--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only thing that ultimately matters is…" description: "\"The only thing that ultimately matters is to eat an ice-cream cone, play a slide trombone, plant a small tree, good God, now you're free.\" — Ray Manzarek" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/ray-manzarek-22098_chess_the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-i_1217211.png" --- # The only thing that ultimately matters is to eat an… ![“The only thing that ultimately matters is to eat an ice-cream cone, play a slide trombone, plant a small tree, good God, now you're free.” quote by Ray Manzarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/ray-manzarek-22098_chess_the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-i_1217211.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/ray-manzarek-22098_chess_the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-i_1217211.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/ray-manzarek-22098_chess_the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-i_1217211.png) > “The only thing that ultimately matters is to eat an ice-cream cone, play a slide trombone, plant a small tree, good God, now you're free.” [Ray Manzarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-manzarek/) ## 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 meaning is found in simple, joyful, and spontaneous pleasures that free us from seriousness. **In simple terms:** Joyful small acts bring freedom. Key Takeaway Embrace playful moments daily. Themes joy spontaneity freedom Mood lighthearted carefree Type inspirational humorous When to use this quote - family outings - creative hobbies - mindful breaks - celebrating small wins Key Concepts existentialism hedonism Questions to Reflect On - What simple pleasure could you savor now? - How does playfulness affect your stress? A Different Perspective May overlook responsibilities or deeper purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) [Grandchildren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grandchildren/) [Ice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice/) [Ice cream](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ice-cream/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Plant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plant/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [Treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) ## Related quotes > [The thing you set your mind on is the thing you ultimately become.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-hawthorne/the-thing-you-set-your-mind-on-is-the-thing-you-ultimately-become/) [Nathaniel Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-hawthorne/) > [“It doesn’t matter what you think, what you believe or what you feel the only thing that ultimately matters is what you do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zubair-ahmed/it-doesn-t-matter-what-you-think-what-you-believe-or-what-you-feel/) Zubair Ahmed > [It's not an individual sport, so winning is ultimately what matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonas-valanciunas/it-s-not-an-individual-sport-so-winning-is-ultimately-what-matters/) [Jonas Valanciunas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonas-valanciunas/) > [ That's really what ultimately matters - the emotions and feelings that you experienced and people around \[whom\] you experienced \[them\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bethany-hamilton/that-s-really-what-ultimately-matters-the-emotions-and-feelings-that/) [Bethany Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bethany-hamilton/) > [What ultimately matters to me in football Is what I achieved collectively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodri/what-ultimately-matters-to-me-in-football-is-what-i-achieved/) [Rodri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodri/) > [If you're happy, ultimately, that's all that matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-rodgers/if-you-re-happy-ultimately-that-s-all-that-matters/) [Brendan Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-rodgers/) > [“It is not what the shadow tells us about the figure but about the ground that ultimately matters.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-horvath/it-is-not-what-the-shadow-tells-us-about-the-figure-but-about-the/) Tim Horvath > [“In the end, all that ultimately matters is what you've done. 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So for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-manzarek/doors-music-is-not-a-simple-kind-of-music-it-s-like-the-bauhaus-it-s/) [Ray Manzarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-manzarek/) > [Jim wanted to be known as a poet, first and foremost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-manzarek/jim-wanted-to-be-known-as-a-poet-first-and-foremost/) [Ray Manzarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-manzarek/) > [Movies were very important. The art-form of the 20th century.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-manzarek/movies-were-very-important-the-art-form-of-the-20th-century/) [Ray Manzarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-manzarek/) > [I thought we were gonna open up the world of poetry and music to all kinds of things, and yet, I can't really think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-manzarek/i-thought-we-were-gonna-open-up-the-world-of-poetry-and-music-to-all/) [Ray Manzarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-manzarek/) > [The Doors really were a band of potheads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-manzarek/the-doors-really-were-a-band-of-potheads/) [Ray Manzarek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-manzarek/) > [The Doors were successful. 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That's upsetting to a lot of people, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-rubin/the-election-of-trump-threw-the-chess-board-up-the-pieces-are-all/) [Dave Rubin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-rubin/) > [Playing for complications is an extreme measure that a player should adopt only when he cannot find a clear and logical plan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-alekhine/playing-for-complications-is-an-extreme-measure-that-a-player-should/) [Alexander Alekhine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-alekhine/) > [“the shadows. “Why do you think they invented chess?” “He’s got you there,” said the captain, following Fletcher. Jake jogged slightly to catch up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-blake/the-shadows-why-do-you-think-they-invented-chess-he-s-got-you-there/) [Russell Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-blake/) > [ \[Photographer Julian Wasser\] had this great idea that I should play chess naked with Marcel Duchamp and it seem to be such a great… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eve-babitz/photographer-julian-wasser-had-this-great-idea-that-i-should-play/) [Eve Babitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eve-babitz/) > [Chess is a good mistress but a bad master.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerald-abrahams/chess-is-a-good-mistress-but-a-bad-master/) [Gerald Abrahams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerald-abrahams/) > [I am not some sort of freak. I might be very good at chess but I'm just a normal person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magnus-carlsen/i-am-not-some-sort-of-freak-i-might-be-very-good-at-chess-but-i-m/) [Magnus Carlsen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magnus-carlsen/) > [Some sacrifices are sound; the rest are mine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mikhail-tal/some-sacrifices-are-sound-the-rest-are-mine/) [Mikhail Tal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mikhail-tal/) > [My parents were very supportive of my chess. 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Use it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-steinitz/the-king-is-a-fighting-piece-use-it/) [Wilhelm Steinitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-steinitz/) [Browse all 2,003 Chess quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chess/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only thing that ultimately matters is to eat an ice-cream cone, play a slide trombone, plant a small tree, good God, now you're free.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ray Manzarek" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-manzarek/the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-is-to-eat-an-ice-cream-cone/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chess" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-manzarek/the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-is-to-eat-an-ice-cream-cone/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/ray-manzarek-22098_chess_the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-i_1217211.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/ray-manzarek-22098_chess_the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-i_1217211.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bbc/ray-manzarek-22098_chess_the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-i_1217211.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only thing that ultimately matters is to eat an ice-cream cone, play a slide trombone, plant a small…” — Ray Manzarek", "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": "Ray Manzarek", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-manzarek/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only thing that ultimately matters...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-manzarek/the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-is-to-eat-an-ice-cream-cone/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-manzarek/the-only-thing-that-ultimately-matters-is-to-eat-an-ice-cream-cone/#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 } } ] } ```