---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is a series of pulls back and forth…"
description: "\"Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else.\" — Mitch Albom"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/mitch-albom-187_bound_life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth_1569946.png"
---

#  Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do…

![“Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else.” quote by Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/mitch-albom-187_bound_life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth_1569946.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/mitch-albom-187_bound_life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth_1569946.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/mitch-albom-187_bound_life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth_1569946.png)

> “Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else.”

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

## About This Quote

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

Life pulls us in opposite directions, creating tension between desires and obligations, illustrating the complexity of human motivation.

**In simple terms:** Life pulls opposite ways.

Key Takeaway

Balance desires with responsibilities.

Themes

conflict choice motivation balance

Mood

contemplative motivational

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career decisions
- personal relationships
- creative projects
- daily routines

Key Concepts

psychology existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- What pulls you in different directions?
- How do you reconcile conflicting goals?

A Different Perspective

Desires may clash with duties.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

## Related quotes

> [“Life is a series of pulls back and forth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth-you-want-to-do-one-thing-but-2/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else. Somethings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth-you-want-to-do-one-thing-but-4/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Life is a series of punches. It presents a lot of challenges. It presents a lot of hardship, but the people that are able…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-turner/life-is-a-series-of-punches-it-presents-a-lot-of-challenges-it/)

[Josh Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-turner/)

> [My life has been a series of emergencies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-turner/my-life-has-been-a-series-of-emergencies/)

[Lana Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-turner/)

> [Life is a series of random collisions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-zafra/life-is-a-series-of-random-collisions/)

[Jessica Zafra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessica-zafra/)

> [Isn't life a series of images that change as they repeat themselves?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/isn-t-life-a-series-of-images-that-change-as-they-repeat-themselves/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [Life is a series of awakenings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-mukerji/life-is-a-series-of-awakenings/)

Swami Mukerji

> [“Life is a series of narrow escapes and random collisions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-wells/life-is-a-series-of-narrow-escapes-and-random-collisions/)

Bill Wells

> [Life is a series of recoveries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-lowry/life-is-a-series-of-recoveries/)

[Mark Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-lowry/)

> [Life is a series of family photos in which you keep moving to the rear until finally you're a portrait in the background.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/life-is-a-series-of-family-photos-in-which-you-keep-moving-to-the/)

[Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/)

> [“Life is a series of things we choose and things we carry”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mia-sheridan/life-is-a-series-of-things-we-choose-and-things-we-carry/)

[Mia Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mia-sheridan/)

> [Life is a series of problems to figure out how to solve gracefully and with dignity. That is what life is and I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aimee-mann/life-is-a-series-of-problems-to-figure-out-how-to-solve-gracefully/)

[Aimee Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aimee-mann/)

> [“Life is a series of choices and all we can do is make them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamal-ravikant/life-is-a-series-of-choices-and-all-we-can-do-is-make-them/)

[Kamal Ravikant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamal-ravikant/)

> [“Life is a series of successful gestures...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/life-is-a-series-of-successful-gestures/)

[F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/)

## More by Mitch Albom

> [“He wondered how it was fair that your dying should depend so much on when you were born.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/he-wondered-how-it-was-fair-that-your-dying-should-depend-so-much-on/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“After the funeral, my life changed. I felt as if time were suddenly precious, water going down an open drain, and I could not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/after-the-funeral-my-life-changed-i-felt-as-if-time-were-suddenly/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [the words people do not speak are louder than the ones they do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/the-words-people-do-not-speak-are-louder-than-the-ones-they-do/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Once, lovers on faraway shores sat by candlelight and dipped ink to parchment, writing words that could not be erased. They took an evening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/once-lovers-on-faraway-shores-sat-by-candlelight-and-dipped-ink-to/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Giving to other people makes me feel alive. Not my car or my house. Not what I look like in the mirror. When I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/giving-to-other-people-makes-me-feel-alive-not-my-car-or-my-house-not/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [Life goes quickly, doesn't it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-goes-quickly-doesn-t-it/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [As children grow, they gravitate to their fates.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/as-children-grow-they-gravitate-to-their-fates/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“If the only thing wrong with Moses is that he's not yours; if the only thing wrong with Jesus is that he's not yours;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/if-the-only-thing-wrong-with-moses-is-that-he-s-not-yours-if-the-only/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“Sometimes your kids will say the nastiest things, won't they, Rose? You want to ask,'Whose child is this?'" Rose chuckled. "But usually, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/sometimes-your-kids-will-say-the-nastiest-things-won-t-they-rose-you/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“whisper their good-byes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/whisper-their-good-byes/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“I had also developed my own culture. Work. Over the years, I had taken labor as my companion and had moved everything else to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-had-also-developed-my-own-culture-work-over-the-years-i-had-taken/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [When we are most alone is when we embrace another's loneliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/when-we-are-most-alone-is-when-we-embrace-another-s-loneliness/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [“You didn’t get it. Sacrifice is a part of life. It’s supposed to be. It’s not something to regret. It’s something to aspire to.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/you-didn-t-get-it-sacrifice-is-a-part-of-life-it-s-supposed-to-be-it/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [I give myself a good cry if I need it. But then I concentrate on the good things still in my life. I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/i-give-myself-a-good-cry-if-i-need-it-but-then-i-concentrate-on-the/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

> [It was sad, the imbalance of it all. Why do kids assume so much from one parent and hold the other to a lower,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/it-was-sad-the-imbalance-of-it-all-why-do-kids-assume-so-much-from/)

[Mitch Albom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

[Explore all 962 Mitch Albom quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/)

## More Bound quotes

> [Must I go bound while you go free Must I love a manwho doesn't love me Must I be born with so little art…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/must-i-go-bound-while-you-go-free-must-i-love-a-manwho-doesn-t-love/)

[Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/)

> [The fact is that all writers create their precursors. Their work modifies our conception of the past, just as it is bound to modify…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/the-fact-is-that-all-writers-create-their-precursors-their-work/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

> [“Never before did I feel so bound by the chains of the soul. Never before was there such pain of ripping my heart apart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-mcgahan/never-before-did-i-feel-so-bound-by-the-chains-of-the-soul-never/)

[Kate McGahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-mcgahan/)

> [All is bound by the law of causation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/all-is-bound-by-the-law-of-causation/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [“If you surrender your free will, then someone is bound to take the reins and lead you to a place that is not of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-redhead/if-you-surrender-your-free-will-then-someone-is-bound-to-take-the/)

[Steven Redhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-redhead/)

> [I am bound to get carried away by anyone who approaches me with a good script.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soha-ali-khan/i-am-bound-to-get-carried-away-by-anyone-who-approaches-me-with-a/)

[Soha Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soha-ali-khan/)

> [When one jumps over the edge, one is bound to land somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/when-one-jumps-over-the-edge-one-is-bound-to-land-somewhere/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [Mi must an bound an compel. Mi haffi get a one away link wid Michelle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mad-cobra/mi-must-an-bound-an-compel-mi-haffi-get-a-one-away-link-wid-michelle/)

[Mad Cobra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mad-cobra/)

> [One of the first places where I started to respond to song lyrics was in reggae music. A lot of what I was responding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matisyahu/one-of-the-first-places-where-i-started-to-respond-to-song-lyrics-was/)

[Matisyahu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matisyahu/)

> [Canada's extraordinary success is that we have bound together a vast country with a set of shared ideas and beliefs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-trudeau/canada-s-extraordinary-success-is-that-we-have-bound-together-a-vast/)

[Justin Trudeau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-trudeau/)

> [From my mother I learned just how violent and unquenchable a woman's loneliness can be. She had been sheltered excessively by her husband and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-white/from-my-mother-i-learned-just-how-violent-and-unquenchable-a-woman-s/)

[Edmund White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-white/)

> [If 1 had 1 life to live why would he wait to the last second to live it !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/militon-munney/if-1-had-1-life-to-live-why-would-he-wait-to-the-last-second-to-live/)

[Militon Munney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/militon-munney/)

> [A book is not necessarily made of paper. A book is not necessarily made to be read on a Kindle. A book is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-gleick/a-book-is-not-necessarily-made-of-paper-a-book-is-not-necessarily/)

[James Gleick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-gleick/)

> ['Iron Man' was this fun, poppy thing bound to make a zillion dollars. And we were the other side of a superhero movie. More…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-leterrier/iron-man-was-this-fun-poppy-thing-bound-to-make-a-zillion-dollars-and/)

[Louis Leterrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-leterrier/)

> [“When everything was right, something was bound to go wrong. (Jessica)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-a-thompson/when-everything-was-right-something-was-bound-to-go-wrong-jessica/)

[Shannon A. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-a-thompson/)

Browse all 385 Bound quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Mitch Albom"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth-you-want-to-do-one-thing-but-3/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bound"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth-you-want-to-do-one-thing-but-3/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/mitch-albom-187_bound_life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth_1569946.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/mitch-albom-187_bound_life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth_1569946.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/26f/mitch-albom-187_bound_life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth_1569946.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Life is a series of pulls back and forth. You want to do one thing, but you are bound to do something else.” — Mitch Albom",
                "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": "Mitch Albom",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-albom/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Life is a series of pulls...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth-you-want-to-do-one-thing-but-3/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-albom/life-is-a-series-of-pulls-back-and-forth-you-want-to-do-one-thing-but-3/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
