---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is a struggle with things to…"
description: "\"Life is a struggle with things to maintain itself among them. Concepts are the strategic plan we form in answer to the attack.\" — Jose Ortega y Gasset"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_answers_life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-mainta_236826.jpg"
---

#  Life is a struggle with things to maintain itself among…

![“Life is a struggle with things to maintain itself among them. Concepts are the strategic plan we form in answer to the attack.” quote by Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_answers_life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-mainta_236826.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_answers_life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-mainta_236826.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_answers_life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-mainta_236826.jpg)

> “Life is a struggle with things to maintain itself among them. Concepts are the strategic plan we form in answer to the attack.”

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

## 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 a struggle; concepts are strategic plans to counter challenges.

**In simple terms:** Plans help survive struggles.

Key Takeaway

Develop clear concepts to navigate challenges.

Themes

strategy struggle survival

Mood

analytical reflective

Type

philosophical practical

When to use this quote

- business planning
- personal crisis
- military tactics
- education

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- What concepts guide you today?
- When did a plan fail and why?

A Different Perspective

Over‑planning can stifle spontaneity.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-struggle/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/)

## Related quotes

> [“Life is a struggle, and it would be so easy if it came with an eraser, but it didn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-m-darhower/life-is-a-struggle-and-it-would-be-so-easy-if-it-came-with-an-eraser/)

[J.M. Darhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-m-darhower/)

> [When life is a struggle, you are presented with two options: Give up and lie down or Stand up and fight back...We know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/when-life-is-a-struggle-you-are-presented-with-two-options-give-up/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [It is necessary to be strong, in order to become great: that is our duty. Life is a struggle, which we cannot avoid. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pio-of-pietrelcina/it-is-necessary-to-be-strong-in-order-to-become-great-that-is-our/)

[Pio of Pietrelcina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pio-of-pietrelcina/)

> [Life is a struggle and not a matter of privilege. It is nothing but one's knowledge of the temporal and the spiritual world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-iqbal/life-is-a-struggle-and-not-a-matter-of-privilege-it-is-nothing-but/)

[Muhammad Iqbal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-iqbal/)

> [Life is a struggle but you have to learn everything wont go your way you have to create peace and be calm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brianna-mcelwee/life-is-a-struggle-but-you-have-to-learn-everything-wont-go-your-way/)

[Brianna McElwee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brianna-mcelwee/)

> [My life is a struggle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/my-life-is-a-struggle/)

[Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/)

> [Life is a struggle, accept it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane-arreo/life-is-a-struggle-accept-it/)

[Kane Arreo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane-arreo/)

> [Life is a struggle and a good spy gets in there and fights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louise-fitzhugh/life-is-a-struggle-and-a-good-spy-gets-in-there-and-fights/)

[Louise Fitzhugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louise-fitzhugh/)

> [All life is a struggle in the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucretius/all-life-is-a-struggle-in-the-dark/)

[Lucretius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucretius/)

> [Letting go isn't easy. Dwelling in the past isn't smart. Loyalty isn't common. Good things don't always last. Life is a struggle. Be strong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/letting-go-isn-t-easy-dwelling-in-the-past-isn-t-smart-loyalty-isn-t/)

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

> [Life is a struggle……NOT RACE](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grimy-fritter/life-is-a-struggle-not-race/)

Grimy Fritter

> [Life is struggle and sleep.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/life-is-struggle-and-sleep/)

[Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/)

> [“human’s life is a struggle between ignorance and illumination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-t-kiyosaki/human-s-life-is-a-struggle-between-ignorance-and-illumination/)

[Robert T. Kiyosaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-t-kiyosaki/)

> [Life is a struggle, accept it. Life is a tragedy, confront it. Life is an adventure, dare it. Life is luck, make it. Life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-a-struggle-accept-it-life-is-a-tragedy-confront-it-life-is-an/)

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

> [All life is a struggle for existence. Why should it cease to be a struggle if it spreads among the stars?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-macleod/all-life-is-a-struggle-for-existence-why-should-it-cease-to-be-a/)

[Ken MacLeod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-macleod/)

## More by Jose Ortega y Gasset

> [It would be a piece of ingenuousness to accuse the man of today of his lack of moral code. The accusation would leave him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/it-would-be-a-piece-of-ingenuousness-to-accuse-the-man-of-today-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [In these years we are witnessing the gigantic spectacle of innumerable human lives wandering about lost in their own labyrinths, through not having anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/in-these-years-we-are-witnessing-the-gigantic-spectacle-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [In order to master the unruly torrent of life the learned man meditates, the poet quivers, and the political hero erects the fortress of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/in-order-to-master-the-unruly-torrent-of-life-the-learned-man/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [The common man, finding himself in a world so excellent, technically and socially, believes it has been produced by nature, and never thinks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-common-man-finding-himself-in-a-world-so-excellent-technically/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Barbarism is the absence of standards to which appeal can be made.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/barbarism-is-the-absence-of-standards-to-which-appeal-can-be-made/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [The form most contradictory to human life that can appear among the human species is the "self-sat-isfied man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-form-most-contradictory-to-human-life-that-can-appear-among-the/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [“For there is no doubt that the most radical division that is possible to make of humanity is that which splits into two classes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/for-there-is-no-doubt-that-the-most-radical-division-that-is-possible/)

[José Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [What makes a nation great is not primarily its great men, but the stature of its innumerable mediocre ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/what-makes-a-nation-great-is-not-primarily-its-great-men-but-the/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [To be surprised, to wonder, is to begin to understand. This is the sport, the luxury, special to the intellectual man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/to-be-surprised-to-wonder-is-to-begin-to-understand-this-is-the-sport/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Romantic poses aside, let us recognize that "falling in love"...is an inferior state of mind, a form of transitory imbecility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/romantic-poses-aside-let-us-recognize-that-falling-in-love-is-an/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Law is born from despair of human nature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/law-is-born-from-despair-of-human-nature/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [The masses think that is is easy to flee from reality, when it is the most difficult thing in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-masses-think-that-is-is-easy-to-flee-from-reality-when-it-is-the/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [The librarian's mission should be, not like up to now, a mere handling of the book as an object, but rather a know how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/the-librarian-s-mission-should-be-not-like-up-to-now-a-mere-handling/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Whether he be an original or a plagiarist, man is the novelist of himself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/whether-he-be-an-original-or-a-plagiarist-man-is-the-novelist-of/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

> [Here, then, is the point at which I see the new mission of the librarian rise up incomparably higher than all those preceding. Up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/here-then-is-the-point-at-which-i-see-the-new-mission-of-the/)

[Jose Ortega y Gasset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

[Explore all 204 Jose Ortega y Gasset quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/)

## More Answers quotes

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [Sometimes a question can hurt more than an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/sometimes-a-question-can-hurt-more-than-an-answer/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

> [You feed yourself. Make sure you have all the information, whether it's aesthetic, scientific, mathematical, I don't care what it is. Then you walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/you-feed-yourself-make-sure-you-have-all-the-information-whether-it-s/)

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

> [I have long felt that the way to keep children out of trouble is to keep them interested in things. Lecturing to children is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walt-disney/i-have-long-felt-that-the-way-to-keep-children-out-of-trouble-is-to/)

[Walt Disney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walt-disney/)

> [Let me tell you that atheism has never painted a masterpiece. Atheism has never dispelled fear. Atheism has never healed a disease; faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/let-me-tell-you-that-atheism-has-never-painted-a-masterpiece-atheism/)

[John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/)

> [“As long as you keep searching,the answers will come.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-kynock/as-long-as-you-keep-searching-the-answers-will-come/)

[Mitch Kynock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-kynock/)

> [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/)

[Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [There is a comfort in rituals, and rituals provide a framework for stability when you are trying to find answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-norville/there-is-a-comfort-in-rituals-and-rituals-provide-a-framework-for/)

[Deborah Norville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-norville/)

> [A religious person answers to God, not to the elected or non-elected official.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elie-wiesel/a-religious-person-answers-to-god-not-to-the-elected-or-non-elected/)

[Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elie-wiesel/)

> [Let us remember that every worldview-not just Christianity's-must give an explanation or an answer for evil and suffering...this is not just a problem distinctive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/let-us-remember-that-every-worldview-not-just-christianity-s-must/)

[Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/)

> [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/)

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

> [For someone to ask 'Who did you play for' and to be able to answer a single name 'Liverpool' that would be brilliant...I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-carragher/for-someone-to-ask-who-did-you-play-for-and-to-be-able-to-answer-a/)

[Jamie Carragher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-carragher/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

> [Enjoying life isn't about finding the answers, but living the questions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-margolis/enjoying-life-isn-t-about-finding-the-answers-but-living-the-questions/)

[Sue Margolis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-margolis/)

Browse all 7,843 Answers quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Life is a struggle with things to maintain itself among them. Concepts are the strategic plan we form in answer to the attack.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jose Ortega y Gasset"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-maintain-itself-among-them-concepts/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Answers"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-maintain-itself-among-them-concepts/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_answers_life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-mainta_236826.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_answers_life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-mainta_236826.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/309/jose-ortega-y-gasset-1688_answers_life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-mainta_236826.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Life is a struggle with things to maintain itself among them. Concepts are the strategic plan we form in…” — Jose Ortega y Gasset",
                "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": "Jose Ortega y Gasset",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-ortega-y-gasset/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Life is a struggle with things...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-maintain-itself-among-them-concepts/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-ortega-y-gasset/life-is-a-struggle-with-things-to-maintain-itself-among-them-concepts/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
