---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The trouble with life is its…"
description: "\"The trouble with life is its amorphousness, its ridiculous fluidity. Look at it: thinly plotted, largely themeless, sentimental and ineluctably trite. ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/martin-amis-704_communication_the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousne_2854847.jpg"
---

#  The trouble with life is its amorphousness, its ridiculous…

![“The trouble with life is its amorphousness, its ridiculous fluidity. Look at it: thinly plotted, largely themeless, sentimental and ineluctably trite. The dialogue is poor, or at least violently uneven. The twists are either predictable or sensationalist. And it’s always the same beginning, and…” quote by Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/martin-amis-704_communication_the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousne_2854847.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/martin-amis-704_communication_the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousne_2854847.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/martin-amis-704_communication_the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousne_2854847.jpg)

> “The trouble with life is its amorphousness, its ridiculous fluidity. Look at it: thinly plotted, largely themeless, sentimental and ineluctably trite. The dialogue is poor, or at least violently uneven. The twists are either predictable or sensationalist. And it’s always the same beginning, and the same ending.”

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

## About This Quote

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

Life feels shapeless and overly sentimental, with weak dialogue and predictable twists, making it seem trite and formulaic.

**In simple terms:** Life seems vague, sentimental, and predictable.

Key Takeaway

Seek depth and originality in storytelling.

Themes

life sentimentality predictability dialogue structure

Mood

critical reflective

Type

literary analytical

When to use this quote

- writing workshops
- book clubs
- creative writing courses
- film script analysis

Key Concepts

postmodernism literary criticism narrative form

Questions to Reflect On

- How does predictability affect engagement?
- What makes a story feel genuine?

A Different Perspective

The critique may overlook intentional stylistic choices.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Amorphousness Ridiculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/amorphousness-ridiculous-3819989/) [Communication](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/) [Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dialogue/) [Fluidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fluidity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Amorphousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-amorphousness-3819988/) [Life is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-is/) [Looks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looks/) [Poor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poor/) [Predictable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/predictable/) [Ridiculous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculous/) [Ridiculous Fluidity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ridiculous-fluidity-3819991/) [Sentimental](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sentimental/) [Trite Dialogue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trite-dialogue-3819990/) [Trouble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble/) [Trouble Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trouble-life-272486/) [Twists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/twists/)

## Related quotes

> [“The trouble with life (the novelist will feel) is its amorphousness, its ridiculous fluidity. Look at it: thinly plotted, largely themeless, sentimental and ineluctably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-trouble-with-life-the-novelist-will-feel-is-its-amorphousness-its/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [I got in trouble my whole life for having a big mouth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-tyler/i-got-in-trouble-my-whole-life-for-having-a-big-mouth/)

[Steven Tyler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-tyler/)

> [Life is getting through the moment. The philosopher William James says to cultivate the cheerful attitude. Now nobody had more trouble than he did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-gordon/life-is-getting-through-the-moment-the-philosopher-william-james-says/)

[Ruth Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-gordon/)

> [Trouble is part of your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-shore/trouble-is-part-of-your-life/)

[Dinah Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-shore/)

> [Trouble is part of your life - if you don't share it, you don't give the person who loves you a chance to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-shore/trouble-is-part-of-your-life-if-you-don-t-share-it-you-don-t-give-the-2/)

[Dinah Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-shore/)

> [“She was tired these days because she was having job trouble too; her trouble meant she did not know how she could be useful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-bender/she-was-tired-these-days-because-she-was-having-job-trouble-too-her/)

[Aimee Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-bender/)

> [“When I look back on all the worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-miller/when-i-look-back-on-all-the-worries-i-remember-the-story-of-the-old-2/)

[David Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-miller/)

> [The trouble with life was that you didn’t get a chance to practice before doing it for real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/the-trouble-with-life-was-that-you-didn-t-get-a-chance-to-practice/)

[Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/)

> [“The trouble with education is,' said Jimmy cheerfully, 'that we always read everything when we're too young to know what it means. And the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-ayer-barnes/the-trouble-with-education-is-said-jimmy-cheerfully-that-we-always/)

[Margaret Ayer Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-ayer-barnes/)

> [No matter what trouble life gives me, I just need to look at you and everything seems alright.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul/no-matter-what-trouble-life-gives-me-i-just-need-to-look-at-you-and/)

[Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul/)

> [Trouble is part of your life if you don't share it, you don't give the person who loves you a chance to love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/trouble-is-part-of-your-life-if-you-don-t-share-it-you-don-t-give-the/)

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

> [When I look back on all the worries I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-look-back-on-all-the-worries-i-remember-the-story-of-the-old/)

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

> [The trouble with life isn't that there is no answer, it's that there are so many answers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-trouble-with-life-isn-t-that-there-is-no-answer-it-s-that-there/)

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

> [“The trouble with life is that, unlike movies, it doesn't have background music. We never know how we're supposed to feel.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lewis-gardner/the-trouble-with-life-is-that-unlike-movies-it-doesn-t-have/)

[Lewis Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lewis-gardner/)

> [Life is difficult for everyone; everyone has bad days. Everyone has trouble in their life, because it doesn't matter how rich you are: Sickness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/domhnall-gleeson/life-is-difficult-for-everyone-everyone-has-bad-days-everyone-has/)

[Domhnall Gleeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/domhnall-gleeson/)

## More by Martin Amis

> [“Yeah,' I said and started smoking another cigarette. Unless I inform you otherwise, I'm always smoking another cigarette.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/yeah-i-said-and-started-smoking-another-cigarette-unless-i-inform-you/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [“barrios; each barrio has two or three gangs, and all the gangs are theoretically”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/barrios-each-barrio-has-two-or-three-gangs-and-all-the-gangs-are/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [I'm not interested in making a diagnostic novel or a concern. I'm 100 percent committed in fiction to the pleasure principle - that's what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-m-not-interested-in-making-a-diagnostic-novel-or-a-concern-i-m-100/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [“If we all downed tools and joined hands for ten minutes and stopped believing in money, then money would no longer exist. We never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/if-we-all-downed-tools-and-joined-hands-for-ten-minutes-and-stopped/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [When I see a lot of young faces in the audience, it's just sort of sinking in how important that is. Because you're old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/when-i-see-a-lot-of-young-faces-in-the-audience-it-s-just-sort-of/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [“I was informed by my viscera that now was the time to put my arm around her shoulders. I ignored them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-was-informed-by-my-viscera-that-now-was-the-time-to-put-my-arm/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [You use a different part of your heart with girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/you-use-a-different-part-of-your-heart-with-girls/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [It's becoming clearer and clearer to me that the world is there to be celebrated by writers, and in fact this is what all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/it-s-becoming-clearer-and-clearer-to-me-that-the-world-is-there-to-be/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [In her final months Princess Diana was being shat upon by the tabloids -- basically for sleeping with an Arab. When she died, these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/in-her-final-months-princess-diana-was-being-shat-upon-by-the/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [If you feel you have a strong constituency among the young, you can really die happy, because the great unanswered question, the only valid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/if-you-feel-you-have-a-strong-constituency-among-the-young-you-can/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [My life looked good on paper - where, in fact, almost all of it was being lived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/my-life-looked-good-on-paper-where-in-fact-almost-all-of-it-was-being/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [I say, 'If I had a serious brain injury I might well write a children's book', but otherwise the idea of being conscious of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/i-say-if-i-had-a-serious-brain-injury-i-might-well-write-a-children-s/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [The future could go this way, that way. The future's futures have never looked so rocky. Don't put money on it. Take my advice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-future-could-go-this-way-that-way-the-future-s-futures-have-never/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [Each life is a game of chess that went to hell on the seventh move(...)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/each-life-is-a-game-of-chess-that-went-to-hell-on-the-seventh-move/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

> [ “There exists a subterranean world where pathological fantasies disguised as ideas are churned out by crooks and half-educated fanatics \[notably the lower clergy\] for… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/there-exists-a-subterranean-world-where-pathological-fantasies/)

[Martin Amis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

[Explore all 393 Martin Amis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/)

## More Communication quotes

> [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. It makes a mockery of freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-robison/some-people-still-believe-you-should-just-fall-in-line-with-what-s/)

[Emily Robison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-robison/)

> [The problem posed by indirect speech acts is the problem of how it is possible for the speaker to say one thing and mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/the-problem-posed-by-indirect-speech-acts-is-the-problem-of-how-it-is/)

[John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/)

> [We should have a conversation when we hang up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benedict-cumberbatch/we-should-have-a-conversation-when-we-hang-up/)

[Benedict Cumberbatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benedict-cumberbatch/)

> [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/)

[Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/)

> [A poet is wounded into speech, and he examines these wounds, meticulously, to discover how to heal them. The bad poet harangues at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-r-delany/a-poet-is-wounded-into-speech-and-he-examines-these-wounds/)

[Samuel R. Delany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-r-delany/)

> [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/)

[Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/)

> [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/)

[Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/)

> [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/)

[Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/)

> [A dialogue is very important. It is a form of communication in which question and answer continue till a question is left without an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/a-dialogue-is-very-important-it-is-a-form-of-communication-in-which/)

[Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/)

> [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/)

[Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/)

> [I've been in a serious conversation with one of my children, and a fan has come up. I've been in a public bathroom and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-reddy/i-ve-been-in-a-serious-conversation-with-one-of-my-children-and-a-fan/)

[Helen Reddy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-reddy/)

> [Life as we know it is fundamentally unsatisfying. I think most folks feel this to be true. They know that a life of aimless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-yates/life-as-we-know-it-is-fundamentally-unsatisfying-i-think-most-folks/)

[Michael Yates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-yates/)

> [Disability, in general, hasn't been included in the conversation about inclusivity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-winston-george/disability-in-general-hasn-t-been-included-in-the-conversation-about/)

[Jason Winston George](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-winston-george/)

> [“Women will be at least 50 percent of the communications community workforce … from executive suite to interns. Why? The “integrated” agency will be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoram-wind/women-will-be-at-least-50-percent-of-the-communications-community/)

[Yoram Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoram-wind/)

> [There are certain things you must not say in spite of the fact that supposedly democracy means free speech. No. You are not allowed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-eubank-sr/there-are-certain-things-you-must-not-say-in-spite-of-the-fact-that/)

[Chris Eubank Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-eubank-sr/)

[Browse all 21,506 Communication quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/communication/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The trouble with life is its amorphousness, its ridiculous fluidity. Look at it: thinly plotted, largely themeless, sentimental and ineluctably trite. The dialogue is poor, or at least violently uneven. The twists are either predictable or sensationalist. And it’s always the same beginning, and the same ending.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Martin Amis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousness-its-ridiculous-fluidity/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Communication"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousness-its-ridiculous-fluidity/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/martin-amis-704_communication_the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousne_2854847.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/martin-amis-704_communication_the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousne_2854847.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/366/martin-amis-704_communication_the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousne_2854847.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The trouble with life is its amorphousness, its ridiculous fluidity. Look at it: thinly plotted, largely…” — Martin Amis",
                "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": "Martin Amis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-amis/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The trouble with life is its...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousness-its-ridiculous-fluidity/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-amis/the-trouble-with-life-is-its-amorphousness-its-ridiculous-fluidity/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
