--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life in general was cruel and offered…" description: "\"“Life in general was cruel and offered only different types of voids and chaos. The only way to tolerate it, to have any hope of escaping it, I reasone..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/lucy-grealy-24985_cruel_life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-on_3090399.jpg" --- # Life in general was cruel and offered only different types… ![“Life in general was cruel and offered only different types of voids and chaos. The only way to tolerate it, to have any hope of escaping it, I reasoned, was to know my own strength, to defy life by surviving it.” quote by Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/lucy-grealy-24985_cruel_life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-on_3090399.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/lucy-grealy-24985_cruel_life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-on_3090399.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/lucy-grealy-24985_cruel_life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-on_3090399.jpg) > ““Life in general was cruel and offered only different types of voids and chaos. The only way to tolerate it, to have any hope of escaping it, I reasoned, was to know my own strength, to defy life by surviving it.”” [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Enduring hardship requires recognizing personal strength and actively choosing to survive despite chaos. **In simple terms:** Survive by knowing your strength. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner resilience to face life's chaos. Themes resilience survival hope self‑discovery Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - grief counseling - addiction recovery - career setbacks - personal trauma Key Concepts existentialism psychology post‑traumatic growth Questions to Reflect On - What inner strengths can you draw upon now? - How does defying adversity reshape your identity? A Different Perspective Hope alone may not be enough without concrete support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life in general](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-in-general/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Survival](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/survival/) ## Related quotes > [My life also prepared me to play T-Dog. That was what my entire life was about - surviving. To be on the set of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irone-singleton/my-life-also-prepared-me-to-play-t-dog-that-was-what-my-entire-life/) [IronE Singleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irone-singleton/) > [Life is not surviving, life is for the living and loving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-vanpelt/life-is-not-surviving-life-is-for-the-living-and-loving/) [Austin Vanpelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-vanpelt/) > [Somewhere between 'living a life' and 'surviving a life ' we all grew up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinku-razoria/somewhere-between-living-a-life-and-surviving-a-life-we-all-grew-up/) [Tinku Razoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinku-razoria/) > [What I know is, you have chance in life--of surviving it--if you tolerate loss well; manage not to be a cynic through it all;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/what-i-know-is-you-have-chance-in-life-of-surviving-it-if-you/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [There is more to life than surviving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/there-is-more-to-life-than-surviving/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [I choose not to think of my life as surviving, but coping.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorna-luft/i-choose-not-to-think-of-my-life-as-surviving-but-coping/) [Lorna Luft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorna-luft/) > [“What I know is, you have a better chance in life-of surviving it-if you tolerate loss well;manage not to be a cynic through it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ford/what-i-know-is-you-have-a-better-chance-in-life-of-surviving-it-if/) [Richard Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-ford/) > [Oh, I'm a survivor. My whole life has been surviving.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-bracken/oh-i-m-a-survivor-my-whole-life-has-been-surviving/) Eddie Bracken > [No matter who is president, God is still the king. Whatever human governments may do, as we live under God's rule, careful to follow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-matter-who-is-president-god-is-still-the-king-whatever-human/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“This is a good plan for life in general. If you have two choices, choose the harder. If you're trying to decide whether to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-graham/this-is-a-good-plan-for-life-in-general-if-you-have-two-choices/) [Paul Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-graham/) > [Never put off till tomorrow what you can avoid doing entirely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-put-off-till-tomorrow-what-you-can-avoid-doing-entirely/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When the plane you are on is late, the plane you want to transfer to is on time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-the-plane-you-are-on-is-late-the-plane-you-want-to-transfer-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [For the meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day and from hour to hour. What matters, therefore, is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/for-the-meaning-of-life-differs-from-man-to-man-from-day-to-day-and/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) > [The fear of not being good enough, the fear of disappointing other people and the fear of failure can really hurt one's personality and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-anil-kr-sinha/the-fear-of-not-being-good-enough-the-fear-of-disappointing-other/) [Dr Anil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-anil-kr-sinha/) > [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/) [Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/) ## More by Lucy Grealy > [Does something which exists on the edge have no true relevance to the stable center, or does it, by being on the edge, become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/does-something-which-exists-on-the-edge-have-no-true-relevance-to-the/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [“When dealing with my mother, one always had to act in a delicate and prescribed way, though the exact rules of protocol seemed to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/when-dealing-with-my-mother-one-always-had-to-act-in-a-delicate-and/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [The general plot of life is sometimes shaped by the different ways genuine intelligence combines with equally genuine ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/the-general-plot-of-life-is-sometimes-shaped-by-the-different-ways/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [ Through \[my friends\] I discovered what it was to love people. There was an art to it...which was not really all that different from… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/through-my-friends-i-discovered-what-it-was-to-love-people-there-was/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [Anxiety and anticipation, I was to learn, are the essential ingredients in suffering from pain, as opposed to feeling pain pure and simple.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/anxiety-and-anticipation-i-was-to-learn-are-the-essential-ingredients/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [All narratives, even the confusing, are implicitly hopeful; they speak of a world that can be ordered, and thus understood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/all-narratives-even-the-confusing-are-implicitly-hopeful-they-speak/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [Partly I was honing my self-consciousness into a torture device, sharp and efficient enough to last me the rest of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/partly-i-was-honing-my-self-consciousness-into-a-torture-device-sharp/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [Sometimes the briefest moments capture us, force us to take them in, and demand that we live the rest of our lives in reference…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/sometimes-the-briefest-moments-capture-us-force-us-to-take-them-in/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [“Reinforced to me again and again was how I was a ‘brave girl’ for not crying, a ‘good girl’ for not complaining, and soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/reinforced-to-me-again-and-again-was-how-i-was-a-brave-girl-for-not/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [Animals were both the lives I took care of and the lives who took care of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/animals-were-both-the-lives-i-took-care-of-and-the-lives-who-took/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [Beauty, as defined by society at large, seemed to be only about who was best at looking like everyone else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/beauty-as-defined-by-society-at-large-seemed-to-be-only-about-who-was/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [I used to think truth was eternal, that once I knew, once I saw, it would be with me forever, a constant by which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/i-used-to-think-truth-was-eternal-that-once-i-knew-once-i-saw-it/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [This singularity of meaning--I was my face, I was ugliness--though sometimes unbearable, also offered a possible point of escape. It became the launching pad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/this-singularity-of-meaning-i-was-my-face-i-was-ugliness-though/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [Part of the job of being human is to consistently underestimate our effect on other people...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/part-of-the-job-of-being-human-is-to-consistently-underestimate-our/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) > [“The school year progressed slowly. I felt as if I had been in the sixth grade for years, yet it was only October. Halloween…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/the-school-year-progressed-slowly-i-felt-as-if-i-had-been-in-the/) [Lucy Grealy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) [Explore all 23 Lucy Grealy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/) ## More Cruel quotes > [“History has a cruel way of disappointing optimists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/keith-thompson/history-has-a-cruel-way-of-disappointing-optimists/) Keith Thompson > [“I think the reason we're cruel sometimes is that we're afraid we're going to like something.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/i-think-the-reason-we-re-cruel-sometimes-is-that-we-re-afraid-we-re/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [“Don't be so cruel to me. Don't promise me anything. I've got everything that i need. I need love in a good way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tegan-quin/don-t-be-so-cruel-to-me-don-t-promise-me-anything-i-ve-got-everything/) [Tegan Quin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tegan-quin/) > [Pity is cruel. Pity destroys.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/pity-is-cruel-pity-destroys/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [“Even the cruel feel pain. And even the cruel can change. I hope this changes him. He could do so much, if only he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pierce-brown/even-the-cruel-feel-pain-and-even-the-cruel-can-change-i-hope-this/) [Pierce Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pierce-brown/) > [You must learn that to endure cruelty is to become cruel yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bleach/you-must-learn-that-to-endure-cruelty-is-to-become-cruel-yourself/) [Bleach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bleach/) > [“my power is as cruel a joke as it can get? That’s”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-d-anderson/my-power-is-as-cruel-a-joke-as-it-can-get-that-s/) Katie D. Anderson > [I must be cruel only to be kind; Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/i-must-be-cruel-only-to-be-kind-thus-bad-begins-and-worse-remains/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [Huamns, uregulated, are cruel and capricious; violet and selfish; miserable and quarrelsome. It is only after their instincts and basic emotions have been controlled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-oliver/huamns-uregulated-are-cruel-and-capricious-violet-and-selfish/) [Lauren Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-oliver/) > [“You would think those who have endured unkindness would be kinder as a result, intent on sparing others the awful suffering they abhorred firsthand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/you-would-think-those-who-have-endured-unkindness-would-be-kinder-as/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [how cruel, your veins are full of ice-water and mine are boiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/how-cruel-your-veins-are-full-of-ice-water-and-mine-are-boiling/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [There is no kindness more cruel than the kindness which consigns another person to their sin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/there-is-no-kindness-more-cruel-than-the-kindness-which-consigns/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Vanity can create a very cruel space for you if you don't know how to manage it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/vanity-can-create-a-very-cruel-space-for-you-if-you-don-t-know-how-to/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [Life is cruel and we do terrible things to each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-pym/life-is-cruel-and-we-do-terrible-things-to-each-other/) [Barbara Pym](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-pym/) > [What people loathe the most is to be orphaned, desolate, unworthy. But this is what princes and kings call themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/what-people-loathe-the-most-is-to-be-orphaned-desolate-unworthy-but/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) Browse all 1,069 Cruel quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Life in general was cruel and offered only different types of voids and chaos. The only way to tolerate it, to have any hope of escaping it, I reasoned, was to know my own strength, to defy life by surviving it.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lucy Grealy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-only-different-types-of-voids/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Cruel" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-only-different-types-of-voids/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/lucy-grealy-24985_cruel_life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-on_3090399.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/lucy-grealy-24985_cruel_life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-on_3090399.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/48e/lucy-grealy-24985_cruel_life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-on_3090399.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life in general was cruel and offered only different types of voids and chaos. The only way to tolerate it…” — Lucy Grealy", "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": "Lucy Grealy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-grealy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Life in general was cruel and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-only-different-types-of-voids/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-grealy/life-in-general-was-cruel-and-offered-only-different-types-of-voids/#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 } } ] } ```