--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We live, not as we wish to, but as we can." description: "\"We live, not as we wish to, but as we can.\" — Menander" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/menander-10993_live_we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can_2744836.jpg" --- # We live, not as we wish to, but as we can. ![“We live, not as we wish to, but as we can.” quote by Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/menander-10993_live_we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can_2744836.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/menander-10993_live_we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can_2744836.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/menander-10993_live_we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can_2744836.jpg) > “We live, not as we wish to, but as we can.” [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People live within the limits of reality, not merely as they wish. **In simple terms:** Live as you can, not just as you wish. Key Takeaway Accept constraints, act realistically. Themes philosophy realism self-awareness Mood thoughtful pragmatic Type classical philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - budgeting - relationship expectations Key Concepts stoicism pragmatism Questions to Reflect On - What are realistic goals for you? - How to balance desire and feasibility? A Different Perspective May suppress ambition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) [Live Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-wish-486699/) [Wish](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wish/) ## Related quotes > [You must live for another if you wish to live for yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-must-live-for-another-if-you-wish-to-live-for-yourself/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In this service I hope to live; in it I wish to die!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-livingstone/in-this-service-i-hope-to-live-in-it-i-wish-to-die/) [David Livingstone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-livingstone/) > [Freedom is the right to live as we wish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/freedom-is-the-right-to-live-as-we-wish/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Before I take my last breath, before my last flower withers, I wish to live, I wish to make love, I wish to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/before-i-take-my-last-breath-before-my-last-flower-withers-i-wish-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Live as you will wish to have lived when you are dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christian-furchtegott-gellert/live-as-you-will-wish-to-have-lived-when-you-are-dying/) [Christian Furchtegott Gellert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christian-furchtegott-gellert/) > [All men can live together, if they wish to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josephine-baker/all-men-can-live-together-if-they-wish-to/) [Josephine Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josephine-baker/) > [If I had my life to live over, I wish I could be a great pianist or something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/if-i-had-my-life-to-live-over-i-wish-i-could-be-a-great-pianist-or/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [“Some live it, some wish they lived it, and some never know it’s there.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-e-hodges/some-live-it-some-wish-they-lived-it-and-some-never-know-it-s-there/) [Jason E. Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-e-hodges/) > [We don't live as we wish,but as we can](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence/we-don-t-live-as-we-wish-but-as-we-can/) [Terence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence/) > [“You must live what you wish to receive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/you-must-live-what-you-wish-to-receive/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [“Live as if you already are what you wish to become.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-jones/live-as-if-you-already-are-what-you-wish-to-become/) [William Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-jones/) > [Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/is-freedom-anything-else-than-the-right-to-live-as-we-wish-nothing/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [He means as much as Roberto Clemente does to Latin people. Thank God I had the opportunity to know him. I wish my kids…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-pujols/he-means-as-much-as-roberto-clemente-does-to-latin-people-thank-god-i/) [Albert Pujols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-pujols/) > [Liv never wanted to be a hellion. From an early age, she used to make all these wish lists for herself and then try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bebe-buell/liv-never-wanted-to-be-a-hellion-from-an-early-age-she-used-to-make/) [Bebe Buell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bebe-buell/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) ## More by Menander > [Hope saves a person in the midst of misfortunes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/hope-saves-a-person-in-the-midst-of-misfortunes/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [Intelligence, if it is clever in the direction of the better, is responsible for the greatest benefits of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/intelligence-if-it-is-clever-in-the-direction-of-the-better-is/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [If you want to live your whole life free from pain you must become either a god or else a corpse. Consider other men's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/if-you-want-to-live-your-whole-life-free-from-pain-you-must-become/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [Fortune is no real thing. But men who cannot bear what comes to them In Nature's way, give their own characters The name of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/fortune-is-no-real-thing-but-men-who-cannot-bear-what-comes-to-them/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [“... when a poor man's wronged, he becomes a very difficult customer. To start with, he gets a lot of sympathy: and then he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/when-a-poor-man-s-wronged-he-becomes-a-very-difficult-customer-to/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [Old men are children for the second time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/old-men-are-children-for-the-second-time/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [It is not hoary hairs that bring wisdom; some have an old head on young shoulders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/it-is-not-hoary-hairs-that-bring-wisdom-some-have-an-old-head-on/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [All men have one refuge, a good friend, with whom you can weep and know that he does not smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/all-men-have-one-refuge-a-good-friend-with-whom-you-can-weep-and-know/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > ['Know thyself' is a good saying, but not in all situations. In many it is better to say 'know others.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/know-thyself-is-a-good-saying-but-not-in-all-situations-in-many-it-is/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [Do not fight against Providence; nor bring more heavy weather to the storm. Face what is already there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/do-not-fight-against-providence-nor-bring-more-heavy-weather-to-the/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [How sweet is life, can we but choose with whom to live it: to live for oneself is no life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/how-sweet-is-life-can-we-but-choose-with-whom-to-live-it-to-live-for/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [Of all wild beasts on earth or in sea, the greatest is a woman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/of-all-wild-beasts-on-earth-or-in-sea-the-greatest-is-a-woman/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [Whom the gods love dies young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/whom-the-gods-love-dies-young/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [There is no such cozy combination as man and wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/there-is-no-such-cozy-combination-as-man-and-wife/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) > [In many things it is not well to say, "Know thyself"; it is better to say, "Know others."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/in-many-things-it-is-not-well-to-say-know-thyself-it-is-better-to-say/) [Menander](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) [Explore all 62 Menander quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/) ## More Live quotes > [As far as Vern and I go, we have had situations where people have tried to take photographs of me and cut Vernon out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tess-daly/as-far-as-vern-and-i-go-we-have-had-situations-where-people-have/) [Tess Daly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tess-daly/) > [I live life without limits and I will go after anything I want with no hesitation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-morgan/i-live-life-without-limits-and-i-will-go-after-anything-i-want-with/) [Liv Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-morgan/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [We live in the greatest country in the world because of the veterans who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom and the security…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-husted/we-live-in-the-greatest-country-in-the-world-because-of-the-veterans/) [Jon Husted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-husted/) > [You gotta make sacrifices sometimes. 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All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/) [Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/) > [We should not live in fear, we should all enjoy being able to express our views freely and openly, challenge each other on issues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tan-cheng-bock/we-should-not-live-in-fear-we-should-all-enjoy-being-able-to-express/) [Tan Cheng Bock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tan-cheng-bock/) > [I think everybody, or the great majority of human beings, have this aspiration to become other: to live a different identity, at least for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-vargas-llosa/i-think-everybody-or-the-great-majority-of-human-beings-have-this/) [Mario Vargas Llosa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-vargas-llosa/) > [Though my grandmother had picked up modern ideas in America, she still had some conflicting 19th-century Irish notions. She believed that daughters, educated though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosemary-mahoney/though-my-grandmother-had-picked-up-modern-ideas-in-america-she-still/) [Rosemary Mahoney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosemary-mahoney/) > [I like fantasy, but I don't live and breathe fantasy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/i-like-fantasy-but-i-don-t-live-and-breathe-fantasy/) [Lauren Schmidt Hissrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-schmidt-hissrich/) > [Humor is the only reason to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/humor-is-the-only-reason-to-live/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [I really can't live without my In-N-Out burgers. Honestly, I can't. Even when I'm doing the whole no-carb thing occasionally, I make an exception…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-really-can-t-live-without-my-in-n-out-burgers-honestly-i-can-t-even/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) [Browse all 14,026 Live quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We live, not as we wish to, but as we can.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Menander" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Live" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/menander-10993_live_we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can_2744836.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/menander-10993_live_we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can_2744836.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c02/menander-10993_live_we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can_2744836.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We live, not as we wish to, but as we can.” — Menander", "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": "Menander", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/menander/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We live, not as we wish...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/menander/we-live-not-as-we-wish-to-but-as-we-can/#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 } } ] } ```