--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What a sad existence that must be—so…" description: "\"“What a sad existence that must be—so focused on the next thing you’re doing, the next place you’re going, that you forget to appreciate the very momen..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/mikki-brammer-74471_appreciation_what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-foc_1809064.jpg" --- # What a sad existence that must be—so focused on the next… ![“What a sad existence that must be—so focused on the next thing you’re doing, the next place you’re going, that you forget to appreciate the very moment you’re in.” quote by Mikki Brammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/mikki-brammer-74471_appreciation_what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-foc_1809064.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/mikki-brammer-74471_appreciation_what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-foc_1809064.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/mikki-brammer-74471_appreciation_what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-foc_1809064.jpg) > ““What a sad existence that must be—so focused on the next thing you’re doing, the next place you’re going, that you forget to appreciate the very moment you’re in.”” [Mikki Brammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikki-brammer/) ## 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 warns that constant focus on future tasks makes us miss present moments, leading to a sad, unappreciated existence. **In simple terms:** Always chasing the next thing blinds us to the now. Key Takeaway Pause and savor the present. Themes mindfulness presence life satisfaction Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily routine - work deadlines - travel - social media scrolling - stressful schedules Key Concepts existential reflection psychology Questions to Reflect On - What moment are you overlooking today? - How can you embed appreciation into your routine? A Different Perspective It can be hard to break habit of future‑oriented thinking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Appreciation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) [Existence Focused](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-focused-2098067/) [Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget/) [Forget Appreciate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forget-appreciate-1284665/) [Going Forget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-forget-525772/) [Introspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/introspective/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living-in-the-moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-in-the-moment-2/) [Mindfulness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mindfulness/) [Modern life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/modern-life/) [Perspective](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perspective/) [Presence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/presence/) [Reflection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reflection/) [Sad Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad-existence-2098066/) [Self -awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness/) [Simple joys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simple-joys/) ## Related quotes > [If you go through life and you don't find the beauty in an unexpected place, then you really have a sad existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-spencer/if-you-go-through-life-and-you-don-t-find-the-beauty-in-an-unexpected/) [Octavia Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-spencer/) > [“The world moves faster than it used to, and I wonder how people have any time to admire the smaller joys of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikki-brammer/the-world-moves-faster-than-it-used-to-and-i-wonder-how-people-have/) [Mikki Brammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikki-brammer/) > [We only need to open our eyes to see the gifts that abound all around us. These are the simple joys in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-only-need-to-open-our-eyes-to-see-the-gifts-that-abound-all-around/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Up to one's last breath, one may retain the simple joys of childhood, the poetic ecstasies of the young person, the enthusiasms of maturity.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eliphas-levi/up-to-one-s-last-breath-one-may-retain-the-simple-joys-of-childhood/) [Eliphas Levi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eliphas-levi/) > [Sometimes people will think, I need to have pre-sanctioned spiritual joy. Getting joy from my contemplative meditation practice or getting joy from reading Thich…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moby/sometimes-people-will-think-i-need-to-have-pre-sanctioned-spiritual/) [Moby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moby/) > [Our life before moving to Washington was filled with simple joys...Saturdays at soccer games, Sundays at grandmas house...and a date night for Barack and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-obama/our-life-before-moving-to-washington-was-filled-with-simple-joys-2/) [Michelle Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-obama/) > [I think most of us look at personal delights as somewhere between minimally important and borderline immoral. We like them, but we're not sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-moran/i-think-most-of-us-look-at-personal-delights-as-somewhere-between/) [Victoria Moran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-moran/) > [Do few things but do them well, simple joys are holy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-of-assisi/do-few-things-but-do-them-well-simple-joys-are-holy/) [Francis of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-of-assisi/) > [We meet on the common ground of an uncommon age and share out our gifts of dark and light, good and bad, simple joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/we-meet-on-the-common-ground-of-an-uncommon-age-and-share-out-our/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [You can't understand it until you experience the simple joy of the first time your son points at a seagull and says 'Duck!'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-crowe/you-can-t-understand-it-until-you-experience-the-simple-joy-of-the/) [Russell Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-crowe/) > [“The essence of life is not in the great victories and grand failures, but in the simple joys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lockwood-huie/the-essence-of-life-is-not-in-the-great-victories-and-grand-failures/) [Jonathan Lockwood Huie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lockwood-huie/) > [Even the simple joys are too good to let slip away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-jay-taylor/even-the-simple-joys-are-too-good-to-let-slip-away/) [T Jay Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-jay-taylor/) > [In most vital organizations, there is a common bond of interdependence, mutual interest, interlocking contributions, and simple joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-de-pree/in-most-vital-organizations-there-is-a-common-bond-of-interdependence/) [Max De Pree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-de-pree/) > [We have a tendency to obscure the forest of simple joys with the trees of problems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christiane-collange/we-have-a-tendency-to-obscure-the-forest-of-simple-joys-with-the/) [Christiane Collange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christiane-collange/) > [Sometimes, the simple things are more fun and meaningful than all the banquets in the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-the-simple-things-are-more-fun-and-meaningful-than-all-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Mikki Brammer > [“Parenting isn’t about creating someone in your own image; it’s about giving them the clay to shape themselves as they see fit, and celebrating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikki-brammer/parenting-isn-t-about-creating-someone-in-your-own-image-it-s-about/) [Mikki Brammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikki-brammer/) > [“The world moves faster than it used to, and I wonder how people have any time to admire the smaller joys of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikki-brammer/the-world-moves-faster-than-it-used-to-and-i-wonder-how-people-have/) [Mikki Brammer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikki-brammer/) [Explore all 3 Mikki Brammer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikki-brammer/) ## More Appreciation quotes > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/) [William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) [Daniel K Judd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-k-judd/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [A very small percentage of the people in this world will actually experience and live today. So many people will be stuck on another…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-maraboli/a-very-small-percentage-of-the-people-in-this-world-will-actually/) [Steve Maraboli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-maraboli/) > [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Appreciation is the purest vibration that exists on the planet today.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/appreciation-is-the-purest-vibration-that-exists-on-the-planet-today/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [“My thank-yous always come out rather labored. I often don't give them at all. People do what they're supposed to do and then wait…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gillian-flynn/my-thank-yous-always-come-out-rather-labored-i-often-don-t-give-them/) [Gillian Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gillian-flynn/) > [“Like gratitude, authentic appreciation in the workplace is a realisation that can be nurtured and accessed with daily mindful practice. By and large, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-dines/like-gratitude-authentic-appreciation-in-the-workplace-is-a/) [Christopher Dines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-dines/) > [Think of your mind, your emotions, and your spirit as the ultimate garden. The way to ensure a bountiful, nourishing harvest is to plant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-robbins/think-of-your-mind-your-emotions-and-your-spirit-as-the-ultimate/) [Tony Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-robbins/) > [“Recognize and appreciate little things, and enjoy what Life has to offer”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesar-nikko-caharian-iii/recognize-and-appreciate-little-things-and-enjoy-what-life-has-to/) [Cesar Nikko Caharian III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesar-nikko-caharian-iii/) > [Men, when it comes to women, value diamonds and put no stock into copper. Diamonds are rare. You can find copper anywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/enhance-dreams/men-when-it-comes-to-women-value-diamonds-and-put-no-stock-into/) [Enhance Dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/enhance-dreams/) > [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/) [Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. Where one has been saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/be-very-slow-to-believe-that-you-are-wiser-than-all-others-it-is-a/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) [Browse all 2,528 Appreciation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appreciation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“What a sad existence that must be—so focused on the next thing you’re doing, the next place you’re going, that you forget to appreciate the very moment you’re in.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Mikki Brammer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikki-brammer/what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-focused-on-the-next-thing-you-re/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Appreciation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikki-brammer/what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-focused-on-the-next-thing-you-re/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/mikki-brammer-74471_appreciation_what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-foc_1809064.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/mikki-brammer-74471_appreciation_what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-foc_1809064.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44a/mikki-brammer-74471_appreciation_what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-foc_1809064.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What a sad existence that must be—so focused on the next thing you’re doing, the next place you’re going…” — Mikki Brammer", "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": "Mikki Brammer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikki-brammer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“What a sad existence that must...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikki-brammer/what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-focused-on-the-next-thing-you-re/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikki-brammer/what-a-sad-existence-that-must-be-so-focused-on-the-next-thing-you-re/#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 } } ] } ```