--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing about life is that you must…" description: "\"The thing about life is that you must survive. Life is going to be difficult, and dreadful things will happen. What you do is move along, get on with i..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/katharine-hepburn-2026_beautiful-life_the-thing-about-life-is-that-you-must-su_2379692.jpg" --- # The thing about life is that you must survive. Life is… ![“The thing about life is that you must survive. Life is going to be difficult, and dreadful things will happen. What you do is move along, get on with it, and be tough. Not in the sense of being mean to others, but being tough with yourself and making a deadly effort not to be defeated.” quote by Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/katharine-hepburn-2026_beautiful-life_the-thing-about-life-is-that-you-must-su_2379692.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/katharine-hepburn-2026_beautiful-life_the-thing-about-life-is-that-you-must-su_2379692.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7bb/katharine-hepburn-2026_beautiful-life_the-thing-about-life-is-that-you-must-su_2379692.jpg) > “The thing about life is that you must survive. Life is going to be difficult, and dreadful things will happen. What you do is move along, get on with it, and be tough. Not in the sense of being mean to others, but being tough with yourself and making a deadly effort not to be defeated.” [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) ## 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 inevitably hard; one must be resilient, not cruel, and persistently strive not to be defeated. **In simple terms:** Life is tough; stay strong and keep trying. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner toughness and perseverance. Themes resilience self-discipline hardship determination Mood determined inspirational Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - career challenges - personal setbacks - health struggles - daily stress Key Concepts psychology philosophy motivation Questions to Reflect On - What strategies help you stay tough without being harsh? - How do you balance self-discipline with self-compassion? A Different Perspective Being overly tough can lead to burnout. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beautiful life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-life/) [Effort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/effort/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Overcoming adversity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/overcoming-adversity/) ## Related quotes > [Its not about how you excels in your life but its about how you can survive in your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivek-karanithi/its-not-about-how-you-excels-in-your-life-but-its-about-how-you-can/) Vivek Karanithi > [Be a man. Discover where you are now, and go on from there, making the best of things. accept your life, and you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-hobb/be-a-man-discover-where-you-are-now-and-go-on-from-there-making-the/) [Robin Hobb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-hobb/) > [My goal in life is to survive. 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Because they chose for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-merle/there-were-two-choices-in-life-survive-or-succumb-and-most-people/) [Claire Merle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-merle/) > [Life is an error-making and an error-correcting process, and nature in marking man's papers will grade him for wisdom as measured both by survival…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-salk/life-is-an-error-making-and-an-error-correcting-process-and-nature-in/) [Jonas Salk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-salk/) > [How many mistakes can one life survive?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-harrison/how-many-mistakes-can-one-life-survive/) [Kim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-harrison/) ## More by Katharine Hepburn > [I'm what is known as gradually disintegrating. I don't fear the next world, or anything. I don't fear hell, and I don't look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/i-m-what-is-known-as-gradually-disintegrating-i-don-t-fear-the-next/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [You give because you love and cannot help giving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/you-give-because-you-love-and-cannot-help-giving/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [It's a bore - B-O-R-E - when you find you've begun to rot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/it-s-a-bore-b-o-r-e-when-you-find-you-ve-begun-to-rot/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [Why slap them on the wrist with feather when you can belt them over the head with a sledgehammer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/why-slap-them-on-the-wrist-with-feather-when-you-can-belt-them-over/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [Our Constitution was not intended to be used by ... any group to foist its personal religious beliefs on the rest of us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/our-constitution-was-not-intended-to-be-used-by-any-group-to-foist/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [The only time I am ever miserable is when I do something just for the money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/the-only-time-i-am-ever-miserable-is-when-i-do-something-just-for-the/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [When I started out, I didn't have any desire to be an actress or to learn how to act. 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I cant spit in your eye.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/life-is-full-of-censorship-i-cant-spit-in-your-eye/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [I could peel you like a pear and god himself would see the justice in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/i-could-peel-you-like-a-pear-and-god-himself-would-see-the-justice-in/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [It is the plain women who know about love; the beautiful women are too busy being fascinating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/it-is-the-plain-women-who-know-about-love-the-beautiful-women-are-too/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [Acting is a nice childish profession - pretending you're someone else and, at the same time, selling yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/acting-is-a-nice-childish-profession-pretending-you-re-someone-else/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [Who is Katharine Hepburn? It took me a long time to create that creature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/who-is-katharine-hepburn-it-took-me-a-long-time-to-create-that/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) > [“The country is like a great sponge—it finally absorbs you. Eventually you will get malaria or you will get dysentery and whatever you do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katharine-hepburn/the-country-is-like-a-great-sponge-it-finally-absorbs-you-eventually/) [Katharine Hepburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) [Explore all 190 Katharine Hepburn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katharine-hepburn/) ## More Beautiful life quotes > [“She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful & life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/she-said-she-usually-cried-at-least-once-each-day-not-because-she-was/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [Dear God, thanks for this beautiful life and please forgive me if I don't love it enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/dear-god-thanks-for-this-beautiful-life-and-please-forgive-me-if-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“My way of life is to dare to imagine the truest, most beautiful life, family and world - and to then conjure up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glennon-doyle/my-way-of-life-is-to-dare-to-imagine-the-truest-most-beautiful-life/) [Glennon Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glennon-doyle/) > [“If you are impeccable with your word, if you don’t take anything personally, if you don’t make assumptions, if you always do your best,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-ruiz/if-you-are-impeccable-with-your-word-if-you-don-t-take-anything/) [Miguel Ruiz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-ruiz/) > [I think I am in my last days, but it doesn't really matter because I have had such a beautiful life. 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Embrace this beautiful life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-has-no-boundaries-or-rules-speak-your-mind-say-what-you-feel/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There is Fire all around you that burns Big and Bright.But The Fire inside you burns Strong and Light.Keep It Lit..Always.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/destinydreams/there-is-fire-all-around-you-that-burns-big-and-bright-but-the-fire/) [DestinyDreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/destinydreams/) > [If someone would ask me what a beautiful life means, I would lean my head on your shoulder, hold you close to me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-someone-would-ask-me-what-a-beautiful-life-means-i-would-lean-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The poetry of the new year is problematically punctual. An impeccable guest who arrives on time when you are running frantically behind schedule. Catching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pavithra-k-mehta/the-poetry-of-the-new-year-is-problematically-punctual-an-impeccable/) Pavithra K. Mehta > [“Life becomes more beautiful when you live as if politics and religion don't exist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raigon-stanley/life-becomes-more-beautiful-when-you-live-as-if-politics-and-religion/) [Raigon Stanley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raigon-stanley/) > [“When you begin to claim someone as your man or woman, that's normally when you start to lose your ability to overwhelm them with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/when-you-begin-to-claim-someone-as-your-man-or-woman-that-s-normally/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) > [I somehow always have this idea that as soon as I can get through this work that's piled up ahead of me, I'll really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-wilder-lane/i-somehow-always-have-this-idea-that-as-soon-as-i-can-get-through/) [Rose Wilder Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-wilder-lane/) > [I have had a very comfortable and beautiful life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhumi-pednekar/i-have-had-a-very-comfortable-and-beautiful-life/) [Bhumi Pednekar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhumi-pednekar/) [Browse all 378 Beautiful life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beautiful-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The thing about life is that you must survive. 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