--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thing about life is that life is an…" description: "\"“The thing about life is that life is an infinite subject matter. At any one moment you can say only what' before your mind just then. You have some co..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/nicholson-baker-3405_life_the-thing-about-life-is-that-life-is-an_1157090.jpg" --- # The thing about life is that life is an infinite subject… ![“The thing about life is that life is an infinite subject matter. At any one moment you can say only what' before your mind just then. You have some control over what comes before your mind - you can influence the influx by reading, or by looking through your old notes, or by going to movies, or by…” quote by Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/nicholson-baker-3405_life_the-thing-about-life-is-that-life-is-an_1157090.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/nicholson-baker-3405_life_the-thing-about-life-is-that-life-is-an_1157090.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fff/nicholson-baker-3405_life_the-thing-about-life-is-that-life-is-an_1157090.jpg) > ““The thing about life is that life is an infinite subject matter. At any one moment you can say only what' before your mind just then. You have some control over what comes before your mind - you can influence the influx by reading, or by looking through your old notes, or by going to movies, or by talking to people, and you can choose what room of the house or what corner of the yard to sit in, and you can choose to write before or after you've masturbated - this is crucial - and you can choose to tell the truth or not to. And the difficult is that sometimes it's hard to tell the truth because you think that the truth is too personal, or too boring, to tell. Or both. And sometimes it's hard to tell the truth because the truth is hard to see, because it exists in a misty, gray non-space between two strongly charged falsehoods that sound true but aren't.”” [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Our thoughts are shaped by what we consume; choosing inputs influences perception, honesty, and the clarity of our inner narrative. **In simple terms:** Input shapes mind; truth is hard to see. Key Takeaway Curate what you read and watch. Themes perception truth creativity Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - writing sessions - academic research - daily journaling - media consumption habits Key Concepts cognitive science philosophy media studies Questions to Reflect On - What sources shape your worldview? - How do you decide when to speak truth? A Different Perspective Truth can be elusive when surrounded by persuasive falsehoods. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [I am a lover of truth; and if you think of truth as being multifaceted and so huge that we human beings can't fully…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-howatch/i-am-a-lover-of-truth-and-if-you-think-of-truth-as-being-multifaceted/) [Susan Howatch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-howatch/) > [“Do you think any of us go anywhere until we have the truth? Do you think there’s peace without justice?” “No, I don’t,” Eve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-robb/do-you-think-any-of-us-go-anywhere-until-we-have-the-truth-do-you/) [J.D. Robb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-robb/) > [“It is the love of Christ, i. e. his love to us which passes knowledge. It is infinite; not only because it inheres in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-hodge/it-is-the-love-of-christ-i-e-his-love-to-us-which-passes-knowledge-it/) [Charles Hodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-hodge/) > [It is hard to be finite upon an infinite subject, and all subjects are infinite.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/it-is-hard-to-be-finite-upon-an-infinite-subject-and-all-subjects-are/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [In the West, you don't get in any trouble if you tell the truth, but you still can't do it. Not only can't you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/in-the-west-you-don-t-get-in-any-trouble-if-you-tell-the-truth-but/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [To tell the truth is very difficult, and young people are rarely capable of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-tell-the-truth-is-very-difficult-and-young-people-are-rarely/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Falsehood is easy, truth so difficult.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/falsehood-is-easy-truth-so-difficult/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [In truth its difficult to describe a broken heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhiess-krieg/in-truth-its-difficult-to-describe-a-broken-heart/) [Jhiess Krieg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhiess-krieg/) > [“We should recognize how in a culture where each person wants to be bearer of his or her own subjective truth, it becomes difficult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/we-should-recognize-how-in-a-culture-where-each-person-wants-to-be/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) > [A hard Truth is difficult to swallow but a Lie will choke you to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/a-hard-truth-is-difficult-to-swallow-but-a-lie-will-choke-you-to-death/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [“When a lie has been embedded in the public consciousness, the truth has a difficult time making itself known.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-l-brand/when-a-lie-has-been-embedded-in-the-public-consciousness-the-truth/) Bethany L. 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Not accepting the truth is tragic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tupac-shakur/accepting-the-truth-is-difficult-not-accepting-the-truth-is-tragic/) [Tupac Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tupac-shakur/) > [“Objective truth is difficult to come by, and even if you have it, what you can pass on to the next person is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-abraham/objective-truth-is-difficult-to-come-by-and-even-if-you-have-it-what/) [Daniel Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-abraham/) ## More by Nicholson Baker > [I did not know that the planning for biological and chemical warfare was so widespread in England, and even in France before France fell.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-did-not-know-that-the-planning-for-biological-and-chemical-warfare/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [Just as the people who lived through the Second World War thought different things on different days, I think everybody who goes through that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/just-as-the-people-who-lived-through-the-second-world-war-thought/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [I’ve always thought of myself as shy,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/i-ve-always-thought-of-myself-as-shy/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [There's something paralyzing about being a writer that you have to escape. 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White's essays are the best things I've read about Maine - especially the one in which he's not sure if he can go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/e-b-white-s-essays-are-the-best-things-i-ve-read-about-maine/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) > [“The fact that we had independently decided to sweep our apartments on that Sunday afternoon after spending the weekend together, I took as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholson-baker/the-fact-that-we-had-independently-decided-to-sweep-our-apartments-on/) [Nicholson Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) [Explore all 131 Nicholson Baker quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholson-baker/) ## 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. 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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. 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At any one moment you can say only what' before your mind just then. You have some control over what comes before your mind - you can influence the influx by reading, or by looking through your old notes, or by going to movies, or by talking to people, and you can choose what room of the house or what corner of the yard to sit in, and you can choose to write before or after you've masturbated - this is crucial - and you can choose to tell the truth or not to. And the difficult is that sometimes it's hard to tell the truth because you think that the truth is too personal, or too boring, to tell. Or both. 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