--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: So the great affair is over but whoever…" description: "\"So the great affair is over but whoever would have guessed, It would leave us all so vacant and so deeply unimpressed, It's like our visit to the moon ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/leonard-cohen-448_affair_so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever_3235918.jpg" --- # So the great affair is over but whoever would have… ![“So the great affair is over but whoever would have guessed, It would leave us all so vacant and so deeply unimpressed, It's like our visit to the moon or to that other star, I guess you go for nothing if you really want to go that far.” quote by Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/leonard-cohen-448_affair_so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever_3235918.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/leonard-cohen-448_affair_so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever_3235918.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/leonard-cohen-448_affair_so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever_3235918.jpg) > “So the great affair is over but whoever would have guessed, It would leave us all so vacant and so deeply unimpressed, It's like our visit to the moon or to that other star, I guess you go for nothing if you really want to go that far.” [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker reflects on a profound disappointment that feels as empty as an unfulfilled,, suggesting that grand ambitions can lead to emptiness if not truly meaningful. **In simple terms:** Great ambitions can feel empty without true purpose. Key Takeaway Seek meaning beyond mere achievement. Themes disappointment ambition emptiness Mood melancholy reflective Type lyilosophical lyational When to use this quote - personal goals - career aspirations - artistic projects - relationship expectations Key Concepts existentialism illusion purpose Questions to Reflect On - What truly fulfills you beyond success? - How do you measure the value of an achievement? A Different Perspective Even after achieving big goals, satisfaction isn’t guaranteed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Deeply Unimpressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deeply-unimpressed-6140181/) [Great Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-affair-3427229/) [Infidelity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/infidelity/) [Moon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moon/) [Stars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stars/) [Unimpressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unimpressed/) [Unimpressed Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unimpressed-like-6140182/) [Vacant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacant/) [Vacant Deeply](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacant-deeply-4678833/) [Want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want/) ## Related quotes > [“So the great affair is over but whoever would have guessed it would leave us all so vacant and so deeply unimpressed It's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever-would-have-guessed-it-would/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/i-travel-not-to-go-anywhere-but-to-go-i-travel-for-travel-s-sake-the/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The great affair, we always find, is to get money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/the-great-affair-we-always-find-is-to-get-money/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [The great affair, the love affair with life, is to live as variously as possible, to groom one's curiosity like a high-spirited thoroughbred, climb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-great-affair-the-love-affair-with-life-is-to-live-as-variously-as-2/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel's sake. The great affair is to move.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/for-my-part-i-travel-not-to-go-anywhere-but-to-go-i-travel-for-travel-2/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [The great affair, the love affair with life, is to live as variously as possible, to groom one's curiosity like a high-spirited thoroughbred, climb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-ackerman/the-great-affair-the-love-affair-with-life-is-to-live-as-variously-as/) [Diane Ackerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-ackerman/) > [“compared to what I knew I was capable of, I was, shall we say, unimpressed. I”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/compared-to-what-i-knew-i-was-capable-of-i-was-shall-we-say/) [Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/) > [Yeah I know you're a creature of the night. Bringer of death, sucker of blood, needer of tans, so on and so forth. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/yeah-i-know-you-re-a-creature-of-the-night-bringer-of-death-sucker-of-2/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [“I was doing pretty well—I’d published a couple of books, had lots of great friends, a close family, an apartment, a car that ran,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jen-sincero/i-was-doing-pretty-well-i-d-published-a-couple-of-books-had-lots-of/) [Jen Sincero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jen-sincero/) > [“He is as he always told me to be—a stone amid the waves; wet, yet unimpressed by all that swirls about him.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/he-is-as-he-always-told-me-to-be-a-stone-amid-the-waves-wet-yet/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [“You become a house where the wind blows straight through, because no one bothers the crack in the window or lock on the door,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-eriksson/you-become-a-house-where-the-wind-blows-straight-through-because-no/) [Charlotte Eriksson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-eriksson/) > [“I am fashionably unimpressed with the material world. I am moved by the beauty of aspiration, and I hope that I can elevate myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-corbett/i-am-fashionably-unimpressed-with-the-material-world-i-am-moved-by/) [Mike Corbett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-corbett/) > [I was in two Duran Duran videos. My kids are thoroughly unimpressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/i-was-in-two-duran-duran-videos-my-kids-are-thoroughly-unimpressed/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [The cat wrinkled its nose and managed to look unimpressed. "Calling cats," it confided, "tends to be a rather overrated activity. Might as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-cat-wrinkled-its-nose-and-managed-to-look-unimpressed-calling/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [I am increasingly unimpressed by works of art that require a college degree to understand. I think that art should be for everyone. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-dewitt/i-am-increasingly-unimpressed-by-works-of-art-that-require-a-college/) [Patrick deWitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-dewitt/) ## More by Leonard Cohen > [The blizzard of the world has crossed the threshold and it's overturned the order of the soul...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-blizzard-of-the-world-has-crossed-the-threshold-and-it-s/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“Don't matter if you're rich and strong Don't matter if you're weak Don't matter if you write a song The nightingales repeat Don't matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/don-t-matter-if-you-re-rich-and-strong-don-t-matter-if-you-re-weak/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“You don't know me from the wind you never will, you never did I'm the little jew who wrote the Bible. I've seen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/you-don-t-know-me-from-the-wind-you-never-will-you-never-did-i-m-the/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“This is it I’m not coming after you I’m going to lie down for half an hour This is it I’m not going down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/this-is-it-i-m-not-coming-after-you-i-m-going-to-lie-down-for-half-an/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [My sense of proprietorship has been so weak that actually I didn't pay attention and I lost the copyrights on a lot of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/my-sense-of-proprietorship-has-been-so-weak-that-actually-i-didn-t/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [This world is full of conflicts and full of things that cannot be reconciled. But there are moments when we can... reconcile and embrace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/this-world-is-full-of-conflicts-and-full-of-things-that-cannot-be/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [ I would say the hummingbird really deserves the royalties on \[some of my songs\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-would-say-the-hummingbird-really-deserves-the-royalties-on-some-of/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [One is given to self-dramatization from time to time. I intend to live forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/one-is-given-to-self-dramatization-from-time-to-time-i-intend-to-live/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [The basic function of popular music is to create an environment for courting, lovemaking, and doing the dishes. It's useful because it addresses the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/the-basic-function-of-popular-music-is-to-create-an-environment-for/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“Blessed are you, embrace of the falling, foundation of the light, master of the human accident.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/blessed-are-you-embrace-of-the-falling-foundation-of-the-light-master/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I continually blacken pages and scribble away, so I always have a number of songs that are half-finished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-continually-blacken-pages-and-scribble-away-so-i-always-have-a/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I have nothing against the Queen of England. Even in my heart I never resented her for not being Jackie Kennedy. She is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-have-nothing-against-the-queen-of-england-even-in-my-heart-i-never/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [I loved you when you opened like a lily to the heat; you see I’m just another snowman standing in the rain and sleet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-loved-you-when-you-opened-like-a-lily-to-the-heat-you-see-i-m-just/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [It's time that we began to laugh and cry and cry and laugh about it all again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/it-s-time-that-we-began-to-laugh-and-cry-and-cry-and-laugh-about-it/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [“I followed the course From chaos to art Desire the horse Depression the cart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-followed-the-course-from-chaos-to-art-desire-the-horse-depression/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) [Explore all 543 Leonard Cohen quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) ## More Affair quotes > [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/) [Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/) > [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/) [Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/) > [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/) [Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/) > [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/) [Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/) > [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/) [Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/) > [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/) [Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/) > [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/) [Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/) > [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/) [Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/) > [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/) [Michael Atherton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-atherton/) > [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/) [Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/) > [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) [Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "So the great affair is over but whoever would have guessed, It would leave us all so vacant and so deeply unimpressed, It's like our visit to the moon or to that other star, I guess you go for nothing if you really want to go that far.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Leonard Cohen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever-would-have-guessed-it-would-2/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Affair" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever-would-have-guessed-it-would-2/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/leonard-cohen-448_affair_so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever_3235918.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/leonard-cohen-448_affair_so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever_3235918.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e81/leonard-cohen-448_affair_so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever_3235918.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“So the great affair is over but whoever would have guessed, It would leave us all so vacant and so deeply…” — Leonard Cohen", "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": "Leonard Cohen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "So the great affair is over...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever-would-have-guessed-it-would-2/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/so-the-great-affair-is-over-but-whoever-would-have-guessed-it-would-2/#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 } } ] } ```