--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Waiting, he thought, was the most…" description: "\"“Waiting, he thought, was the most miserable condition a man could find himself in. His whole life, he had been waiting for one thing or another.”\" — P..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/paul-russell-9403_condition_waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserabl_1248492.jpg" --- # Waiting, he thought, was the most miserable condition a… ![“Waiting, he thought, was the most miserable condition a man could find himself in. His whole life, he had been waiting for one thing or another.” quote by Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/paul-russell-9403_condition_waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserabl_1248492.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/paul-russell-9403_condition_waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserabl_1248492.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/paul-russell-9403_condition_waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserabl_1248492.jpg) > ““Waiting, he thought, was the most miserable condition a man could find himself in. His whole life, he had been waiting for one thing or another.”” [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A reflection on how waiting dominates a man's life, making it a source of misery. **In simple terms:** Waiting makes life miserable. Key Takeaway Avoid endless waiting. Themes patience misery life expectation existential Mood contemplative somber Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - personal goals - relationship timelines Key Concepts psychology philosophy time management Questions to Reflect On - What are you waiting for? - How can you turn waiting into action? A Different Perspective Waiting can be limiting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condition/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-waiting/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Miserable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable/) [Miserable Condition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable-condition-3925727/) [Thought Miserable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-miserable-2479547/) [Waiting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting/) [Waiting Thought](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waiting-thought-1885513/) [Whole life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/whole-life/) ## Related quotes > [“And now I saw how easy it was for the Providence of God to make the most miserable Condition Mankind could be in worse.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/and-now-i-saw-how-easy-it-was-for-the-providence-of-god-to-make-the/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [He knew something was going to happen and his entire system was waiting on it. He thought it was going to be one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/flannery-o-connor/he-knew-something-was-going-to-happen-and-his-entire-system-was/) [Flannery O'Connor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/flannery-o-connor/) > [...you're waiting because you thought it would follow, you thought there would be some logic, perhaps, something to pull it all together but here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-siken/you-re-waiting-because-you-thought-it-would-follow-you-thought-there/) [Richard Siken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-siken/) > [“She might have seen what had bowed her head so profoundly - the thought of the world’s concern at her situation - was founded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hardy/she-might-have-seen-what-had-bowed-her-head-so-profoundly-the-thought/) [Thomas Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hardy/) > [“Hey, look, I thought with a miserable laugh, this day just got worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-rowland/hey-look-i-thought-with-a-miserable-laugh-this-day-just-got-worse/) [Diana Rowland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-rowland/) > [I made my mind up I'm out, I want to die, I hate living, I hate the thought of it. I'm miserable being alive.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slowly-fading/i-made-my-mind-up-i-m-out-i-want-to-die-i-hate-living-i-hate-the/) [Slowly\_fading](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slowly-fading/) > [“Life wasn't too bad. The trouble with Man was, even while he was having a good time, he didn't appreciate it. Why, thought Milligan,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spike-milligan/life-wasn-t-too-bad-the-trouble-with-man-was-even-while-he-was-having/) [Spike Milligan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spike-milligan/) > [“I've had enough of this life of waiting for someone's permission.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lee/i-ve-had-enough-of-this-life-of-waiting-for-someone-s-permission/) [Frank Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lee/) > [No matter how you feel, get up, show up and never give up. Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anil-sinha/no-matter-how-you-feel-get-up-show-up-and-never-give-up-life-is-not/) [Anil Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anil-sinha/) > [The unexpectedness of life, waiting round every corner, catches even wise women unawares (...) To avoid corners altogether is, after all, to refuse to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/the-unexpectedness-of-life-waiting-round-every-corner-catches-even/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [Life is not somewhere waiting for you, it is happening in you. It is not in the future as a goal to be arrived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/life-is-not-somewhere-waiting-for-you-it-is-happening-in-you-it-is/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Your life is waiting for you. Go introduce yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/your-life-is-waiting-for-you-go-introduce-yourself/) [Unkown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unkown/) > [Life is all about waiting for weekends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/life-is-all-about-waiting-for-weekends/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [“Even the novice alone can see quickly that a life conducted, temporarily or no, as a simple renunciation of value becomes at best something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-foster-wallace/even-the-novice-alone-can-see-quickly-that-a-life-conducted/) [David Foster Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-foster-wallace/) > [“He walked so surely it was as if all his life he had been waiting to get up from his chair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-joyce/he-walked-so-surely-it-was-as-if-all-his-life-he-had-been-waiting-to/) [Rachel Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-joyce/) ## More by Paul Russell > [“People always knew more than you gave them credit for. Perhaps, in the end, no one had any secrets at all.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/people-always-knew-more-than-you-gave-them-credit-for-perhaps-in-the/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“If it was to be a time of momentous changes, then why not allow oneself to be swept along?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/if-it-was-to-be-a-time-of-momentous-changes-then-why-not-allow/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“Were archaeologists really such a sex-starved lot as all that? Did pigs really sweat?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/were-archaeologists-really-such-a-sex-starved-lot-as-all-that-did/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“The world is what it is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/the-world-is-what-it-is/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“Everything I say is right. "Everything I say is wrong. There are many conflicting opinions in this industry. Don't take one person's word as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/everything-i-say-is-right-everything-i-say-is-wrong-there-are-many/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“If certain places you came to in life felt right, then how many others were just as clearly the wrong place to be?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/if-certain-places-you-came-to-in-life-felt-right-then-how-many-others/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“Shirtless, they’d stretch out in the long grass and take the healing brunt of a noontime sun that gave no clue of the thunderheads…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/shirtless-they-d-stretch-out-in-the-long-grass-and-take-the-healing/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“And now none of it could be undone. That was the exquisite irony: the act that had undone everything could not itself be undone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/and-now-none-of-it-could-be-undone-that-was-the-exquisite-irony-the/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“Why not simply surrender to one’s doom, since one was so clearly, so spectacularly, doomed?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/why-not-simply-surrender-to-one-s-doom-since-one-was-so-clearly-so/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“Was it a form of madness, no longer to be able to trust your sense of things? To be betrayed by decisions apparently arrived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/was-it-a-form-of-madness-no-longer-to-be-able-to-trust-your-sense-of/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“The body was an organic machine, period, and God was a figment of its fitful imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/the-body-was-an-organic-machine-period-and-god-was-a-figment-of-its/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“Soon would come the night in which there was no more work – not the work of the hands, nor the work of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/soon-would-come-the-night-in-which-there-was-no-more-work-not-the/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“Our students didn’t used to come from such damaged families,” Louis mused. “It’s true what they say. This country really is coming apart at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/our-students-didn-t-used-to-come-from-such-damaged-families-louis/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“You’re the enemy. You’re the one who’s going to defeat yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/you-re-the-enemy-you-re-the-one-who-s-going-to-defeat-yourself/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) > [“Still, the illusion of love had, in its time, led to stranger depravities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/still-the-illusion-of-love-had-in-its-time-led-to-stranger-depravities/) [Paul Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) [Explore all 73 Paul Russell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/) ## More Condition quotes > [That is the real problem of depression - a condition which will affect an estimated one in five of the population at some point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-andreae/that-is-the-real-problem-of-depression-a-condition-which-will-affect/) [Giles Andreae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-andreae/) > [I am not my skin. I am a model with a skin condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winnie-harlow/i-am-not-my-skin-i-am-a-model-with-a-skin-condition/) [Winnie Harlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winnie-harlow/) > [Even a cup of coffee tastes so much sweeter because you've come once again out of the, literally, out of the edge of death,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-koch/even-a-cup-of-coffee-tastes-so-much-sweeter-because-you-ve-come-once/) [Christopher Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-koch/) > [I see film as a real opportunity to examine the human condition. No matter where the technology goes in the future, the basics don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-schultz/i-see-film-as-a-real-opportunity-to-examine-the-human-condition-no/) [Michael Schultz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-schultz/) > [To any mental state there corresponds a physical condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-alfred-lynch/to-any-mental-state-there-corresponds-a-physical-condition/) [Arthur Alfred Lynch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-alfred-lynch/) > [I am repeatedly asked in interviews exactly 'what's wrong' with me, and I always give them the same answer; I don't identify the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-young/i-am-repeatedly-asked-in-interviews-exactly-what-s-wrong-with-me-and/) [Stella Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-young/) > [Democracy is a process, not a static condition. It is becoming, rather than being. It can be easily lost, but is never finally won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-h-hastie/democracy-is-a-process-not-a-static-condition-it-is-becoming-rather/) [William H. Hastie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-h-hastie/) > [Human beings are interested in the human condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-boyd/human-beings-are-interested-in-the-human-condition/) [William Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-boyd/) > [My parents were angry, but they were relieved that I was in good condition. They had been afraid the Russians would torture me. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathias-rust/my-parents-were-angry-but-they-were-relieved-that-i-was-in-good/) [Mathias Rust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathias-rust/) > [So you see, old age is really not so bad. May you come to know the condition!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/so-you-see-old-age-is-really-not-so-bad-may-you-come-to-know-the/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [I have heard that whoever loves is in no condition old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/i-have-heard-that-whoever-loves-is-in-no-condition-old/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [No matter what schemes you have, if you're not in condition to run, you can't succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-paysinger/no-matter-what-schemes-you-have-if-you-re-not-in-condition-to-run-you/) [Spencer Paysinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-paysinger/) > [There is no condition for forgiveness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-tillich/there-is-no-condition-for-forgiveness/) [Paul Tillich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-tillich/) > [“I was not alone in the human condition.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-wingate/i-was-not-alone-in-the-human-condition/) [Lisa Wingate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-wingate/) > [A condition of complete simplicity (Costing not less than everything)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-condition-of-complete-simplicity-costing-not-less-than-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 356 Condition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/condition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Waiting, he thought, was the most miserable condition a man could find himself in. His whole life, he had been waiting for one thing or another.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Russell" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserable-condition-a-man-could-find/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Condition" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserable-condition-a-man-could-find/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/paul-russell-9403_condition_waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserabl_1248492.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/paul-russell-9403_condition_waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserabl_1248492.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/10c/paul-russell-9403_condition_waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserabl_1248492.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Waiting, he thought, was the most miserable condition a man could find himself in. His whole life, he had…” — Paul Russell", "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 Russell", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-russell/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Waiting, he thought, was the most...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserable-condition-a-man-could-find/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-russell/waiting-he-thought-was-the-most-miserable-condition-a-man-could-find/#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 } } ] } ```