--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Isn’t everyone’s life a mass of…" description: "\"Isn’t everyone’s life a mass of contradictions?\" — Noah Feldman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/noah-feldman-12383_contradiction_isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradi_3014029.png" --- # Isn’t everyone’s life a mass of contradictions? ![“Isn’t everyone’s life a mass of contradictions?” quote by Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/noah-feldman-12383_contradiction_isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradi_3014029.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/noah-feldman-12383_contradiction_isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradi_3014029.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/noah-feldman-12383_contradiction_isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradi_3014029.png) > “Isn’t everyone’s life a mass of contradictions?” [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is full of opposing forces that coexist, creating complexity and tension in human experience. **In simple terms:** Life is full of contradictions. Key Takeaway Embrace complexity, seek balance. Themes philosophy human nature paradox Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal relationships - political debate - ethical decision making - creative problem solving Key Concepts dialectics cognitive dissonance existentialism Questions to Reflect On - How do you navigate conflicting values? - What role do contradictions play in personal growth? A Different Perspective Contradictions can lead to paralysis if not reconciled. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Contradiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) [Contradictions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradictions/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) ## Related quotes > [Of course, we're all a mass of contradictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirley-maclaine/of-course-we-re-all-a-mass-of-contradictions/) [Shirley MacLaine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirley-maclaine/) > [The energy that New York exudes is as much the light of extinguished souls as it is the spark of individual enterprise. And while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-foreman/the-energy-that-new-york-exudes-is-as-much-the-light-of-extinguished/) [Amanda Foreman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-foreman/) > [I am a mass of contradictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/i-am-a-mass-of-contradictions/) [Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/) > [I do believe as human beings we are a great mass of contradictions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ciaran-hinds/i-do-believe-as-human-beings-we-are-a-great-mass-of-contradictions/) [Ciaran Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ciaran-hinds/) > [“War is a mass of contradictions and carefully acknowledged truths.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sagara-west/war-is-a-mass-of-contradictions-and-carefully-acknowledged-truths/) [Michelle Sagara West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sagara-west/) > [“Hugo could cheerfully have died of mortification - if such a mass of contradictions had been possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/hugo-could-cheerfully-have-died-of-mortification-if-such-a-mass-of/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“It was all very well to aim at the intention of the soul: who could tell what that was when people seemed a mass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/it-was-all-very-well-to-aim-at-the-intention-of-the-soul-who-could/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [The mass is the spiritual food that sustains me, without which I could not get through one single day or hour in my life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mother-teresa/the-mass-is-the-spiritual-food-that-sustains-me-without-which-i-could/) [Mother Teresa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mother-teresa/) > [Though we may never be able to comprehend human life, we know certainly that it is a movement, of whatever nature it be. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikola-tesla/though-we-may-never-be-able-to-comprehend-human-life-we-know/) [Nikola Tesla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikola-tesla/) > [“Lucien Knight was a walking, talking hang up, a beautiful mass of contradictions. He'd been single-minded in his mission to free her from her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kitty-french/lucien-knight-was-a-walking-talking-hang-up-a-beautiful-mass-of/) [Kitty French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kitty-french/) > [We both wondered whether these contradictions that one can't avoid if one begins to think of time and space may not really be proofs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-machen/we-both-wondered-whether-these-contradictions-that-one-can-t-avoid-if/) [Arthur Machen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-machen/) > [“Seemed she should learn to smile when she was unhappy, to stop laughing, to speak up, to never speak to strangers, to share guilt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-aylett/seemed-she-should-learn-to-smile-when-she-was-unhappy-to-stop/) [Steve Aylett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-aylett/) > [The reflection of nature in man's thought must be understood not lifelessly but in the eternal process of movement, the arising of contradictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/the-reflection-of-nature-in-man-s-thought-must-be-understood-not/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [There are evidently limits to the achievements of science; and there are irresolvable contradictions both between prosperity and virtue, and between happiness and ''the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/there-are-evidently-limits-to-the-achievements-of-science-and-there/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [Contradictions in human character are one of its most consistent notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-spark/contradictions-in-human-character-are-one-of-its-most-consistent-notes/) [Muriel Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-spark/) ## More by Noah Feldman > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [Our post-denominational age should be the perfect time for a Mormon to become president, or at least the Republican nominee. Mormons share nearly all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/our-post-denominational-age-should-be-the-perfect-time-for-a-mormon/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [In 1953, after the armistice ending the Korean War, South Korea lay in ruins. President Eisenhower was eager to put an end to hostilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/in-1953-after-the-armistice-ending-the-korean-war-south-korea-lay-in/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [The Chinese public is deeply nationalist, which matters to China's unelected political leadership as much as U.S. nationalism does to American politicians. As China…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-chinese-public-is-deeply-nationalist-which-matters-to-china-s/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [In an ideological age, diplomacy may seem weak and prosaic. But sometimes it is all we have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/in-an-ideological-age-diplomacy-may-seem-weak-and-prosaic-but/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [When we put our trust in diplomacy, it is not because it is an inspiring or uplifting discourse or because it helps us see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/when-we-put-our-trust-in-diplomacy-it-is-not-because-it-is-an/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [I have a 2-year-old son, and I know I'm dealing with a big, grand word when I can't point to the thing when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/i-have-a-2-year-old-son-and-i-know-i-m-dealing-with-a-big-grand-word/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [Prisoners, according to the law, who are non-U.S. citizens and are detained outside the U.S. - including in Guantanamo Bay - are denied 'habeas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/prisoners-according-to-the-law-who-are-non-u-s-citizens-and-are/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [In politics, Joseph Smith was something of a radical. He preached, instead of democracy, a version of theocratic rule within a framework given by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/in-politics-joseph-smith-was-something-of-a-radical-he-preached/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [The true test of whether Mr. Obama has improved on the Bush era lies in how his administration justifies its decisions on the 241…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-true-test-of-whether-mr-obama-has-improved-on-the-bush-era-lies/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [In the first decade of the twenty-first century, the major international question was the relation between Islam and democracy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/in-the-first-decade-of-the-twenty-first-century-the-major/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [Well-meaning Europeans sometimes argue that unlike the U.S., their countries are traditionally 'homogeneous' and have little experience with immigration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/well-meaning-europeans-sometimes-argue-that-unlike-the-u-s-their/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [Many Muslims in Saudi Arabia believe that the core values of Islam, namely acknowledgement of God's sovereignty and basic human equality before God, are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/many-muslims-in-saudi-arabia-believe-that-the-core-values-of-islam/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [Cyber war takes place largely in secret, unknown to the general public on both sides.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/cyber-war-takes-place-largely-in-secret-unknown-to-the-general-public/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [We often imagine that the court serves as a sort of neutral umpire controlling the warring political branches. But this is mostly myth. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/we-often-imagine-that-the-court-serves-as-a-sort-of-neutral-umpire/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) [Explore all 55 Noah Feldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) ## More Contradiction quotes > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of readiness to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/courage-is-almost-a-contradiction-in-terms-it-means-a-strong-desire/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is also plausible that those movements with the greatest inner contradiction and between profession and practice - that is to say with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/it-is-also-plausible-that-those-movements-with-the-greatest-inner/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [Contradictions in human character are one of its most consistent notes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muriel-spark/contradictions-in-human-character-are-one-of-its-most-consistent-notes/) [Muriel Spark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muriel-spark/) > [“The tiny features below, taken together with the gentle mass of Montblanc towering above them, the Vanoise glacier almost invisible in the shimmering distance,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald-2/the-tiny-features-below-taken-together-with-the-gentle-mass-of/) [W.G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald-2/) > [I’m a skeptic not because I do not want to believe, but because I want to know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-shermer/i-m-a-skeptic-not-because-i-do-not-want-to-believe-but-because-i-want/) [Michael Shermer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-shermer/) > [There are evidently limits to the achievements of science; and there are irresolvable contradictions both between prosperity and virtue, and between happiness and ''the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-niebuhr/there-are-evidently-limits-to-the-achievements-of-science-and-there/) [Reinhold Niebuhr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-niebuhr/) > [To exist (in mathematics), said Henri Poincaré, is to be free from contradiction. But mere existence does not guarantee survival. To survive in mathematics…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-kac/to-exist-in-mathematics-said-henri-poincar-is-to-be-free-from/) [Mark Kac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-kac/) > [“In these creations, life and symbolic value are not in contradiction: they intensify each other.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/in-these-creations-life-and-symbolic-value-are-not-in-contradiction/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [I have never agreed with my other self wholly. The truth of the matter seems to lie between us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khalil-gibran/i-have-never-agreed-with-my-other-self-wholly-the-truth-of-the-matter/) [Khalil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khalil-gibran/) > [“A truth is not necessary, because we negatively are not able to conceive the actual existence of the opposite thereof;but a truth is necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-l-dabney/a-truth-is-not-necessary-because-we-negatively-are-not-able-to/) R.L. Dabney > [The pictures that were coming from Vietnam were showing us what was really happening on the ground level. It was in contradiction to what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-nachtwey/the-pictures-that-were-coming-from-vietnam-were-showing-us-what-was/) [James Nachtwey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-nachtwey/) > [Here I encounter the most popular fallacy of our times. It is not considered sufficient that the law should guarantee to every citizen the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-bastiat/here-i-encounter-the-most-popular-fallacy-of-our-times-it-is-not/) [Frederic Bastiat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-bastiat/) > [That the sun will not rise tomorrow is no less intelligible a proposition, and implies no more contradiction, than the affirmation, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/that-the-sun-will-not-rise-tomorrow-is-no-less-intelligible-a/) [David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/) > [The reflection of nature in man's thought must be understood not lifelessly but in the eternal process of movement, the arising of contradictions and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/the-reflection-of-nature-in-man-s-thought-must-be-understood-not/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) [Browse all 1,263 Contradiction quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/contradiction/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Isn’t everyone’s life a mass of contradictions?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Noah Feldman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradictions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Contradiction" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradictions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/noah-feldman-12383_contradiction_isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradi_3014029.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/noah-feldman-12383_contradiction_isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradi_3014029.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23d/noah-feldman-12383_contradiction_isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradi_3014029.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Isn’t everyone’s life a mass of contradictions?” — Noah Feldman", "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": "Noah Feldman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Isn’t everyone’s life a mass of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradictions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/isn-t-everyone-s-life-a-mass-of-contradictions/#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 } } ] } ```