--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Existence is not a mystery unless you…" description: "\"Existence is not a mystery unless you think it has a meaning.\" — Mason Cooley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/mason-cooley-92_existence_existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-th_548288.png" --- # Existence is not a mystery unless you think it has a… ![“Existence is not a mystery unless you think it has a meaning.” quote by Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/mason-cooley-92_existence_existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-th_548288.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/mason-cooley-92_existence_existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-th_548288.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/mason-cooley-92_existence_existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-th_548288.png) > “Existence is not a mystery unless you think it has a meaning.” [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote suggests that life feels mysterious only when we impose a need for meaning on it. **In simple terms:** Life feels mysterious only when we demand meaning. Key Takeaway Accept uncertainty without seeking forced meaning. Themes philosophy existentialism perception Mood contemplative neutral Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - personal reflection - creative writing - mindfulness practice - existential therapy Key Concepts meaninglessness subjectivity human cognition Questions to Reflect On - Do you seek meaning or accept mystery? - How does the search for meaning affect your peace? A Different Perspective It may overlook the human drive for purpose and connection. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Mystery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mystery/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [Where mathematics and spirit join, where proof of the existence of mystery-salvific mystery-shimmers just below the surfaces of human perception, experience and the linguistic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorie-graham/where-mathematics-and-spirit-join-where-proof-of-the-existence-of/) [Jorie Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorie-graham/) > [“Am I sure that there is no mind behind our existence and no mystery anywhere in the universe? I think I am. What joy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-our-existence-and-no-mystery/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [“Life and art are nothing but associations of ideas and sorrows that nourish our illusory quest for the Holy Grail of human existence. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-william-brown/life-and-art-are-nothing-but-associations-of-ideas-and-sorrows-that/) Carl William Brown > [I believe, not theoretically, but from direct personal experience, that very few of the things that happen to us are purposeless or accidental (and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-origo/i-believe-not-theoretically-but-from-direct-personal-experience-that/) [Iris Origo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-origo/) > [Spirit is matter seen in a stronger light. What else did Malebranche mean when he spoke of "seeing all things in God"? Existence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-p-jacks/spirit-is-matter-seen-in-a-stronger-light-what-else-did-malebranche/) [L. P. Jacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-p-jacks/) > [Existence is a mystery , and one should accept it as a mystery and not pretend to have any explanation .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/existence-is-a-mystery-and-one-should-accept-it-as-a-mystery-and-not/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“...wonder admits to the existence of mystery...recognition of mystery allows the possibility of Truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/wonder-admits-to-the-existence-of-mystery-recognition-of-mystery/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“Buy calmly and with meaning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-kinsella/buy-calmly-and-with-meaning/) [Sophie Kinsella](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-kinsella/) > [“Life without a purpose, to me, is just an existence. Even if you feel your only purpose is to drag yourself to a job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-l-kline/life-without-a-purpose-to-me-is-just-an-existence-even-if-you-feel/) D. L. Kline > [A sense of a wider meaning to one's existence is what raises a man beyond mere getting and spending. If he lacks this sense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/a-sense-of-a-wider-meaning-to-one-s-existence-is-what-raises-a-man/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [I am waiting for a sign that will indicate to me what meaning I must give to my life, but right now my existence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-lawless/i-am-waiting-for-a-sign-that-will-indicate-to-me-what-meaning-i-must/) [Lucy Lawless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-lawless/) > [The meaning of this is, that whomsoever we love, in him we find our own soul in the highest sense. The final truth of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/the-meaning-of-this-is-that-whomsoever-we-love-in-him-we-find-our-own/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [Except for memory, time would have no meaning at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/except-for-memory-time-would-have-no-meaning-at-all/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [There is a grand design hidden behind the obstacles , they are inevitable in everybodys life, they are not without purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senora-roy/there-is-a-grand-design-hidden-behind-the-obstacles-they-are/) [Senora Roy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/senora-roy/) > [When you find your purpose in life, nurture it and make it grow so that when you look back you will not regret living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-m/when-you-find-your-purpose-in-life-nurture-it-and-make-it-grow-so/) Pamela M ## More by Mason Cooley > [Nostalgia keeps dissolving the ironic narratives in which I have contained my past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/nostalgia-keeps-dissolving-the-ironic-narratives-in-which-i-have/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most abject have a sense of superiority based on powerful though undefined merits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-abject-have-a-sense-of-superiority-based-on-powerful/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Money comes to life as it is spent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/money-comes-to-life-as-it-is-spent/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Even the most fickle are faithful to a few bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/even-the-most-fickle-are-faithful-to-a-few-bad-habits/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Rage is exciting, but leaves me confused and exhausted.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/rage-is-exciting-but-leaves-me-confused-and-exhausted/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Literary tradition is full of lies about poverty-the jolly beggar, the poor but happy milkmaid, the wholesome diet of porridge, etc.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/literary-tradition-is-full-of-lies-about-poverty-the-jolly-beggar-the/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Experience teaches us, but we scarcely know what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/experience-teaches-us-but-we-scarcely-know-what/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The body has a mind of its own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-body-has-a-mind-of-its-own/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [In retirement, I look for days off from my days off. Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/in-retirement-i-look-for-days-off-from-my-days-off-mason-cooley/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [My intentions go one way, my desires another. Thus I feel both self-indulgent and deprived.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/my-intentions-go-one-way-my-desires-another-thus-i-feel-both-self/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The Puritan sours his pleasures by disguising them as duties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-puritan-sours-his-pleasures-by-disguising-them-as-duties/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Unlike the actual, the fictional explains itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/unlike-the-actual-the-fictional-explains-itself/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Vacations prove that a life of pleasure is overrated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/vacations-prove-that-a-life-of-pleasure-is-overrated/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [Outside literature, high-flown sentiments are merely exasperating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/outside-literature-high-flown-sentiments-are-merely-exasperating/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) [Explore all 1,401 Mason Cooley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## More Existence quotes > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/universities-are-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-age-they-shouldn-t-have/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Browse all 7,646 Existence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Existence is not a mystery unless you think it has a meaning.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mason Cooley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-think-it-has-a-meaning/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Existence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-think-it-has-a-meaning/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/mason-cooley-92_existence_existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-th_548288.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/mason-cooley-92_existence_existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-th_548288.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/74a/mason-cooley-92_existence_existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-th_548288.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Existence is not a mystery unless you think it has a meaning.” — Mason Cooley", "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": "Mason Cooley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Existence is not a mystery unless...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-think-it-has-a-meaning/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-think-it-has-a-meaning/#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 } } ] } ```