--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is more complicated than we think…" description: "\"Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine\" — Lawrence Durrell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-durrell-2169_complicated_life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-y_2260.jpg" --- # Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler… ![“Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine” quote by Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-durrell-2169_complicated_life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-y_2260.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-durrell-2169_complicated_life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-y_2260.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-durrell-2169_complicated_life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-y_2260.jpg) > “Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine” [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life appears complex but underlying simplicity emerges when we shed assumptions and imagine anew **In simple terms:** Life is both complex and simple Key Takeaway Seek clarity beyond apparent complexity Themes complexity imagination philosophy self‑reflection Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type Complicated:1 Dare:0 Imagine:1 Life:1 Life is:0 Simpler:1 Thinking:0 Life Complicated:0 Complicated Think:0 Far Simpler:1 When to use this quote - creative writing - personal growth - philosophical discussion Key Concepts existentialism cognitive simplicity paradox Questions to Reflect On - What seems complex but could be simple? - How does imagination simplify life? A Different Perspective Simplicity may be elusive without imagination ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Complicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated/) [Complicated Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated-think-261015/) [Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dare/) [Far Simpler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far-simpler-261016/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Complicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-complicated/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Simpler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simpler/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Life is complicated. When you think you have it all figured out things don't turn out the way you thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-complicated-when-you-think-you-have-it-all-figured-out-things/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is so complicated dont try to find answer beacuse when you find answer life change the question...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/life-is-so-complicated-dont-try-to-find-answer-beacuse-when-you-find/) [Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/) > [“I long ago abandoned the notion of a life without storms, or a world without dry and killing seasons. Life is too complicated, too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-redfield-jamison/i-long-ago-abandoned-the-notion-of-a-life-without-storms-or-a-world/) [Kay Redfield Jamison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-redfield-jamison/) > [Writers and journalists tend to be simplistic about politics when, like all other areas of life, it's more complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-harris/writers-and-journalists-tend-to-be-simplistic-about-politics-when/) [Robert Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-harris/) > [“Life was complicated enough without borrowing trouble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raine-miller/life-was-complicated-enough-without-borrowing-trouble/) [Raine Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raine-miller/) > [Life is sometimes very complicated, but we can purposely learn to enjoy the simple yet powerful and beautiful things God has created!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/life-is-sometimes-very-complicated-but-we-can-purposely-learn-to/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [Life is complicated; however that does not stop me from believing in myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-complicated-however-that-does-not-stop-me-from-believing-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [LIFE..is very complicated. Don't try to find the ANSWER Because when You find answers LIFE changes The question](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-very-complicated-don-t-try-to-find-the-answer-because-when/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Life is as complicated or as easy as you make it to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manju-nambiar/life-is-as-complicated-or-as-easy-as-you-make-it-to-be/) [Manju Nambiar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manju-nambiar/) > [It is not life that's complicated, it's the struggle to guide and control life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/it-is-not-life-that-s-complicated-it-s-the-struggle-to-guide-and/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [The older I get the more I realize how simple life is and how complicated I make it...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-older-i-get-the-more-i-realize-how-simple-life-is-and-how/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't keep searching for the answers that you already have. Life is only as complicated as you choose for it to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/don-t-keep-searching-for-the-answers-that-you-already-have-life-is/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“The truth about life is complicated, indefensible and embarrassing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-weinle/the-truth-about-life-is-complicated-indefensible-and-embarrassing/) [Alex Weinle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-weinle/) > [Mike's eyes narrowed shrewdly. "Don't kid yourself, Bella. The guy's head over heels for you." "I know," I sighed. "Life is complicated." "And girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephenie-meyer/mike-s-eyes-narrowed-shrewdly-don-t-kid-yourself-bella-the-guy-s-head/) [Stephenie Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephenie-meyer/) > [I remember somebody saying, "I feel really bad for kids growing up around iPads right now. It's just too complicated. Life's too complicated." I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/i-remember-somebody-saying-i-feel-really-bad-for-kids-growing-up/) [Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/) ## More by Lawrence Durrell > [“Suddenly at the end of the great couloir my vision is sharpened by a pale disjunctive shudder as a bar of buttercup-yellow thickening gradually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/suddenly-at-the-end-of-the-great-couloir-my-vision-is-sharpened-by-a/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [To be the equal of reality you must learn how to ignore it without danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/to-be-the-equal-of-reality-you-must-learn-how-to-ignore-it-without/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [The cocktail party - as the name itself indicates - was originally invented by dogs. They are simply bottom-sniffings raised to the rank of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-cocktail-party-as-the-name-itself-indicates-was-originally/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [It only takes one match to ignite a haystack, or one remark to fire a mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-only-takes-one-match-to-ignite-a-haystack-or-one-remark-to-fire-a/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“He felt that his mind had become a battle-ground for the forces of good and evil and that his task was to strain every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/he-felt-that-his-mind-had-become-a-battle-ground-for-the-forces-of/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Science is the poetry of the intellect and poetry the science of the heart's affections.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/science-is-the-poetry-of-the-intellect-and-poetry-the-science-of-the/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/travel-can-be-one-of-the-most-rewarding-forms-of-introspection/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [We live" writes Pursewarden somewhere, "lives based upon selected fictions. Our view of reality is conditioned by our position in space and time -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/we-live-writes-pursewarden-somewhere-lives-based-upon-selected/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [It's unthinkable not to love -you'd have a severe nervous breakdown. Or you'd have to be Philip Larkin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/it-s-unthinkable-not-to-love-you-d-have-a-severe-nervous-breakdown-or/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“...man is only an extension of the spirit of place.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/man-is-only-an-extension-of-the-spirit-of-place/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“God did not create us, nor did He wish us to be created. We are the work of a lesser deity, a demiurge, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/god-did-not-create-us-nor-did-he-wish-us-to-be-created-we-are-the/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [The steward, according to custom, had stopped all the clocks. This, in the language of Narouz, said "Your stay with us is so brief,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-steward-according-to-custom-had-stopped-all-the-clocks-this-in/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [Everyone loathes his own country and countrymen if he is any sort of artist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/everyone-loathes-his-own-country-and-countrymen-if-he-is-any-sort-of/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“The slither of tyres across the waves of the desert under a sky blue and frost-bound in winter; or in summer a fearful lunar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/the-slither-of-tyres-across-the-waves-of-the-desert-under-a-sky-blue/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) > [“One learns nothing from those who return our love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/one-learns-nothing-from-those-who-return-our-love/) [Lawrence Durrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) [Explore all 179 Lawrence Durrell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/) ## More Complicated quotes > [Of course I like you. It's because I like you I don't wanna be with you. It's a complicated emotion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlin/of-course-i-like-you-it-s-because-i-like-you-i-don-t-wanna-be-with/) [Marlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlin/) > [“Why the hell did he have to be so complicated? One minute he was charming, the next he withdrew behind his internal walls.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lia-davis/why-the-hell-did-he-have-to-be-so-complicated-one-minute-he-was/) [Lia Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lia-davis/) > [I think adoption becomes complicated whenever the biological parents are alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-haven/i-think-adoption-becomes-complicated-whenever-the-biological-parents/) [James Haven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-haven/) > [We animals are the most complicated things in the known universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/we-animals-are-the-most-complicated-things-in-the-known-universe/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [Programmers are always surrounded by complexity; we cannot avoid it… If our basic tool, the language in which we design and code our programs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-hoare/programmers-are-always-surrounded-by-complexity-we-cannot-avoid-it-if/) [Tony Hoare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-hoare/) > [“Just because it's complicated, just because you think you can't ever know everything about another person, it doesn't mean you can't try.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-semple/just-because-it-s-complicated-just-because-you-think-you-can-t-ever/) [Maria Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-semple/) > [The one thing I absolutely hate about social media are the people who abuse it. Whenever I see a person who constantly posts negative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jazmin-garcia/the-one-thing-i-absolutely-hate-about-social-media-are-the-people-who/) [Jazmin Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jazmin-garcia/) > [I think the ethics and morals of genetic engineering are very complicated. It intrigues me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-spottiswoode/i-think-the-ethics-and-morals-of-genetic-engineering-are-very/) [Roger Spottiswoode](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-spottiswoode/) > [Your Starbucks order is directly proportional to how complicated your personality is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/your-starbucks-order-is-directly-proportional-to-how-complicated-your/) [Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/) > [Geometry, which should only obey Physics, when united with it sometimes commands it. If it happens that the question which we wish to examine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/geometry-which-should-only-obey-physics-when-united-with-it-sometimes/) [Jean le Rond d'Alembert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-le-rond-d-alembert/) > [I have learned so much from my dad. Perhaps the biggest thing I've learned from my dad is how to be prepared at all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/i-have-learned-so-much-from-my-dad-perhaps-the-biggest-thing-i-ve/) [Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/) > [The world is complicated and full of grays, but there's still truth there to be found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/the-world-is-complicated-and-full-of-grays-but-there-s-still-truth/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [ The parts of the \[Civil Right\] Movement we recognize so well now were not born from a single decision, but were a complicated and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-aydin/the-parts-of-the-civil-right-movement-we-recognize-so-well-now-were/) [Andrew Aydin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-aydin/) > [Two people could build an outhouse in four hours. They're not complicated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-maxwell/two-people-could-build-an-outhouse-in-four-hours-they-re-not/) [Robert Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-maxwell/) > [Life is so complicated dont try to find answer beacuse when you find answer life change the question...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin/life-is-so-complicated-dont-try-to-find-answer-beacuse-when-you-find/) [Kevin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin/) [Browse all 3,190 Complicated quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lawrence Durrell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Complicated" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-durrell-2169_complicated_life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-y_2260.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-durrell-2169_complicated_life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-y_2260.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4cb/lawrence-durrell-2169_complicated_life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-y_2260.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life is more complicated than we think, yet far simpler than anyone dares to imagine” — Lawrence Durrell", "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": "Lawrence Durrell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-durrell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life is more complicated than we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-durrell/life-is-more-complicated-than-we-think-yet-far-simpler-than-anyone/#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 } } ] } ```