--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that life is messy and that human…" description: "\"I think that life is messy and that human beings are insane.\" — Josh Tillman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/josh-tillman-24011_human_i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-huma_1610810.jpg" --- # I think that life is messy and that human beings are insane. ![“I think that life is messy and that human beings are insane.” quote by Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/josh-tillman-24011_human_i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-huma_1610810.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/josh-tillman-24011_human_i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-huma_1610810.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/josh-tillman-24011_human_i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-huma_1610810.jpg) > “I think that life is messy and that human beings are insane.” [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) ## 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 inherently chaotic and human rationality is limited, leading to absurdity. **In simple terms:** Life is messy; humans are irrational. Key Takeaway Embrace uncertainty and humor. Themes existence chaos irrationality absurdity human nature Mood candid humorous Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - creative work - mental health - daily decision making Key Concepts Existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - How does acknowledging chaos improve wellbeing? - Can we find balance between order and absurdity? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of order and structure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [Nothing is all good or all bad, nothing is black or white, everything is just messy and human and difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bellamy-young/nothing-is-all-good-or-all-bad-nothing-is-black-or-white-everything/) [Bellamy Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bellamy-young/) > [“Life is supposed to be messy. Being human means you will get our heart broken and your fingernails dirty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kaitlyn-jane-mauro/life-is-supposed-to-be-messy-being-human-means-you-will-get-our-heart/) Kaitlyn Jane Mauro > [“Life is messy. Would that every puzzle piece fell into place, every word was kind, every accident happy, but such is not the case.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-moore/life-is-messy-would-that-every-puzzle-piece-fell-into-place-every/) [Christopher Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-moore/) > [This life is messy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-livingstone/this-life-is-messy/) [Ken Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-livingstone/) > [“You can't know, but life is messy like that. We follow a few simple rules that have helped us make decisions: to apologize when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aminder-dhaliwal/you-can-t-know-but-life-is-messy-like-that-we-follow-a-few-simple/) Aminder Dhaliwal > [“Life is messy,” Dr. Lau was fond of saying. “Deal with it. If you’re judging it, you’re not really seeing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-zevin/life-is-messy-dr-lau-was-fond-of-saying-deal-with-it-if-you-re/) [Gabrielle Zevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-zevin/) > [Life is so messy that the temptation to straighten it up is very strong. And the results always illusory.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/life-is-so-messy-that-the-temptation-to-straighten-it-up-is-very/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [Life has been messy for me, as it has for most everyone. I have come to the realization that challenging experiences break us all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ping-fu/life-has-been-messy-for-me-as-it-has-for-most-everyone-i-have-come-to/) [Ping Fu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ping-fu/) > [“Life can be messy. No doubt, a lot of these kids are living proof. But in spite of their anxieties and their angers, At…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terri-fields/life-can-be-messy-no-doubt-a-lot-of-these-kids-are-living-proof-but/) [Terri Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terri-fields/) > [Life is messy; it's not linear, it's not logical, and the book reflects that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-quiello/life-is-messy-it-s-not-linear-it-s-not-logical-and-the-book-reflects/) Rose Quiello > [Life is messy. Love is messier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-messy-love-is-messier/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is messy, and it's okay if you are too! We all screw up, that doesn't have to define us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-valenti/life-is-messy-and-it-s-okay-if-you-are-too-we-all-screw-up-that-doesn/) [Jessica Valenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-valenti/) > [Really, life is full of contradictions. Life is messy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-blake-nelson/really-life-is-full-of-contradictions-life-is-messy/) [Tim Blake Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-blake-nelson/) > [Life is messy and gloriously imperfect, and some signs of wear and tear indicate a well-loved, well-used home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-needleman/life-is-messy-and-gloriously-imperfect-and-some-signs-of-wear-and/) [Deborah Needleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-needleman/) > [“Real life is messy and hard and never turns out like I’ve imagined. Usually it’s better. So, I try not to dream but rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-kiesler/real-life-is-messy-and-hard-and-never-turns-out-like-i-ve-imagined/) [Katie Kiesler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-kiesler/) ## More by Josh Tillman > [I get sick pleasure out of going on the Internet and reading about how much people hate me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/i-get-sick-pleasure-out-of-going-on-the-internet-and-reading-about/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [Music is chaos. When I write songs, I'm opening the door to madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/music-is-chaos-when-i-write-songs-i-m-opening-the-door-to-madness/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [Love is the substance of human survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/love-is-the-substance-of-human-survival/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [I love the exhilaration of feeling a pull quote come out of your mouth. The words just taste better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/i-love-the-exhilaration-of-feeling-a-pull-quote-come-out-of-your/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [When I started with music, all I was looking for was to ensure I never had to live the life I grew up with.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/when-i-started-with-music-all-i-was-looking-for-was-to-ensure-i-never/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [You can choose to live in love or choose to live in fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/you-can-choose-to-live-in-love-or-choose-to-live-in-fear/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [I've engineered my life so that my only value in this world is in my writing, which is really dangerous, because if it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/i-ve-engineered-my-life-so-that-my-only-value-in-this-world-is-in-my/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [People think the world of music is so great, and it's just not. It's so boring, the way music is conceived and then declawed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/people-think-the-world-of-music-is-so-great-and-it-s-just-not-it-s-so/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [I think you only have to pull stunts if the content of your music is meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/i-think-you-only-have-to-pull-stunts-if-the-content-of-your-music-is/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [J. Tillman was kind of an alter ego. There was a lot I didn't want people to know about my real life. With Father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/j-tillman-was-kind-of-an-alter-ego-there-was-a-lot-i-didn-t-want/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [The main criticism people have of me is, 'Why are you trying so hard? This guy's exhausting.' Yeah, I am! That's my way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/the-main-criticism-people-have-of-me-is-why-are-you-trying-so-hard/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [People who want to see things in stark dualities are not going to get much out of my music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/people-who-want-to-see-things-in-stark-dualities-are-not-going-to-get/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [I'm not bamboozled by the fact that people are disgusted by me. I'm not my biggest fan either.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/i-m-not-bamboozled-by-the-fact-that-people-are-disgusted-by-me-i-m/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [I was asked to audition for the second season of 'Stranger Things.' I didn't want that level of exposure. I don't want to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/i-was-asked-to-audition-for-the-second-season-of-stranger-things-i/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) > [What a crazy coincidence that the teaching of Christ sees to be so compatible with late-era capitalism, suburban isolation, rampant consumerism. And so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/what-a-crazy-coincidence-that-the-teaching-of-christ-sees-to-be-so/) [Josh Tillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) [Explore all 25 Josh Tillman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/) ## More Human quotes > [There is no human nature, since there is no god to conceive it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/there-is-no-human-nature-since-there-is-no-god-to-conceive-it/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [To hurry through the rise and fall of a fine, full sentence is like defying the role of time in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clark/to-hurry-through-the-rise-and-fall-of-a-fine-full-sentence-is-like/) [Kenneth Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clark/) > [“The global population of Earth are involved in the following corporate government experiments: The long term effects of - 1. Nuclear bomb fallout radiation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-magee/the-global-population-of-earth-are-involved-in-the-following/) [Steven Magee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-magee/) > [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/) [Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/) > [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [Every human creates his own problems. Problems are ones private property and we shouldnt meddle into them self-initiatively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruben-papian/every-human-creates-his-own-problems-problems-are-ones-private/) [Ruben Papian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruben-papian/) > [I found out about Sister Song through Poppy Liu, who's on the show 'Hacks.' Reproductive rights are human rights, and I wanted to shine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayo-edebiri/i-found-out-about-sister-song-through-poppy-liu-who-s-on-the-show/) [Ayo Edebiri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayo-edebiri/) > [The human element should be the two players on the court, not the officials. The best officials are the ones you never notice. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-scott/the-human-element-should-be-the-two-players-on-the-court-not-the/) Gene Scott > [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/) [Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/) > [I've always been a believer in research. It's great to have an instinctual human reaction to a character, too, of course, but it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiwetel-ejiofor/i-ve-always-been-a-believer-in-research-it-s-great-to-have-an/) [Chiwetel Ejiofor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiwetel-ejiofor/) > [Almost all accidents take place because of human distraction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-thrun/almost-all-accidents-take-place-because-of-human-distraction/) [Sebastian Thrun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-thrun/) > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Professionally speaking, the proudest moment was when I booked the 'Human Stain.' I knew it had Nicole Kidman, Anthony Hopkins, Ed Harris and Gary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wentworth-miller/professionally-speaking-the-proudest-moment-was-when-i-booked-the/) [Wentworth Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wentworth-miller/) > [A composer knows that music is written by human beings for human beings and that music is a continuation of life, not something separated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanns-eisler/a-composer-knows-that-music-is-written-by-human-beings-for-human/) Hanns Eisler > [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) [Browse all 8,656 Human quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that life is messy and that human beings are insane.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Josh Tillman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-human-beings-are-insane/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Human" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-human-beings-are-insane/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/josh-tillman-24011_human_i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-huma_1610810.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/josh-tillman-24011_human_i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-huma_1610810.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/266/josh-tillman-24011_human_i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-huma_1610810.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that life is messy and that human beings are insane.” — Josh Tillman", "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": "Josh Tillman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-tillman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that life is messy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-human-beings-are-insane/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-tillman/i-think-that-life-is-messy-and-that-human-beings-are-insane/#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 } } ] } ```