---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But if life is what can be called the…"
description: "\"“But if life is what can be called the time you spend preparing for the event, and then dealing with how the event went, then what would you call the e..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/meg-howrey-20035_life_but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-ti_53404.jpg"
---

#  But if life is what can be called the time you spend…

![“But if life is what can be called the time you spend preparing for the event, and then dealing with how the event went, then what would you call the event itself? Is that not life? Is that not the best part?” quote by Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/meg-howrey-20035_life_but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-ti_53404.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/meg-howrey-20035_life_but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-ti_53404.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/meg-howrey-20035_life_but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-ti_53404.jpg)

> ““But if life is what can be called the time you spend preparing for the event, and then dealing with how the event went, then what would you call the event itself? Is that not life? Is that not the best part?””

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

## About This Quote

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

Life is framed as a preparation phase followed by reflection on outcomes, suggesting that the actual experience—the event—is the essence of living, not merely the prep or analysis.

**In simple terms:** Life is the event itself.

Key Takeaway

The present moment defines life.

Themes

philosophy of time existential reflection mindfulness life purpose

Mood

contemplative inspired

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- career planning
- personal milestones
- creative projects
- relationship milestones

Key Concepts

temporal perception self-awareness

Practical Applications

- coaching
- personal development workshops

Questions to Reflect On

- What does it mean to live fully in the present?
- How does focusing on the 'event' change your priorities?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Dealing Event](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dealing-event-750428/) [Event Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/event-life-552582/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Called](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-called-347759/) [Preparing Event](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/preparing-event-750427/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“A good book will surely become an event in your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aman-jassal/a-good-book-will-surely-become-an-event-in-your-life/)

[Aman Jassal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aman-jassal/)

> [I cannot help but think a curious event is this life of mine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-james-audubon/i-cannot-help-but-think-a-curious-event-is-this-life-of-mine/)

[John James Audubon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-james-audubon/)

> [When You Learn To Translate Every event Of Your Life Into A Positive One You'll Stop Being Prisoners Of your Past And Become Designer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-learn-to-translate-every-event-of-your-life-into-a-positive/)

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

> [Your failure is an event not your life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cv-pillay/your-failure-is-an-event-not-your-life/)

[Cv Pillay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cv-pillay/)

> [A good book is an event in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/a-good-book-is-an-event-in-my-life/)

[Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/)

> [Life, as it is called, is for most of us one long postponement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/life-as-it-is-called-is-for-most-of-us-one-long-postponement/)

[Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/)

> [ \[Polo Is My Life\] is what's called a sex book - you know, sex, drugs and rock and roll. It's about the manager of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/polo-is-my-life-is-what-s-called-a-sex-book-you-know-sex-drugs-and/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [God owes me nothing. He doesn't have to work for anything good in my life. That is only for those who are called according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/god-owes-me-nothing-he-doesn-t-have-to-work-for-anything-good-in-my/)

[Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/)

> [“In the midst of a turbulent, often chaotic, life we are called to reach out, with courageous honesty to our innermost self, with relentless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-j-m-nouwen/in-the-midst-of-a-turbulent-often-chaotic-life-we-are-called-to-reach/)

[Henri J.M. Nouwen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-j-m-nouwen/)

> [Life is what we called survived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhon-bel-m-s/life-is-what-we-called-survived/)

[Jhon Bel M S](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhon-bel-m-s/)

> [I don't think you can be in public life without being called bad names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/i-don-t-think-you-can-be-in-public-life-without-being-called-bad-names/)

[Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/)

> [The Bible tells me that every life is holy; the Bible tells me that every life is loved; the Bible tells me that every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-shelby-spong/the-bible-tells-me-that-every-life-is-holy-the-bible-tells-me-that/)

[John Shelby Spong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-shelby-spong/)

> [Life called me today. It wants it's time back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-j-heckel/life-called-me-today-it-wants-it-s-time-back/)

[Robert J Heckel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-j-heckel/)

> [We are the people of life, because God, in His unconditional love, has given us the Gospel of Life, and we are called to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/we-are-the-people-of-life-because-god-in-his-unconditional-love-has/)

[Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/)

> [“If good stuff happened to us until we died it wouldn't be called Life. It would be called Great.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/drew/if-good-stuff-happened-to-us-until-we-died-it-wouldn-t-be-called-life/)

[Drew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/drew/)

## More by Meg Howrey

> [“A wish is always serious, even if the game is silly.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/a-wish-is-always-serious-even-if-the-game-is-silly/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“Sometimes it's just better to suck up the fact that you are an asshole and decide that tomorrow is the day you will start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/sometimes-it-s-just-better-to-suck-up-the-fact-that-you-are-an/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“I realized I still wanted to dream about the person I would become, not actually be her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/i-realized-i-still-wanted-to-dream-about-the-person-i-would-become/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“I said to her "I won't be happy if I get in and you don't," and Mara gave a look and said "Yes you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/i-said-to-her-i-won-t-be-happy-if-i-get-in-and-you-don-t-and-mara/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“...needing people and caring about them were two very different things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/needing-people-and-caring-about-them-were-two-very-different-things/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“Everything you say matters," Yoshi's father had once said to him. "Whenever you say something, you are now the person who has said that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/everything-you-say-matters-yoshi-s-father-had-once-said-to-him/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“Everyone is in pain. Most people think pain in massage means something is happening, and if they can endure it, they will be improved,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/everyone-is-in-pain-most-people-think-pain-in-massage-means-something/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“I tucked this thought inside me like a fortune into a cookie.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/i-tucked-this-thought-inside-me-like-a-fortune-into-a-cookie/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“There are things you do when you are a teenager, or a dancer, or just a girl, I guess. You cut your food up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/there-are-things-you-do-when-you-are-a-teenager-or-a-dancer-or-just-a/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“Color corrected, yes, but I am reminding myself that it is still an image worthy of awe.” Yoshi is looking at the screen. “Why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/color-corrected-yes-but-i-am-reminding-myself-that-it-is-still-an/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“This is who she is. She is this movement here, these steps, this turn, this raising of this arm. It's a waste of time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/this-is-who-she-is-she-is-this-movement-here-these-steps-this-turn/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“What I was thinking, in that strange way you can think without words while you are dancing, think in glyphs, think in numbers, was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/what-i-was-thinking-in-that-strange-way-you-can-think-without-words/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“Then I...made a list of ways I am going to be this week. I need to cultivate more perspective. I should spend some enervating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/then-i-made-a-list-of-ways-i-am-going-to-be-this-week-i-need-to/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“I cannot bear this love. Nor the loss of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/i-cannot-bear-this-love-nor-the-loss-of-it/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

> [“Marius’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream will close the season for us, and it’s a world premiere, so there will be much fanfare, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/marius-s-a-midsummer-night-s-dream-will-close-the-season-for-us-and/)

[Meg Howrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

[Explore all 31 Meg Howrey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

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

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

[Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/)

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

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

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“But if life is what can be called the time you spend preparing for the event, and then dealing with how the event went, then what would you call the event itself? Is that not life? Is that not the best part?”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Meg Howrey"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-time-you-spend-preparing-for/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-time-you-spend-preparing-for/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/meg-howrey-20035_life_but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-ti_53404.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/meg-howrey-20035_life_but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-ti_53404.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/17a/meg-howrey-20035_life_but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-ti_53404.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“But if life is what can be called the time you spend preparing for the event, and then dealing with how the…” — Meg Howrey",
                "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": "Meg Howrey",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meg-howrey/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“But if life is what can...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-time-you-spend-preparing-for/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meg-howrey/but-if-life-is-what-can-be-called-the-time-you-spend-preparing-for/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
