---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No choice but stand. Somehow up and…"
description: "\"“No choice but stand. Somehow up and stand. Somehow stand. That or groan. The groan so long on its way. No. No groan. Simply pain. Simply up. A time wh..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/samuel-beckett-365_groan_no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand_674733.png"
---

#  No choice but stand. Somehow up and stand. Somehow stand…

![“No choice but stand. Somehow up and stand. Somehow stand. That or groan. The groan so long on its way. No. No groan. Simply pain. Simply up. A time when try how. Try see. Try say. How first it lay. Then somehow knelt. Bit by bit. Then on from there. Bit by bit. Till up at last.” quote by Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/samuel-beckett-365_groan_no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand_674733.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/samuel-beckett-365_groan_no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand_674733.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/samuel-beckett-365_groan_no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand_674733.png)

> ““No choice but stand. Somehow up and stand. Somehow stand. That or groan. The groan so long on its way. No. No groan. Simply pain. Simply up. A time when try how. Try see. Try say. How first it lay. Then somehow knelt. Bit by bit. Then on from there. Bit by bit. Till up at last.””

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

## About This Quote

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

The passage portrays a struggle against suffering, moving from passive endurance to active effort despite pain.

**In simple terms:** Enduring pain leads to gradual action.

Key Takeaway

Persist despite pain.

Themes

suffering resilience action

Mood

determined reflective

Type

literary existential

When to use this quote

- recovering from illness
- overcoming grief
- personal growth
- daily challenges
- mental health

Key Concepts

existentialism human will

Questions to Reflect On

- What small action can you take when pain feels overwhelming?
- How does acknowledging pain change your response?

A Different Perspective

The text may romanticize suffering, ignoring the need for external support.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [I tried to groan, Help! Help! But the tone that came out was that of polite conversation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-tried-to-groan-help-help-but-the-tone-that-came-out-was-that-of/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [There are times when it is better to stand alone than not stand at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-n-green/there-are-times-when-it-is-better-to-stand-alone-than-not-stand-at-all/)

[Al N. Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-n-green/)

> [Stand up and stand out. Dare to be different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stand-up-and-stand-out-dare-to-be-different/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [If you don't like where you STAND with them move on and STAND next to someone that will give you a better position.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonya-parker/if-you-don-t-like-where-you-stand-with-them-move-on-and-stand-next-to/)

[Sonya Parker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonya-parker/)

> [Cricket is hard enough: stand up for yourself and stand up for the team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jofra-archer/cricket-is-hard-enough-stand-up-for-yourself-and-stand-up-for-the-team/)

[Jofra Archer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jofra-archer/)

> [I'm equally comfortable in getting out there and taking a stand when I have to take a stand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanjay-kumar/i-m-equally-comfortable-in-getting-out-there-and-taking-a-stand-when/)

[Sanjay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanjay-kumar/)

> [Stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves; its your responsibility](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/stand-up-for-those-who-cannot-stand-up-for-themselves-its-your/)

[Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/)

> [“se there was a matter of half a ream of brown paper stuck upon me, from first to last. As I laid all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/se-there-was-a-matter-of-half-a-ream-of-brown-paper-stuck-upon-me/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“What?” Ryder huffed. “Come on that was funny! That was comic gold right there.” She shrugged, enjoying teasing him. “It was OK. Kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/what-ryder-huffed-come-on-that-was-funny-that-was-comic-gold-right/)

[Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/)

> [And I mean to hear ye groan like that again. And to moan and sob, even though you dinna wish to, for ye canna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/and-i-mean-to-hear-ye-groan-like-that-again-and-to-moan-and-sob-even/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> [“Where are you going?" I asked, as Frank swung his feet off the bed. "I'd hate the dear old thing to be disappointed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/where-are-you-going-i-asked-as-frank-swung-his-feet-off-the-bed-i-d/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> [“Ah, that groan, Alexis. It’s like you are fucking me from a distance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-golland/ah-that-groan-alexis-it-s-like-you-are-fucking-me-from-a-distance/)

[K.M. Golland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-golland/)

> [I have no use for the kind of God who goes walking in his garden with a stick, sends his friends to live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/i-have-no-use-for-the-kind-of-god-who-goes-walking-in-his-garden-with/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [There is a groan that unites men and women, rich and poor, in any nation. These muscle pains are "explained" in every culture, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-david-wall/there-is-a-groan-that-unites-men-and-women-rich-and-poor-in-any/)

Patrick David Wall

> [“groan again when my brother’s name”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-hart/groan-again-when-my-brother-s-name/)

[Emma Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-hart/)

## More by Samuel Beckett

> [“It was December, I had never felt so cold, the eel soup lay heavy on my stomach, I was afraid I'd die, I turned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/it-was-december-i-had-never-felt-so-cold-the-eel-soup-lay-heavy-on-my/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [“To be always what I am - and so changed from what I was.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/to-be-always-what-i-am-and-so-changed-from-what-i-was/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [To what will love not stoop!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/to-what-will-love-not-stoop/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [With all this darkness round me I feel less alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/with-all-this-darkness-round-me-i-feel-less-alone/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [“You may say it is all in my head, and indeed sometimes it seems to me I am in a head and that these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/you-may-say-it-is-all-in-my-head-and-indeed-sometimes-it-seems-to-me/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [“Here he stood. Here he sat. Here he knelt. Here he lay. Here he moved, to and fro, from the door to the window,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/here-he-stood-here-he-sat-here-he-knelt-here-he-lay-here-he-moved-to/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [What are we doing here, that is the question. And we are blessed in this, that we happen to know the answer. Yes, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/what-are-we-doing-here-that-is-the-question-and-we-are-blessed-in/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [I shall state silences more competently than ever a better man spangled the butterflies of vertigo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-shall-state-silences-more-competently-than-ever-a-better-man/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [It is useless not to seek, not to want, for when you cease to seek you start to find, and when you cease to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/it-is-useless-not-to-seek-not-to-want-for-when-you-cease-to-seek-you/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [We are not saints, but we have kept our appointment. How many people can boast as much?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/we-are-not-saints-but-we-have-kept-our-appointment-how-many-people/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [The new light above my table is a great improvement. With all this darkness around me I feel less alone. (Pause.) In a way.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/the-new-light-above-my-table-is-a-great-improvement-with-all-this/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [I lay down across her with my face in her breasts and my hand on her. We lay there without moving. But under us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-lay-down-across-her-with-my-face-in-her-breasts-and-my-hand-on-her/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [Women are all the bloody sameyou can't love for five minutes without wanting it abolished in brats and house bloody wifery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/women-are-all-the-bloody-sameyou-can-t-love-for-five-minutes-without/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [“ESTRAGON: Do you think God sees me? VLADIMIR: You must close your eyes. Estragon closes his eyes, staggers worse. ESTRAGON: (stopping, brandishing his fists,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/estragon-do-you-think-god-sees-me-vladimir-you-must-close-your-eyes/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

> [Deplorable mania, when something happens, to inquire what.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/deplorable-mania-when-something-happens-to-inquire-what/)

[Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

[Explore all 609 Samuel Beckett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/)

## More Groan quotes

> [“se there was a matter of half a ream of brown paper stuck upon me, from first to last. As I laid all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/se-there-was-a-matter-of-half-a-ream-of-brown-paper-stuck-upon-me/)

[Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/)

> [“groan again when my brother’s name”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-hart/groan-again-when-my-brother-s-name/)

[Emma Hart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-hart/)

> [There is a groan that unites men and women, rich and poor, in any nation. These muscle pains are "explained" in every culture, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-david-wall/there-is-a-groan-that-unites-men-and-women-rich-and-poor-in-any/)

Patrick David Wall

> [I have no use for the kind of God who goes walking in his garden with a stick, sends his friends to live in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/i-have-no-use-for-the-kind-of-god-who-goes-walking-in-his-garden-with/)

[Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/)

> [“Ah, that groan, Alexis. It’s like you are fucking me from a distance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-m-golland/ah-that-groan-alexis-it-s-like-you-are-fucking-me-from-a-distance/)

[K.M. Golland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-m-golland/)

> [“Where are you going?" I asked, as Frank swung his feet off the bed. "I'd hate the dear old thing to be disappointed in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/where-are-you-going-i-asked-as-frank-swung-his-feet-off-the-bed-i-d/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> [And I mean to hear ye groan like that again. And to moan and sob, even though you dinna wish to, for ye canna…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/and-i-mean-to-hear-ye-groan-like-that-again-and-to-moan-and-sob-even/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> [“What?” Ryder huffed. “Come on that was funny! That was comic gold right there.” She shrugged, enjoying teasing him. “It was OK. Kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/what-ryder-huffed-come-on-that-was-funny-that-was-comic-gold-right/)

[Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/)

> [“Galadir called her back against his chest and he clearly heard a groan of the woman. «So let me help you, for once. I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chiara-cilli/galadir-called-her-back-against-his-chest-and-he-clearly-heard-a/)

[Chiara Cilli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chiara-cilli/)

> [“hung-over groan, the elective malady’s melody.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-mcewan/hung-over-groan-the-elective-malady-s-melody/)

[Ian McEwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-mcewan/)

> [I had to groan a bit on the couch when my brow was mopped - as it is when you've been shot across the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-head/i-had-to-groan-a-bit-on-the-couch-when-my-brow-was-mopped-as-it-is/)

[Anthony Head](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-head/)

> [“I swallowed a frustrated groan. “Is this one of those idiotic clichés where I turn around and see myself in the mirror of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seanan-mcguire/i-swallowed-a-frustrated-groan-is-this-one-of-those-idiotic-clich-s/)

[Seanan McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seanan-mcguire/)

> [“one knee, with a groan, I released my hold upon his throat,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solomon-northup/one-knee-with-a-groan-i-released-my-hold-upon-his-throat/)

[Solomon Northup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solomon-northup/)

> [Groan and forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessamyn-west/groan-and-forget-it/)

[Jessamyn West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessamyn-west/)

> [Even trees do not die without a groan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/even-trees-do-not-die-without-a-groan/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

Browse all 47 Groan quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“No choice but stand. Somehow up and stand. Somehow stand. That or groan. The groan so long on its way. No. No groan. Simply pain. Simply up. A time when try how. Try see. Try say. How first it lay. Then somehow knelt. Bit by bit. Then on from there. Bit by bit. Till up at last.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Samuel Beckett"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand-somehow-stand-that-or-groan/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Groan"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand-somehow-stand-that-or-groan/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/samuel-beckett-365_groan_no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand_674733.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/samuel-beckett-365_groan_no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand_674733.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e4e/samuel-beckett-365_groan_no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand_674733.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“No choice but stand. Somehow up and stand. Somehow stand. That or groan. The groan so long on its way. No…” — Samuel Beckett",
                "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": "Samuel Beckett",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“No choice but stand. Somehow up...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand-somehow-stand-that-or-groan/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/no-choice-but-stand-somehow-up-and-stand-somehow-stand-that-or-groan/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
