--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A source of permanent, accessible…" description: "\"A source of permanent, accessible pleasure, our genitals exist. The god who created our misfortune, who made us short-lived, vain and cruel, has also p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/michel-houellebecq-1497_appearance_a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasur_263378.png" --- # A source of permanent, accessible pleasure, our genitals… ![“A source of permanent, accessible pleasure, our genitals exist. The god who created our misfortune, who made us short-lived, vain and cruel, has also provided this form of meagre compensation. If we couldn't have sex from time to time, what would life be? A futile struggle against joints that…” quote by Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/michel-houellebecq-1497_appearance_a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasur_263378.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/michel-houellebecq-1497_appearance_a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasur_263378.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/michel-houellebecq-1497_appearance_a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasur_263378.png) > “A source of permanent, accessible pleasure, our genitals exist. The god who created our misfortune, who made us short-lived, vain and cruel, has also provided this form of meagre compensation. If we couldn't have sex from time to time, what would life be? A futile struggle against joints that stiffen, caries that form. All of which, moreover, is as uninteresting as humanly possible - the collagen which makes muscles stiffen, the appearance of microbic cavities in the gums.” [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human sexuality offers brief relief from life's inevitable decline and suffering. **In simple terms:** Sex provides temporary comfort amid life's hardships. Key Takeaway Value intimacy but recognize its limits. Themes mortality pleasure existentialism Mood cynical thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - aging - health - meaning‑seeking Key Concepts philosophy human nature Questions to Reflect On - What gives lasting fulfillment beyond sex? - How do we balance desire and mortality? A Different Perspective Pleasure cannot fully counteract existential dread. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compensation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compensation/) [Genitals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/genitals/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Misfortunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misfortunes/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Sex](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sex/) [Sexuality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sexuality/) [Struggle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/struggle/) [Vain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vain/) ## Related quotes > [“Do we have a hand mirror?' I asked from the kitchen doorway. 'Never use one,' said Lester, examining the date on a carton of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/do-we-have-a-hand-mirror-i-asked-from-the-kitchen-doorway-never-use/) [Phyllis Reynolds Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/) > [You got a date Robert? Did you tell her, that you got two sets of genitals: a vagina and a coochie? Oh, that's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/boondocks/you-got-a-date-robert-did-you-tell-her-that-you-got-two-sets-of/) Boondocks > [Before contact of the genitals, there should be contact of the minds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darlamirez/before-contact-of-the-genitals-there-should-be-contact-of-the-minds/) DARLAmirez > [Orgasm: the genitals sneezing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/orgasm-the-genitals-sneezing/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The closeups of pornography make human genitals look like undiscovered prehistoric animals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-closeups-of-pornography-make-human-genitals-look-like/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The genitals themselves have not undergone the development of the rest of the human form in the direction of beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/the-genitals-themselves-have-not-undergone-the-development-of-the/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“My hand acts as a blanket for my genitals. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/my-hand-acts-as-a-blanket-for-my-genitals/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“one in five Muslim girls lives today in a community that sanctions some sort of interference with her genitals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/one-in-five-muslim-girls-lives-today-in-a-community-that-sanctions/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [I love you with all of my heart and genitals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-love-you-with-all-of-my-heart-and-genitals/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A brick could be used as a medallion on the end of a necklace, much like human testicles aren’t used. It’s a shame, really,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-as-a-medallion-on-the-end-of-a-necklace-much/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [Male genitals are still called "the tree of life" by the Arabs, and a cross was one of the oldest diagrammatic images of male…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-g-walker/male-genitals-are-still-called-the-tree-of-life-by-the-arabs-and-a/) [Barbara G. Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-g-walker/) > [Those who follow where their genitals lead them often wind up in tedious company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/those-who-follow-where-their-genitals-lead-them-often-wind-up-in/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [“It’s the invention of clothes, not nature, that made “private parts” private.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/it-s-the-invention-of-clothes-not-nature-that-made-private-parts/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [I always thought my genitals were the result of some crude practical joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-morrissey/i-always-thought-my-genitals-were-the-result-of-some-crude-practical/) [Steven Morrissey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-morrissey/) > [“For your information, Lester, there are at least five wonderful parts of the female body that can be viewed by the owner only with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/for-your-information-lester-there-are-at-least-five-wonderful-parts/) [Phyllis Reynolds Naylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phyllis-reynolds-naylor/) ## More by Michel Houellebecq > [I think it's more difficult to live without a religion, definitely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-think-it-s-more-difficult-to-live-without-a-religion-definitely/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [I think that if writers don't speak about real life, it's because they don't know it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-think-that-if-writers-don-t-speak-about-real-life-it-s-because-they/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“In my life, I had known suffering, oppression, anxiety; I had never known boredom. I could see no objection to the endless, imbecile repetition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/in-my-life-i-had-known-suffering-oppression-anxiety-i-had-never-known/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [I admit that invective is one of my pleasures. This only brings me problems in life, but that's it. I attack, I insult. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-admit-that-invective-is-one-of-my-pleasures-this-only-brings-me/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“... I spent whole afternoons at Bon Marché looking at pullovers, there was no sense in going on like that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-spent-whole-afternoons-at-bon-march-looking-at-pullovers-there-was/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [I've lived so little that I tend to imagine I'm not going to die; it seems improbable that human existence can be reduced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-ve-lived-so-little-that-i-tend-to-imagine-i-m-not-going-to-die-it/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [Rumor had it that he was homosexual; in reality, in recent years, he was simply a garden-variety alcoholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/rumor-had-it-that-he-was-homosexual-in-reality-in-recent-years-he-was/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“He doesn't know it yet, but the infinity of childhood is brief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/he-doesn-t-know-it-yet-but-the-infinity-of-childhood-is-brief/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“Olga was nice, Olga was nice and loving, Olga loved him, he repeated to himself with a growing sadness as he also realised that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/olga-was-nice-olga-was-nice-and-loving-olga-loved-him-he-repeated-to/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“Regarde, c’est la mort, mon amour.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/regarde-c-est-la-mort-mon-amour/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“The problem is, it's just not enough to live according to the rules. Sure, you manage to live according to the rules. Sometimes it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/the-problem-is-it-s-just-not-enough-to-live-according-to-the-rules/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“Life sometimes offers you a chance, he thought, but when you are too cowardly or too indecisive to seize it life takes the cards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/life-sometimes-offers-you-a-chance-he-thought-but-when-you-are-too/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [“An entire life spent reading would have fulfilled my every desire; I already knew that at the age of seven. The texture of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/an-entire-life-spent-reading-would-have-fulfilled-my-every-desire-i/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [Of course, we can distinguish between males and females; we can also, if we choose, distinguish between different age categories; but any more advanced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/of-course-we-can-distinguish-between-males-and-females-we-can-also-if/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) > [I feel as if things are falling apart within me, like so many glass partitions shattering. I walk from place to place in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/i-feel-as-if-things-are-falling-apart-within-me-like-so-many-glass/) [Michel Houellebecq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) [Explore all 144 Michel Houellebecq quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/) ## More Appearance quotes > [Your looks don't make you pretty, it's the person inside who makes you pretty!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-chan/your-looks-don-t-make-you-pretty-it-s-the-person-inside-who-makes-you/) [Aaron Chan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-chan/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [The essence of worldliness is exclusion of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jacobsen/the-essence-of-worldliness-is-exclusion-of-god/) [Henry Jacobsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-jacobsen/) > [We must, however, note that what are usually called the high religions made their appearance within about twenty-five hundred years - most of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-scott-latourette/we-must-however-note-that-what-are-usually-called-the-high-religions/) [Kenneth Scott Latourette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-scott-latourette/) > [First impressions are often the truest, as we find (not infrequently) to our cost, when we have been wheedled out of them by plausible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/first-impressions-are-often-the-truest-as-we-find-not-infrequently-to/) [William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/) > [The turning points of lives are not the great moments. The real crises are often concealed in occurrences so trivial in appearance that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-turning-points-of-lives-are-not-the-great-moments-the-real-crises/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [You can have a nice body, dress with the latest fashion. But if you don't have self-confidence sweetheart, forget about looking sexy, you can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/you-can-have-a-nice-body-dress-with-the-latest-fashion-but-if-you-don/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [I cannot be convinced that great artists are moralists. Art is first appearances, then meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-cannot-be-convinced-that-great-artists-are-moralists-art-is-first/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [So may the outward shows be least themselves; The world is still deceived with ornament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-may-the-outward-shows-be-least-themselves-the-world-is-still/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [We are one of many appearances of the thing called Life; we are not its perfect image, for it has no perfect image except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/loren-eiseley/we-are-one-of-many-appearances-of-the-thing-called-life-we-are-not/) [Loren Eiseley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/loren-eiseley/) > [I'm OK with my appearance. I have made my peace with it after a long and frankly exhausting battle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-perkins/i-m-ok-with-my-appearance-i-have-made-my-peace-with-it-after-a-long/) [Sue Perkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-perkins/) > [There is no society or conversation to be kept up in the world without good-nature, or something which must bear its appearance and supply…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/there-is-no-society-or-conversation-to-be-kept-up-in-the-world/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [Appearance records are pretty special. Mine means a lot to me, not only because I love stats, but because it shows that I am…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-james/appearance-records-are-pretty-special-mine-means-a-lot-to-me-not-only/) [David James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-james/) > [Every man would fall in love with their voice, their lovely appearance, but no man would ever get past that. They'd never really know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/every-man-would-fall-in-love-with-their-voice-their-lovely-appearance/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I already know what things look like - I don't want description. People believe in appearances, and I don't believe in appearances at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/duane-michals/i-already-know-what-things-look-like-i-don-t-want-description-people/) [Duane Michals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/duane-michals/) Browse all 2,446 Appearance quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A source of permanent, accessible pleasure, our genitals exist. The god who created our misfortune, who made us short-lived, vain and cruel, has also provided this form of meagre compensation. If we couldn't have sex from time to time, what would life be? A futile struggle against joints that stiffen, caries that form. All of which, moreover, is as uninteresting as humanly possible - the collagen which makes muscles stiffen, the appearance of microbic cavities in the gums.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Michel Houellebecq" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasure-our-genitals-exist-the-god/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appearance" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasure-our-genitals-exist-the-god/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/michel-houellebecq-1497_appearance_a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasur_263378.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/michel-houellebecq-1497_appearance_a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasur_263378.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9f/michel-houellebecq-1497_appearance_a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasur_263378.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A source of permanent, accessible pleasure, our genitals exist. The god who created our misfortune, who made…” — Michel Houellebecq", "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": "Michel Houellebecq", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-houellebecq/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A source of permanent, accessible pleasure,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasure-our-genitals-exist-the-god/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-houellebecq/a-source-of-permanent-accessible-pleasure-our-genitals-exist-the-god/#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 } } ] } ```