--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What makes life worth living? No child…" description: "\"“What makes life worth living? No child asks itself that question. To children life is self-evident. Life goes without saying: whether it is good or ba..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_children_what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-as_1690278.jpg" --- # What makes life worth living? No child asks itself that… ![“What makes life worth living? No child asks itself that question. To children life is self-evident. Life goes without saying: whether it is good or bad makes no difference. This is because children don’t see the world, don’t observe the world, don’t contemplate the world, but are so deeply…” quote by Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_children_what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-as_1690278.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_children_what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-as_1690278.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_children_what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-as_1690278.jpg) > ““What makes life worth living? No child asks itself that question. To children life is self-evident. Life goes without saying: whether it is good or bad makes no difference. This is because children don’t see the world, don’t observe the world, don’t contemplate the world, but are so deeply immersed in the world that they don’t distinguish between it and their own selves. Not until that happens, until a distance appears between what they are and what the world is, does the question arise: what makes life worth living?”” [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Children accept life without questioning because they are fully immersed, whereas adults, seeing a separation, begin to wonder about life's value. **In simple terms:** Children see life as obvious; adults question it. Key Takeaway Recognize the loss of immersion and seek wonder. Themes existence innocence philosophy Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - parenting - education - mental health - creative writing Key Concepts subjectivity meaning consciousness Questions to Reflect On - How can we regain child‑like immersion? - What does distance from the world create? A Different Perspective Adults may over‑intellectualize, losing simple joy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life worth living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-worth-living/) [Worth living](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worth-living/) ## Related quotes > [Is life worth living? This is a question for an embryo not for a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-butler/is-life-worth-living-this-is-a-question-for-an-embryo-not-for-a-man/) [Samuel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-butler/) > [...because a life without meaning, without drive or focus, without dreams or goals, isn't a life worth living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-colfer/because-a-life-without-meaning-without-drive-or-focus-without-dreams/) [Chris Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-colfer/) > [The great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it." "This life is worth living, we can say, since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-great-use-of-life-is-to-spend-it-for-something-that-will-outlast/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Make your life worth living!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/varsha-dixit/make-your-life-worth-living/) [Varsha Dixit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/varsha-dixit/) > [“It's the process of making-do, of the life I've lived between breakdowns and break-ups, that has made life worth living. I could not bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-santiago-baca/it-s-the-process-of-making-do-of-the-life-i-ve-lived-between/) [Jimmy Santiago Baca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-santiago-baca/) > [“Is life worth living? Like everybody else, I have many times asked that question, usually deciding negatively, because I am most likely to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/is-life-worth-living-like-everybody-else-i-have-many-times-asked-that/) [Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/) > [Everyone can access the parts of themselves that are great. I'm just a girl from New York City who decided to do this, after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/everyone-can-access-the-parts-of-themselves-that-are-great-i-m-just-a/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [“If Bobby can get a place to live, I think, then I can get a life worth living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ned-vizzini/if-bobby-can-get-a-place-to-live-i-think-then-i-can-get-a-life-worth/) [Ned Vizzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ned-vizzini/) > [The unexamined life is not worth living for a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-unexamined-life-is-not-worth-living-for-a-human-being/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [Between the marketplace and government there exists all of that which makes life worth living-family life, spiritual life, the art and culture that make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/between-the-marketplace-and-government-there-exists-all-of-that-which/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“I don’t want safety or guarantees— I want a life worth living. I want to jump off a skyscraper And fashion a parachute on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-wetch/i-don-t-want-safety-or-guarantees-i-want-a-life-worth-living-i-want/) [Justin Wetch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-wetch/) > [What makes life worth living? Better surely, to yield to the stain of suicide blood in me and seek forgetfulness in the embrace of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zane-grey/what-makes-life-worth-living-better-surely-to-yield-to-the-stain-of/) [Zane Grey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zane-grey/) > [A life worth living might be measured in many ways, but the one way that stands above all others is living a life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-life-worth-living-might-be-measured-in-many-ways-but-the-one-way/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Make your life worth living for, by living for the One who values it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anya-vonderluft/make-your-life-worth-living-for-by-living-for-the-one-who-values-it/) [Anya vonderLuft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anya-vonderluft/) > [It's faith in something and enthusiasm for something that makes a life worth living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-faith-in-something-and-enthusiasm-for-something-that-makes-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Karl Ove Knausgård > [When I wrote my fictional novels, they always had a starting point of something real. Those images that are not real are exactly the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-wrote-my-fictional-novels-they-always-had-a-starting-point-of/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“When I look at a beautiful painting I have tears in my eyes, but not when I look at my children. That does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/when-i-look-at-a-beautiful-painting-i-have-tears-in-my-eyes-but-not/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“I was a wannabe who was actually unable to write because I had nothing to say, who wasn’t honest enough with himself to draw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-was-a-wannabe-who-was-actually-unable-to-write-because-i-had/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [I think there are a lot of similarities between writing and music. Music is much more direct and much more emotional and that's the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-think-there-are-a-lot-of-similarities-between-writing-and-music/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“Go somewhere you know nothing about and see what happens.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/go-somewhere-you-know-nothing-about-and-see-what-happens/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [A problem with my novels is that they, from the start, have been infantile and incredibly childish. There are childishness, stupidity, lack of wisdom,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/a-problem-with-my-novels-is-that-they-from-the-start-have-been/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [In modern novels I try to not let myself get away and to be here, and that's why I write about my life and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/in-modern-novels-i-try-to-not-let-myself-get-away-and-to-be-here-and/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“Writing isn't black magic. You just have to come up with an idea...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/writing-isn-t-black-magic-you-just-have-to-come-up-with-an-idea/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“It was a fantastic feeling, but it left me restless because the most important thing in it was the longing, for what was going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/it-was-a-fantastic-feeling-but-it-left-me-restless-because-the-most/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“the past is now barely present in my thoughts. I believe the main reason for that is our children, since life with them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/the-past-is-now-barely-present-in-my-thoughts-i-believe-the-main/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“I loved it, I loved the feeling, it was my favorite feeling, but it never led to anything good, and the day after or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/i-loved-it-i-loved-the-feeling-it-was-my-favorite-feeling-but-it/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“Actually there were only two forms of existence, I reflected: one that was tied to a place and one that wasn't. Both had always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/actually-there-were-only-two-forms-of-existence-i-reflected-one-that/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [“And art has come to be a spectator of itself, the way it reacts, what newspapers write about it; the artist is a performer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/and-art-has-come-to-be-a-spectator-of-itself-the-way-it-reacts-what/) [Karl Ove Knausgård](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > ['My Struggle' came from a place of questioning and feelings of inauthenticity and frustration, and almost all of that is gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/my-struggle-came-from-a-place-of-questioning-and-feelings-of/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) > [In 'Min Kamp,' I wanted to see how far it was possible to take realism before it would be impossible to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/in-min-kamp-i-wanted-to-see-how-far-it-was-possible-to-take-realism/) [Karl Ove Knausgard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) [Explore all 118 Karl Ove Knausgård quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/) ## More Children quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What makes life worth living? No child asks itself that question. To children life is self-evident. Life goes without saying: whether it is good or bad makes no difference. This is because children don’t see the world, don’t observe the world, don’t contemplate the world, but are so deeply immersed in the world that they don’t distinguish between it and their own selves. Not until that happens, until a distance appears between what they are and what the world is, does the question arise: what makes life worth living?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Karl Ove Knausgård" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-asks-itself-that-question-to/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Children" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-asks-itself-that-question-to/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_children_what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-as_1690278.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_children_what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-as_1690278.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f61/karl-ove-knausgard-3539_children_what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-as_1690278.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What makes life worth living? No child asks itself that question. To children life is self-evident. Life…” — Karl Ove Knausgård", "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": "Karl Ove Knausgård", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-ove-knausgard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What makes life worth living? No...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-asks-itself-that-question-to/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-ove-knausgard/what-makes-life-worth-living-no-child-asks-itself-that-question-to/#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 } } ] } ```