--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our lives drifts along with normal things…" description: "\"“Our lives drifts along with normal things happening. Some ups, some downs, but nothing to go down in history about. Nothing so fantastic or terrible t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a48/kurt-vonnegut-41_big-deal_our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-thing_593979.jpg" --- # Our lives drifts along with normal things happening. Some… ![“Our lives drifts along with normal things happening. Some ups, some downs, but nothing to go down in history about. Nothing so fantastic or terrible that it'll be told for a thousand years. “But because we grew up surrounded by big dramatic story arcs in books and movies, we think our lives are…” quote by Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a48/kurt-vonnegut-41_big-deal_our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-thing_593979.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a48/kurt-vonnegut-41_big-deal_our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-thing_593979.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a48/kurt-vonnegut-41_big-deal_our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-thing_593979.jpg) > ““Our lives drifts along with normal things happening. Some ups, some downs, but nothing to go down in history about. Nothing so fantastic or terrible that it'll be told for a thousand years. “But because we grew up surrounded by big dramatic story arcs in books and movies, we think our lives are supposed to be filled with huge ups and downs! So people pretend there is drama where there is none.” That's why people invent fights. That's why we're drawn to sports. That's why we act like everything that happens to us is such a big deal. We're trying to make our life into a fairy tale.”” [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We overestimate drama in everyday life because media teach us to expect epic narratives, leading to exaggerated reactions and invented conflicts. **In simple terms:** Life is less dramatic than stories make it seem. Key Takeaway Recognize and accept ordinary moments. Themes expectations media influence reality perception Mood reflective critical observational Type philosophical commentary When to use this quote - personal reflection - social media consumption - conflict resolution - sports fandom Key Concepts Narrative bias psychology of drama Questions to Reflect On - How does media shape your view of daily events? - Can you find value in mundane moments? A Different Perspective Not all experiences need to be monumental; some may feel insignificant. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama/) [Drama People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drama-people/) [Dramatic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dramatic/) [Fairy tale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fairy-tale/) [Thousand years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thousand-years/) [Ups and downs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ups-and-downs/) ## Related quotes > [Because we grew up surrounded by big dramatic story arcs in books and movies, we think our lives are supposed to be filled with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/because-we-grew-up-surrounded-by-big-dramatic-story-arcs-in-books-and/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Although pretend play is important, it is still the means to an end, not the end itself. Do not make the mistake of thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-greenspan/although-pretend-play-is-important-it-is-still-the-means-to-an-end/) [Stanley Greenspan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-greenspan/) > [People are all over the world telling their one dramatic story and how their life has turned into getting over this one event. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/people-are-all-over-the-world-telling-their-one-dramatic-story-and/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Since 'Mononoke' has such a dramatic story, I played up the drama, emphasizing the power of a magnum opus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-hisaishi/since-mononoke-has-such-a-dramatic-story-i-played-up-the-drama/) [Joe Hisaishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-hisaishi/) > [I can't see any reason why a dramatic story can't be in 3-D. I think 'Lawrence of Arabia' would have been fabulous in 3-D.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-zemeckis/i-can-t-see-any-reason-why-a-dramatic-story-can-t-be-in-3-d-i-think/) [Robert Zemeckis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-zemeckis/) > [“Because we grew up surrounded by big dramatic story arcs in books and movies, we think our lives are supposed to be filled with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-sivers/because-we-grew-up-surrounded-by-big-dramatic-story-arcs-in-books-and-2/) [Derek Sivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-sivers/) > [It's actually a rather romantic and dramatic story --- one I would eagerly tell you, except for the fact that I recently forgot it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/it-s-actually-a-rather-romantic-and-dramatic-story-one-i-would/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) > [I understood when I was quite small that there were two special things about the Jews. That we'd endured for over 3,000 years despite…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/i-understood-when-i-was-quite-small-that-there-were-two-special/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [There comes a time in your life, when you walk away from drama and people who create it. Falling down is a part of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ewshycrazyness/there-comes-a-time-in-your-life-when-you-walk-away-from-drama-and/) [EwshyCrazyness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ewshycrazyness/) > [You have to let go of the drama and the people who create it, surround yourself with people who make you laugh. Life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/you-have-to-let-go-of-the-drama-and-the-people-who-create-it-surround/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [There comes a time when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it, and surround yourself with people who make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-comes-a-time-when-you-walk-away-from-all-the-drama-and-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Knowing about comedy has helped me with the drama. To see people laugh, it's like there are moments of catharsis in the middle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-coogan/knowing-about-comedy-has-helped-me-with-the-drama-to-see-people-laugh/) [Steve Coogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-coogan/) > [There comes a time in life, when you walk away from all the drama and people who create it. You surround yourself with people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/there-comes-a-time-in-life-when-you-walk-away-from-all-the-drama-and-2/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [There comes a time in your life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-comes-a-time-in-your-life-when-you-have-to-let-go-of-all-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There comes a time in life when you have to let go of all the pointless drama and the people who create it, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-comes-a-time-in-life-when-you-have-to-let-go-of-all-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Kurt Vonnegut > [“You must bloom as a writer and I must bloom as a painter. Everything else about us is uninteresting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-must-bloom-as-a-writer-and-i-must-bloom-as-a-painter-everything/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“People aren't supposed to look back.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/people-aren-t-supposed-to-look-back/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Have a good nap, did you?” said the porter. “Yes,” said Billy. “Man,” said the porter, “you sure had a hard-on.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/have-a-good-nap-did-you-said-the-porter-yes-said-billy-man-said-the/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ “Thomas Jefferson High School \[..\] His high school was named after a slave owner who was also one of the world’s greatest theoreticians on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/thomas-jefferson-high-school-his-high-school-was-named-after-a-slave/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“I had a certain amount of skill as a dramatist, and Dr. Goebbels wanted me to use it”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-had-a-certain-amount-of-skill-as-a-dramatist-and-dr-goebbels-wanted/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [I was some of the mud that got to sit up and look around. Lucky me, lucky mud.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-was-some-of-the-mud-that-got-to-sit-up-and-look-around-lucky-me/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“The town was Newport, Rhode Island, U.S.A., Earth, Solar System, Milky Way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/the-town-was-newport-rhode-island-u-s-a-earth-solar-system-milky-way/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Her face was one of a kind, a surprising variation that made observers think, Yes--that would be another very nice way for people to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/her-face-was-one-of-a-kind-a-surprising-variation-that-made-observers/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“You finally fell in love, I see,” said Salo. “Only an Earthling year ago,” said Constant. “It took us that long to realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/you-finally-fell-in-love-i-see-said-salo-only-an-earthling-year-ago/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“Like all Earthlings at the point of death, Mary Young sent faint reminders of herself to those who had known her. She released a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/like-all-earthlings-at-the-point-of-death-mary-young-sent-faint/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“And contrast Mary Kathleen, if you will, with my wife Ruth, the Ophelia of the death camps, who believed that even the most intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-contrast-mary-kathleen-if-you-will-with-my-wife-ruth-the-ophelia/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [Someday, someday, this crazy world will have to end, And our God will take things back that He to us did lend. And if,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/someday-someday-this-crazy-world-will-have-to-end-and-our-god-will/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“They were going back to the slaughterhouse for souvenirs of the war.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/they-were-going-back-to-the-slaughterhouse-for-souvenirs-of-the-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [“There are plenty of good reasons for fighting," I said, "but no good reason ever to hate without reservation, to imagine that God Almighty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/there-are-plenty-of-good-reasons-for-fighting-i-said-but-no-good/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Explore all 2,089 Kurt Vonnegut quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) ## More Big deal quotes > [Okay, so I'll admit I'm curious. Big deal. We both know what that leads to. Dead cat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-elizabeth-phillips/okay-so-i-ll-admit-i-m-curious-big-deal-we-both-know-what-that-leads/) [Susan Elizabeth Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-elizabeth-phillips/) > [“But in the parent department, he had won the lottery. So, he'd always known that when he finally told them, they'd make him feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-corey-whaley/but-in-the-parent-department-he-had-won-the-lottery-so-he-d-always/) [John Corey Whaley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-corey-whaley/) > [“Perspective is everything. If your “why” is big enough, you can deal with almost any “what.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-searcy/perspective-is-everything-if-your-why-is-big-enough-you-can-deal-with/) [Nelson Searcy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-searcy/) > [Making sure that people have access to preventive medicine for the first time ever as a nation? That's a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-schneider/making-sure-that-people-have-access-to-preventive-medicine-for-the/) [Brad Schneider](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-schneider/) > [“You weren't out there that long, were you? I can't bear to think that no one found you right away." Noah shook his head.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/you-weren-t-out-there-that-long-were-you-i-can-t-bear-to-think-that/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Everyone's just laughing at me. I hate it. Big breasts, big ass, big deal, Can't I be anything else ? Gee, how long can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilyn-monroe/everyone-s-just-laughing-at-me-i-hate-it-big-breasts-big-ass-big-deal/) [Marilyn Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilyn-monroe/) > [“Eventually, Edgard said, “She doesn’t know anything about me. Not even that we were roping partners. Not that we were…” He looked at Trevor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorelei-james/eventually-edgard-said-she-doesn-t-know-anything-about-me-not-even/) [Lorelei James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorelei-james/) > [Humility simply means that you do a great job at everything and it isn't really a big deal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/humility-simply-means-that-you-do-a-great-job-at-everything-and-it/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“Being responsible for someone’s childhood is a big deal. We not only create our own memories, but we create our child’s memories.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-macy-stafford/being-responsible-for-someone-s-childhood-is-a-big-deal-we-not-only/) [Rachel Macy Stafford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-macy-stafford/) > [I've never been truly closeted on the air; it's just something I never really made a big deal out of because I never felt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-duran/i-ve-never-been-truly-closeted-on-the-air-it-s-just-something-i-never/) [Elvis Duran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-duran/) > [Tom Stafford was an odd character, you know - a brilliant guy. He looked weird and I think he took a really defensive attitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-fritts/tom-stafford-was-an-odd-character-you-know-a-brilliant-guy-he-looked/) [Donnie Fritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-fritts/) > [When you're standing around for an hour doing stand up it's no big deal but when you're standing around watching a show for an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-rogan/when-you-re-standing-around-for-an-hour-doing-stand-up-it-s-no-big/) [Joe Rogan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-rogan/) > [People make such a big deal about how people in bands look, especially if you're a girl.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juliana-hatfield/people-make-such-a-big-deal-about-how-people-in-bands-look-especially/) [Juliana Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juliana-hatfield/) > [“What’s wrong with you?” John asks suspiciously. I give him a ‘what chu talkin’ ‘bout Willis?’ look and he explains. “You just woke up.”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katelin-lamontagne/what-s-wrong-with-you-john-asks-suspiciously-i-give-him-a-what-chu/) [Katelin LaMontagne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katelin-lamontagne/) > [I never said Kristen ruined my wedding. At the time, when a million other things had fallen apart that day, I felt like she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scheana-shay/i-never-said-kristen-ruined-my-wedding-at-the-time-when-a-million/) [Scheana Shay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scheana-shay/) Browse all 1,273 Big deal quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Our lives drifts along with normal things happening. Some ups, some downs, but nothing to go down in history about. Nothing so fantastic or terrible that it'll be told for a thousand years. “But because we grew up surrounded by big dramatic story arcs in books and movies, we think our lives are supposed to be filled with huge ups and downs! So people pretend there is drama where there is none.” That's why people invent fights. That's why we're drawn to sports. That's why we act like everything that happens to us is such a big deal. We're trying to make our life into a fairy tale.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Kurt Vonnegut" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-things-happening-some-ups-some/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Big deal" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-things-happening-some-ups-some/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a48/kurt-vonnegut-41_big-deal_our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-thing_593979.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a48/kurt-vonnegut-41_big-deal_our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-thing_593979.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a48/kurt-vonnegut-41_big-deal_our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-thing_593979.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our lives drifts along with normal things happening. Some ups, some downs, but nothing to go down in history…” — Kurt Vonnegut", "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": "Kurt Vonnegut", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Our lives drifts along with normal...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-things-happening-some-ups-some/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/our-lives-drifts-along-with-normal-things-happening-some-ups-some/#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 } } ] } ```