--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Alcohol was for people who basically…" description: "\"Alcohol was for people who basically wished to be dead but lacked the courage to kill themselves.\" — MacDonald Harris" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/macdonald-harris-42712_alcohol_alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wis_2538081.jpg" --- # Alcohol was for people who basically wished to be dead but… ![“Alcohol was for people who basically wished to be dead but lacked the courage to kill themselves.” quote by MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/macdonald-harris-42712_alcohol_alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wis_2538081.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/macdonald-harris-42712_alcohol_alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wis_2538081.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/macdonald-harris-42712_alcohol_alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wis_2538081.jpg) > “Alcohol was for people who basically wished to be dead but lacked the courage to kill themselves.” [MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A bleak view that alcohol is a self‑destructive escape for those who feel hopeless yet cannot act on it. **In simple terms:** Alcohol as a desperate escape for the hopeless. Key Takeaway Recognize healthier coping ways. Themes despair addiction escape mental health Mood somber reflective Type cautionary philosophical When to use this quote - personal crisis - therapy sessions - support groups Key Concepts self‑destruction coping mechanisms existential crisis Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to seek escape? - How can you find purpose without self‑harm? A Different Perspective May oversimplify complex reasons for substance use. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alcohol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) [Courage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/courage/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Wine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wine/) ## Related quotes > [I want to throw a party with fake alcohol and see how many people act wasted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-to-throw-a-party-with-fake-alcohol-and-see-how-many-people-act/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Basically I got an insight into what it really was through Alcoholics Anonymous. One day the switchboard lit up and I saw where it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/van-morrison/basically-i-got-an-insight-into-what-it-really-was-through-alcoholics/) [Van Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/van-morrison/) > [I don't do alcohol. Or other people's boyfriends. And don't you forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-cabot/i-don-t-do-alcohol-or-other-people-s-boyfriends-and-don-t-you-forget/) [Meg Cabot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-cabot/) > [Somehow, I had the feeling that I was responsible for Harry being dead. I remembered all the times that I wished he were dead,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-rothstein/somehow-i-had-the-feeling-that-i-was-responsible-for-harry-being-dead/) [Arnold Rothstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-rothstein/) > [“Hate and love danced a violent tango inside of her. She wished he were dead. She wanted to see him smile again. She craved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darcy-coates/hate-and-love-danced-a-violent-tango-inside-of-her-she-wished-he-were/) [Darcy Coates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darcy-coates/) > [I felt so lonesome I most wished I was dead. The stars were shining, and the leaves rustled in the woods ever so mournful;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-felt-so-lonesome-i-most-wished-i-was-dead-the-stars-were-shining/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“Charles gave his hat to Mary, set his lapels, wished he were dead, then went down the hall and into his ordeal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/charles-gave-his-hat-to-mary-set-his-lapels-wished-he-were-dead-then/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“Magnus held on to the boy, newborn in grave dirt and blood, and he wished that he had found him dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/magnus-held-on-to-the-boy-newborn-in-grave-dirt-and-blood-and-he/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“Hell must be like... reminiscing about the good old days when we wished we were dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/hell-must-be-like-reminiscing-about-the-good-old-days-when-we-wished/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [I felt so lonesome, all of a sudden. I almost wished I was dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-felt-so-lonesome-all-of-a-sudden-i-almost-wished-i-was-dead/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have wished you dead and myself dead. How could it be otherwise. I have broken into you like a burglar. And you've set…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alicia-ostriker/i-have-wished-you-dead-and-myself-dead-how-could-it-be-otherwise-i/) [Alicia Ostriker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alicia-ostriker/) > [“That's what hell must be like, small chat to the babbling of Lethe about the good old days when we wished we were dead.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/that-s-what-hell-must-be-like-small-chat-to-the-babbling-of-lethe/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“What about me? I love you so much. And I tried to make you go away. I killed you and it didn't help. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joss-whedon/what-about-me-i-love-you-so-much-and-i-tried-to-make-you-go-away-i/) [Joss Whedon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joss-whedon/) > [“... I never turned; it was enough to feel them all there without looking into their flat grey faces with hating eyes. I wish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/i-never-turned-it-was-enough-to-feel-them-all-there-without-looking/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [It's so easy to wish for death when nothing's wrong with you! It's so easy to fall in love with death, and I've been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/it-s-so-easy-to-wish-for-death-when-nothing-s-wrong-with-you-it-s-so/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) ## More by MacDonald Harris > [The resentment I felt inside was not hatred for being imprisoned or for Victor who had betrayed me but something deeper: a rebellion against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/the-resentment-i-felt-inside-was-not-hatred-for-being-imprisoned-or/) [MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) > [“I was naked and he had more possessions than he could use all at once. I was the proletarian, he was the capitalist, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/i-was-naked-and-he-had-more-possessions-than-he-could-use-all-at-once/) [MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) > [Who doesn't have a dark place somewhere inside him that comes out sometimes when he's looking in a mirror? Dark and light, we are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/who-doesn-t-have-a-dark-place-somewhere-inside-him-that-comes-out/) [MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) > [“Somewhere on the bottom of the Pacific is a copy of The Forsyte Saga I heaved overboard one afternoon. I very quickly saw what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/somewhere-on-the-bottom-of-the-pacific-is-a-copy-of-the-forsyte-saga/) [MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) > [It was a part of myself that was my enemy; I still had a childish illusion that the flesh on my own bones was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/it-was-a-part-of-myself-that-was-my-enemy-i-still-had-a-childish/) [MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) > [“Is there anybody who would like to have written on his forehead a record of the places where he has slept? We are all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/is-there-anybody-who-would-like-to-have-written-on-his-forehead-a/) [MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) > [The books were a private part of me that I carried inside and guarded and didn't talk to anybody about; as long as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/the-books-were-a-private-part-of-me-that-i-carried-inside-and-guarded/) [MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) > [What happened was simple, even banal: I became naked, died, lost parts of my flesh and most of my ego along with a few…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/what-happened-was-simple-even-banal-i-became-naked-died-lost-parts-of/) [MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) > [But I know too that if we ever make a world without shadow, if the chemists and scientists and psychologists succeed in abolishing fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/but-i-know-too-that-if-we-ever-make-a-world-without-shadow-if-the/) [MacDonald Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) [Explore all 10 MacDonald Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/) ## More Alcohol quotes > [I'm Catholic and I can't commit suicide, but I plan to drink myself to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/i-m-catholic-and-i-can-t-commit-suicide-but-i-plan-to-drink-myself-to/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Stronger than alcohol, vaster than poetry, Ferment the freckled red bitterness of love!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rimbaud/stronger-than-alcohol-vaster-than-poetry-ferment-the-freckled-red/) [Arthur Rimbaud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rimbaud/) > [And, when night Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/and-when-night-darkens-the-streets-then-wander-forth-the-sons-of/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [ \[As in the case of\] alcohol prohibition, illegality has driven organized crime, sent countless people to jail, and killed many thousands. Repression does not… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-branson/as-in-the-case-of-alcohol-prohibition-illegality-has-driven-organized/) [Sam Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-branson/) > [You can get a new phone or new trainers (sneakers) but you've only got one body so you have to look after it. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyson-beckford/you-can-get-a-new-phone-or-new-trainers-sneakers-but-you-ve-only-got/) Tyson Beckford > [Alcohol doesn't console, it doesn't fill up anyone's psychological gaps, all it replaces is the lack of God. It doesn't comfort man. On the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-duras/alcohol-doesn-t-console-it-doesn-t-fill-up-anyone-s-psychological/) [Marguerite Duras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-duras/) > [In 1969, I gave up women and alcohol - it was the worst 20 minutes of my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-best/in-1969-i-gave-up-women-and-alcohol-it-was-the-worst-20-minutes-of-my/) [George Best](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-best/) > [Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house unless they have a well-stocked bar.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/thou-shalt-not-covet-thy-neighbor-s-house-unless-they-have-a-well/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [Alcohol is like Photoshop for real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferrell/alcohol-is-like-photoshop-for-real-life/) [Will Ferrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferrell/) > [“Alcoholism is a choice... not a life sentence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-norman/alcoholism-is-a-choice-not-a-life-sentence/) David Norman > [Blunt force didn't knock out the drug epidemic. 21 million Americans are addicted to drugs or alcohol. And half of all federal inmates are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-botticelli/blunt-force-didn-t-knock-out-the-drug-epidemic-21-million-americans/) [Michael Botticelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-botticelli/) > [I go to parties sometimes until four, it's hard to leave when you can't find the door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-walsh/i-go-to-parties-sometimes-until-four-it-s-hard-to-leave-when-you-can/) [Joe Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-walsh/) > [I can't fill the hole with money. 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I promised myself long ago that I would never miss a hunting season, never poison my sacred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/i-take-really-good-care-of-myself-i-promised-myself-long-ago-that-i/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) [Browse all 1,953 Alcohol quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alcohol/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Alcohol was for people who basically wished to be dead but lacked the courage to kill themselves.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "MacDonald Harris" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wished-to-be-dead-but-lacked-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alcohol" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wished-to-be-dead-but-lacked-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/macdonald-harris-42712_alcohol_alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wis_2538081.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/macdonald-harris-42712_alcohol_alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wis_2538081.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/75f/macdonald-harris-42712_alcohol_alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wis_2538081.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Alcohol was for people who basically wished to be dead but lacked the courage to kill themselves.” — MacDonald Harris", "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": "MacDonald Harris", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macdonald-harris/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Alcohol was for people who basically...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wished-to-be-dead-but-lacked-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macdonald-harris/alcohol-was-for-people-who-basically-wished-to-be-dead-but-lacked-the/#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 } } ] } ```