---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who don't like my work say that…"
description: "\"People who don't like my work say that the connections seem too arbitrary. But that's how life is.\" — Paul Auster"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/paul-auster-351_arbitrary_people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-t_2332605.jpg"
---

#  People who don't like my work say that the connections…

![“People who don't like my work say that the connections seem too arbitrary. But that's how life is.” quote by Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/paul-auster-351_arbitrary_people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-t_2332605.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/paul-auster-351_arbitrary_people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-t_2332605.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/paul-auster-351_arbitrary_people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-t_2332605.jpg)

> “People who don't like my work say that the connections seem too arbitrary. But that's how life is.”

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

## About This Quote

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

Life’s patterns may appear random, yet they reflect underlying order and meaning.

**In simple terms:** Random connections hide deeper order.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty as part of life.

Themes

uncertainty meaning interpretation

Mood

thoughtful reflective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- creative writing
- art criticism
- personal reflection

Key Concepts

existentialism chaos theory

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you find meaning in apparent randomness?
- Can embracing chaos improve creativity?

A Different Perspective

Life’s randomness can be unsettling and may hinder clear analysis.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Connections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/connections/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/)

## Related quotes

> [This is very rare for anyone in life to pursue something and that thing being the thing you actually most want to do. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/this-is-very-rare-for-anyone-in-life-to-pursue-something-and-that/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I like to work in films, but I'd love to work in the technical side of film. I'd love to work with, say, Greg…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-pegg/i-like-to-work-in-films-but-i-d-love-to-work-in-the-technical-side-of/)

[Simon Pegg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-pegg/)

> [I like to work a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-murray/i-like-to-work-a-lot/)

[Sean Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-murray/)

> [I like what is in the work -- the chance to find yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-conrad/i-like-what-is-in-the-work-the-chance-to-find-yourself/)

[Joseph Conrad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-conrad/)

> [You got to like your work. You have got to like what you are doing, you have got to be doing something worthwhile so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colonel-sanders/you-got-to-like-your-work-you-have-got-to-like-what-you-are-doing-you/)

[Colonel Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colonel-sanders/)

> [Many times, I have heard people saying that they don't like to work with their wife or husband, but to me, it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-cassel/many-times-i-have-heard-people-saying-that-they-don-t-like-to-work/)

[Vincent Cassel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-cassel/)

> [I would like to work with Drake. It would be cool.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/smokepurpp/i-would-like-to-work-with-drake-it-would-be-cool/)

Smokepurpp

> [I like to work, I like to feel comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-green/i-like-to-work-i-like-to-feel-comfortable/)

[A. J. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-green/)

> [The people I don't like to work with are people like me. I need people who can complement my skill set, people who can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-cuban/the-people-i-don-t-like-to-work-with-are-people-like-me-i-need-people/)

[Mark Cuban](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-cuban/)

> [Opportunities look a lot like work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-kutcher/opportunities-look-a-lot-like-work/)

[Ashton Kutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-kutcher/)

> [Among actors, I'd like to work with Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan-soni/among-actors-i-d-like-to-work-with-alia-bhatt-and-ranbir-kapoor/)

[Karan Soni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan-soni/)

> [If it feels good coming out, then I really don't care about anything else, for real. It's all about just having fun with it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brent-faiyaz/if-it-feels-good-coming-out-then-i-really-don-t-care-about-anything/)

[Brent Faiyaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brent-faiyaz/)

> [There are people I would like to work with. Its a bit harder, because I live out in the sticks anyway, and plus being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wyatt/there-are-people-i-would-like-to-work-with-its-a-bit-harder-because-i/)

[Robert Wyatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wyatt/)

> [If we do not like our work, and do not try to get happiness out of it, we are a menace to our profession…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/if-we-do-not-like-our-work-and-do-not-try-to-get-happiness-out-of-it/)

[Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/)

> [I would like to work with whoever would like to have me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-barnes/i-would-like-to-work-with-whoever-would-like-to-have-me/)

[Ben Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-barnes/)

## More by Paul Auster

> [“On his best walks, he was able to feel that he was nowhere. And this, finally, was all he ever asked of things: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/on-his-best-walks-he-was-able-to-feel-that-he-was-nowhere-and-this/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“No es que escribir me produzca un gran placer, pero es mucho peor si no lo hago.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/no-es-que-escribir-me-produzca-un-gran-placer-pero-es-mucho-peor-si/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [You see, the interesting thing about books, as opposed, say, to films, is that it's always just one person encountering the book, it's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/you-see-the-interesting-thing-about-books-as-opposed-say-to-films-is/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I'm not a man deeply interested in technology. It eludes me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-m-not-a-man-deeply-interested-in-technology-it-eludes-me/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [The joke is the purest, most essential form of storytelling. Every word has to count.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-joke-is-the-purest-most-essential-form-of-storytelling-every-word/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“What people saw when he appeared before them, then, was not really him, but a person he had invented, an artificial creature he could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/what-people-saw-when-he-appeared-before-them-then-was-not-really-him/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I had made an empirical discovery and it carried all the weight of a mathematical proof.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-had-made-an-empirical-discovery-and-it-carried-all-the-weight-of-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [As long as there's one person to believe it, there's no story that can't be true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/as-long-as-there-s-one-person-to-believe-it-there-s-no-story-that-can/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [Writing has always had a tactile quality for me. It's a physical experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/writing-has-always-had-a-tactile-quality-for-me-it-s-a-physical/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [People look at the same passage, and one person will say this is the best thing he's ever read, and another person will say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-look-at-the-same-passage-and-one-person-will-say-this-is-the/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [I was very moved to see that the name of the boat was Hamlet - an imaginary character becomes so important to people, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/i-was-very-moved-to-see-that-the-name-of-the-boat-was-hamlet-an/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [Our lifelong certainties about the world can be demolished in a single second.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/our-lifelong-certainties-about-the-world-can-be-demolished-in-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [The ideal reader's the same, and I suppose this person has never had a face or a gender or an age. It's just some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/the-ideal-reader-s-the-same-and-i-suppose-this-person-has-never-had-a/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“Most lives vanish. A person dies, and little by little all traces of that life disappear. An inventor survives in his inventions, an architect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/most-lives-vanish-a-person-dies-and-little-by-little-all-traces-of/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

> [“and cut down many trees. When the Humans”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/and-cut-down-many-trees-when-the-humans/)

[Paul Auster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

[Explore all 582 Paul Auster quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/)

## More Arbitrary quotes

> [It is irresponsible to set an arbitrary cap on how much therapy a Medicare beneficiary can receive. It ignores the health needs of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ensign/it-is-irresponsible-to-set-an-arbitrary-cap-on-how-much-therapy-a/)

[John Ensign](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ensign/)

> [I do think that theater is a great venue for science fiction, and not just adaptations but also original work. I also think some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-einhorn/i-do-think-that-theater-is-a-great-venue-for-science-fiction-and-not/)

Edward Einhorn

> [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/)

[Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/)

> [Not to be offensive, not to be capricious, not to be arbitrary, not to be neurotic, not to be an actor outer, you're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hurt/not-to-be-offensive-not-to-be-capricious-not-to-be-arbitrary-not-to/)

[William Hurt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hurt/)

> [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/)

[Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/)

> [Habit is altogether too arbitrary a master for me to submit to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-kaspar-lavater/habit-is-altogether-too-arbitrary-a-master-for-me-to-submit-to/)

[Johann Kaspar Lavater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-kaspar-lavater/)

> [I look back, now, and I know that the naming moment, which seemed so insignificant then, which seemed to demand no more than an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-david-roberts/i-look-back-now-and-i-know-that-the-naming-moment-which-seemed-so/)

[Gregory David Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-david-roberts/)

> [Police in China can do whatever they want; after 81 days in arbitrary detention you clearly realise that they don't have to obey their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ai-weiwei/police-in-china-can-do-whatever-they-want-after-81-days-in-arbitrary/)

[Ai Weiwei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ai-weiwei/)

> [Contrary to what certain governments say, human rights are universal. Arbitrary detention, torture and discrimination hurt the human dignity of anybody, whatever his or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/contrary-to-what-certain-governments-say-human-rights-are-universal/)

[Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/)

> [What causes adolescents to rebel is not the assertion of authority but the arbitrary use of power, with little explanation of the rules and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurence-steinberg/what-causes-adolescents-to-rebel-is-not-the-assertion-of-authority/)

[Laurence Steinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurence-steinberg/)

> [There is something on earth greater than arbitrary or despotic power. The lightning has its power, and the whirlwind has its power, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-webster/there-is-something-on-earth-greater-than-arbitrary-or-despotic-power/)

[Daniel Webster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-webster/)

> [“nothing is arbitrary in this whole world, there is a good reason behind each and everything…”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-kumar/nothing-is-arbitrary-in-this-whole-world-there-is-a-good-reason/)

Nikhil Kumar

> [Fundamentally, adopting rules without any estimate of the impact is the height of arbitrary decision-making.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-rielly/fundamentally-adopting-rules-without-any-estimate-of-the-impact-is/)

[Michael O'Rielly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-rielly/)

> [No arbitrary regulation, no act of the legislature, can add anything to the capital of the country; it can only force it into artificial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ramsay-mcculloch/no-arbitrary-regulation-no-act-of-the-legislature-can-add-anything-to/)

John Ramsay McCulloch

> [But the desire of obtaining the advantages, and of escaping the burthens, of political society, is a perpetual and inexhaustible source of discord; nor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/but-the-desire-of-obtaining-the-advantages-and-of-escaping-the/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

Browse all 529 Arbitrary quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "People who don't like my work say that the connections seem too arbitrary. But that's how life is.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Paul Auster"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-the-connections-seem-too/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arbitrary"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-the-connections-seem-too/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/paul-auster-351_arbitrary_people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-t_2332605.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/paul-auster-351_arbitrary_people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-t_2332605.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/64d/paul-auster-351_arbitrary_people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-t_2332605.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“People who don't like my work say that the connections seem too arbitrary. But that's how life is.” — Paul Auster",
                "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": "Paul Auster",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-auster/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "People who don't like my work...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-the-connections-seem-too/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-auster/people-who-don-t-like-my-work-say-that-the-connections-seem-too/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
