--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life now insists that we encounter…" description: "\"Life now insists that we encounter groundlessness. Systems and ideas that seemed reliable and solid dissolve at an increasing rate. People who asked fo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_abandon_life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groun_1711863.png" --- # Life now insists that we encounter groundlessness. Systems… ![“Life now insists that we encounter groundlessness. Systems and ideas that seemed reliable and solid dissolve at an increasing rate. People who asked for our trust betray or abandon us. Strategies that worked suddenly don't. Groundlessness is a frightening place, at least at first, but as the old…” quote by Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_abandon_life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groun_1711863.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_abandon_life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groun_1711863.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_abandon_life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groun_1711863.png) > “Life now insists that we encounter groundlessness. Systems and ideas that seemed reliable and solid dissolve at an increasing rate. People who asked for our trust betray or abandon us. Strategies that worked suddenly don't. Groundlessness is a frightening place, at least at first, but as the old culture turns to mush, we would feel stronger if we stopped searching for ground, if we sought only to locate ourselves in the present and do our work from here.” [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. When familiar structures collapse, we feel insecure; embracing present‑centered awareness can restore resilience. **In simple terms:** Loss of certainty leads to fear; staying present builds strength. Key Takeaway Focus on present work, let go of seeking stability. Themes uncertainty resilience present‑moment leadership Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - organizational change - personal crisis - career transition - creative projects Key Concepts systems theory psychological safety adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How can you cultivate presence amid instability? - What practices help you stay grounded without fixed foundations? A Different Perspective Groundlessness can cause paralysis if not paired with intentional presence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Frightening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/frightening/) [Ideas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideas/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Old culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/old-culture/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Soul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/soul/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) ## Related quotes > [“After a tragedy, a farce. Philosophy enters into her power, and the earth returns under one's feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/after-a-tragedy-a-farce-philosophy-enters-into-her-power-and-the/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [Anyone who stands on the edge of the unknown, fully in the present without reference point, experiences groundlessness. That's when our understanding goes deeper,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/anyone-who-stands-on-the-edge-of-the-unknown-fully-in-the-present/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“But we don’t have to close down when we feel groundlessness in any form. Instead, we can turn toward it and say, “This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/but-we-don-t-have-to-close-down-when-we-feel-groundlessness-in-any/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“Whilst stay-at-home persons are searching for truth, the apple will stay on the tree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/whilst-stay-at-home-persons-are-searching-for-truth-the-apple-will/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [“As we practice moving into the present moment this way, we become more familiar with groundlessness, a fresh state of being that is available…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/as-we-practice-moving-into-the-present-moment-this-way-we-become-more/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“The very first noble truth of the Buddha points out that suffering is inevitable for human beings as long as we believe that things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/the-very-first-noble-truth-of-the-buddha-points-out-that-suffering-is/) [Pema Chödrön](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [“If you turn to the right, you will marry, if to the left, you will be killed." A true philosopher never chooses the middle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-shestov/if-you-turn-to-the-right-you-will-marry-if-to-the-left-you-will-be/) [Lev Shestov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-shestov/) > [Underneath our ordinary lives, underneath all the talking we do, all the moving we do, all the thoughts in our minds, there's a fundamental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pema-ch-dr-n/underneath-our-ordinary-lives-underneath-all-the-talking-we-do-all/) [Pema Chodron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pema-ch-dr-n/) > [I grew up in a wonderful blend of a lot of old culture.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-ortega/i-grew-up-in-a-wonderful-blend-of-a-lot-of-old-culture/) [Kenny Ortega](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-ortega/) > [One of the West's singular migrations--from the Azores to California's Great Central Valley--is given faces and voices in Anthony Barcellos's new novel, Land of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-haslam/one-of-the-west-s-singular-migrations-from-the-azores-to-california-s/) Gerald Haslam > [Ours is certainly not an old culture. Yet in recent decades we've used more energy, destroyed more soil, created more pathogenicity (temporarily stopped some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-salatin/ours-is-certainly-not-an-old-culture-yet-in-recent-decades-we-ve-used/) [Joel Salatin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-salatin/) > [When people say that L.A. doesn't have a culture, I think it really does: a very old culture, and very specific. There's streets named…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-armisen/when-people-say-that-l-a-doesn-t-have-a-culture-i-think-it-really/) [Fred Armisen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-armisen/) > [When a scholar of the old culture vows no longer to have anything to do with men who believe in progress, he is right.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-a-scholar-of-the-old-culture-vows-no-longer-to-have-anything-to/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The Islamic culture is a question mark for many people across the world, but Qatar opens its doors to supporters all over the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-batistuta/the-islamic-culture-is-a-question-mark-for-many-people-across-the/) [Gabriel Batistuta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-batistuta/) > [I have some advantages of viewing from the two lenses, the two perspectives. I think that a lot of visual artists who come back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chath-piersath/i-have-some-advantages-of-viewing-from-the-two-lenses-the-two/) [Chath Piersath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chath-piersath/) ## More by Margaret J. Wheatley > [There is no power for change greater than a community discovering what it cares about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/there-is-no-power-for-change-greater-than-a-community-discovering/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [For us, someone who is willing to step forward and help is much more courageous than someone who is merely fulfilling the role.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/for-us-someone-who-is-willing-to-step-forward-and-help-is-much-more/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [I believe that the capacity that any organization needs is for leadership to appear anywhere it is needed, when it is needed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/i-believe-that-the-capacity-that-any-organization-needs-is-for/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Perseverance is a choice. It's not a simple, one-time choice, it's a daily one. There's never a final decision.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/perseverance-is-a-choice-it-s-not-a-simple-one-time-choice-it-s-a/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [When we seek for connection, we restore the world to wholeness. Our seemingly separate lives become meaningful as we discover how truly necessary we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/when-we-seek-for-connection-we-restore-the-world-to-wholeness-our/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Aggression only moves in one direction - it creates more aggression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/aggression-only-moves-in-one-direction-it-creates-more-aggression/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [The future cannot be determined. It can only be experienced as it is occurring. Life doesn't know what it will be until it notices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/the-future-cannot-be-determined-it-can-only-be-experienced-as-it-is/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [A world based on machine images is a world filled with boundaries. In a machine, every piece knows its place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/a-world-based-on-machine-images-is-a-world-filled-with-boundaries-in/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [For eons, humans have struggled to find less destructive ways of living together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/for-eons-humans-have-struggled-to-find-less-destructive-ways-of/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [You can’t hate someone whose story you know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/you-can-t-hate-someone-whose-story-you-know/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [we can't be creative if we refuse to be confused. Change always starts with confusion; cherished interpretations must dissolve to make way for what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/we-can-t-be-creative-if-we-refuse-to-be-confused-change-always-starts/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Determination, energy, and courage appear spontaneously when we care deeply about something. We take risks that are unimaginable in any other context.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/determination-energy-and-courage-appear-spontaneously-when-we-care/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [Aggression only breeds more aggression. It only creates more fear and anger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/aggression-only-breeds-more-aggression-it-only-creates-more-fear-and/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [We are, always, poets, exploring possibilities of meaning in a world which is also all the time exploring possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/we-are-always-poets-exploring-possibilities-of-meaning-in-a-world/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) > [I think a major act of leadership right now, call it a radical act, is to create the places and processes so people can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/i-think-a-major-act-of-leadership-right-now-call-it-a-radical-act-is/) [Margaret J. Wheatley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) [Explore all 112 Margaret J. Wheatley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/) ## More Abandon quotes > [Humans are, as Sartre put it, 'condemned to be free'. To insist that science, or God, objectively defines moral values is to abandon our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenan-malik/humans-are-as-sartre-put-it-condemned-to-be-free-to-insist-that/) Kenan Malik > [The purpose of a spirit filled life is to demonstrate the supernatural power of our living God so that the unsaved multitudes will abandon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-l-osborn/the-purpose-of-a-spirit-filled-life-is-to-demonstrate-the/) [T.L. Osborn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-l-osborn/) > [However, however, if the goal is to abandon America's free enterprise economy, if the goal is to convert America into a submissive member of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marco-rubio/however-however-if-the-goal-is-to-abandon-america-s-free-enterprise/) [Marco Rubio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marco-rubio/) > [I would leave at once, but it would be cruel to abandon a lady in a foreign land with a maniac.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-would-leave-at-once-but-it-would-be-cruel-to-abandon-a-lady-in-a/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [When we fall utterly, something gathers us up. But our falling must be without reservation, without expectation, without hope, though not hopeless. You cant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-housden/when-we-fall-utterly-something-gathers-us-up-but-our-falling-must-be/) [Roger Housden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-housden/) > [every subjective phenomenon is essentially connected with a single point of view, and it seems inevitable that an objective, physical theory will abandon that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-nagel/every-subjective-phenomenon-is-essentially-connected-with-a-single/) [Thomas Nagel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-nagel/) > [Can you dissolve your ego? Can you abandon the idea of self and other? Can you relinquish the notions of male and female, short…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/can-you-dissolve-your-ego-can-you-abandon-the-idea-of-self-and-other/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [Every great thing starts with an idea, followed by a doubt and finally a resolve to abandon or pursue. Victory is a treacherous journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dane-cook/every-great-thing-starts-with-an-idea-followed-by-a-doubt-and-finally/) [Dane Cook](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dane-cook/) > [Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/those-who-have-been-once-intoxicated-with-power-and-have-derived-any/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [Do not lose hope; St. Joseph also experienced moments of difficulty, but he never lost faith and was able to overcome them, in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/do-not-lose-hope-st-joseph-also-experienced-moments-of-difficulty-but/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [It is a dangerous and fateful presumption, besides the absurd temerity that it implies, to disdain what we do not comprehend. For after you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-a-dangerous-and-fateful-presumption-besides-the-absurd-temerity/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't give up because things are hard, but work harder, when you think of giving up.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/don-t-give-up-because-things-are-hard-but-work-harder-when-you-think/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [Sex is not the ultimate high, but the ultimate high hangs out around sex. The ultimate high is the dance with another person, played…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/sex-is-not-the-ultimate-high-but-the-ultimate-high-hangs-out-around/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [I care so deeply about this matter that I'm willing to take on the legal penalties, to sit in this prison cell, to sacrifice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-care-so-deeply-about-this-matter-that-i-m-willing-to-take-on-the/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [I've been to unpretty places with the roles I've played, and I'm attracted to reckless abandon. I like being taken to the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rhys-ifans/i-ve-been-to-unpretty-places-with-the-roles-i-ve-played-and-i-m/) [Rhys Ifans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rhys-ifans/) Browse all 1,142 Abandon quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life now insists that we encounter groundlessness. Systems and ideas that seemed reliable and solid dissolve at an increasing rate. People who asked for our trust betray or abandon us. Strategies that worked suddenly don't. Groundlessness is a frightening place, at least at first, but as the old culture turns to mush, we would feel stronger if we stopped searching for ground, if we sought only to locate ourselves in the present and do our work from here.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret J. Wheatley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groundlessness-systems-and-ideas/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Abandon" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groundlessness-systems-and-ideas/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_abandon_life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groun_1711863.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_abandon_life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groun_1711863.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb9/margaret-j-wheatley-4368_abandon_life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groun_1711863.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life now insists that we encounter groundlessness. Systems and ideas that seemed reliable and solid dissolve…” — Margaret J. Wheatley", "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": "Margaret J. Wheatley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-j-wheatley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life now insists that we encounter...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groundlessness-systems-and-ideas/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-j-wheatley/life-now-insists-that-we-encounter-groundlessness-systems-and-ideas/#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 } } ] } ```