--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is all arrivals and departures." description: "\"“Life is all arrivals and departures.”\" — Karen Joy Fowler" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/karen-joy-fowler-3727_arrivals_life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures-1257_1257806.png" --- # Life is all arrivals and departures. ![“Life is all arrivals and departures.” quote by Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/karen-joy-fowler-3727_arrivals_life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures-1257_1257806.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/karen-joy-fowler-3727_arrivals_life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures-1257_1257806.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/karen-joy-fowler-3727_arrivals_life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures-1257_1257806.png) > ““Life is all arrivals and departures.”” [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life consists of continual beginnings and endings, emphasizing its transient nature. **In simple terms:** Life is constantly changing. Key Takeaway Embrace each arrival and departure. Themes change impermanence journey acceptance Mood thoughtful philosophical Type quotational inspirational When to use this quote - starting a project - saying goodbye - travel - career shifts Key Concepts temporal cycles philosophical reflection Questions to Reflect On - What arrivals have shaped you? - How do you cope with departures? A Different Perspective Focusing only on arrivals can ignore the value of staying. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Departures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/departures/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [As an actor, you realize that your whole life is about arrivals and departures. You're always meeting people, you get really close, and then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-levy/as-an-actor-you-realize-that-your-whole-life-is-about-arrivals-and/) [Jane Levy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-levy/) > [Islands are reminders of arrivals and departures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretel-ehrlich/islands-are-reminders-of-arrivals-and-departures/) [Gretel Ehrlich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gretel-ehrlich/) > [“An airport cannot choose to only accept arrivals and not departures; there are valid times for travel in both directions. I cannot force people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shasta-nelson/an-airport-cannot-choose-to-only-accept-arrivals-and-not-departures/) [Shasta Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shasta-nelson/) > [Departures and arrivals tend to emphasize people's personalities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilli-palmer/departures-and-arrivals-tend-to-emphasize-people-s-personalities/) [Lilli Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilli-palmer/) > [“My emotions were arrivals and departures, nonstop insignificances speeding through a station.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-aaron-goodman/my-emotions-were-arrivals-and-departures-nonstop-insignificances/) [Matthew Aaron Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-aaron-goodman/) > [“Departures should be sudden.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/departures-should-be-sudden/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think we go when it's time to go, that the departures are scheduled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/france-gall/i-think-we-go-when-it-s-time-to-go-that-the-departures-are-scheduled/) France Gall > [“For the last year and a half this room had been my 'pensive citadel:' here I had read and studied through all the hours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-de-quincey/for-the-last-year-and-a-half-this-room-had-been-my-pensive-citadel/) [Thomas de Quincey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-de-quincey/) > [In the history of the Premier League some of the most notable managerial departures have been English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james/in-the-history-of-the-premier-league-some-of-the-most-notable/) [David James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james/) > [I long for the time of no more departures. It has something to do with age, probably.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heinrich-b-ll/i-long-for-the-time-of-no-more-departures-it-has-something-to-do-with/) [Heinrich Boll](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heinrich-b-ll/) > [“Looking back I can see that there have been no breaks from one departure to the next; I start planning again before we've even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-hodgson/looking-back-i-can-see-that-there-have-been-no-breaks-from-one/) [Barbara Hodgson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-hodgson/) > [“DEPARTURE The horizon slopes away The days are longer Trip A heart hops in a cage A bird sings It is going to die…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierre-reverdy/departure-the-horizon-slopes-away-the-days-are-longer-trip-a-heart/) [Pierre Reverdy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierre-reverdy/) > [“Sir, I’m afraid that the quality of this airline is partly measured by on-time departures. And unfortunately, on-time departures are measured by when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-buckingham/sir-i-m-afraid-that-the-quality-of-this-airline-is-partly-measured-by/) [Marcus Buckingham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-buckingham/) > [“I left this morning saying ‘I love you’ as if setting out for some unknown country instead of the corner shop. I wanted you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bland/i-left-this-morning-saying-i-love-you-as-if-setting-out-for-some/) Peter Bland > [“In your life you will meet shooting stars. You will see them, make your wish and see them disappear.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nahiar-ozar/in-your-life-you-will-meet-shooting-stars-you-will-see-them-make-your/) Nahiar Ozar ## More by Karen Joy Fowler > [In general, librarians enjoyed special requests. A reference librarian is someone who likes the chase. When librarians read for pleasure, they often pick a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/in-general-librarians-enjoyed-special-requests-a-reference-librarian/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [The sunset you see is always better than the one you don’t. More stars are always better than less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-sunset-you-see-is-always-better-than-the-one-you-don-t-more-stars/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“Je zou maar slecht over hem gaan denken en dat wil ik niet, want dat is mijn taak”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/je-zou-maar-slecht-over-hem-gaan-denken-en-dat-wil-ik-niet-want-dat/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [I'm unclear on the definition of person the courts have been using. Something that sieves out dolphins but lets corporations slide on through.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/i-m-unclear-on-the-definition-of-person-the-courts-have-been-using/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“The secret to a good life,” he told me once, “is to bring your A game to everything you do. Even if all you’re…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-secret-to-a-good-life-he-told-me-once-is-to-bring-your-a-game-to/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“So many problems, however infinitely varied they first appear, turn out to be matters of money. I can't tell you how much this offends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/so-many-problems-however-infinitely-varied-they-first-appear-turn-out/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“The world runs,” Lowell said, “on the fuel of this endless, fathomless misery. People know it, but they don’t mind what they don’t see.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-world-runs-lowell-said-on-the-fuel-of-this-endless-fathomless/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“I didn't want a world in which I had to choose between blind human babies and tortured monkey ones. To be frank, that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/i-didn-t-want-a-world-in-which-i-had-to-choose-between-blind-human/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“They never reminisced about the time they had to drive halfway back to Indianapolis because I’d left Dexter Poindexter, my terry-cloth penguin (threadbare, ravaged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/they-never-reminisced-about-the-time-they-had-to-drive-halfway-back/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [I once broke up with a boy because he wrote me an awful poem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/i-once-broke-up-with-a-boy-because-he-wrote-me-an-awful-poem/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“Here is my objection to submarines and space travel: not enough windows. What difference does it make if you're in outer space or underwater,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/here-is-my-objection-to-submarines-and-space-travel-not-enough/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [. . . strange and fantastic things really happen. During a rainstorm in Australia, fish fall from the sky; several Southern states consider legislation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/strange-and-fantastic-things-really-happen-during-a-rainstorm-in/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [Every mother can easily imagine losing a child. Motherhood is always half loss anyway. The three-year-old is lost at five, the five-year-old at nine.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/every-mother-can-easily-imagine-losing-a-child-motherhood-is-always/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“...the world runs on the fuel of an endless, fathomless animal misery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/the-world-runs-on-the-fuel-of-an-endless-fathomless-animal-misery/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) > [“He envied the bark, which had been, in the course of one lifetime, both forest and fire. One endured; one destroyed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/he-envied-the-bark-which-had-been-in-the-course-of-one-lifetime-both/) [Karen Joy Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) [Explore all 122 Karen Joy Fowler quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/) ## More Arrivals quotes > [You are quite, quite wrong if you think that ... I find your happiness painful. What matters is that happiness - the golden day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/you-are-quite-quite-wrong-if-you-think-that-i-find-your-happiness/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) > [Arrival = Prison, and the artist must never be a prisoner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-matisse/arrival-prison-and-the-artist-must-never-be-a-prisoner/) [Henri Matisse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-matisse/) > [I see ... a pile of skulls and bones. For the first time since my arrival, what I see before me is too painful,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dith-pran/i-see-a-pile-of-skulls-and-bones-for-the-first-time-since-my-arrival/) [Dith Pran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dith-pran/) > [The future turns out to be something that you make instead of find. It isn't waiting for your arrival, either with an arrest warrant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-h-lapham/the-future-turns-out-to-be-something-that-you-make-instead-of-find-it/) [Lewis H. Lapham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-h-lapham/) > [The beauty of inspiration for me is that you can't predict when it's coming. I like that it just pops up out of nowhere.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scout-niblett/the-beauty-of-inspiration-for-me-is-that-you-can-t-predict-when-it-s/) [Scout Niblett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scout-niblett/) > [“When you are waiting for a train, don't keep perpetually looking to see if it is coming. The time of its arrival is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-are-waiting-for-a-train-don-t-keep-perpetually-looking-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Upon my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/upon-my-arrival-in-the-united-states-the-religious-aspect-of-the/) [Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/) > [Unconscious of your story, you are in its grasp; but with consciousness, an alchemical process begins: The solidity of the complex dissolves and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/connie-zweig/unconscious-of-your-story-you-are-in-its-grasp-but-with-consciousness/) [Connie Zweig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/connie-zweig/) > [Life is a continual process of arrival into who we are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-popova/life-is-a-continual-process-of-arrival-into-who-we-are/) [Maria Popova](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-popova/) > [Prison is a severe and terrible punishment; but for me, thanks to Arthur Balfour, this was not so. I was much cheered on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/prison-is-a-severe-and-terrible-punishment-but-for-me-thanks-to/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Death in Somalia seldom bothers to announce its arrival. In fact, death calls with the arrogance of a guest confident on receiving a warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nuruddin-farah/death-in-somalia-seldom-bothers-to-announce-its-arrival-in-fact-death/) [Nuruddin Farah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nuruddin-farah/) > [The arrival of Ade Akinbiyi gave everyone a lift. He's a natural born goalscorer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-francis/the-arrival-of-ade-akinbiyi-gave-everyone-a-lift-he-s-a-natural-born/) Trevor Francis > [many writers believe in arrival without leaving home. They believe in talent but not skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judy-delton/many-writers-believe-in-arrival-without-leaving-home-they-believe-in/) [Judy Delton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judy-delton/) > [We become, after the arrival of the printing press in general, more attentive more attuned to contemplative ways of thinking.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-g-carr/we-become-after-the-arrival-of-the-printing-press-in-general-more/) [Nicholas G. Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-g-carr/) > [Our tomorrows must be met at the time of their arrival... with the HOPE they are as BEAUTIFUL as today!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-peterson/our-tomorrows-must-be-met-at-the-time-of-their-arrival-with-the-hope/) Joe Peterson Browse all 173 Arrivals quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Life is all arrivals and departures.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karen Joy Fowler" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Arrivals" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/karen-joy-fowler-3727_arrivals_life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures-1257_1257806.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/karen-joy-fowler-3727_arrivals_life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures-1257_1257806.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b43/karen-joy-fowler-3727_arrivals_life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures-1257_1257806.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life is all arrivals and departures.” — Karen Joy Fowler", "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": "Karen Joy Fowler", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-joy-fowler/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Life is all arrivals and departures.”", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-joy-fowler/life-is-all-arrivals-and-departures/#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 } } ] } ```