--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have a life and there are these…" description: "\"“You have a life and there are these volumes on either side that go unvisited; some day soon as the world winds he will lie beneath what he now stands ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/john-updike-396_blind_you-have-a-life-and-there-are-these-volu_1203425.jpg" --- # You have a life and there are these volumes on either side… ![“You have a life and there are these volumes on either side that go unvisited; some day soon as the world winds he will lie beneath what he now stands on, dead as those insects whose sound he no longer hears, and the grass will go on growing, wild and blind.” quote by John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/john-updike-396_blind_you-have-a-life-and-there-are-these-volu_1203425.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/john-updike-396_blind_you-have-a-life-and-there-are-these-volu_1203425.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74d/john-updike-396_blind_you-have-a-life-and-there-are-these-volu_1203425.jpg) > ““You have a life and there are these volumes on either side that go unvisited; some day soon as the world winds he will lie beneath what he now stands on, dead as those insects whose sound he no longer hears, and the grass will go on growing, wild and blind.”” [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 fleeting; opportunities pass unnoticed while we remain oblivious, and nature continues indifferent. **In simple terms:** Life passes unnoticed while nature goes on. Key Takeaway Notice and seize moments before they fade. Themes mortality awareness nature Mood reflective melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - daily routine - career decisions - relationships - travel planning Key Concepts impermanence existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What moments are you overlooking? - How does nature’s indifference affect your priorities? A Different Perspective The quote assumes a poetic tone that may not apply to pragmatic decisions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Blind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blind/) [Dead Insects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dead-insects-3618243/) [Goes on](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goes-on/) [Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grass/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Hears Grass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hears-grass-3618244/) [Insects](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/insects/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Volumes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-volumes-3618246/) [Lying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lying/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Volume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/volume/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Winds Lie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winds-lie-3618245/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“Four construction workers sit around four greasy bowls in silence. 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