---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Being embodied as such is no insurance…"
description: "\"Being embodied as such is no insurance against feelings of hopelessness or meaningslessness. Beyond his body, he still has to know who he is.\" — R. D. ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/r-d-laing-4861_body_being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-a_3136567.jpg"
---

#  Being embodied as such is no insurance against feelings of…

![“Being embodied as such is no insurance against feelings of hopelessness or meaningslessness. Beyond his body, he still has to know who he is.” quote by R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/r-d-laing-4861_body_being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-a_3136567.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/r-d-laing-4861_body_being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-a_3136567.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/r-d-laing-4861_body_being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-a_3136567.jpg)

> “Being embodied as such is no insurance against feelings of hopelessness or meaningslessness. Beyond his body, he still has to know who he is.”

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

## About This Quote

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

Even with a physical form, one can feel hopeless and lack purpose; self‑knowledge beyond the body is essential.

**In simple terms:** Body alone doesn't guarantee meaning.

Key Takeaway

Seek deeper self‑understanding.

Themes

existential psychology identity

Mood

thoughtful introspective

Type

philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- therapy
- personal crisis
- creative blocks

Key Concepts

meaning mental health self‑awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- What defines you beyond your physical self?
- How can you cultivate purpose when feeling empty?

A Different Perspective

Self‑knowledge can be elusive and painful.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Hopelessness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hopelessness/)

## Related quotes

> [There are many people that can't see the light at the end of the tunnel. They have feelings of hopelessness and feel like they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-peter/there-are-many-people-that-can-t-see-the-light-at-the-end-of-the/)

[Jason Peter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-peter/)

> [“When you are depressed, you may have a tendency to confuse feeling with facts. Your feelings of hopelessness and total despair are just symptoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/when-you-are-depressed-you-may-have-a-tendency-to-confuse-feeling/)

[David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/)

> [“Condemnation points out your failures and limitations resulting in feelings of hopelessness, defeat and shame.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-martin/condemnation-points-out-your-failures-and-limitations-resulting-in/)

[Kim Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-martin/)

> [“The lack of perceived progress can be de-motivating. On top of that, not believing you can achieve your goals increases feelings of hopelessness.15 Thus,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-korb/the-lack-of-perceived-progress-can-be-de-motivating-on-top-of-that/)

[Alex Korb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-korb/)

> [Metaphor is embodied in language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-potter/metaphor-is-embodied-in-language/)

[Dennis Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-potter/)

> [“Psychologists and neuroscientists have coined the phrase, “embodied cognition.” When your brain directs your body to do something, your body, in a sense, directs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-nye/psychologists-and-neuroscientists-have-coined-the-phrase-embodied/)

[Bill Nye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-nye/)

> [As in this body, there are for the embodied one childhood, youth, old age, even so is there the taking on of another body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-dhammapada/as-in-this-body-there-are-for-the-embodied-one-childhood-youth-old/)

The Dhammapada

> [ “I’ with ‘my’ is known as the embodied Soul \[Jivatma\]. ‘I am’ and ‘All this is mine’ is the state of an embodied Soul… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/i-with-my-is-known-as-the-embodied-soul-jivatma-i-am-and-all-this-is/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

> [This is the last sentence of my dissertation: "What is soul in music if not powerfully embodied human presence?"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-iyer/this-is-the-last-sentence-of-my-dissertation-what-is-soul-in-music-if/)

[Vijay Iyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-iyer/)

> [The computer model will be replaced by an organic model, in which the brain-mind is embodied - part of a whole, dynamic, living organism:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/siri-hustvedt/the-computer-model-will-be-replaced-by-an-organic-model-in-which-the/)

[Siri Hustvedt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/siri-hustvedt/)

> [A thought embodied and embrained in fit words walks the earth a living being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/a-thought-embodied-and-embrained-in-fit-words-walks-the-earth-a/)

[Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/)

> [To say it another way, thinking, however abstract, originates in an embodied subjectivity, at once overdetermined and permeable to contingent events.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-de-lauretis/to-say-it-another-way-thinking-however-abstract-originates-in-an/)

[Teresa de Lauretis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-de-lauretis/)

> [“Culture, then, only truly becomes culture when it is embodied in someone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-szl-krasznahorkai/culture-then-only-truly-becomes-culture-when-it-is-embodied-in-someone/)

[László Krasznahorkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-szl-krasznahorkai/)

> [Sammy Baugh embodied all we aspire to at the Washington Redskins. He was a competitor in everything he did and a winner. He was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-snyder/sammy-baugh-embodied-all-we-aspire-to-at-the-washington-redskins-he/)

[Daniel Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-snyder/)

> [“When we contemplate the miracle of embodied life, we begin to partner with our bodies in a kinder way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-salzberg/when-we-contemplate-the-miracle-of-embodied-life-we-begin-to-partner/)

[Sharon Salzberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-salzberg/)

## More by R. D. Laing

> [To live in the past or in the future may be less satisfying than to live in the present, but it can never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/to-live-in-the-past-or-in-the-future-may-be-less-satisfying-than-to/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [We must remember that we are living in an age in which the ground is shifting and the foundations are shaking. I cannot answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/we-must-remember-that-we-are-living-in-an-age-in-which-the-ground-is/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [We live in a moment of history where change is so speeded up that we begin to see the present only when it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/we-live-in-a-moment-of-history-where-change-is-so-speeded-up-that-we/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [Our behavior is a function of our experience. We act according to the way we see things. If our experience is destroyed, our behavior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/our-behavior-is-a-function-of-our-experience-we-act-according-to-the/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [How do we define, how do we describe, how do we explain and/or understand ourselves? What sort of creatures do we take ourselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/how-do-we-define-how-do-we-describe-how-do-we-explain-and-or/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [There is a great deal of pain in life and perhaps the only pain that can be avoided is the pain that comes from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/there-is-a-great-deal-of-pain-in-life-and-perhaps-the-only-pain-that/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice. And because we fail to notice that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-range-of-what-we-think-and-do-is-limited-by-what-we-fail-to/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [The range of what we think and do is limited by what we fail to notice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-range-of-what-we-think-and-do-is-limited-by-what-we-fail-to-notice/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [In the society of men the truth resides now less in what things are than in what they are not. Our social realities are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/in-the-society-of-men-the-truth-resides-now-less-in-what-things-are/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [The schizophrenic may indeed be mad. He is mad. He is not ill. I have been told by people who have been through the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/the-schizophrenic-may-indeed-be-mad-he-is-mad-he-is-not-ill-i-have/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [What is to be done? We who are still half alive, living in the often fibrillating heartland of a senescent capitalism -- can we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/what-is-to-be-done-we-who-are-still-half-alive-living-in-the-often/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [From the alienated starting point of our pseudo-sanity, everything is equivocal. Our sanity is not "true" sanity. Their madness is not "true" madness. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/from-the-alienated-starting-point-of-our-pseudo-sanity-everything-is/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [In describing one way of going mad, I shall try to show that there is a comprehensible transition from the sane schizoid way of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/in-describing-one-way-of-going-mad-i-shall-try-to-show-that-there-is/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [Doctors have throughout time made fortunes on killing their patients with their cures. The difference in psychiatry is that it is the death of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/doctors-have-throughout-time-made-fortunes-on-killing-their-patients/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

> [A psychiatrist who professes to be a healer of souls, but who keeps people asleep, treats them for waking up, and drugs them asleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/a-psychiatrist-who-professes-to-be-a-healer-of-souls-but-who-keeps/)

[R. D. Laing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

[Explore all 105 R. D. Laing quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/)

## More Body quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

Jennifer Siebel Newsom

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [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/)

> [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

[Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Being embodied as such is no insurance against feelings of hopelessness or meaningslessness. Beyond his body, he still has to know who he is.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "R. D. Laing"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-against-feelings-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Body"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-against-feelings-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/r-d-laing-4861_body_being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-a_3136567.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/r-d-laing-4861_body_being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-a_3136567.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c9d/r-d-laing-4861_body_being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-a_3136567.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Being embodied as such is no insurance against feelings of hopelessness or meaningslessness. Beyond his…” — R. D. Laing",
                "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": "R. D. Laing",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-d-laing/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Being embodied as such is no...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-against-feelings-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-d-laing/being-embodied-as-such-is-no-insurance-against-feelings-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
