--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it was Rose Macaulay who said, \"A…" description: "\"I think it was Rose Macaulay who said, \"A house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived.\"\" — Maggie O'Farrell" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/maggie-o-farrell-9276_house_i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a_2341871.jpg" --- # I think it was Rose Macaulay who said, "A house unkept… ![“I think it was Rose Macaulay who said, "A house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived."” quote by Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/maggie-o-farrell-9276_house_i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a_2341871.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/maggie-o-farrell-9276_house_i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a_2341871.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/maggie-o-farrell-9276_house_i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a_2341871.jpg) > “I think it was Rose Macaulay who said, "A house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived."” [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Neglecting a home can be less painful than living a life without purpose or fulfillment. **In simple terms:** A messy house is less distressing than an unfulfilled life. Key Takeaway Prioritize meaningful experiences. Themes purpose home fulfillment reflection Mood contemplative inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily routines - life planning - home organization - career decisions Key Concepts existentialism personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What does a “well‑kept” life look like for you? - How can you balance order and spontaneity? A Different Perspective May romanticize neglect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Distressing Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distressing-life-4081988/) [House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Unlived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-unlived-1432366/) [Macaulay Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/macaulay-said-5669566/) [Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose/) [Rose Macaulay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rose-macaulay-5669565/) [Said House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-house-3889702/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [At the worst, a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-the-worst-a-house-unkept-cannot-be-so-distressing-as-a-life-unlived/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's a rental," I said, realizing when I said it that our house was the only rental on the block. Maybe something unseemly had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-straub/it-s-a-rental-i-said-realizing-when-i-said-it-that-our-house-was-the/) [Emma Straub](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-straub/) > [“Perhaps many things inside you have been transformed; perhaps somewhere, someplace deep inside your being, you have undergone important changes while you were sad.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/perhaps-many-things-inside-you-have-been-transformed-perhaps-2/) [Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/) > [My motto: "A life without risk, is a life unlived my friend." -Kendall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-time-rush/my-motto-a-life-without-risk-is-a-life-unlived-my-friend-kendall/) [Big Time Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-time-rush/) > [“A life without risk, is a life unlived my friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/big-time-rush/a-life-without-risk-is-a-life-unlived-my-friend/) [Big Time Rush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/big-time-rush/) > [Guilt results from unused life, from the unlived in us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/guilt-results-from-unused-life-from-the-unlived-in-us/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [A live unexamined isn't worth living. I will add, "A life unlived isn't worth examining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/a-live-unexamined-isn-t-worth-living-i-will-add-a-life-unlived-isn-t/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“I believe that even in the darkest of moments, a rose can bloom, and its beauty can make us hope again. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carole-gill/i-believe-that-even-in-the-darkest-of-moments-a-rose-can-bloom-and/) [Carole Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carole-gill/) > [There is sweet music here that softer falls Than petals from blown roses on the grass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-lord-tennyson/there-is-sweet-music-here-that-softer-falls-than-petals-from-blown/) [Alfred Lord Tennyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-lord-tennyson/) > [The sun, a red wheel, was sinking slowly in the west. Besides being spectacularly beautiful, the early-summer sunset was exceedingly soft and gentle: black…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-yan/the-sun-a-red-wheel-was-sinking-slowly-in-the-west-besides-being/) [Mo Yan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-yan/) > [I was born in Cuba. At the age of 14 years of age I was involved in a revolution. We were suffering from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-cruz/i-was-born-in-cuba-at-the-age-of-14-years-of-age-i-was-involved-in-a/) [Ted Cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-cruz/) > [“Rose is like a woman love;when love odorous but gets offended when bony..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonnaville/rose-is-like-a-woman-love-when-love-odorous-but-gets-offended-when/) [Jonnaville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonnaville/) > [They've changed the name from white supremacy to white separatists, to white nationalists, to alt-right. It's the same thing. A rose by any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/they-ve-changed-the-name-from-white-supremacy-to-white-separatists-to/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/) [Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Maggie O'Farrell > [She wanted to say, no. She wanted to say, I have a son, there is a child, this cannot happen. Because you know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/she-wanted-to-say-no-she-wanted-to-say-i-have-a-son-there-is-a-child/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [Two and a half thousand left-handed people are killed every year using things made for right-handed people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/two-and-a-half-thousand-left-handed-people-are-killed-every-year/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [I don't believe in fate. I don't believe in cushioning your insecurities with a system of belief that tells you 'Don't worry. This may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/i-don-t-believe-in-fate-i-don-t-believe-in-cushioning-your/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [I met a retired police detective. And he said to me that the interesting thing about heatwaves, from a police perspective, is that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/i-met-a-retired-police-detective-and-he-said-to-me-that-the/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [While I was writing the book, one of my children was diagnosed with dyslexia. Dyslexia is a very tiny word for a wide-ranging neurological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/while-i-was-writing-the-book-one-of-my-children-was-diagnosed-with/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [“Why is it that twenty-four hours in the company of your family is capable of reducing you to a teenager?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/why-is-it-that-twenty-four-hours-in-the-company-of-your-family-is/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [I think it's dangerous to have lots of time on your hands as a writer. Time to pursue every little alleyway, to follow every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/i-think-it-s-dangerous-to-have-lots-of-time-on-your-hands-as-a-writer/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [I think all families have these secrets, and it's sometimes the strangest things that bring them out. That was part of my interest in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/i-think-all-families-have-these-secrets-and-it-s-sometimes-the/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [My husband, William Sutcliffe, the writer, is my first reader and in many ways my most important. That initial reading of the manuscript is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/my-husband-william-sutcliffe-the-writer-is-my-first-reader-and-in/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [She liked the way his smile took a long time to arrive and just as long to leave.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/she-liked-the-way-his-smile-took-a-long-time-to-arrive-and-just-as/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [“That's because they're of the past. All photos of the past look melancholy and wistful precisely because they capture something that's gone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/that-s-because-they-re-of-the-past-all-photos-of-the-past-look/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [We always planned to move back to the Republic but it never happened, I'm not sure why. My dad is one of those immigrants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/we-always-planned-to-move-back-to-the-republic-but-it-never-happened/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [I was interested in the ripples of feminism passing through Britain and Ireland in the mid-Seventies - how the reverberations of the feminist political…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/i-was-interested-in-the-ripples-of-feminism-passing-through-britain/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [Listen. The trees in this story are stirring, trembling, readjusting themselves. A breeze is coming in gusts off the sea, and it is almost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/listen-the-trees-in-this-story-are-stirring-trembling-readjusting/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) > [In the first night of the Arvon Foundation course, Elspeth Barker said something about the newspaper along the lines of - and I'm paraphrasing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/in-the-first-night-of-the-arvon-foundation-course-elspeth-barker-said/) [Maggie O'Farrell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) [Explore all 74 Maggie O'Farrell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/) ## More House quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [One of the best moments of any Liars show is hearing the crowd squawk 'We're doomed! We're doomed!' on cue during 'We Fenced Other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-sheffield/one-of-the-best-moments-of-any-liars-show-is-hearing-the-crowd-squawk/) [Rob Sheffield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-sheffield/) > [Houses are like the human beings that inhabit them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/houses-are-like-the-human-beings-that-inhabit-them/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/) [Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/) > [I don't own designer clothes, or a sports car, or a huge house, but I am seeing the world, experiencing amazing things, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roz-savage/i-don-t-own-designer-clothes-or-a-sports-car-or-a-huge-house-but-i-am/) [Roz Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roz-savage/) > [Then all this earth shines like one house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/then-all-this-earth-shines-like-one-house/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [I grew up in Synagogue in the boys' choir. We didn't listen to music in the house; only at temple. Then I went to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-patinkin/i-grew-up-in-synagogue-in-the-boys-choir-we-didn-t-listen-to-music-in/) [Mandy Patinkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-patinkin/) > [She'd read once that if you ran into a bear in the woods you should avoid eye contact and you shouldn't run away, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-ursu/she-d-read-once-that-if-you-ran-into-a-bear-in-the-woods-you-should/) [Anne Ursu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-ursu/) > [We were so poor as kids. I didn't even see a bathtub, running water, hot water, commode - we didn't have any of that.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/we-were-so-poor-as-kids-i-didn-t-even-see-a-bathtub-running-water-hot/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) > [Perhaps the most important reason to be skeptical of government inflation numbers is that the government, like a fox campaigning to guard a hen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-schiff/perhaps-the-most-important-reason-to-be-skeptical-of-government/) [Peter Schiff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-schiff/) > [I didn't expect to be so comfortable handing my child off to a nanny without getting any of her information. As soon as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-wong/i-didn-t-expect-to-be-so-comfortable-handing-my-child-off-to-a-nanny/) [Ali Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-wong/) > [I think of novels as houses. You live in them over the course of a long period, both as a reader and as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-krauss/i-think-of-novels-as-houses-you-live-in-them-over-the-course-of-a/) [Nicole Krauss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-krauss/) > [Well this is aptly called a junket, for both of us. I have never been to a house of prostitution, but I understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/well-this-is-aptly-called-a-junket-for-both-of-us-i-have-never-been/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) [Browse all 14,318 House quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it was Rose Macaulay who said, \"A house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived.\"", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maggie O'Farrell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a-house-unkept-cannot-be-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "House" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a-house-unkept-cannot-be-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/maggie-o-farrell-9276_house_i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a_2341871.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/maggie-o-farrell-9276_house_i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a_2341871.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e43/maggie-o-farrell-9276_house_i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a_2341871.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think it was Rose Macaulay who said, \"A house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived.\"” — Maggie O'Farrell", "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": "Maggie O'Farrell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-o-farrell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think it was Rose Macaulay...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a-house-unkept-cannot-be-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-o-farrell/i-think-it-was-rose-macaulay-who-said-a-house-unkept-cannot-be-so/#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 } } ] } ```