---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: [T]here is only one large circle that we…"
description: "\"[T]here is only one large circle that we march in, around and around, each of us with our own little picture -- in front of us -- our own little mirage..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/lorraine-hansberry-7953_circles_t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we_177181.jpg"
---

#  \[T\]here is only one large circle that we march in, around…

![“&#91;T&#93;here is only one large circle that we march in, around and around, each of us with our own little picture -- in front of us -- our own little mirage that we think is the future.” quote by Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/lorraine-hansberry-7953_circles_t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we_177181.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/lorraine-hansberry-7953_circles_t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we_177181.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/lorraine-hansberry-7953_circles_t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we_177181.jpg)

> “\[T\]here is only one large circle that we march in, around and around, each of us with our own little picture -- in front of us -- our own little mirage that we think is the future.”

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

We live within a single, endless cycle, each person chasing a personal illusion of the future.

**In simple terms:** Life is a repeating circle with personal visions of tomorrow.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the illusion and focus on present actions.

Themes

cycle illusion future perception life mindset

Mood

reflective thoughtful inquisitive

Type

philosophical inspirational reflective

When to use this quote

- personal goal setting
- career planning
- relationship expectations
- creative projects
- spiritual practice

Key Concepts

existential psychology time perception self-awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- How does your personal vision shape your daily choices?
- Can you break the cycle by redefining your future?

A Different Perspective

The quote may overlook agency to change the cycle.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Circles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [One pattern to help yourself fight the mad dash for the mirage of being done is to think of a good day’s work. Look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-heinemeier-hansson/one-pattern-to-help-yourself-fight-the-mad-dash-for-the-mirage-of/)

[David Heinemeier Hansson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-heinemeier-hansson/)

> [The catch in the industry is that if you want to get a picture made for little money, you have to get a big…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-b-weide/the-catch-in-the-industry-is-that-if-you-want-to-get-a-picture-made/)

[Robert B. Weide](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-b-weide/)

> [One always has to spoil a picture a little bit, in order to finish it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-delacroix/one-always-has-to-spoil-a-picture-a-little-bit-in-order-to-finish-it/)

[Eugene Delacroix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-delacroix/)

> [Many of the articles printed over the last few months have ended up painting a picture of me that is more than a little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-collins/many-of-the-articles-printed-over-the-last-few-months-have-ended-up/)

[Phil Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-collins/)

> [When I was little there was a picture in one of our books, a dark place into which a single weak ray of light…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/when-i-was-little-there-was-a-picture-in-one-of-our-books-a-dark/)

[William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/)

> [Time was with most of us, when Christmas Day, encircling all our limited world like a magic ring, left nothing out for us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/time-was-with-most-of-us-when-christmas-day-encircling-all-our/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [If I go away, I take a little picture of my son. It's in a frame with a speaker, and he recorded a birthday…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-manville/if-i-go-away-i-take-a-little-picture-of-my-son-it-s-in-a-frame-with-a/)

[Lesley Manville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-manville/)

> [Men are tending to materialism. Houses, lands, and worldly goods attract their attention, and as a mirage lure them on to death. Christianity, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/men-are-tending-to-materialism-houses-lands-and-worldly-goods-attract/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [ I don't know if it's due to my age, that I'm older now, \[but\] I love the essentials. I don't like the things around… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rokia-traore/i-don-t-know-if-it-s-due-to-my-age-that-i-m-older-now-but-i-love-the/)

[Rokia Traore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rokia-traore/)

> [And I despise your books, I despise wisdom and the blessings of this world. It is all worthless, fleeting, illusory, and deceptive, like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/and-i-despise-your-books-i-despise-wisdom-and-the-blessings-of-this/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [Go out of the house to see the moon, and 't is mere tinsel; it will not please as when its light shines upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/go-out-of-the-house-to-see-the-moon-and-t-is-mere-tinsel-it-will-not/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [For the world is an ever-elusive and ever-disappointing mirage only from the standpoint of someone standing aside from it—as if it were quite other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/for-the-world-is-an-ever-elusive-and-ever-disappointing-mirage-only/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If a dream affords the dreamer some light on himself, it is not the person with closed eyes who makes the discovery but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-leiris/if-a-dream-affords-the-dreamer-some-light-on-himself-it-is-not-the/)

[Michel Leiris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-leiris/)

> [Kate Bernheimer's fiction offers a unique and delicate gift, the tempting mirage of a grace that constantly escapes. The Complete Tales of Merry Gold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-millet/kate-bernheimer-s-fiction-offers-a-unique-and-delicate-gift-the/)

[Lydia Millet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-millet/)

> [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/)

[Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/)

## More by Lorraine Hansberry

> [One for whom bread- food- is not enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/one-for-whom-bread-food-is-not-enough/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [“Perhaps I will be a great man...I mean perhaps I will hold on to the substance of truth and find my way always with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/perhaps-i-will-be-a-great-man-i-mean-perhaps-i-will-hold-on-to-the/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [This is one of the glories of man, the inventiveness of the human mind and the human spirit: whenever life doesn't seem to give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/this-is-one-of-the-glories-of-man-the-inventiveness-of-the-human-mind/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [I am a writer. I suppose I think that the highest gift that man has is art, and I am audacious enough to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/i-am-a-writer-i-suppose-i-think-that-the-highest-gift-that-man-has-is/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [ “\[Beneatha Younger:\]... He said everybody ought to learn how to sit down and hate each other with good Chrisitan fellowship. \[excerpt from Act II,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/beneatha-younger-he-said-everybody-ought-to-learn-how-to-sit-down-and/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [You don't have to go to the kings and queens of the earth - I think the Greeks and Elizabethans did this because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/you-don-t-have-to-go-to-the-kings-and-queens-of-the-earth-i-think-the/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [Children see things very well sometimes and idealists even better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/children-see-things-very-well-sometimes-and-idealists-even-better/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [I feel that women - without wishing to foster any strict separatist notions, homo or hetero - indeed have a need for their own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/i-feel-that-women-without-wishing-to-foster-any-strict-separatist/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [I happen to believe that most people - and this is where I differ from many of my contemporaries, or at least as they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/i-happen-to-believe-that-most-people-and-this-is-where-i-differ-from/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [Everybody talking 'bout heaven ain't going there!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/everybody-talking-bout-heaven-ain-t-going-there/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [Men continue to misinterpret the second-rate status of women as implying a privileged status for themselves; heterosexuals think the same way about homosexuals; gentiles…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/men-continue-to-misinterpret-the-second-rate-status-of-women-as/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [I don't want to have anyone else to do my housework. I've always done it myself. I believe you should do it yourself. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/i-don-t-want-to-have-anyone-else-to-do-my-housework-i-ve-always-done/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [I was born black and female.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/i-was-born-black-and-female/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [I'm just tired of hearing about God all the time. What has He got to do with anything?... I'm not going to be immoral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/i-m-just-tired-of-hearing-about-god-all-the-time-what-has-he-got-to/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

> [Mine is, after all, the generation that had come to maturity drinking in the forebodings of the Silones, Koestlers, and Richard Wrights. It had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/mine-is-after-all-the-generation-that-had-come-to-maturity-drinking/)

[Lorraine Hansberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

[Explore all 85 Lorraine Hansberry quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/)

## More Circles quotes

> [In some circles where very heavy people think they have very heavy brains, words like "charming" and "clever" and "pretty" are all put-downs; all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/in-some-circles-where-very-heavy-people-think-they-have-very-heavy/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/)

[Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/)

> [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/)

[Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/)

> [And the seasons they go 'round and 'round And the painted ponies go up and down We're captive on the carousel of time We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/and-the-seasons-they-go-round-and-round-and-the-painted-ponies-go-up/)

[Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/)

> [If, for instance, they have heard something from the postman, they attribute it to a semi-official statement; if they have fallen into conversation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/if-for-instance-they-have-heard-something-from-the-postman-they/)

[Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/)

> [Maybe this is a way of gaslighting myself, but I think of it this way: In certain circles, my grandpa was considered to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-kazan/maybe-this-is-a-way-of-gaslighting-myself-but-i-think-of-it-this-way/)

[Zoe Kazan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zoe-kazan/)

> [All my life's a circle; But I can't tell you why; Season's spinning round again; The years keep rollin' by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-chapin/all-my-life-s-a-circle-but-i-can-t-tell-you-why-season-s-spinning/)

[Harry Chapin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-chapin/)

> [There's when a phrase circles in my head in a number of ways for any number of days, weeks, or months, and then that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-mangan/there-s-when-a-phrase-circles-in-my-head-in-a-number-of-ways-for-any/)

[Dan Mangan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-mangan/)

> [I have no name for what circles so perfectly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/i-have-no-name-for-what-circles-so-perfectly/)

[Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/)

> [It's important to recognize that expanding the circle of opportunity and increasing the democratic potential of our own society, as well as those across…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/it-s-important-to-recognize-that-expanding-the-circle-of-opportunity/)

[Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/)

> [The fight against syphilis demands a fight against prostitution, against prejudices, old habits, against previous conceptions, general views among them not least the false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-fight-against-syphilis-demands-a-fight-against-prostitution/)

[Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/)

> [Tell them you came, and saw, and looked into my eyes and saw the shadow of the guard receding. Thoughts in time and out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/tell-them-you-came-and-saw-and-looked-into-my-eyes-and-saw-the-shadow/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

> [ \[Wise men\] have tried to understand our state of being, by grasping at its stars, or its arts, or its economics. But, if there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-fort/wise-men-have-tried-to-understand-our-state-of-being-by-grasping-at/)

[Charles Fort](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-fort/)

> [You know Kim Jong Un, the evil dictator of North Korea? Apparently, a guy in his inner circle used his ashtray while smoking and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-letterman/you-know-kim-jong-un-the-evil-dictator-of-north-korea-apparently-a/)

[David Letterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-letterman/)

> [The Brick House was one of the toughest joints I ever played in ... Guys would drink and fight one another like circle saws.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-armstrong/the-brick-house-was-one-of-the-toughest-joints-i-ever-played-in-guys/)

[Louis Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-armstrong/)

[Browse all 1,860 Circles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/circles/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "[T]here is only one large circle that we march in, around and around, each of us with our own little picture -- in front of us -- our own little mirage that we think is the future.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Lorraine Hansberry"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we-march-in-around-and-around/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Circles"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we-march-in-around-and-around/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/lorraine-hansberry-7953_circles_t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we_177181.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/lorraine-hansberry-7953_circles_t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we_177181.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/157/lorraine-hansberry-7953_circles_t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we_177181.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“[T]here is only one large circle that we march in, around and around, each of us with our own little picture…” — Lorraine Hansberry",
                "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": "Lorraine Hansberry",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorraine-hansberry/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "[T]here is only one large circle...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we-march-in-around-and-around/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorraine-hansberry/t-here-is-only-one-large-circle-that-we-march-in-around-and-around/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
