet for a good razor,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-haydn/i-would-give-my-best-quartet-for-a-good-razor/) [Joseph Haydn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-haydn/) > [Why don't you swallow razor blades?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/why-don-t-you-swallow-razor-blades/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [Perhaps the little Negro girl was holding a concealed razor blade. Maybe she was one of the troublemakers out for a fresh white scalp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/perhaps-the-little-negro-girl-was-holding-a-concealed-razor-blade/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [I heard of a man who had a razor made of Valyrian steel. He cut his head off trying to shave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-heard-of-a-man-who-had-a-razor-made-of-valyrian-steel-he-cut-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Would you carry a razor, in case, just in case of depression?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-bowie/would-you-carry-a-razor-in-case-just-in-case-of-depression/) [David Bowie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-bowie/) > [Would you kiss my lips if you knew a razor kissed my wrists?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patience/would-you-kiss-my-lips-if-you-knew-a-razor-kissed-my-wrists/) [Patience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patience/) > [Golf is like a razor. You get just so sharp and then it begins to dull a little more the more you use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-sanders/golf-is-like-a-razor-you-get-just-so-sharp-and-then-it-begins-to-dull/) [Doug Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-sanders/) > [That was when I cut my arms with a razor blade as a means of creative expression. I only did it lightly, just grazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/that-was-when-i-cut-my-arms-with-a-razor-blade-as-a-means-of-creative/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [Patriotism has served, at different times, as widely different ends as a razor, which ought to be used in keeping your face clean and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-edward-montague/patriotism-has-served-at-different-times-as-widely-different-ends-as/) [Charles Edward Montague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-edward-montague/) > [ There is no other article for individual use so universally known or widely distributed. In my travels I have found \[the safety razor\] in… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-c-gillette/there-is-no-other-article-for-individual-use-so-universally-known-or/) [King C. Gillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-c-gillette/) > [A common greeting was 'Well, Gillette, how's the razor?' If I had been technically trained, I would have quit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-c-gillette/a-common-greeting-was-well-gillette-how-s-the-razor-if-i-had-been/) [King C. Gillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-c-gillette/) ## More by John Updike > [Life is a roller coaster, you have your ups and downs unless you fall off.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-roller-coaster-you-have-your-ups-and-downs-unless-you-fall/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Children are not a zoo of entertainingly exotic creatures, but an array of mirrors in which the human predicament leaps out at us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/children-are-not-a-zoo-of-entertainingly-exotic-creatures-but-an/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I assume my stance, and take back the club, low, slowly; at the top, my eyes fog over, and my joints dip and swirl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-assume-my-stance-and-take-back-the-club-low-slowly-at-the-top-my/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The New England spirit does not seek solutions in a crowd; raw light and solitariness are less dreaded than welcomed as enhancers of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-new-england-spirit-does-not-seek-solutions-in-a-crowd-raw-light/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I imagine most of that stuff on the information highway is roadkill anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-imagine-most-of-that-stuff-on-the-information-highway-is-roadkill/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Families, doing everything for each other out of imagined obligation and always getting in each other's way, what a tangle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/families-doing-everything-for-each-other-out-of-imagined-obligation/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The fucking world is running out of gas.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-fucking-world-is-running-out-of-gas/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [The theme of old age doesn't seem to fascinate Hollywood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-theme-of-old-age-doesn-t-seem-to-fascinate-hollywood/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“The mind cannot fall asleep as long as it watches itself. Only when the mind moves unwatched and becomes absorbed in images that tug…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/the-mind-cannot-fall-asleep-as-long-as-it-watches-itself-only-when/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“it was somehow wonderful of her to be, in every detail, herself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/it-was-somehow-wonderful-of-her-to-be-in-every-detail-herself/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [In fiction, imaginary people become realer to us than any named celebrity glimpsed in a series of rumored events, whose causes and subtler ramifications…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/in-fiction-imaginary-people-become-realer-to-us-than-any-named/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Her hair had been going gray as long as he could remember; she bundled it behind in a bun held with hairpins that he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/her-hair-had-been-going-gray-as-long-as-he-could-remember-she-bundled/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Possession diminishes perception of value, immediately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/possession-diminishes-perception-of-value-immediately/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [I can't bear to finish things, beyond a certain point they get heavy. There's something so dead about a finished painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/i-can-t-bear-to-finish-things-beyond-a-certain-point-they-get-heavy/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [“Some people find fall depressing, others hate spring. I've always been a spring person myself. All that growth, you can feel Nature groaning, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/some-people-find-fall-depressing-others-hate-spring-i-ve-always-been/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) [Explore all 592 John Updike quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) ## More Hot quotes > [I do a lot of vocal exercises and drink hot tea, which I hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darci-lynne-farmer/i-do-a-lot-of-vocal-exercises-and-drink-hot-tea-which-i-hate/) [Darci Lynne Farmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darci-lynne-farmer/) > [They paved paradise and put up a parkin lot With a pink hotel, a boutique, and a swingin' hot spot Don't it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/they-paved-paradise-and-put-up-a-parkin-lot-with-a-pink-hotel-a/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [Give me a platter of choice finnan haddie, freshly cooked in its bath of water and milk, add melted butter, a slice or two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-claiborne/give-me-a-platter-of-choice-finnan-haddie-freshly-cooked-in-its-bath/) [Craig Claiborne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-claiborne/) > [Here comes old Rosie she's looking mighty fine, here comes hot Nancy she's steppin' right on time. There go the street lights bringing on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-seger/here-comes-old-rosie-she-s-looking-mighty-fine-here-comes-hot-nancy/) [Bob Seger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-seger/) > [It was given out that the animals there practised cannibalism, tortured one another with red-hot horseshoes, and had their females in common. This was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/it-was-given-out-that-the-animals-there-practised-cannibalism/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [I do not believe in eating fish hot. People always insist on hot fish, but that leaves it dried out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoffrey-zakarian/i-do-not-believe-in-eating-fish-hot-people-always-insist-on-hot-fish/) [Geoffrey Zakarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoffrey-zakarian/) > [wishes for sons by Lucille Clifton i wish them cramps. i wish them a strange town and the last tampon. I wish them no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucille-clifton/wishes-for-sons-by-lucille-clifton-i-wish-them-cramps-i-wish-them-a/) [Lucille Clifton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucille-clifton/) > [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/) > [ \[A\]s you partake of the world's bill of fare, that's darned good advice to follow. Do a lot of spitting out the hot air.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-seuss/a-s-you-partake-of-the-world-s-bill-of-fare-that-s-darned-good-advice/) [Dr. Seuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-seuss/) > [Hot legs, bring your Mother, too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rod-stewart/hot-legs-bring-your-mother-too/) [Rod Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rod-stewart/) > [“No." I pulled away just enough to lock my eyes with his. His crooked smile sent shivers down my spine. His eyes were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-witter/no-i-pulled-away-just-enough-to-lock-my-eyes-with-his-his-crooked/) [Stephanie Witter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-witter/) > [What is entrepreneurship, after all? Bigness is not the issue. Poor people are the ones who take challenges every day. The guy who sells…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-yunus/what-is-entrepreneurship-after-all-bigness-is-not-the-issue-poor/) [Muhammad Yunus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-yunus/) > [I don't care how hot a girl is - if she doesn't like animals, it would be a major, major problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-somerhalder/i-don-t-care-how-hot-a-girl-is-if-she-doesn-t-like-animals-it-would/) [Ian Somerhalder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-somerhalder/) [Browse all 3,301 Hot quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hot/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life is a razor, you are always in hot water or a scrape.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Updike" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-water-or-a-scrape/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hot" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-water-or-a-scrape/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/john-updike-396_hot_life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-wa_2268912.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/john-updike-396_hot_life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-wa_2268912.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c5/john-updike-396_hot_life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-wa_2268912.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life is a razor, you are always in hot water or a scrape.” — John Updike", "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 Updike", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life is a razor, you are...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-water-or-a-scrape/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/life-is-a-razor-you-are-always-in-hot-water-or-a-scrape/#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 } } ] } ```