---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every moment of one's existence one is…"
description: "\"Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit.\" — Norman M..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f1/norman-mailer-839_death_every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-g_1014330.png"
---

#  Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more…

![“Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit.” quote by Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f1/norman-mailer-839_death_every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-g_1014330.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f1/norman-mailer-839_death_every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-g_1014330.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f1/norman-mailer-839_death_every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-g_1014330.png)

> “Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit.”

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

## About This Quote

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

Life constantly moves forward or backward; existence is a balance of growth and decline.

**In simple terms:** We always grow or shrink.

Key Takeaway

Embrace change and keep evolving.

Themes

existence growth impermanence

Mood

reflective hopeful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career development
- personal aging
- health journeys
- creative projects

Key Concepts

philosophy existentialism

Questions to Reflect On

- What does retreat teach you?
- How do you measure meaningful progress?

A Different Perspective

Focusing only on growth can cause burnout.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying/) [Dying Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dying-little-1991617/) [Every moment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/every-moment/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-growing-2221836/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing Retreating](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-retreating-2221837/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Little Dying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/little-dying-2221838/) [Living A Little](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-a-little-219990/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more or retreating into less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-growing-into-more-or/)

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

> [“Life is a little like getting on a bus with loads of passengers who are already on when you get on. A bus to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/srividya-srinivasan/life-is-a-little-like-getting-on-a-bus-with-loads-of-passengers-who/)

[Srividya Srinivasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/srividya-srinivasan/)

> [“Demanding yet denying the human condition makes for an explosive contradiction. And explode it does, as you and I know. And we live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frantz-fanon/demanding-yet-denying-the-human-condition-makes-for-an-explosive/)

[Frantz Fanon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frantz-fanon/)

> [As I started growing up, living a little and listening to the lyrics, I realized that I was going through a lot of stuff…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akon/as-i-started-growing-up-living-a-little-and-listening-to-the-lyrics-i/)

[Akon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akon/)

> [There's nothing like living a little close to the edge that gets you motivated to ensure that you get the credentials you need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/there-s-nothing-like-living-a-little-close-to-the-edge-that-gets-you/)

[Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/)

> [That didn't make no sense at all, I'd be living a little higher on the hall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-owen/that-didn-t-make-no-sense-at-all-i-d-be-living-a-little-higher-on-the/)

[Jake Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-owen/)

> [I believe that I'm going to have a long career, as long as I want, and I think by me going out into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-tucker/i-believe-that-i-m-going-to-have-a-long-career-as-long-as-i-want-and/)

[Chris Tucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-tucker/)

> [“Demanding yet denying the human condition makes for an explosive contradiction. And explode it does, as you and I know. And we live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/demanding-yet-denying-the-human-condition-makes-for-an-explosive-2/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [Some guys they just give up living, others start dying little by little piece by piece, some guys come home from work and wash…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/some-guys-they-just-give-up-living-others-start-dying-little-by/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [Some guys they just give up living, and start dying little by little, piece by piece.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/some-guys-they-just-give-up-living-and-start-dying-little-by-little/)

[Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/)

> [We are always dying, all the time. That's what living is; living is dying, little by little. It is a sequenced collection of individualized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/we-are-always-dying-all-the-time-that-s-what-living-is-living-is/)

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

> [Everyone's dying. A little, every day. Make it count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/everyone-s-dying-a-little-every-day-make-it-count/)

[Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/)

> [“But finally, Mr. Wind-Up Bird, isn't that just what life is? Aren't we all trapped in the dark somewhere, and they've taken away our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/but-finally-mr-wind-up-bird-isn-t-that-just-what-life-is-aren-t-we/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [You're not alive unless you live, and by living means dying a little each day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pfam19/you-re-not-alive-unless-you-live-and-by-living-means-dying-a-little/)

[Pfam19](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pfam19/)

> [“There is a period between each night and day when one dies for a few hours, neither dreaming nor thinking nor tossing nor hating…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-okada/there-is-a-period-between-each-night-and-day-when-one-dies-for-a-few/)

[John Okada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-okada/)

## More by Norman Mailer

> [Conservatives are people who look at a tree and feel instinctively that it is more beautiful than anything they can name. But when it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/conservatives-are-people-who-look-at-a-tree-and-feel-instinctively/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [There's a subterranean impetus towards pornography so powerful that half the business world is juiced by the sort of half sex that one finds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/there-s-a-subterranean-impetus-towards-pornography-so-powerful-that/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [So the blind will lead the blind, and the deaf shout warnings to one another until their voices are lost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/so-the-blind-will-lead-the-blind-and-the-deaf-shout-warnings-to-one/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [Writing for a newspaper is like running a revolutionary war. You go to battle not when you are ready, but when action offers itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/writing-for-a-newspaper-is-like-running-a-revolutionary-war-you-go-to/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [I would introduce myself if it were not useless. The name I had last night will not be the same as the name I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-would-introduce-myself-if-it-were-not-useless-the-name-i-had-last/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [“City Point is so beautiful, she says. In the night they cannot see the garbage that litters the beach, the seaweed and driftwood, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/city-point-is-so-beautiful-she-says-in-the-night-they-cannot-see-the/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [“I find it’s more fun to write about something that you don’t know completely and that you will discover on route. A dear friend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-find-it-s-more-fun-to-write-about-something-that-you-don-t-know/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [Short-term amnesia is not the worst affliction if you have an Irish flair for the sauce.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/short-term-amnesia-is-not-the-worst-affliction-if-you-have-an-irish/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [Part of the oncoming demise (of New York during its terrible fiscal crisis) is that none of us can simply believe it. We were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/part-of-the-oncoming-demise-of-new-york-during-its-terrible-fiscal/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [I have always had this very strong, call it a feeling, call it a prejudice, call it a conviction ... that the mysteries are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-have-always-had-this-very-strong-call-it-a-feeling-call-it-a/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [I do believe that America's deepest political sickness is that it is a self-righteous nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-do-believe-that-america-s-deepest-political-sickness-is-that-it-is/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [America is a hurricane, and the only people who do not hear the sound are those fortunate if incredibly stupid and smug White Protestants…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/america-is-a-hurricane-and-the-only-people-who-do-not-hear-the-sound/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [Armstrong, sitting in the commander's seat, spacesuit on, helmet on, plugged into electrical and environmental umbilical's, is a man who is not only a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/armstrong-sitting-in-the-commander-s-seat-spacesuit-on-helmet-on/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [I was thinking that surgeons had to be the happiest people on earth. To cut people up and get paid for it-that's happiness, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/i-was-thinking-that-surgeons-had-to-be-the-happiest-people-on-earth/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

> [Movies are more likely than literature to reach deep feelings in people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/movies-are-more-likely-than-literature-to-reach-deep-feelings-in/)

[Norman Mailer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

[Explore all 355 Norman Mailer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/)

## More Death quotes

> [“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/)

> [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/)

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [I do not want to live at the cost of the life even of a snake. I should let him bite me to death…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/i-do-not-want-to-live-at-the-cost-of-the-life-even-of-a-snake-i/)

[Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/)

> [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/)

[Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/)

> [Retirement? You're talking about death, right?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-altman/retirement-you-re-talking-about-death-right/)

[Robert Altman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-altman/)

> [With multiplayer, permanent death, and an ever-changing world to explore and conquer, 'A Valley Without Wind' might be the place you're looking for if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-manuel/with-multiplayer-permanent-death-and-an-ever-changing-world-to/)

[Rob Manuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-manuel/)

> [“What did you see?” she asked gently. His brow furrowed, as if he could not understand the question. Then his eyes turned to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-anthony-torino/what-did-you-see-she-asked-gently-his-brow-furrowed-as-if-he-could/)

[J. Anthony Torino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-anthony-torino/)

> [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/)

[Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/)

> [“I practice Dying--every night-- But have not learned to, still-- Though Talented--by Mortal bones-- For such a common Skill.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-w-powers/i-practice-dying-every-night-but-have-not-learned-to-still-though/)

[Alan W. Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-w-powers/)

> [“You must understand the pain and grief of losing someone is nothing more than a function of survival.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-cooper/you-must-understand-the-pain-and-grief-of-losing-someone-is-nothing/)

[Steven Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-cooper/)

> [I am not a depressive person at all, but I reflect a lot on my life, and life in general, from the perspective of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/i-am-not-a-depressive-person-at-all-but-i-reflect-a-lot-on-my-life/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [“Death is a reality that calls the rest of life and all of our assorted strivings into sharp relief.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-d-lounsbrough/death-is-a-reality-that-calls-the-rest-of-life-and-all-of-our/)

[Craig D. Lounsbrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-d-lounsbrough/)

> [I love life. I love life to death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmanuelle-riva/i-love-life-i-love-life-to-death/)

[Emmanuelle Riva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmanuelle-riva/)

> [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/)

[Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/)

[Browse all 39,127 Death quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a little more or dying a little bit.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Norman Mailer"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-growing-into-more-or-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Death"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-growing-into-more-or-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f1/norman-mailer-839_death_every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-g_1014330.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f1/norman-mailer-839_death_every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-g_1014330.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5f1/norman-mailer-839_death_every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-g_1014330.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Every moment of one's existence one is growing into more or retreating into less. One is always living a…” — Norman Mailer",
                "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": "Norman Mailer",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-mailer/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Every moment of one's existence one...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-growing-into-more-or-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-mailer/every-moment-of-one-s-existence-one-is-growing-into-more-or-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
