--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: we among all animals were cursed with a…" description: "\"“we among all animals were cursed with a longing for somewhere better, somewhere that never existed and never would.”\" — Lev Grossman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/lev-grossman-747_cursed_we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a_1794481.png" --- # we among all animals were cursed with a longing for… ![“we among all animals were cursed with a longing for somewhere better, somewhere that never existed and never would.” quote by Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/lev-grossman-747_cursed_we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a_1794481.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/lev-grossman-747_cursed_we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a_1794481.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/lev-grossman-747_cursed_we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a_1794481.png) > ““we among all animals were cursed with a longing for somewhere better, somewhere that never existed and never would.”” [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Humans are perpetually dissatisfied, yearning for an unattainable ideal that drives ambition and melancholy. **In simple terms:** We long for impossible ideals. Key Takeaway Recognize and balance desire with acceptance. Themes desire discontent human nature Mood melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - career aspirations - artistic pursuits - relationship expectations Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What unattainable goal fuels you? - How can you find contentment while striving? A Different Perspective May cause chronic dissatisfaction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animals Cursed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animals-cursed-1975230/) [Cursed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cursed/) [Cursed Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cursed-longing-1975229/) [Longing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing/) [Longing Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/longing-better-1975231/) [Nostalgia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nostalgia/) ## Related quotes > [When you have that deep kind of hunger that is part longing, what's better to eat than the best apple pie? Or the best…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/when-you-have-that-deep-kind-of-hunger-that-is-part-longing-what-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“The women seemed more industrious than the men, for they were housekeepers; and the noise of the Indian housewife patting her tortillas in preparation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-josephine-sanborn/the-women-seemed-more-industrious-than-the-men-for-they-were/) [Helen Josephine Sanborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-josephine-sanborn/) > [You don't know why, but you know you have to go home. It's an eternal longing. It's Marvell's drop of dew wanting to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-don-t-know-why-but-you-know-you-have-to-go-home-it-s-an-eternal/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“I walk with a dual longing for life and for death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-lee-houghton/i-walk-with-a-dual-longing-for-life-and-for-death/) [Melissa Lee-Houghton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-lee-houghton/) > [“…The truth: dreaming is lonely the further away the closer to this one time No one has held me for so long Days stitch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angkarn-chanthathip/the-truth-dreaming-is-lonely-the-further-away-the-closer-to-this-one/) [Angkarn Chanthathip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angkarn-chanthathip/) > [The orgasm has replaced the Cross as the focus of longing and the image of fulfillment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-muggeridge/the-orgasm-has-replaced-the-cross-as-the-focus-of-longing-and-the/) [Malcolm Muggeridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-muggeridge/) > [“How sad, he thought, that desire found new objects but did not abate, that when it came to longing there was no end.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allegra-goodman/how-sad-he-thought-that-desire-found-new-objects-but-did-not-abate/) [Allegra Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allegra-goodman/) > [If we really face our sadness, we find it speaks with the voice of our deepest longing. And if we face it a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-kingsley/if-we-really-face-our-sadness-we-find-it-speaks-with-the-voice-of-our/) [Peter Kingsley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-kingsley/) > [To show a longing for anything that one cannot have, for instance, is not a clever position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/to-show-a-longing-for-anything-that-one-cannot-have-for-instance-is/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I can negate everything of that part of me that lives on vague nostalgias, except this desire for unity, this longing to solve, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-can-negate-everything-of-that-part-of-me-that-lives-on-vague/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Longing is like a seed that wrestles in the ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/longing-is-like-a-seed-that-wrestles-in-the-ground/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [It (taking photographs) is all about longingwithout longing-no pictures at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-petersen/it-taking-photographs-is-all-about-longingwithout-longing-no-pictures/) [Anders Petersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anders-petersen/) > [Could it be in longing we are most ourselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/li-young-lee/could-it-be-in-longing-we-are-most-ourselves/) [Li-Young Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/li-young-lee/) > [Sometimes it has to do with other longings that are much more existential. Sometimes you go elsewhere not because you are not liking the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/sometimes-it-has-to-do-with-other-longings-that-are-much-more/) [Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/) > [“Haunted by the longing to feel something real, deep and magical; I searched for a shared ecstasy... that's when you came along.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lebo-grand/haunted-by-the-longing-to-feel-something-real-deep-and-magical-i/) [Lebo Grand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lebo-grand/) ## More by Lev Grossman > [“It was about damn time something happened.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-was-about-damn-time-something-happened/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [We're wired to expect the world to be brighter and more meaningful and more obviously interesting than it actually is. And when we realize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-re-wired-to-expect-the-world-to-be-brighter-and-more-meaningful/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“He was going to sign the papers and he was going to be a motherfucking magician.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/he-was-going-to-sign-the-papers-and-he-was-going-to-be-a/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“Being brave was easy when you would rather die than give up. Fatigue meant nothing when you actually wanted to suffer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/being-brave-was-easy-when-you-would-rather-die-than-give-up-fatigue/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [As a writer I'm more drawn to villains who are just slightly mad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/as-a-writer-i-m-more-drawn-to-villains-who-are-just-slightly-mad/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“He wasn't in a safe little story where wrongs were automatically righted; he was still in the real world, where bad bitter things happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/he-wasn-t-in-a-safe-little-story-where-wrongs-were-automatically/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I love rare books. Not that I own a lot of them, mind you. You couldn't quite call me a rare-book collector. But I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-love-rare-books-not-that-i-own-a-lot-of-them-mind-you-you-couldn-t/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [By now he had learned enough to know that when he was getting annoyed at somebody else, it was usually because there was something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/by-now-he-had-learned-enough-to-know-that-when-he-was-getting-annoyed/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [About as close you can get to the perfect cerebral thriller: searingly smart, ridiculously funny, and fast as hell... I defy anybody to read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/about-as-close-you-can-get-to-the-perfect-cerebral-thriller-searingly/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“It's true," Eliot said. "Statistically, historically, and however else you want to look at it, you are almost never right. A monkey making life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/it-s-true-eliot-said-statistically-historically-and-however-else-you/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“God, I hope we don’t have to use that,” was all he said out loud. “Oh, come on, Quentina. We’re not looking for trouble.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/god-i-hope-we-don-t-have-to-use-that-was-all-he-said-out-loud-oh-come/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I mean, when you're tired of book reviews, you're tired of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-mean-when-you-re-tired-of-book-reviews-you-re-tired-of-life/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [My specialty as a collector is books that almost have value. When I love a book, I don't buy the first edition, because those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/my-specialty-as-a-collector-is-books-that-almost-have-value-when-i/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I used to write in a local coffee shop, but there was another guy, another writer, who kept sitting in my favorite seat. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-used-to-write-in-a-local-coffee-shop-but-there-was-another-guy/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [I don't know if I've ever derived such an immediate sense of calm and well-being from any book as I did from 'Right Ho,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/i-don-t-know-if-i-ve-ever-derived-such-an-immediate-sense-of-calm-and/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) [Explore all 379 Lev Grossman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) ## More Cursed quotes > [You love what you do, you are cursed with it, and then you get known for being cursed with it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/armand-assante/you-love-what-you-do-you-are-cursed-with-it-and-then-you-get-known/) [Armand Assante](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/armand-assante/) > [“He held his hands tightly together and cursed his daughter for bringing the terrible world, with its humiliation and longing, back to his door.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maile-meloy/he-held-his-hands-tightly-together-and-cursed-his-daughter-for/) [Maile Meloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maile-meloy/) > [Anyone who makes the life of Jewish people difficult or grievous, as did the Pharaoh, as did Hitler, will be cursed by God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-hagee/anyone-who-makes-the-life-of-jewish-people-difficult-or-grievous-as/) [John Hagee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-hagee/) > [\[It is hard to know what is good luck and what isn't and therefore whether we should be happy or sad about it. Only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelig-pliskin/it-is-hard-to-know-what-is-good-luck-and-what-isn-t-and-therefore/) [Zelig Pliskin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelig-pliskin/) > [I have always been cursed or blessed with this inability to hide behind anything and to just say exactly what I am experiencing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-kowalczyk/i-have-always-been-cursed-or-blessed-with-this-inability-to-hide/) [Ed Kowalczyk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-kowalczyk/) > [Too blessed to be stressed. Too blessed to be cursed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-matobo/too-blessed-to-be-stressed-too-blessed-to-be-cursed/) [Frank Matobo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-matobo/) > [“My heart almost vaulted out of my chest. I was snuggled against Ryan’s shoulder. We were burrowed under the cloak and sleeping bag, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-dogra/my-heart-almost-vaulted-out-of-my-chest-i-was-snuggled-against-ryan-s/) [Sam Dogra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-dogra/) > [ I cursed \[Larry Merchant\] out once, and I told him that he was a phony. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-holmes/i-cursed-larry-merchant-out-once-and-i-told-him-that-he-was-a-phony/) [Larry Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-holmes/) > [A Poem from Edna St. Vincent Millay: Grown-up Was it for this I uttered prayers, And sobbed and cursed and kicked the stairs, That…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edna-st-vincent-millay/a-poem-from-edna-st-vincent-millay-grown-up-was-it-for-this-i-uttered/) [Edna St. Vincent Millay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edna-st-vincent-millay/) > [Funny how all things people don’t understand seem to be ‘cursed’.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nnedi-okorafor/funny-how-all-things-people-don-t-understand-seem-to-be-cursed/) [Nnedi Okorafor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nnedi-okorafor/) > [Sometimes I feel I'm being animated, but it comes off differently. Unfortunately, I was cursed with these sleepy eyes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wyatt-cenac/sometimes-i-feel-i-m-being-animated-but-it-comes-off-differently/) [Wyatt Cenac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wyatt-cenac/) > [I'm a classic example of what can happen if you follow your inner voice. I was cursed with interests and some talent in many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dirk-benedict/i-m-a-classic-example-of-what-can-happen-if-you-follow-your-inner/) [Dirk Benedict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dirk-benedict/) > [What cursed spirit of falsehood moveth priests to close themselves within stone walls for all their life, since Christ commanded all his apostles and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wycliffe/what-cursed-spirit-of-falsehood-moveth-priests-to-close-themselves/) [John Wycliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wycliffe/) > [Words are as they are taken, and things are as they are used. There are even cursed blessings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-hall/words-are-as-they-are-taken-and-things-are-as-they-are-used-there-are/) [Joseph Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-hall/) > [Blessed be those happy ages that were strangers to the dreadful fury of these devilish instruments of artillery, whose inventor I am satisfied is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miguel-de-cervantes/blessed-be-those-happy-ages-that-were-strangers-to-the-dreadful-fury/) [Miguel de Cervantes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miguel-de-cervantes/) [Browse all 443 Cursed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cursed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“we among all animals were cursed with a longing for somewhere better, somewhere that never existed and never would.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lev Grossman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a-longing-for-somewhere-better/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cursed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a-longing-for-somewhere-better/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/lev-grossman-747_cursed_we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a_1794481.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/lev-grossman-747_cursed_we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a_1794481.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73e/lev-grossman-747_cursed_we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a_1794481.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“we among all animals were cursed with a longing for somewhere better, somewhere that never existed and never…” — Lev Grossman", "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": "Lev Grossman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“we among all animals were cursed...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a-longing-for-somewhere-better/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/we-among-all-animals-were-cursed-with-a-longing-for-somewhere-better/#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 } } ] } ```