--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe all there is is just the next thing…" description: "\"“Maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just just the next just the next thing maybe..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/joyce-carol-oates-344_hinduism_maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thin_194884.jpg" --- # Maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there… ![“Maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just just the next just the next thing maybe all there is is just the next maybe all there is is is just is just the next thing Roslyn's words stuck in her head & she could not stop repeating…” quote by Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/joyce-carol-oates-344_hinduism_maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thin_194884.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/joyce-carol-oates-344_hinduism_maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thin_194884.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/joyce-carol-oates-344_hinduism_maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thin_194884.jpg) > ““Maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just just the next just the next thing maybe all there is is just the next maybe all there is is is just is just the next thing Roslyn's words stuck in her head & she could not stop repeating them Maybe all there is is just the next thing like a Hindu mantra & she was a yogin murmuring her secret prayer Maybe all there is just the next thing She thought, That's a comfort!”” [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker is obsessed with a repetitive mantra, reflecting a desperate search for meaning or comfort in a simple phrase. **In simple terms:** A mantra repeats, offering comfort amid uncertainty. Key Takeaway Find grounding in simple, meaningful repetitions. Themes obsession mantra comfort search for meaning Mood introspective thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - stressful moments - meditative practice - creative writing Key Concepts psychology spirituality repetition Questions to Reflect On - What does the repeated phrase represent for you? - How can repetition both soothe and trap? A Different Perspective The mantra may become limiting if overused. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Hinduism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hinduism/) [Just Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-maybe-527395/) [Maybe Just](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/maybe-just/) [Prayer Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prayer-maybe-675908/) [Repeating Maybe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/repeating-maybe-2049475/) [Roslyn Words](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/roslyn-words-2049474/) ## Related quotes > [“Maybe, just maybe, she could finally learn to love herself in order to love someone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wisteria-d-jones/maybe-just-maybe-she-could-finally-learn-to-love-herself-in-order-to/) [Wisteria D. Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wisteria-d-jones/) > [Maybe it just me. Or maybe it's you... Or maybe.. we all the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zura-chan/maybe-it-just-me-or-maybe-it-s-you-or-maybe-we-all-the-same/) [Zura Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zura-chan/) > [“Maybe it was just me. Maybe it was just me and her. Maybe together we were this volatile entity that would either implode or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-mcguire/maybe-it-was-just-me-maybe-it-was-just-me-and-her-maybe-together-we/) [Jamie McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-mcguire/) > [Maybe—just maybe—Sadie had my best interests at heart. (I just caught her making faces at me, so maybe not.)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/maybe-just-maybe-sadie-had-my-best-interests-at-heart-i-just-caught/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“Maybe, just maybe, when this is all over and we meet on the other side we’ll just compare notes on how we did and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/maybe-just-maybe-when-this-is-all-over-and-we-meet-on-the-other-side/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) > [“Maybe, just maybe, if I 'm lucky enough, I 'm still just having a bad trip.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vasileios-kalampakas/maybe-just-maybe-if-i-m-lucky-enough-i-m-still-just-having-a-bad-trip/) [Vasileios Kalampakas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vasileios-kalampakas/) > [“And maybe, just maybe, there is hope, after all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kirthi-jayakumar/and-maybe-just-maybe-there-is-hope-after-all/) [Kirthi Jayakumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kirthi-jayakumar/) > [Maybe just maybe love would last longer if there weren't so many expectations and conditions put on something that has no conditions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-vermaak/maybe-just-maybe-love-would-last-longer-if-there-weren-t-so-many/) [Geraldine Vermaak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-vermaak/) > [Or maybe...just maybe this whole process is our training wheels towards something bigger. If we can reflect and know our lives, we might stay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/or-maybe-just-maybe-this-whole-process-is-our-training-wheels-towards/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Maybe just maybe its my hearts way of telling me this isn't over yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-just-maybe-its-my-hearts-way-of-telling-me-this-isn-t-over-yet/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Hey, maybe you just need a bit of fun. Maybe, just maybe,” he says quietly, tilting his head, “I can make you come so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-fields/hey-maybe-you-just-need-a-bit-of-fun-maybe-just-maybe-he-says-quietly/) [Ella Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-fields/) > [Maybe if you knew exactly how I feel about you and what you mean to me, maybe just maybe you would rethink this...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-if-you-knew-exactly-how-i-feel-about-you-and-what-you-mean-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Maybe Just Maybe One Day You Will Realize !!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joey-anderson/maybe-just-maybe-one-day-you-will-realize/) [Joey Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joey-anderson/) > [And maybe, just maybe, it will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/and-maybe-just-maybe-it-will/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Maybe they are right. Maybe I did get my hopes up too high. Maybe I was in over my head. But maybe, just maybe,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-they-are-right-maybe-i-did-get-my-hopes-up-too-high-maybe-i-was-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Joyce Carol Oates > [“A woman who has lost her husband is invalid, thus an invalid. In”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-woman-who-has-lost-her-husband-is-invalid-thus-an-invalid-in/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Running! If there's any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can't think of what it might be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/running-if-there-s-any-activity-happier-more-exhilarating-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [You need so much energy and encouragement to write that if someone says something negative, some of that energy goes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/you-need-so-much-energy-and-encouragement-to-write-that-if-someone/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I learned long ago that being Lewis Carroll was infinitely more exciting than being Alice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-learned-long-ago-that-being-lewis-carroll-was-infinitely-more/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Paradox: how do we know what we have failed to see because we have no language to express it, thus we cannot know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/paradox-how-do-we-know-what-we-have-failed-to-see-because-we-have-no/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [At all crucial moments in our lives we want to speak without knowing what to say.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/at-all-crucial-moments-in-our-lives-we-want-to-speak-without-knowing/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [A writer’s life is in his work, and that is the place to find him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/a-writer-s-life-is-in-his-work-and-that-is-the-place-to-find-him/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The challenge is to resist circumstances. Any idiot can be happy in a happy place, but moral courage is required to be happy in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-challenge-is-to-resist-circumstances-any-idiot-can-be-happy-in-a/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [The first sentence cant be written until the final sentence is written.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-first-sentence-cant-be-written-until-the-final-sentence-is-written/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [“Did you know, Marianne: how by breaking the code that day, you broke it forever? For us all?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/did-you-know-marianne-how-by-breaking-the-code-that-day-you-broke-it/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > ['The Accursed' is very much a novel about social injustice as the consequence of the terrible, tragic division of classes - the exploitation not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/the-accursed-is-very-much-a-novel-about-social-injustice-as-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [Keep a light, hopeful heart. But expect the worst.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/keep-a-light-hopeful-heart-but-expect-the-worst/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [And this is the forbidden truth, the unspeakable taboo - that evil is not always repellent but frequently attractive; that it has the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/and-this-is-the-forbidden-truth-the-unspeakable-taboo-that-evil-is/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [I don't think that writer's block exists really. I think that when you're trying to do something prematurely, it just won't come. Certain subjects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/i-don-t-think-that-writer-s-block-exists-really-i-think-that-when-you/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) > [... such speculation is like staring into the hot white sun. you know the sun is there but you can't see a thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/such-speculation-is-like-staring-into-the-hot-white-sun-you-know-the/) [Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) [Explore all 658 Joyce Carol Oates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/) ## More Hinduism quotes > [The Hindus have a peculiar slovenliness in business matters, not being sufficiently methodical and strict in keeping accounts etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/the-hindus-have-a-peculiar-slovenliness-in-business-matters-not-being/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [As our domestic fowls are said to have their original in the wild pheasant of India, so our domestic thoughts have their prototypes in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/as-our-domestic-fowls-are-said-to-have-their-original-in-the-wild/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Never praise oneself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagwan-swaminarayan/never-praise-oneself/) [Bhagwan Swaminarayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagwan-swaminarayan/) > [By education I am an Englishman, by views an internationalist, by culture a Muslim and a Hindu only by accident of birth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jawaharlal-nehru/by-education-i-am-an-englishman-by-views-an-internationalist-by/) [Jawaharlal Nehru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jawaharlal-nehru/) > [I don't look at anything. Every person whether he is Hindu, Muslim or Buddhist, he is my brother, my sister. I think we all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/i-don-t-look-at-anything-every-person-whether-he-is-hindu-muslim-or/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Realized souls in the Hindu tradition are called rishis, but realized souls are not confined to the Hindu tradition. Seekers across geographical and religious…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramesh-bijlani/realized-souls-in-the-hindu-tradition-are-called-rishis-but-realized/) [Ramesh Bijlani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramesh-bijlani/) > [KARMAS a bitch it will get you time and time again so fuck off](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/everyone-knowthis/karmas-a-bitch-it-will-get-you-time-and-time-again-so-fuck-off/) [EveryOne Knowthis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/everyone-knowthis/) > [“For even if the greatest sinner worships me with all his soul, he must be considered righteous, because of his righteous will. And he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-even-if-the-greatest-sinner-worships-me-with-all-his-soul-he-must/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [The interesting part of my spiritual life is studying as much as you can. Islam and Buddhism and Hinduism and Shamanism and Judaism, Christianity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/goldie-hawn/the-interesting-part-of-my-spiritual-life-is-studying-as-much-as-you/) [Goldie Hawn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/goldie-hawn/) > [We've always seen ourselves as Indian. We've never seen ourselves as Hindus or Muslims or Christians or Buddhists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azim-premji/we-ve-always-seen-ourselves-as-indian-we-ve-never-seen-ourselves-as/) [Azim Premji](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azim-premji/) > [Hinduism... gave itself no name, because it set itself no sectarian limits; it claimed no universal adhesion, asserted no sole infallible dogma, set up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-aurobindo/hinduism-gave-itself-no-name-because-it-set-itself-no-sectarian/) [Sri Aurobindo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-aurobindo/) > [Hinduism is not just a faith. It is the union of reason and intuition that can not be defined but is only to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarvepalli-radhakrishnan/hinduism-is-not-just-a-faith-it-is-the-union-of-reason-and-intuition/) [Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarvepalli-radhakrishnan/) > [ Before \[Hindus and Moslems\] dare think of freedom, they must be brave enough to love one another, to tolerate one another's religion, even prejudices… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/before-hindus-and-moslems-dare-think-of-freedom-they-must-be-brave/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [The followers of Derrida are pathetic, snuffling in French pockets for bits of pieces of a deconstructive method already massively and coherently presented and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/the-followers-of-derrida-are-pathetic-snuffling-in-french-pockets-for/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) [Browse all 1,187 Hinduism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hinduism/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just just the next just the next thing maybe all there is is just the next maybe all there is is is just is just the next thing Roslyn's words stuck in her head & she could not stop repeating them Maybe all there is is just the next thing like a Hindu mantra & she was a yogin murmuring her secret prayer Maybe all there is just the next thing She thought, That's a comfort!”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joyce Carol Oates" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thing-maybe-all-there-is-is-just/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hinduism" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thing-maybe-all-there-is-is-just/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/joyce-carol-oates-344_hinduism_maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thin_194884.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/joyce-carol-oates-344_hinduism_maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thin_194884.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/79f/joyce-carol-oates-344_hinduism_maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thin_194884.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is just the next thing maybe all there is is…” — Joyce Carol Oates", "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": "Joyce Carol Oates", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Maybe all there is is just...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thing-maybe-all-there-is-is-just/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/maybe-all-there-is-is-just-the-next-thing-maybe-all-there-is-is-just/#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 } } ] } ```