--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The obsessions we have are pretty much…" description: "\"The obsessions we have are pretty much the same our whole lives. Mine are people, the human condition, life.\" — Mary Ellen Mark" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/mary-ellen-mark-8293_human-condition_the-obsessions-we-have-are-pretty-much-t_1921689.png" --- # The obsessions we have are pretty much the same our whole… ![“The obsessions we have are pretty much the same our whole lives. Mine are people, the human condition, life.” quote by Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/mary-ellen-mark-8293_human-condition_the-obsessions-we-have-are-pretty-much-t_1921689.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/mary-ellen-mark-8293_human-condition_the-obsessions-we-have-are-pretty-much-t_1921689.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f8d/mary-ellen-mark-8293_human-condition_the-obsessions-we-have-are-pretty-much-t_1921689.png) > “The obsessions we have are pretty much the same our whole lives. Mine are people, the human condition, life.” [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our lifelong obsessions revolve around people and existence. **In simple terms:** We are obsessed with people and life. Key Takeaway Reflect on core obsessions. Themes obsession humanity existence Mood contemplative melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - artistic creation - therapy - education Key Concepts psychology philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What obsessions shape you? - Can you shift focus to new interests? A Different Perspective Obsessions may limit growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Human condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Obsessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessions/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) ## Related quotes > [“unreality is a condition of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrei-bitov/unreality-is-a-condition-of-life/) Andrei Bitov > [The best condition in life is to be not so rich as to be envied nor so poor as to be damned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/the-best-condition-in-life-is-to-be-not-so-rich-as-to-be-envied-nor/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [The first week in intelligence school, you learn there are only two conditions in life. There is policy success, or there is intel failure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-clapper/the-first-week-in-intelligence-school-you-learn-there-are-only-two/) [James Clapper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-clapper/) > [Honesty prospers in every condition of life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/honesty-prospers-in-every-condition-of-life/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Such is the condition of life that something is always wanting to happiness. In youth we have warm hopes, which are soon blasted by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/such-is-the-condition-of-life-that-something-is-always-wanting-to/) [Lyndon B. 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Men are conditioned beings because everything they come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-human-condition-comprehends-more-than-the-condition-under-which/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) ## More by Mary Ellen Mark > [In a portrait, you always leave part of yourself behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/in-a-portrait-you-always-leave-part-of-yourself-behind/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [That's the way I learned photography: You make your picture in the camera. Now, so much is made in the computer. ... I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/that-s-the-way-i-learned-photography-you-make-your-picture-in-the/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [I'm a documentary photographer. That's what I've always wanted to be; that's where my heart and soul is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-a-documentary-photographer-that-s-what-i-ve-always-wanted-to-be/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [I wanted to travel from the beginning. As a kid, I used to dream about airplanes, before I ever flew in one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-wanted-to-travel-from-the-beginning-as-a-kid-i-used-to-dream-about/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [A great photograph needs no explanation; it functions by suggestion. There is no need to be explicit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/a-great-photograph-needs-no-explanation-it-functions-by-suggestion/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [Usually my ideas for work have revolved around my interest in people, especially people that live on the edges of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/usually-my-ideas-for-work-have-revolved-around-my-interest-in-people/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [One of my all-time favorite photographers is Irving Penn. I wish I could have watched him work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/one-of-my-all-time-favorite-photographers-is-irving-penn-i-wish-i/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [Nowadays shots are created in post-production, on computers. It's not really photography.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/nowadays-shots-are-created-in-post-production-on-computers-it-s-not/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [ To touch on people's lives \[ in a way they \] haven't been touched on before, it´s fascianting. You know, it's one thing if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/to-touch-on-people-s-lives-in-a-way-they-haven-t-been-touched-on/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [What you look for in a picture is a metaphor, something that means something more, that makes you think about things you've seen or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/what-you-look-for-in-a-picture-is-a-metaphor-something-that-means/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [It's just a matter of who you are and how you talk to people. Your subjects will trust you only if you're confident about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/it-s-just-a-matter-of-who-you-are-and-how-you-talk-to-people-your/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [If I hadn't become a photographer, I would have loved to become a doctor. I would have loved to have done something that actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/if-i-hadn-t-become-a-photographer-i-would-have-loved-to-become-a/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [I'm not much for cats. I'm terrified of mice. I've worked a lot with elephants, and they are extremely intelligent and sensitive, and thankfully,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-not-much-for-cats-i-m-terrified-of-mice-i-ve-worked-a-lot-with/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [I'm not against digital photography. It's great for newspapers. And there are photographers doing great work digitally. When they use Photoshop as a darkroom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/i-m-not-against-digital-photography-it-s-great-for-newspapers-and/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) > [Im just interested in what makes a photograph.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ellen-mark/im-just-interested-in-what-makes-a-photograph/) [Mary Ellen Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) [Explore all 82 Mary Ellen Mark quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ellen-mark/) ## More Human condition quotes > [“I sighed, he sighed, the wind and flowers sighed too. I think those marble statues sighed along as well, in their lack of understanding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/v-c-andrews/i-sighed-he-sighed-the-wind-and-flowers-sighed-too-i-think-those/) [V.C. Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/v-c-andrews/) > [“It's the basic truth of the human condition: everybody lies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/house/it-s-the-basic-truth-of-the-human-condition-everybody-lies/) [house](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/house/) > [I'm a Christian because Christianity names and addresses sin. It acknowledges the reality that the evil we observe in the world is also present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/i-m-a-christian-because-christianity-names-and-addresses-sin-it/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [Changes in human conditions are brought about by the pioneering of the cleverest and most energetic men. They take the lead and the rest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/changes-in-human-conditions-are-brought-about-by-the-pioneering-of/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [“A basic guide for application offers this equation: The intention of the text The human condition of the text The human situation of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zack-eswine/a-basic-guide-for-application-offers-this-equation-the-intention-of/) [Zack Eswine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zack-eswine/) > [My horizon on humanity is enlarged by reading the writers of poems, seeing a painting, listening to some music, some opera, which has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/my-horizon-on-humanity-is-enlarged-by-reading-the-writers-of-poems/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [I think that laziness in many ways is the human condition, and that's what has led us to this place where, as we've developed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-offerman/i-think-that-laziness-in-many-ways-is-the-human-condition-and-that-s/) [Nick Offerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-offerman/) > [That's why we trust the Bible - it speaks to both realities: the unchanging human condition and the constantly changing cultural conditions. It speaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-yaconelli/that-s-why-we-trust-the-bible-it-speaks-to-both-realities-the/) [Mike Yaconelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-yaconelli/) > [“I succumbed. Late-fifteenth-century verb, Old French succomber or Latin succumbere, but a basic necessity of the human condition, especially mine.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-mitchell/i-succumbed-late-fifteenth-century-verb-old-french-succomber-or-latin/) [David Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-mitchell/) > [There is no way to explain enlightenment. It is just a word to indicate something beyond, something very, very far beyond the normal human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-no-way-to-explain-enlightenment-it-is-just-a-word-to/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [I see film as a real opportunity to examine the human condition. No matter where the technology goes in the future, the basics don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schultz/i-see-film-as-a-real-opportunity-to-examine-the-human-condition-no/) [Michael Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schultz/) > [Trusting people to be creative and constructive when given more freedom does not imply an overly optimistic belief in the perfectibility of human nature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-senge/trusting-people-to-be-creative-and-constructive-when-given-more/) [Peter Senge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-senge/) > [The largest room in the world is room for improvement. You know, some mornings my thighs are fat. Some days my hair looks great.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-lane/the-largest-room-in-the-world-is-room-for-improvement-you-know-some/) [Diane Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-lane/) > [ “\[...\] if Jesus is not the answer to the human condition, there is no answer.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nik-ripken/if-jesus-is-not-the-answer-to-the-human-condition-there-is-no-answer/) [Nik Ripken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nik-ripken/) > [Every man beholds his human condition with a degree of melancholy. As a ship aground is battered by the waves, so man, imprisonedin mortal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/every-man-beholds-his-human-condition-with-a-degree-of-melancholy-as/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) [Browse all 1,025 Human condition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-condition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The obsessions we have are pretty much the same our whole lives. 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