--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I like the idea of doing things that only…" description: "\"I like the idea of doing things that only exist for as long as they exist, which are not archives, which are not sold or prepared even.\" — Momus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/momus-35148_doing-things_i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-onl_2259147.jpg" --- # I like the idea of doing things that only exist for as… ![“I like the idea of doing things that only exist for as long as they exist, which are not archives, which are not sold or prepared even.” quote by Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/momus-35148_doing-things_i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-onl_2259147.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/momus-35148_doing-things_i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-onl_2259147.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/momus-35148_doing-things_i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-onl_2259147.jpg) > “I like the idea of doing things that only exist for as long as they exist, which are not archives, which are not sold or prepared even.” [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It expresses a desire for transient, non‑archival experiences that exist only momentarily and are not commodified. **In simple terms:** Seek fleeting, non‑commercial moments. Key Takeaway Embrace impermanence. Themes impermanence non‑commercial experience creativity Mood reflective philosophical Type statement musings When to use this quote - art projects - pop‑up events - limited‑time offers - performance art Key Concepts ephemerality authenticity Questions to Reflect On - How do you value temporary experiences? - What does “non‑archive” mean to you? A Different Perspective Sustainability may be challenged by constant change. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Doing things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things/) [Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist/) [Exist Archives](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-archives-5190936/) [Exist Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-long-1057329/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-exist-1640163/) [Things Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/things-exist/) ## Related quotes > [Death does not concern us, because as long as we exist, death is not here. And when it does come, we no longer exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epicurus/death-does-not-concern-us-because-as-long-as-we-exist-death-is-not/) [Epicurus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epicurus/) > [“For you are you, and I am I, and once we were we… but as long as I exist and so do you –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranata-suzuki/for-you-are-you-and-i-am-i-and-once-we-were-we-but-as-long-as-i-exist/) [Ranata Suzuki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ranata-suzuki/) > [We exist as long as somebody remembers us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/we-exist-as-long-as-somebody-remembers-us/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [I do not wish to be misunderstood upon this subject of slavery in this country. I suppose it may long exist, and perhaps the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-do-not-wish-to-be-misunderstood-upon-this-subject-of-slavery-in/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-jackson/no-live-organism-can-continue-for-long-to-exist-sanely-under-2/) [Shirley Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-jackson/) > [Death is something we don't have to fear, since as long as we exist death doesn't and when it does we don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-machado/death-is-something-we-don-t-have-to-fear-since-as-long-as-we-exist/) [Antonio Machado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-machado/) > [I like the idea that things can exist in different formats - in a gallery, a fashion ad, in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juergen-teller/i-like-the-idea-that-things-can-exist-in-different-formats-in-a/) [Juergen Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juergen-teller/) > [I just want fiction to remain a vital force for entertainment and not just for contemplation. Both things can exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-shteyngart/i-just-want-fiction-to-remain-a-vital-force-for-entertainment-and-not/) [Gary Shteyngart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-shteyngart/) > [I tend to like things that already exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-johns/i-tend-to-like-things-that-already-exist/) [Jasper Johns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-johns/) > [We operate with nothing but things which do not exist, with lines, planes, bodies, atoms, divisible time, divisible space - how should explanation even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/we-operate-with-nothing-but-things-which-do-not-exist-with-lines/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [We should be focusing on building things that do not exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-page/we-should-be-focusing-on-building-things-that-do-not-exist/) [Larry Page](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-page/) > [An institution like Guantanamo in its present form cannot and must not exist in the long term. We must find different ways of dealing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-merkel/an-institution-like-guantanamo-in-its-present-form-cannot-and-must/) [Angela Merkel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-merkel/) > [In reality unity exist so long there is common agenda between peolpe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiula-shagile/in-reality-unity-exist-so-long-there-is-common-agenda-between-peolpe/) [Kiula Shagile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiula-shagile/) > [He would have liked to know that somebody wanted to keep him alive, that someone remembered him. He used to say that we exist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/he-would-have-liked-to-know-that-somebody-wanted-to-keep-him-alive/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [War will exist as long as there's a food chain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/war-will-exist-as-long-as-there-s-a-food-chain/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) ## More by Momus > [Maybe it's the Calvinist guilt about capitalism or mercantilism. But, I like the idea of doing things that only exist for as long as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/maybe-it-s-the-calvinist-guilt-about-capitalism-or-mercantilism-but-i/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [I enjoy the optimism of design, even though we can see it as doomed. But I'm telling most people that I'm not writing about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/i-enjoy-the-optimism-of-design-even-though-we-can-see-it-as-doomed/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [If you're a poet and you're using rhyme, rhyme generates ideas. If you're a songwriter and you're using melody and words together, they bounce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/if-you-re-a-poet-and-you-re-using-rhyme-rhyme-generates-ideas-if-you/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [Every lie creates a parallel world.. a world in which it is true](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/every-lie-creates-a-parallel-world-a-world-in-which-it-is-true/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [Pablo Picasso said, "Art is the lie that tells the truth," and it's not a terribly radical statement. It's always been that you can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/pablo-picasso-said-art-is-the-lie-that-tells-the-truth-and-it-s-not-a/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [“God is a tender pervert, and the angels are voyeurs.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/god-is-a-tender-pervert-and-the-angels-are-voyeurs/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [Design is interesting because it's utopian. Art is often a jaundiced commentary on contemporary life. Design is always about the future; it's always about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/design-is-interesting-because-it-s-utopian-art-is-often-a-jaundiced/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [If you look at the steps being taken towards Scottish independence, they're being dealt with politically in very dull and boring ways. So if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/if-you-look-at-the-steps-being-taken-towards-scottish-independence/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [Quantum physics says that there is an infinite number of possibilities and parallels to the one that we know, and every event is also…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/quantum-physics-says-that-there-is-an-infinite-number-of/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [Franz Kafka once said that happiness consists in having an ideal and not progressing towards it. If you did progress towards it, you'd be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/franz-kafka-once-said-that-happiness-consists-in-having-an-ideal-and/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [I'm bored with DJs. Anybody that puts the title DJ in front of their name immediately turns me off. I prefer the term "sampling,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/i-m-bored-with-djs-anybody-that-puts-the-title-dj-in-front-of-their/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) > [When you tell filthy jokes as if they were all really serious, and happening all in the life of one family, it becomes a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/when-you-tell-filthy-jokes-as-if-they-were-all-really-serious-and/) [Momus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) [Explore all 13 Momus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/) ## More Doing things quotes > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [Doing the right things is more important than doing things right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ko-wen-je/doing-the-right-things-is-more-important-than-doing-things-right/) [Ko Wen-je](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ko-wen-je/) > [“Standards are just the most accepted ways of doing things. They're usually unquestioned, not challenged, not the most efficient, and not the best way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-otton/standards-are-just-the-most-accepted-ways-of-doing-things-they-re/) [Rick Otton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-otton/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [Either you let your life slip away by not doing the things you want to do, or you get up & do them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-von-oech/either-you-let-your-life-slip-away-by-not-doing-the-things-you-want/) [Roger von Oech](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-von-oech/) > [Life is all about doing things you like and being surrounded by people you like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-cassandra/life-is-all-about-doing-things-you-like-and-being-surrounded-by/) [Regina Cassandra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-cassandra/) > [There are those that say, if you do the uncomfortable thing long enough, it will become comfortable. But we are really not encouragers of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-hicks/there-are-those-that-say-if-you-do-the-uncomfortable-thing-long/) [Esther Hicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-hicks/) > [I'm closer to being happy. I'm doing things that make me happy. In football I loved to practice and I loved to play, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-williams/i-m-closer-to-being-happy-i-m-doing-things-that-make-me-happy-in/) [Ricky Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-williams/) > [“If you aren't in love, Willow Vaughn, then my name isn't Miriam Brigham." Willow started out of her daydreaming and glanced up from the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-mcpherren/if-you-aren-t-in-love-willow-vaughn-then-my-name-isn-t-miriam-brigham/) [Charlotte McPherren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-mcpherren/) > [The story being told in 'Star Wars' is a classic one. Every few hundred years, the story is retold because we have a tendency…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-lucas/the-story-being-told-in-star-wars-is-a-classic-one-every-few-hundred/) [George Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-lucas/) > [When you study history and look at every civilization that has grown up and died off, they all leave one remnant: a major sports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-study-history-and-look-at-every-civilization-that-has-grown/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Well I think that what we're seeing now is that the people feel like they, the people in Congress don't have their consent to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laura-ingraham/well-i-think-that-what-we-re-seeing-now-is-that-the-people-feel-like/) [Laura Ingraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laura-ingraham/) > [It's sad that women characters have lost so much ground in popular movies. Didn't 'Thelma and Louise' prove that women want to see women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-quivers/it-s-sad-that-women-characters-have-lost-so-much-ground-in-popular/) [Robin Quivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-quivers/) > [I spent a lot of my life schlepping around New York with people not doing things for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debbie-gibson/i-spent-a-lot-of-my-life-schlepping-around-new-york-with-people-not/) [Debbie Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debbie-gibson/) > [This is your life do wat you love, and do it often. if you don't like something, change it. if you don't like your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiea/this-is-your-life-do-wat-you-love-and-do-it-often-if-you-don-t-like/) [Amiea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amiea/) [Browse all 1,822 Doing things quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doing-things/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I like the idea of doing things that only exist for as long as they exist, which are not archives, which are not sold or prepared even.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Momus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-only-exist-for-as-long-as-they/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doing things" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-only-exist-for-as-long-as-they/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/momus-35148_doing-things_i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-onl_2259147.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/momus-35148_doing-things_i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-onl_2259147.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8b/momus-35148_doing-things_i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-onl_2259147.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I like the idea of doing things that only exist for as long as they exist, which are not archives, which are…” — Momus", "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": "Momus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/momus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I like the idea of doing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-only-exist-for-as-long-as-they/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/momus/i-like-the-idea-of-doing-things-that-only-exist-for-as-long-as-they/#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 } } ] } ```