--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Any life lived attentively is…" description: "\"Any life lived attentively is disillusioning as it forces us to know us as we are.\" — Kathleen Norris" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/kathleen-norris-7283_force_any-life-lived-attentively-is-disillusio_1970924.png" --- # Any life lived attentively is disillusioning as it forces… ![“Any life lived attentively is disillusioning as it forces us to know us as we are.” quote by Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/kathleen-norris-7283_force_any-life-lived-attentively-is-disillusio_1970924.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/kathleen-norris-7283_force_any-life-lived-attentively-is-disillusio_1970924.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ae/kathleen-norris-7283_force_any-life-lived-attentively-is-disillusio_1970924.png) > “Any life lived attentively is disillusioning as it forces us to know us as we are.” [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Living attentively reveals uncomfortable truths about ourselves, leading to disillusionment but also deeper self‑knowledge. **In simple terms:** Attentive living shows us our true selves. Key Takeaway Embrace truth, even if it unsettles you. Themes self‑awareness truth disillusionment Mood reflective introspective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal reflection - therapy - mindfulness practice Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What truths about yourself have you avoided? - How can you use disillusionment for growth? A Different Perspective May cause emotional discomfort when confronting hidden flaws. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“Anyone who takes the time to attentively listen is either an old soul or a romantic one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/anyone-who-takes-the-time-to-attentively-listen-is-either-an-old-soul/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“If you listen attentively to what you say, you'll amaze yourself with your insights, and you might even learn a thing or two.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-marques/if-you-listen-attentively-to-what-you-say-you-ll-amaze-yourself-with/) [Joan Marques](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-marques/) > [“So when you are listening to somebody, completely, attentively, then you are listening not only to the words, but also to the feeling of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darryl-marks/so-when-you-are-listening-to-somebody-completely-attentively-then-you/) [Darryl Marks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darryl-marks/) > [To observe attentively is to remember distinctly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-allan-poe/to-observe-attentively-is-to-remember-distinctly/) [Edgar Allan Poe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-allan-poe/) > [“to listen attentively to every word when someone is speaking of something which interests you not at all is the triumph of will over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-s-purnell/to-listen-attentively-to-every-word-when-someone-is-speaking-of/) E.S. Purnell > [“Everything about her seems to be saying, Listen, if you don’t look attentively, if you don’t go beyond my simplicity to detect the simmering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rawi-hage/everything-about-her-seems-to-be-saying-listen-if-you-don-t-look/) [Rawi Hage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rawi-hage/) > [It's all right to be disillusioned, but you can't be disillusioning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-ford/it-s-all-right-to-be-disillusioned-but-you-can-t-be-disillusioning/) [Leslie Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-ford/) > [You talk to people and they seem really nice and then you read what they write and it's very disillusioning. You have to deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mariah-carey/you-talk-to-people-and-they-seem-really-nice-and-then-you-read-what/) [Mariah Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mariah-carey/) > [“I like to think I'm above that kind of shitty behavior, so you can imagine how disillusioning it's been for me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-niven/i-like-to-think-i-m-above-that-kind-of-shitty-behavior-so-you-can/) [Jennifer Niven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-niven/) > [Affairs are just as disillusioning as marriage, and much less restful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/affairs-are-just-as-disillusioning-as-marriage-and-much-less-restful/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [My time in the Obama administration turned out to be a deeply disillusioning experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vali-nasr/my-time-in-the-obama-administration-turned-out-to-be-a-deeply/) [Vali Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vali-nasr/) > [I mean, it's pretty disillusioning for all of us right now, and we feel pretty helpless when Congress, their approval rating is thirteen percent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-cross/i-mean-it-s-pretty-disillusioning-for-all-of-us-right-now-and-we-feel/) [Christopher Cross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-cross/) > [To live in the past or in the future may be less satisfying than to live in the present, but it can never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/to-live-in-the-past-or-in-the-future-may-be-less-satisfying-than-to/) [R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/) > [Sentiment is the mightiest force in civilization; not sentimentality, but sentiment. Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/the-truth-seems-to-be-that-propaganda-on-its-own-cannot-force-its-way/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) ## More by Kathleen Norris > [One may have been a fool, but there's no foolishness like being bitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/one-may-have-been-a-fool-but-there-s-no-foolishness-like-being-bitter/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [The ordinary activities I find most compatible with contemplation are walking, baking bread, and doing laundry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/the-ordinary-activities-i-find-most-compatible-with-contemplation-are/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [“At its Greek root, "to believe" simply means "to give one's heart to." Thus, if we can determine what it is we give our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/at-its-greek-root-to-believe-simply-means-to-give-one-s-heart-to-thus/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [In any free society, the conflict between social conformity and individual liberty is permanent, unresolvable, and necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-norris/in-any-free-society-the-conflict-between-social-conformity-and/) [Kathleen Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-norris/) > [Before you begin a thing, remind yourself that difficulties and delays quite impossible to foresee are ahead. 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Women will bring this into politics. Home, sweet home, is as powerful on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-ellen-foster/sentiment-is-the-mightiest-force-in-civilization-not-sentimentality/) [Judith Ellen Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-ellen-foster/) > [If my campaign is not in the debate, we will not be talking about how we really fix this problem of endless and expanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-stein/if-my-campaign-is-not-in-the-debate-we-will-not-be-talking-about-how/) [Jill Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-stein/) > [History has often showed us the strength of the forces that are unleashed by the yearning for freedom. 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They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [The one means that wins the easiest victory over reason is terror and force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-one-means-that-wins-the-easiest-victory-over-reason-is-terror-and/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [ Neither Italian fascism nor German national "socialism" have anything in common with such a \[Soviet socialistic\] society, primarily because private ownership of factories, plants,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-stalin/neither-italian-fascism-nor-german-national-socialism-have-anything/) [Joseph Stalin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-stalin/) > [Dictatorship is rule based directly upon force and unrestricted by any laws. The revolutionary dictatorship of the proletariat is rule won and maintained by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/dictatorship-is-rule-based-directly-upon-force-and-unrestricted-by/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [The great force for forging a society into a solid mass has always been war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-graham-sumner/the-great-force-for-forging-a-society-into-a-solid-mass-has-always/) [William Graham Sumner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-graham-sumner/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. 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