--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’m sure there are people who are content…" description: "\"“I’m sure there are people who are content to run errands and report for work on time and wait, with an enlivening eagerness, for the lunch bell. I wis..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/michael-cunningham-1120_books_i-m-sure-there-are-people-who-are-conten_2455387.jpg" --- # I’m sure there are people who are content to run errands… ![“I’m sure there are people who are content to run errands and report for work on time and wait, with an enlivening eagerness, for the lunch bell. I wish them well. They have, however, never been the subjects of novels, and in all likelihood, will never be.” quote by Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/michael-cunningham-1120_books_i-m-sure-there-are-people-who-are-conten_2455387.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/michael-cunningham-1120_books_i-m-sure-there-are-people-who-are-conten_2455387.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9ad/michael-cunningham-1120_books_i-m-sure-there-are-people-who-are-conten_2455387.jpg) > ““I’m sure there are people who are content to run errands and report for work on time and wait, with an enlivening eagerness, for the lunch bell. I wish them well. They have, however, never been the subjects of novels, and in all likelihood, will never be.”” [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) ## 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 contrasts mundane routine with the adventurous lives that inspire literature, suggesting ordinary people rarely become story protagonists. **In simple terms:** Ordinary life rarely makes great stories. Key Takeaway Seek experiences beyond routine. Themes routine novelty creativity Mood reflective thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - office work - daily commute - personal growth - storytelling Key Concepts existentialism literary criticism Questions to Reflect On - Do you crave a life worth writing about? - How does routine limit imagination? A Different Perspective Not all meaningful lives are recorded in fiction. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Eagerness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eagerness/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) [Writers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writers/) ## Related quotes > [I'm super lucky because I come home and I don't have to run errands and clean the house and do all that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vanessa-paradis/i-m-super-lucky-because-i-come-home-and-i-don-t-have-to-run-errands/) [Vanessa Paradis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vanessa-paradis/) > [“I run this town. Mostly I run errands.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-run-this-town-mostly-i-run-errands/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“- What…what are you doing here? I thought you had to run some errands. - And let an opportunity like this slip by? 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She respected her exhausted and ironic hope for rebirth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/zoe-loved-trancas-s-mother-she-respected-her-exhausted-and-ironic/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [The lives great artists live and the books they write are two very different things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/the-lives-great-artists-live-and-the-books-they-write-are-two-very/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“How often since then has she wondered what might have happened if she'd tried to remain with him; if she’d returned Richard's kiss on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/how-often-since-then-has-she-wondered-what-might-have-happened-if-she/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“...a full week of their mother's quiet fury over the fun they don't seem to be having and their father's dogged attempts to provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/a-full-week-of-their-mother-s-quiet-fury-over-the-fun-they-don-t-seem/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [Oh, all you immigrants and visionaries, what do you hope to find here, who do you hope to become?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/oh-all-you-immigrants-and-visionaries-what-do-you-hope-to-find-here/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“She wants to have baked a cake that banishes sorrow, even if only for a little while.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-cunningham/she-wants-to-have-baked-a-cake-that-banishes-sorrow-even-if-only-for/) [Michael Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-cunningham/) > [“And yet, it gives Peter nothing. 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