--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: REAL life isn’t ordered or chaotic – it’s…" description: "\"“REAL life isn’t ordered or chaotic – it’s both of these things at all times and depending on where we focus our attention or where life is asking us t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/oli-anderson-22135_attention_real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s_654440.jpg" --- # REAL life isn’t ordered or chaotic – it’s both of these… ![“REAL life isn’t ordered or chaotic – it’s both of these things at all times and depending on where we focus our attention or where life is asking us to look in a given moment depends on which one we experience.” quote by Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/oli-anderson-22135_attention_real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s_654440.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/oli-anderson-22135_attention_real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s_654440.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/oli-anderson-22135_attention_real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s_654440.jpg) > ““REAL life isn’t ordered or chaotic – it’s both of these things at all times and depending on where we focus our attention or where life is asking us to look in a given moment depends on which one we experience.”” [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life simultaneously contains order and chaos; perception shifts based on focus and what life presents. **In simple terms:** Both order and chaos exist together, changing with where we look. Key Takeaway Adjust focus to navigate complexity. Themes perception balance mindfulness Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - relationships - decision making - stress management Key Concepts dualism subjective reality Questions to Reflect On - How does your focus shape your experience? - Can you find order in chaos? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) [Chaos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chaos/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Perception](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perception/) [Personal growth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-growth/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Realness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/realness/) [Self -awareness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-awareness/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Wholeness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wholeness/) ## Related quotes > [“Whatever you look for you will find; that’s why it’s so important to focus your attention on the REAL ‘stuff’ – that connection to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/whatever-you-look-for-you-will-find-that-s-why-it-s-so-important-to/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“The path is already within you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/the-path-is-already-within-you/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“The ultimate barometer for what’s actually going on inside you is to reverse engineer your unconscious intentions by the RESULTS you consistently keep getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/the-ultimate-barometer-for-what-s-actually-going-on-inside-you-is-to/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“The Sublimity of Nature is God’s way of shaking you awake from the dream – it’s not about fear or dread but about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/the-sublimity-of-nature-is-god-s-way-of-shaking-you-awake-from-the/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Practicing dialogue helps you to cultivate a realness that allows you to face reality on its own terms, not just the terms you’d like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/practicing-dialogue-helps-you-to-cultivate-a-realness-that-allows-you/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“We can either see the storm as something that has come to destroy us or something that has come to wash away anything that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/we-can-either-see-the-storm-as-something-that-has-come-to-destroy-us/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Dialogue with the self is the source of all insight and insight is the only thing that can change your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/dialogue-with-the-self-is-the-source-of-all-insight-and-insight-is/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“We can either fear the storm because we’re attempting to HOLD ON to the things that it’s blowing away or we can trust the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/we-can-either-fear-the-storm-because-we-re-attempting-to-hold-on-to/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Synchronicity can be taken as evidence that we’re on the path of flow and being in life rather than the path of forcing ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/synchronicity-can-be-taken-as-evidence-that-we-re-on-the-path-of-flow/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“When you don’t trust life and so you start testing it and looking for signs, then you’re not really testing life (because the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/when-you-don-t-trust-life-and-so-you-start-testing-it-and-looking-for/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“The unconscious is always trying to make itself conscious and so if you slow down and listen you can align yourself instead of being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/the-unconscious-is-always-trying-to-make-itself-conscious-and-so-if/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“If a PEAK EXPERIENCE is what happens when you actively unplug yourself from the Void – even if just for a second – then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/if-a-peak-experience-is-what-happens-when-you-actively-unplug/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [I've been striving for attention my whole life. Now I have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-teter/i-ve-been-striving-for-attention-my-whole-life-now-i-have-it/) [Hannah Teter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-teter/) > [Pay attention even to life's trifles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miyamoto-musashi/pay-attention-even-to-life-s-trifles/) [Miyamoto Musashi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miyamoto-musashi/) ## More by Oli Anderson > [“To engage in dialogue is to serve others via whatever is real inside you; to engage in debate is to ultimately serve the illusions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/to-engage-in-dialogue-is-to-serve-others-via-whatever-is-real-inside/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“When you don’t trust life and so you start testing it and looking for signs, then you’re not really testing life (because the truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/when-you-don-t-trust-life-and-so-you-start-testing-it-and-looking-for/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Dialogue is about creating awareness through self-observation; it starts from the inside out, not the outside in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/dialogue-is-about-creating-awareness-through-self-observation-it/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“The path is already within you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/the-path-is-already-within-you/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Dialogue is about freeing human beings from the beliefs and attitudes that make human beings miserable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/dialogue-is-about-freeing-human-beings-from-the-beliefs-and-attitudes/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Dialogue helps us to acknowledge that we see the world not as it is, but as we are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/dialogue-helps-us-to-acknowledge-that-we-see-the-world-not-as-it-is/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Dialogue reminds us that we can question to build, not only to doubt or deconstruct.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/dialogue-reminds-us-that-we-can-question-to-build-not-only-to-doubt/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Dialogue can help you find out if you’ve been brainwashed or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/dialogue-can-help-you-find-out-if-you-ve-been-brainwashed-or-not/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Synchronicity can be taken as evidence that we’re on the path of flow and being in life rather than the path of forcing ourselves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/synchronicity-can-be-taken-as-evidence-that-we-re-on-the-path-of-flow/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Whatever you look for you will find; that’s why it’s so important to focus your attention on the REAL ‘stuff’ – that connection to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/whatever-you-look-for-you-will-find-that-s-why-it-s-so-important-to/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Dialogue is an opportunity for people to communicate from outside the limitations of their points of view. When we enter a circle of dialogue,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/dialogue-is-an-opportunity-for-people-to-communicate-from-outside-the/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“We have to accept that much of reality is ineffable and so to understand it we can't rely on words alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/we-have-to-accept-that-much-of-reality-is-ineffable-and-so-to/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Dialogue isn’t a competition to be the smartest or the most correct person in the room; it is a collaboration to find the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/dialogue-isn-t-a-competition-to-be-the-smartest-or-the-most-correct/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“We can either fear the storm because we’re attempting to HOLD ON to the things that it’s blowing away or we can trust the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/we-can-either-fear-the-storm-because-we-re-attempting-to-hold-on-to/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) > [“Dialogue with the self is the source of all insight and insight is the only thing that can change your life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/dialogue-with-the-self-is-the-source-of-all-insight-and-insight-is/) [Oli Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) [Explore all 28 Oli Anderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/) ## More Attention quotes > [It appears to me that one great cause of our difference in opinion on subjects which we often discuss is that you have always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ricardo/it-appears-to-me-that-one-great-cause-of-our-difference-in-opinion-on/) [David Ricardo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ricardo/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Television, radio, social media. The 24/7 news cycle plows forward mercilessly on our desks, in our cars and in our pockets. Thousands and thousands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-prince/television-radio-social-media-the-24-7-news-cycle-plows-forward/) [Joseph Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-prince/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/our-inventions-are-wont-to-be-pretty-toys-which-distract-our/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What people don't normally know about us is the hustle is very real, and it's sorely driven a lot by how we consider ourselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lzzy-hale/what-people-don-t-normally-know-about-us-is-the-hustle-is-very-real/) [Lzzy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lzzy-hale/) > [For me, the term "psychotherapy" is limiting. It implies that we work with mind and emotions, but excludes the body and pays scant attention…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jed-diamond/for-me-the-term-psychotherapy-is-limiting-it-implies-that-we-work/) [Jed Diamond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jed-diamond/) > [When you approach something to photograph it, first be still with yourself until the object of your attention affirms your presence. Then don't leave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minor-white/when-you-approach-something-to-photograph-it-first-be-still-with/) [Minor White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minor-white/) > [I'm writing about real things. Real people. Real characters. You have to believe what I write about is true or you wouldn't pay any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-reed/i-m-writing-about-real-things-real-people-real-characters-you-have-to/) [Lou Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-reed/) > [ I went to a mosque in Philadelphia with \[my wife\] in December 24, 1999. And we we went to this mosque in Philly, and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahershala-ali/i-went-to-a-mosque-in-philadelphia-with-my-wife-in-december-24-1999/) [Mahershala Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahershala-ali/) > [The Harvard Business Review recently had an article called 'The Human Moment,' about how to make real contact with a person at work: ...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-goleman/the-harvard-business-review-recently-had-an-article-called-the-human/) [Daniel Goleman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-goleman/) > [Let us thank God heartily as often as we pray that we have His Spirit in us to teach us to pray. Thanksgiving will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-murray/let-us-thank-god-heartily-as-often-as-we-pray-that-we-have-his-spirit/) [Andy Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-murray/) > [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [We must have a welfare system that we can afford, which will mean giving greater attention to directing the welfare program toward its primary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-portillo/we-must-have-a-welfare-system-that-we-can-afford-which-will-mean/) [Michael Portillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-portillo/) > [The director's job should give you a sense of music without drawing attention to itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hackford/the-director-s-job-should-give-you-a-sense-of-music-without-drawing/) [Taylor Hackford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hackford/) [Browse all 10,153 Attention quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attention/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“REAL life isn’t ordered or chaotic – it’s both of these things at all times and depending on where we focus our attention or where life is asking us to look in a given moment depends on which one we experience.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Oli Anderson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s-both-of-these-things-at-all/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attention" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s-both-of-these-things-at-all/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/oli-anderson-22135_attention_real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s_654440.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/oli-anderson-22135_attention_real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s_654440.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/762/oli-anderson-22135_attention_real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s_654440.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“REAL life isn’t ordered or chaotic – it’s both of these things at all times and depending on where we focus…” — Oli Anderson", "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": "Oli Anderson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oli-anderson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“REAL life isn’t ordered or chaotic...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s-both-of-these-things-at-all/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oli-anderson/real-life-isn-t-ordered-or-chaotic-it-s-both-of-these-things-at-all/#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 } } ] } ```