--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Phillips Brooks used to say that after a…" description: "\"“Phillips Brooks used to say that after a man has once discovered that he has been living but a half-life the other half will haunt him until he releas..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/orison-swett-marden-711_half-life_phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a_152866.png" --- # Phillips Brooks used to say that after a man has once… ![“Phillips Brooks used to say that after a man has once discovered that he has been living but a half-life the other half will haunt him until he releases it, and he never again will be content to live a half-life.” quote by Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/orison-swett-marden-711_half-life_phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a_152866.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/orison-swett-marden-711_half-life_phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a_152866.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/orison-swett-marden-711_half-life_phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a_152866.png) > ““Phillips Brooks used to say that after a man has once discovered that he has been living but a half-life the other half will haunt him until he releases it, and he never again will be content to live a half-life.”” [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Realizing one has lived only partially creates an inner unrest that compels a person to seek a fuller, more contented life. **In simple terms:** Half‑lived life causes lingering dissatisfaction. Key Takeaway Pursue wholeness, not half‑measures. Themes self‑realization fulfillment growth Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career change - relationship deepening - creative projects - spiritual practice Key Concepts existential awareness personal development Questions to Reflect On - What does a “half‑life” look like for you? - How can you safely transition to a fuller life? A Different Perspective Changing direction can be risky and uncertain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Half life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-half-340494/) [Live Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/live-half-642581/) [Living Half](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-half-1138421/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/phillips-brooks-1696184/) ## Related quotes > [“no man will ever be willing to live a half-life when he has once seen that it is a half-life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/no-man-will-ever-be-willing-to-live-a-half-life-when-he-has-once-seen/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [You have to trust or you're only living half a life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-to-trust-or-you-re-only-living-half-a-life/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Half of life is up - the other half is dealing with it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/half-of-life-is-up-the-other-half-is-dealing-with-it/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [When you discover you've been leading only half a life, the other half is going to haunt you until you develop it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/when-you-discover-you-ve-been-leading-only-half-a-life-the-other-half/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [Life: half if life is if (l If e) and one third of life is lie (LI f e)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/triyug/life-half-if-life-is-if-l-if-e-and-one-third-of-life-is-lie-li-f-e/) [Triyug](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/triyug/) > [“It would never be a half-life, with you. 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They are always living half in a cemetery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristide-briand/people-think-too-historically-they-are-always-living-half-in-a/) [Aristide Briand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristide-briand/) > [Adulthood has something to do with not choosing any of the pure points of view, but living about half of what you really want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/adulthood-has-something-to-do-with-not-choosing-any-of-the-pure/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [I don't know what to do now that we're apart; I don't know how to live without the other half of my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-miz/i-don-t-know-what-to-do-now-that-we-re-apart-i-don-t-know-how-to-live/) [Andrea Miz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-miz/) > [People are able to live with only half a heart, to live without real compassion, because they are able to use words that are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angus-wilson/people-are-able-to-live-with-only-half-a-heart-to-live-without-real/) [Angus Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angus-wilson/) > [I intend to live the first half of my life. I don't care about the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/errol-flynn/i-intend-to-live-the-first-half-of-my-life-i-don-t-care-about-the-rest/) [Errol Flynn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/errol-flynn/) ## More by Orison Swett Marden > [“We can so educate the will power that it will focus the thoughts upon the bright side of things, and upon objects which elevate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/we-can-so-educate-the-will-power-that-it-will-focus-the-thoughts-upon/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“Gulliver was a giant whom the dwarfs captured while he was napping by binding him with tiny threads. Each thread was a trifle which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/gulliver-was-a-giant-whom-the-dwarfs-captured-while-he-was-napping-by/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“The hatred thought cannot live an instant in the presence of the love thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-hatred-thought-cannot-live-an-instant-in-the-presence-of-the-love/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“About as poor business as one can engage in is that of going through life with one's eyes so fixed upon what others have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/about-as-poor-business-as-one-can-engage-in-is-that-of-going-through/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“We tend to get what we expect, and if we expect nothing we get nothing. 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Everything that exists has brought with it its own peculiar lesson. The mountain teaches stability and grandeur; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-universe-is-one-great-kindergarten-everything-that-exists-has/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [If you want to enlarge your life, you must first enlarge your thought of it and of yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/if-you-want-to-enlarge-your-life-you-must-first-enlarge-your-thought/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [The moment man cuts himself off from living connection with the human race and its needs, he begins to die from poor circulation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/the-moment-man-cuts-himself-off-from-living-connection-with-the-human/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [“There is something inside of a man which protests against doing that which tends to injure another, that which does not square with his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/there-is-something-inside-of-a-man-which-protests-against-doing-that/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [A good system shortens the road to the goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/a-good-system-shortens-the-road-to-the-goal/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) > [Keep fear out of your child's mind, as you would keep poison out of his body; for fear is the deadliest of mental poisons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/keep-fear-out-of-your-child-s-mind-as-you-would-keep-poison-out-of/) [Orison Swett Marden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) [Explore all 396 Orison Swett Marden quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/) ## More Half life quotes > [If you want to change something by Tuesday, theater is no good. Journalism is what does that. 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Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-d-taylor/) > [A man who never sees a bluebird only half lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-way-teale/a-man-who-never-sees-a-bluebird-only-half-lives/) [Edwin Way Teale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-way-teale/) > [I think money is due for some sort of collapse. People are going to realize that money has a half-life, like radioactive elements.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-coupland/i-think-money-is-due-for-some-sort-of-collapse-people-are-going-to/) [Douglas Coupland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-coupland/) > [It takes half your life before you discover life is a do-it-yourself project.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/it-takes-half-your-life-before-you-discover-life-is-a-do-it-yourself/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [“Why should women accept this picture of a half-life, instead of a share in the whole of human destiny?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/why-should-women-accept-this-picture-of-a-half-life-instead-of-a/) [Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/) > [If the time comes when our culture tires of the endless homicidal feuds, despairs of the use of force and war as a means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/if-the-time-comes-when-our-culture-tires-of-the-endless-homicidal/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [Ketchup left overnight on dinner plates has a longer half-life than radioactive waste.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wes-smith/ketchup-left-overnight-on-dinner-plates-has-a-longer-half-life-than/) [Wes Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wes-smith/) > [“Academic life is but half life it is a withdrawal from the fight to utter smart things that cost you nothing except the thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-2/academic-life-is-but-half-life-it-is-a-withdrawal-from-the-fight-to/) [Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr-2/) > [I could draw Bloom County with my nose and pay my cleaning lady to write it, and I'd bet I wouldn't lose 10% of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/berkeley-breathed/i-could-draw-bloom-county-with-my-nose-and-pay-my-cleaning-lady-to/) [Berkeley Breathed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/berkeley-breathed/) [Browse all 59 Half life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/half-life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Phillips Brooks used to say that after a man has once discovered that he has been living but a half-life the other half will haunt him until he releases it, and he never again will be content to live a half-life.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Orison Swett Marden" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a-man-has-once-discovered-that/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Half life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a-man-has-once-discovered-that/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/orison-swett-marden-711_half-life_phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a_152866.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/orison-swett-marden-711_half-life_phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a_152866.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eb8/orison-swett-marden-711_half-life_phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a_152866.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Phillips Brooks used to say that after a man has once discovered that he has been living but a half-life the…” — Orison Swett Marden", "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": "Orison Swett Marden", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orison-swett-marden/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Phillips Brooks used to say that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a-man-has-once-discovered-that/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orison-swett-marden/phillips-brooks-used-to-say-that-after-a-man-has-once-discovered-that/#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 } } ] } ```