--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Boredom is the inner conflict we suffer…" description: "\"Boredom is the inner conflict we suffer when we lose desire, when we lack a lacking.\" — Robert McKee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/robert-mckee-8479_bored_boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer_2793419.jpg" --- # Boredom is the inner conflict we suffer when we lose… ![“Boredom is the inner conflict we suffer when we lose desire, when we lack a lacking.” quote by Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/robert-mckee-8479_bored_boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer_2793419.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/robert-mckee-8479_bored_boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer_2793419.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/robert-mckee-8479_bored_boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer_2793419.jpg) > “Boredom is the inner conflict we suffer when we lose desire, when we lack a lacking.” [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Boredom emerges when desire fades and we lack a sense of purpose or challenge. **In simple terms:** Boredom is loss of desire and purpose. Key Takeaway Seek purpose and challenge to combat boredom. Themes boredom purpose motivation Mood reflective motivational Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - work tasks - creative hobbies - learning new skills - volunteering Key Concepts psychology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What activities reignite your desire? - How can you create meaning in routine? A Different Perspective Not all boredom can be solved by external activities; internal mindset matters. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) [Boredom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) [Boredom Inner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom-inner-3397324/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Desire Lack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire-lack-1128007/) [Inner conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inner-conflict/) [Lack Lacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lack-lacking-3397325/) [Lacking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lacking/) [Lose Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lose-desire-920607/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) [War](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/war/) ## Related quotes > [Most people fail, not because of lack of desire, but, because of lack of commitment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-people-fail-not-because-of-lack-of-desire-but-because-of-lack-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I am dead because I lack desire, I lack desire because I think I possess, I think I possess because I do not try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ren-daumal/i-am-dead-because-i-lack-desire-i-lack-desire-because-i-think-i/) [Rene Daumal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ren-daumal/) > [“One day your drive to make a name for yourself will begin to drift away. It won't be that important anymore. But when you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abbi-glines/one-day-your-drive-to-make-a-name-for-yourself-will-begin-to-drift/) [Abbi Glines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abbi-glines/) > [Above all, do not lose your desire to walk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/above-all-do-not-lose-your-desire-to-walk/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“It’s true I’ve got a cold streak. I recognize that. But if they—my father and mother—had loved me a little more, I would have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/it-s-true-i-ve-got-a-cold-streak-i-recognize-that-but-if-they-my/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The problem is sometimes so great that people do, literally, lose their desire to live. It happens, too, in relationships, when your partner leaves…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dr-bk-satyanarayan/the-problem-is-sometimes-so-great-that-people-do-literally-lose-their/) [Dr BK Satyanarayan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dr-bk-satyanarayan/) > [“Fear is the will's little baby. It arises with the possibility you will lose what you desire.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shai-tubali/fear-is-the-will-s-little-baby-it-arises-with-the-possibility-you/) [Shai Tubali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shai-tubali/) > [“If you start out by promising what you don't even have yet, you'll lose your desire to work toward getting it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-you-start-out-by-promising-what-you-don-t-even-have-yet-you-ll/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [With your desire defined, quietly go within and shut the door behind you. Lose yourself in your desire; feel yourself to be one with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neville-goddard/with-your-desire-defined-quietly-go-within-and-shut-the-door-behind/) [Neville Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neville-goddard/) > [If you start by promising what you don't even have yet, you'll lose your desire to work towards getting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/if-you-start-by-promising-what-you-don-t-even-have-yet-you-ll-lose/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [So if loss of what gives happiness causes you distress when it fades, you can now understand that such happiness is worthless. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zhuangzi/so-if-loss-of-what-gives-happiness-causes-you-distress-when-it-fades/) [Zhuangzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zhuangzi/) > [The secret of contentment is knowing how to enjoy what you have, and to be able to lose all desire for things beyond your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyn-yutang/the-secret-of-contentment-is-knowing-how-to-enjoy-what-you-have-and/) [Lyn Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyn-yutang/) > [“Most dissociative parts influence your experience from the inside rather than exert complete control, that is, through passive influence. \* In fact, many parts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzette-boon/most-dissociative-parts-influence-your-experience-from-the-inside/) [Suzette Boon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzette-boon/) > [Forget what hurts you but never forget what lesson it has taught you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/forget-what-hurts-you-but-never-forget-what-lesson-it-has-taught-you/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [The answer to any challenge you are having has nothing to do with God's willingness to help. It has to do with your acceptance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-beckwith/the-answer-to-any-challenge-you-are-having-has-nothing-to-do-with-god/) [Michael Beckwith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-beckwith/) ## More by Robert McKee > [Story isn't a flight from reality but a vehicle that carries us on our search for reality,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/story-isn-t-a-flight-from-reality-but-a-vehicle-that-carries-us-on/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Don't be didactic - don't write about poverty. Write about poor people. When you dramatize their lives and let life and characters be your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/don-t-be-didactic-don-t-write-about-poverty-write-about-poor-people/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [To connect to people at the deepest level, you need stories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/to-connect-to-people-at-the-deepest-level-you-need-stories/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Talent without craft is like fuel without an engine, it burns wildly but accomplishes nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/talent-without-craft-is-like-fuel-without-an-engine-it-burns-wildly/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [“If the story you're telling, is the story you're telling, you're in deep shit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/if-the-story-you-re-telling-is-the-story-you-re-telling-you-re-in/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Classical design is a mirror of the human mind. It's how we see the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/classical-design-is-a-mirror-of-the-human-mind-it-s-how-we-see-the/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [To get the truth, you want to get your own heart to pound while you write.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/to-get-the-truth-you-want-to-get-your-own-heart-to-pound-while-you/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [What happens is fact, not truth. Truth is what we think about what happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/what-happens-is-fact-not-truth-truth-is-what-we-think-about-what/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [The universal erosion of values has lead to the universal erosion of story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/the-universal-erosion-of-values-has-lead-to-the-universal-erosion-of/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [In a world of lies and liars, an honest work of art is always an act of social responsibility.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/in-a-world-of-lies-and-liars-an-honest-work-of-art-is-always-an-act/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Influence is just persuasion in slow motion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/influence-is-just-persuasion-in-slow-motion/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Good story' means something worth telling that the world wants to hear. Finding this is your lonely task...But the love of a good story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/good-story-means-something-worth-telling-that-the-world-wants-to-hear/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Most of life's actions are within our reach, but decisions take willpower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/most-of-life-s-actions-are-within-our-reach-but-decisions-take/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [We realize we can't go around saying and doing what we're actually thinking and feeling. If we all did that, life would be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/we-realize-we-can-t-go-around-saying-and-doing-what-we-re-actually/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) > [Oh, by the way, I tend to use a lot of profanities. I do that for a reason: I like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/oh-by-the-way-i-tend-to-use-a-lot-of-profanities-i-do-that-for-a/) [Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) [Explore all 78 Robert McKee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/) ## More Bored quotes > [Normal is so Boring!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/normal-is-so-boring/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you're focused, you can't get bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alin-sav/if-you-re-focused-you-can-t-get-bored/) [Alin Sav](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alin-sav/) > [I am fairly tired--bored beyond endurance--by the world we live in, and its ideals, and am ready to say so, not violently, but kindly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-adams/i-am-fairly-tired-bored-beyond-endurance-by-the-world-we-live-in-and/) [Henry Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-adams/) > [Being blonde, for me, means never having to say: 'I'll have the honey-striped half-head of highlights for £200,' to a bored colourist in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-johnson/being-blonde-for-me-means-never-having-to-say-i-ll-have-the-honey/) [Rachel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-johnson/) > [Someone else who liked what I did might turn around and say, "She's reworking and rethinking everything. She could just be making blankets now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/someone-else-who-liked-what-i-did-might-turn-around-and-say-she-s/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) > [ There was another reason \[she\] took her books whenever they went away. They were her home when she was somewhere strange. They were familiar… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornelia-funke/there-was-another-reason-she-took-her-books-whenever-they-went-away/) [Cornelia Funke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornelia-funke/) > [I'm bored of being bored because being bored is very boring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sachithra/i-m-bored-of-being-bored-because-being-bored-is-very-boring/) [Sachithra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sachithra/) > [When I get bored I say fck the police](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-i-get-bored-i-say-fck-the-police/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always knew that I was kind of bored; the regular life of a child didn't fit me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-ricci/i-always-knew-that-i-was-kind-of-bored-the-regular-life-of-a-child/) [Christina Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-ricci/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [When people look in the mirror, sometimes they see are their shells in the mirror, nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-people-look-in-the-mirror-sometimes-they-see-are-their-shells-in/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was taking all prints and I brought them to the Magnum meetings, trying the old Josef Koudelka trick: Give them to photographers, who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-van-agtmael/i-was-taking-all-prints-and-i-brought-them-to-the-magnum-meetings/) [Peter van Agtmael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-van-agtmael/) > [“She wouldn't pick up a fight him just because she was bored.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainbow-rowell/she-wouldn-t-pick-up-a-fight-him-just-because-she-was-bored/) [Rainbow Rowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainbow-rowell/) > [...sometimes I get tired. Sometimes I get bored. And sometimes all I want, more than anything else in the world, is to go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/sometimes-i-get-tired-sometimes-i-get-bored-and-sometimes-all-i-want/) [Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/) > [I was sober for five years a long time ago and was just bored out of my tree.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-sheen/i-was-sober-for-five-years-a-long-time-ago-and-was-just-bored-out-of/) [Charlie Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-sheen/) [Browse all 2,067 Bored quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Boredom is the inner conflict we suffer when we lose desire, when we lack a lacking.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert McKee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer-when-we-lose-desire-when-we/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bored" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer-when-we-lose-desire-when-we/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/robert-mckee-8479_bored_boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer_2793419.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/robert-mckee-8479_bored_boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer_2793419.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f05/robert-mckee-8479_bored_boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer_2793419.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Boredom is the inner conflict we suffer when we lose desire, when we lack a lacking.” — Robert McKee", "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": "Robert McKee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Boredom is the inner conflict we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer-when-we-lose-desire-when-we/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/boredom-is-the-inner-conflict-we-suffer-when-we-lose-desire-when-we/#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 } } ] } ```