--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When you go through life ... it all seems…" description: "\"When you go through life ... it all seems accidental at the time it is happening. Then when you get on in your 60s or 70s and look back, your life look..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/joseph-campbell-300_chance_when-you-go-through-life-it-all-seems-ac_1982252.png" --- # When you go through life ... it all seems accidental at… ![“When you go through life ... it all seems accidental at the time it is happening. Then when you get on in your 60s or 70s and look back, your life looks like a well-planned novel with a coherent theme ... Incidents that seemed accidental, pure chance, turn out to be major elements in the…” quote by Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/joseph-campbell-300_chance_when-you-go-through-life-it-all-seems-ac_1982252.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/joseph-campbell-300_chance_when-you-go-through-life-it-all-seems-ac_1982252.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/332/joseph-campbell-300_chance_when-you-go-through-life-it-all-seems-ac_1982252.png) > “When you go through life ... it all seems accidental at the time it is happening. Then when you get on in your 60s or 70s and look back, your life looks like a well-planned novel with a coherent theme ... Incidents that seemed accidental, pure chance, turn out to be major elements in the structuring of this novel. Schopenhauer says, 'Who wrote this novel? You did.'” [Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/) ## 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 random events later reveal a coherent narrative, showing we author our own story. **In simple terms:** Accidental events become purposeful later. Key Takeaway Recognize patterns in hindsight. Themes meaning purpose self‑authorship Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - Career retrospectives - life coaching - writing memoirs Key Concepts Narrative theory existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What “accidental” events shaped your life? - Do you see a theme in your past? A Different Perspective May impose false coherence on chaos. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Elements](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elements/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Novel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/novel/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“I simply came to believe that one, the factual circumstances of my life were almost accidental and didn't grow out of my own soul,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-simply-came-to-believe-that-one-the-factual-circumstances-of-my/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [“. . . to survive the dark and often terrifying passage of my life I came to believe certain thing about myself . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/to-survive-the-dark-and-often-terrifying-passage-of-my-life-i-came-to/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [History is a novel which did take place; a novel is history that could take place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-de-goncourt/history-is-a-novel-which-did-take-place-a-novel-is-history-that-could/) [Jules de Goncourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-de-goncourt/) > [Anyway, several rewrites later, Del Rey Books did publish my first novel, and it did become the first work of fiction on the New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-brooks/anyway-several-rewrites-later-del-rey-books-did-publish-my-first/) [Terry Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-brooks/) > [“And below, the notebook filled with fine cursive script, laying out in strict order conclusion and delusion, mingling myth and science, drawing from learned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/and-below-the-notebook-filled-with-fine-cursive-script-laying-out-in/) [Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/) > [The main question to a novel is -- did it amuse? were you surprised at dinner coming so soon? did you mistake eleven for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-smith/the-main-question-to-a-novel-is-did-it-amuse-were-you-surprised-at/) [Sydney Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-smith/) > [Madly, futilely, I wrote novel after novel, eight in all, that failed to find a publisher. 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