---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It might be that he lived a more real…"
description: "\"“It might be that he lived a more real life within his thoughts...”\" — Nathaniel Hawthorne"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_life_it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-li_3105653.jpg"
---

#  It might be that he lived a more real life within his…

![“It might be that he lived a more real life within his thoughts...” quote by Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_life_it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-li_3105653.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_life_it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-li_3105653.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_life_it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-li_3105653.jpg)

> ““It might be that he lived a more real life within his thoughts...””

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

## About This Quote

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

A person can experience a richer, more authentic existence in imagination than in external reality.

**In simple terms:** Thoughts can feel more real than life.

Key Takeaway

Value inner life.

Themes

imagination authenticity inner life

Mood

contemplative melancholic

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- personal reflection
- mental health
- artistic inspiration

Key Concepts

existentialism subjective reality

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance imagination with real-world duties?
- Can inner richness replace external achievement?

A Different Perspective

Inner experiences may detach from external responsibilities.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-thoughts/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thoughts/)

## Related quotes

> [Life is lived in real places, and I shoot in real places.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-winner/life-is-lived-in-real-places-and-i-shoot-in-real-places/)

[Michael Winner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-winner/)

> [“I hadn't lived a real life―I'd had just a model of a life. Everything I did, everything I thought , was suspended safely by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/i-hadn-t-lived-a-real-life-i-d-had-just-a-model-of-a-life-everything/)

[Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/)

> [Fiction, because it is not about somebody who actually lived in the real world, always has the possibility of being about oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/fiction-because-it-is-not-about-somebody-who-actually-lived-in-the/)

[Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/)

> [I lived Real Madrid, with all the perfect things to grow up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alvaro-morata/i-lived-real-madrid-with-all-the-perfect-things-to-grow-up/)

[Alvaro Morata](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alvaro-morata/)

> [There is a direct line that runs from our doctrine to our actions, from what is in our minds to what is in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wells/there-is-a-direct-line-that-runs-from-our-doctrine-to-our-actions/)

[Tom Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wells/)

> [Let's fill our minds with thoughts of peace, courage, health, and hope, for "our life is what our thoughts make it."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/let-s-fill-our-minds-with-thoughts-of-peace-courage-health-and-hope/)

[Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/)

> [At the end of life thoughts hitherto impossible come to the collected mind, like good spirits which let themselves down from the shining heights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/at-the-end-of-life-thoughts-hitherto-impossible-come-to-the-collected/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Don't let other people influence your thoughts and decisions too much. You probably dont see it, but they do. It affects you and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-let-other-people-influence-your-thoughts-and-decisions-too-much/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When I write about "realizations," I am describing a state in which a practitioner has wisdom of who she or he is, and has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-targ/when-i-write-about-realizations-i-am-describing-a-state-in-which-a/)

Russell Targ

> [“You only have control over three things in your life—the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions you take (your behavior).…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-canfield/you-only-have-control-over-three-things-in-your-life-the-thoughts-you/)

[Jack Canfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-canfield/)

> [“Our life is what our thoughts make it. —Marcus Aurelius, Meditations”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-j-langer/our-life-is-what-our-thoughts-make-it-marcus-aurelius-meditations/)

[Ellen J. Langer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-j-langer/)

> [“Right then, in that office, with the realization that no one knew the truth about my life, my thoughts about the world were shaken.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/right-then-in-that-office-with-the-realization-that-no-one-knew-the/)

[Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/)

> [The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/the-universe-is-change-our-life-is-what-our-thoughts-make-it/)

[Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/)

> [So many people have the TV or radio constantly turned on “for company,” or spend their time reading trashy novels, aimlessly surfing the Net,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kingston/so-many-people-have-the-tv-or-radio-constantly-turned-on-for-company/)

[Karen Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kingston/)

> [Not only are you my best friend, you are my life, my thoughts and my dreams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/not-only-are-you-my-best-friend-you-are-my-life-my-thoughts-and-my/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

## More by Nathaniel Hawthorne

> [“there was something of the women molded into the great, stalwart frame of Hollingsworth; nor was he ashamed of it; as men often are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-was-something-of-the-women-molded-into-the-great-stalwart-frame/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [The trees reflected in the river - they are unconscious of a spiritual world so near to them. So are we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-trees-reflected-in-the-river-they-are-unconscious-of-a-spiritual/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“The dismaying thing about the classic totalitarian mind is that any given gear, though mutilated, will have at its circumference unbroken sequences of teeth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-dismaying-thing-about-the-classic-totalitarian-mind-is-that-any/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“My heart was a habitation large enough for many guests, but lonely and chill, and without a household fire, I longed to kindle one!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/my-heart-was-a-habitation-large-enough-for-many-guests-but-lonely-and/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Wherever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/wherever-there-is-a-heart-and-an-intellect-the-diseases-of-the/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [The founders of a new colony, whatever Utopia of human virtue and happiness they might originally project, have invariably recognized it among their earliest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-founders-of-a-new-colony-whatever-utopia-of-human-virtue-and/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [Generosity is the flower of justice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/generosity-is-the-flower-of-justice/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“he seemed to be in quest for mental food, not heart sustenance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/he-seemed-to-be-in-quest-for-mental-food-not-heart-sustenance/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“Unfathomable to mere mortals is the lore of fiends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/unfathomable-to-mere-mortals-is-the-lore-of-fiends/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“Possibly, he was in a state of second growth and recovery, and was constantly assimilating nutriment for his spirit and intellect from sights, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/possibly-he-was-in-a-state-of-second-growth-and-recovery-and-was/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“What wonder, then, should we be frightened by the aspect of a monster, which, after all,—though we can point to every feature of his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-wonder-then-should-we-be-frightened-by-the-aspect-of-a-monster/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [As the architecture of a country always follows the earliest structures, American architecture should be a refinement of the log-house. The Egyptian is so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/as-the-architecture-of-a-country-always-follows-the-earliest/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [What we call real estate - the solid ground to build a house on - is the broad foundation on which nearly all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/what-we-call-real-estate-the-solid-ground-to-build-a-house-on-is-the/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [“The bookworm of great libraries.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-bookworm-of-great-libraries/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

> [There are many things in this world that a child must not ask about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/there-are-many-things-in-this-world-that-a-child-must-not-ask-about/)

[Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

[Explore all 526 Nathaniel Hawthorne quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/)

## More Life quotes

> [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/)

[Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/)

> [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/)

[Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/)

> [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/)

[Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/)

> [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/)

[Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/)

> [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/)

[Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/)

> [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/)

Deanna L. Lawlis

> [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/)

[Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/)

> [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/)

[Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/)

> [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/)

[Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/)

> [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/)

[Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/)

> [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/)

[Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/)

[Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It might be that he lived a more real life within his thoughts...”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Nathaniel Hawthorne"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-life-within-his-thoughts/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Life"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-life-within-his-thoughts/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_life_it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-li_3105653.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_life_it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-li_3105653.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d57/nathaniel-hawthorne-461_life_it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-li_3105653.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It might be that he lived a more real life within his thoughts...” — Nathaniel Hawthorne",
                "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": "Nathaniel Hawthorne",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It might be that he lived...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-life-within-his-thoughts/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/it-might-be-that-he-lived-a-more-real-life-within-his-thoughts/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
