--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many who think that they are taking life…" description: "\"Many who think that they are taking life seriously are actually only taking themselves seriously. Who takes himself seriously is over conscious of his ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/joseph-t-o-callahan-250506_conscious_many-who-think-that-they-are-taking-life_1078299.jpg" --- # Many who think that they are taking life seriously are… ![“Many who think that they are taking life seriously are actually only taking themselves seriously. Who takes himself seriously is over conscious of his rights; who takes life seriously is fully conscious of his obligations.” quote by Joseph T. O'Callahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/joseph-t-o-callahan-250506_conscious_many-who-think-that-they-are-taking-life_1078299.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/joseph-t-o-callahan-250506_conscious_many-who-think-that-they-are-taking-life_1078299.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44d/joseph-t-o-callahan-250506_conscious_many-who-think-that-they-are-taking-life_1078299.jpg) > “Many who think that they are taking life seriously are actually only taking themselves seriously. Who takes himself seriously is over conscious of his rights; who takes life seriously is fully conscious of his obligations.” Joseph T. O'Callahan ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Focusing on personal rights ignores broader duties; true seriousness lies in serving others. **In simple terms:** Serve others, not just yourself. Key Takeaway Prioritize obligations over self‑interest. Themes responsibility humility service Mood thoughtful inspirational Type conscious:1 life:1 obligation:1 rights:0 thinking:0 life seriously:0 taking seriously:0 takes seriously:0 seriously takes:0 conscious obligations:1 When to use this quote - community work - volunteering - leadership roles Key Concepts ethical philosophy social duty personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How do you balance rights and duties? - What obligations define you? A Different Perspective Self‑interest can be a barrier to service. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Obligation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obligation/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [A man who takes himself too seriously will find that no one else takes him seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-man-who-takes-himself-too-seriously-will-find-that-no-one-else/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [A lot of people don't know that I'm really a silly guy. I don't take anything seriously. It takes a lot of energy for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-peters/a-lot-of-people-don-t-know-that-i-m-really-a-silly-guy-i-don-t-take/) [Evan Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-peters/) > [“When Christianity takes itself seriously, it must either renounce or master the world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-h-baiton/when-christianity-takes-itself-seriously-it-must-either-renounce-or/) Roland H. Baiton > [Public posturing notwithstanding, when trash becomes a hit no filmmaker worth his salt takes it seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahesh-manjrekar/public-posturing-notwithstanding-when-trash-becomes-a-hit-no/) [Mahesh Manjrekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahesh-manjrekar/) > [What a man hates, he takes seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/what-a-man-hates-he-takes-seriously/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Nature always begins by resisting the artist, but he who really takes it seriously does not allow that resistance to put him off his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/nature-always-begins-by-resisting-the-artist-but-he-who-really-takes/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [A person's creative ability decreases in direct proportion to the degree to which he takes himself seriously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/a-person-s-creative-ability-decreases-in-direct-proportion-to-the/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [If anyone takes me seriously then they actually must have a problem .. Music is fun its not algebra.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diplo/if-anyone-takes-me-seriously-then-they-actually-must-have-a-problem/) [Diplo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diplo/) > [“An ambitious woman never takes seriously men's compliments.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ljupka-cvetanova/an-ambitious-woman-never-takes-seriously-men-s-compliments/) [Ljupka Cvetanova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ljupka-cvetanova/) > [Basic Instinct 2' is camp, not because it takes itself too seriously, nor because it sends itself up, but because we are not sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-fisher/basic-instinct-2-is-camp-not-because-it-takes-itself-too-seriously/) [Mark Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-fisher/) > [When somebody takes themselves seriously that's fodder for comedy. I think every musician goes through certain periods of their career where they're all guilty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-kemp/when-somebody-takes-themselves-seriously-that-s-fodder-for-comedy-i/) [Martin Kemp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-kemp/) > [“You know,no one takes you seriously until you're swinging from a rope.-Penelope”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-scarlett-cruji/you-know-no-one-takes-you-seriously-until-you-re-swinging-from-a-rope/) [Lisa-Scarlett Cruji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-scarlett-cruji/) > [Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vaclav-havel/anyone-who-takes-himself-too-seriously-always-runs-the-risk-of/) [Vaclav Havel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vaclav-havel/) > [For all you know, the way I act could very well be an act. Or maybe it isn't. I could be the most dangerous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stevie-richards/for-all-you-know-the-way-i-act-could-very-well-be-an-act-or-maybe-it/) Stevie Richards > [When something takes itself too seriously, you're not going to take it seriously. There's a disconnect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-thatcher/when-something-takes-itself-too-seriously-you-re-not-going-to-take-it/) [Sophie Thatcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-thatcher/) ## More Conscious quotes > [Ye youths and virgins, when your generous blood Has drunk the warmth of fifteen summers, now The loves invite; now to new rapture wakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-armstrong/ye-youths-and-virgins-when-your-generous-blood-has-drunk-the-warmth/) [John Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-armstrong/) > [Woman, in short, has an unconscious life, man a conscious life, and the genius the most conscious life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/otto-weininger/woman-in-short-has-an-unconscious-life-man-a-conscious-life-and-the/) [Otto Weininger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/otto-weininger/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Whatever your conscious mind assumes and believes to be true, your subconscious mind will accept and bring to pass. Believe in good fortune, divine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-murphy/whatever-your-conscious-mind-assumes-and-believes-to-be-true-your/) [Joseph Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-murphy/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [If you are not conscious of all of the different parts of yourself, the part of yourself that is the strongest will win out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-zukav/if-you-are-not-conscious-of-all-of-the-different-parts-of-yourself/) [Gary Zukav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-zukav/) > [One of the noblest words in our language is "grace," defined as "unearned blessing." We live by grace far more than by anything else.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-elton-trueblood/one-of-the-noblest-words-in-our-language-is-grace-defined-as-unearned/) [D. Elton Trueblood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-elton-trueblood/) > [Repugnant is a creature who would squander the ability To lift an eye to heaven, conscious of his fleeting time here](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/repugnant-is-a-creature-who-would-squander-the-ability-to-lift-an-eye/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [The goal of the Creator is for each entity to make a conscious choice to again seek Oneness, out of our own free will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilcock/the-goal-of-the-creator-is-for-each-entity-to-make-a-conscious-choice/) [David Wilcock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilcock/) > [I know one thing: that you can do a lot of things but if you don't educate people into conscious anarchism it gets frittered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/murray-bookchin/i-know-one-thing-that-you-can-do-a-lot-of-things-but-if-you-don-t/) [Murray Bookchin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/murray-bookchin/) > [All black people who are even minimally conscious, black people who have ever experienced Europe's technological power crusading in the vanguard of a civilizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-nkosi/all-black-people-who-are-even-minimally-conscious-black-people-who/) [Lewis Nkosi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-nkosi/) > [ A mind conscious of right laughs at the falsehoods of rumour. \[Lat., Conscia mens recti famae mendacia risit.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ovid/a-mind-conscious-of-right-laughs-at-the-falsehoods-of-rumour-lat/) [Ovid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ovid/) > [I don't think my paintings are self-conscious but you feel the consciousness of them. Without them being self-conscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-schnabel/i-don-t-think-my-paintings-are-self-conscious-but-you-feel-the/) [Julian Schnabel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-schnabel/) Browse all 3,716 Conscious quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Many who think that they are taking life seriously are actually only taking themselves seriously. Who takes himself seriously is over conscious of his rights; who takes life seriously is fully conscious of his obligations.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph T. 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