--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I am designed to last forever,\" said…" description: "\"“But I am designed to last forever,\" said the expendable, \"if not interfered with.\" \"Isn't that nice? Expendable yet eternal. You'll be able to go back..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/orson-scott-card-134_eternal_but-i-am-designed-to-last-forever-said-t_2124765.jpg" --- # But I am designed to last forever," said the expendable… ![“But I am designed to last forever," said the expendable, "if not interfered with." "Isn't that nice? Expendable yet eternal. You'll be able to go back and observe any part of human history that you wish. Watch the pyramids being unbuilt. See the ice ages go and come in reverse. Watch the…” quote by Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/orson-scott-card-134_eternal_but-i-am-designed-to-last-forever-said-t_2124765.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/orson-scott-card-134_eternal_but-i-am-designed-to-last-forever-said-t_2124765.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/23c/orson-scott-card-134_eternal_but-i-am-designed-to-last-forever-said-t_2124765.jpg) > ““But I am designed to last forever," said the expendable, "if not interfered with." "Isn't that nice? Expendable yet eternal. You'll be able to go back and observe any part of human history that you wish. Watch the pyramids being unbuilt. See the ice ages go and come in reverse. Watch the de-extinction of the dinosaurs as a meteor leaps out of the Gulf of Mexico." "I will have no useful task. I will not be able to help the human race in any way. My existence will have no meaning after you are dead." "Now you know how humans feel all the time.”” [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. An immortal, expendable being contemplates purpose, realizing meaning is tied to human existence. **In simple terms:** Eternal life without purpose feels empty. Key Takeaway Seek purpose beyond mere existence. Themes existential loneliness purpose immortality Mood melancholic thoughtful Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - science fiction writing - philosophical debate - personal reflection Key Concepts Philosophy of meaning ethical AI Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning? - Can purpose exist without others? A Different Perspective Eternal existence may lead to isolation without relational purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eternal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) [Expendable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expendable/) [Gulf of mexico](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gulf-of-mexico/) [Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“Metaphorical flavor doesn’t influence reality,” said the expendable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/metaphorical-flavor-doesn-t-influence-reality-said-the-expendable/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“We're an ecological disaster." "Exactly," said the expendable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-an-ecological-disaster-exactly-said-the-expendable/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“We have discussed your definition, analyzed its ramifications to a reasonable depth, and accept it," said the expendable. "Meaning I gave you what you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-have-discussed-your-definition-analyzed-its-ramifications-to-a/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“There is no greater sensation of consciousness than to expend yourself completely through the quickening fires of passion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/there-is-no-greater-sensation-of-consciousness-than-to-expend/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [Candor does not provide us with protection, sustenance, or technological innovation. Therefore you are expendable to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/candor-does-not-provide-us-with-protection-sustenance-or/) [Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/) > [I believe that a nation that allows music to be expendable is in danger of becoming expendable itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dreyfuss/i-believe-that-a-nation-that-allows-music-to-be-expendable-is-in/) [Richard Dreyfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dreyfuss/) > [Ships are expendable; the whales are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-watson/ships-are-expendable-the-whales-are-not/) [Paul Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-watson/) > [I'm no different than any other expendable player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mo-williams/i-m-no-different-than-any-other-expendable-player/) [Mo Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mo-williams/) > [“Expendable was not the word I was looking to hear to boost my morale, but whatever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/expendable-was-not-the-word-i-was-looking-to-hear-to-boost-my-morale/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [From the very depth of my being, I challenge the right of any man or any group of men, in business or in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-reid/from-the-very-depth-of-my-being-i-challenge-the-right-of-any-man-or/) [Jimmy Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-reid/) > [Use and respond to the initial fresh qualities but consider them absolutely expendable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-diebenkorn/use-and-respond-to-the-initial-fresh-qualities-but-consider-them/) [Richard Diebenkorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-diebenkorn/) > [“Bradshaw especially didn't like the use of the word "experiment" in regard to social conditions. Experiments included of necessity, expendable components. Failure was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-pajer/bradshaw-especially-didn-t-like-the-use-of-the-word-experiment-in/) Bernadette Pajer > [“Everything else is expendable, but not humanhood. Every scripture, every god, every angel, every messiah, every church, every temple, every mosque, every doctrine –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/everything-else-is-expendable-but-not-humanhood-every-scripture-every/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [Either one of us, by himself, is expendable. Both of us are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-t-kirk/either-one-of-us-by-himself-is-expendable-both-of-us-are-not/) [James T Kirk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-t-kirk/) > [We're all expendable. We think the world's going to stop when a pope dies, or a king. And then... life goes on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvester-stallone/we-re-all-expendable-we-think-the-world-s-going-to-stop-when-a-pope/) [Sylvester Stallone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvester-stallone/) ## More by Orson Scott Card > [“You underestimate yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/you-underestimate-yourself/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [We're like the wicked witch. We promise gingerbread, then eat the little brats alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/we-re-like-the-wicked-witch-we-promise-gingerbread-then-eat-the/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [I think that most of us, anyway, read these stories that we know are not "true" because we're hungry for another kind of truth:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-think-that-most-of-us-anyway-read-these-stories-that-we-know-are/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Why did he hesitate? He finally admitted to himself that he was like an American child who was almost completely certain about Santa Claus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/why-did-he-hesitate-he-finally-admitted-to-himself-that-he-was-like/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“I don't know of a soul who doesn't maintain two separate lists of doctrines - the ones they believe they believe; and the ones…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/i-don-t-know-of-a-soul-who-doesn-t-maintain-two-separate-lists-of/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Good people do not let others suffer needlessly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/good-people-do-not-let-others-suffer-needlessly/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“The devil?” Jason heaved the tick over his shoulder like a collier with his sack. “Satan. The adversary. The enemy of the plan of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/the-devil-jason-heaved-the-tick-over-his-shoulder-like-a-collier-with/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“What we've done is make the categories of science fiction and fantasy larger, freer, and more inclusive than any other genre of contemporary literature.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/what-we-ve-done-is-make-the-categories-of-science-fiction-and-fantasy/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Where ideas are real and reality is shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-ideas-are-real-and-reality-is-shadow/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Ender, for the past few months you have been the battle commander of our fleets. This was the Third Invasion. There were no games,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/ender-for-the-past-few-months-you-have-been-the-battle-commander-of/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Science fiction is about what could be but isn't; fantasy is about what couldn't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/science-fiction-is-about-what-could-be-but-isn-t-fantasy-is-about/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [Knowledge is just opinion that you trust enough to act upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/knowledge-is-just-opinion-that-you-trust-enough-to-act-upon/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Of course they accused Marcão of having done it without provocation—that’s the way of torturers of every age, to put the blame on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/of-course-they-accused-marc-o-of-having-done-it-without-provocation/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Civilization is only a pretense; in the crisis, we become mere apes again, forgetting the rational biped of our pretensions and becoming instead the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/civilization-is-only-a-pretense-in-the-crisis-we-become-mere-apes/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“Where did this whole thing begin? If what we think of as reality is just a pattern that somebody brought Outside, and the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/where-did-this-whole-thing-begin-if-what-we-think-of-as-reality-is/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) [Explore all 1,158 Orson Scott Card quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) ## More Eternal quotes > [Many individuals spend a considerable portion of their lifetimes in terror of one imagined catastrophe or another. The classic is that your immortal soul…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-neil-smith/many-individuals-spend-a-considerable-portion-of-their-lifetimes-in/) [L. Neil Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-neil-smith/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [“Please not yet. Those are the three eternal words. Please not yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-d-macdonald/please-not-yet-those-are-the-three-eternal-words-please-not-yet/) [John D. MacDonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-d-macdonald/) > [I remain an eternal optimist about love. I believe in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-lopez/i-remain-an-eternal-optimist-about-love-i-believe-in-love/) [Jennifer Lopez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-lopez/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [There are two kinds of beauty; there is a beauty which God gives at birth, and which withers as a flower. And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [The time has come for us to understand that the Eternal Feminine is the greatest power in this Universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samael-aun-weor/the-time-has-come-for-us-to-understand-that-the-eternal-feminine-is/) [Samael Aun Weor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samael-aun-weor/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [We are eternal. All this pain is an illusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maynard-james-keenan/we-are-eternal-all-this-pain-is-an-illusion/) [Maynard James Keenan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maynard-james-keenan/) > [In some respects I will never die. Because art is immortal. What we leave behind and what we create - the energy that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/in-some-respects-i-will-never-die-because-art-is-immortal-what-we/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [The only way to have eternal love is to never let your heart forget what it’s like to live without it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/the-only-way-to-have-eternal-love-is-to-never-let-your-heart-forget/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [In the course of our eternal existence, we spend infinitely more time in the spirit world on the other side than we spend in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-browne/in-the-course-of-our-eternal-existence-we-spend-infinitely-more-time/) [Sylvia Browne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-browne/) > [The propitious smiles of Heaven, can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-propitious-smiles-of-heaven-can-never-be-expected-on-a-nation/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [If our faith in God is not the veriest sham, it demands, and will produce, the abandonment sometimes, the subordination always, of external helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/if-our-faith-in-god-is-not-the-veriest-sham-it-demands-and-will/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) [Browse all 3,280 Eternal quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternal/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“But I am designed to last forever,\" said the expendable, \"if not interfered with.\" \"Isn't that nice? 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