--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human life is everywhere a state in which…" description: "\"Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed.\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/samuel-johnson-50_enjoyed_human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-whic_1723239.png" --- # Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be… ![“Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/samuel-johnson-50_enjoyed_human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-whic_1723239.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/samuel-johnson-50_enjoyed_human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-whic_1723239.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/samuel-johnson-50_enjoyed_human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-whic_1723239.png) > “Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human existence is dominated by hardship, with only brief moments of pleasure **In simple terms:** Life is mostly hardship, with little joy Key Takeaway Recognize and cherish the rare joys in life Themes hardship joy human condition Mood contemplative somber Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - daily work - illness recovery - grief counseling - long‑term projects Key Concepts Existentialism Stoicism philosophy of suffering Questions to Reflect On - How do you find meaning amid suffering? - Can joy be cultivated intentionally? A Different Perspective Joy may be fleeting and hard to sustain ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enjoyed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyed/) [Human life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-life/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-state-869563/) [State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state/) [State Endured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-endured-1357842/) ## Related quotes > [“Human life is every where a state in which much is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/human-life-is-every-where-a-state-in-which-much-is-to-be-endured-and/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Life is a state of constant radiation and absorption; to exist is to radiate; to exist is to be the recipient of radiations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-george-jordan/life-is-a-state-of-constant-radiation-and-absorption-to-exist-is-to/) [William George Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-george-jordan/) > [“How delightful it is to be here.(Gym) If only one could spend one's entire life in this state of easygoing physical democracy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/how-delightful-it-is-to-be-here-gym-if-only-one-could-spend-one-s/) [Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/) > [Life is a state of mind; imagine the one that you want, and then create it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-a-state-of-mind-imagine-the-one-that-you-want-and-then-create/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A perfect life is a contradiction in terms. Life itself is a state of continuous struggle between ourselves and everything outside. Every moment we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/a-perfect-life-is-a-contradiction-in-terms-life-itself-is-a-state-of/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Youth is not a time of life - it is a state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-ullman/youth-is-not-a-time-of-life-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Samuel Ullman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-ullman/) > [Resurrection means bodily life after ‘life after death,’ or, if you prefer, bodily life after the state of ‘death’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-t-wright-2/resurrection-means-bodily-life-after-life-after-death-or-if-you/) [N. T. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-t-wright-2/) > [The only way to live a long life is in a state of constant boredom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerd-de-ley/the-only-way-to-live-a-long-life-is-in-a-state-of-constant-boredom/) [Gerd de Ley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerd-de-ley/) > [Men who possess all the advantages of life are in a state where there are many accidents to disorder and discompose, but few to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/men-who-possess-all-the-advantages-of-life-are-in-a-state-where-there/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [Without health life is not life; it is only a state of langour and suffering - an image of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddha/without-health-life-is-not-life-it-is-only-a-state-of-langour-and/) [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddha/) > [Life is a state of consciousness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emmet-fox/life-is-a-state-of-consciousness/) [Emmet Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emmet-fox/) > [Life is rather a state of embryo, a preparation for life; a man is not completely born till he has passed through death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/life-is-rather-a-state-of-embryo-a-preparation-for-life-a-man-is-not/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [A in a mans life is a state of mind, it keeps changing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahazad/a-in-a-mans-life-is-a-state-of-mind-it-keeps-changing/) [Shahazad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahazad/) > [Life is a state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerzy-kosi-ski/life-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Jerzy Kosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerzy-kosi-ski/) > [Youth is not a period in life but a state of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-allende/youth-is-not-a-period-in-life-but-a-state-of-mind/) [Isabel Allende](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-allende/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More Enjoyed quotes > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Really enjoyed this blog article. Want more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/social/really-enjoyed-this-blog-article-want-more/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/social/) > [The clatter of a changing world is not pleasant, and those who have enjoyed the comforts and protection of the old order may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-keller/the-clatter-of-a-changing-world-is-not-pleasant-and-those-who-have/) [Helen Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-keller/) > [ I really enjoyed it - being involved in watching rushes and playback \[in "The Invisible Woman"\]. Ralph \[Fiennes\] was very open to my input,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/i-really-enjoyed-it-being-involved-in-watching-rushes-and-playback-in/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [I have enjoyed a wonderful run in films, so far, and I may, at some point, come back. But it will be in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debra-winger/i-have-enjoyed-a-wonderful-run-in-films-so-far-and-i-may-at-some/) [Debra Winger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debra-winger/) > [I have enjoyed the happiness of the world; I have loved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/i-have-enjoyed-the-happiness-of-the-world-i-have-loved/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [Dr. Arnold . . . the admired reformer of public schools, came across some cranks who thought it a mistake to flog boys. Anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/dr-arnold-the-admired-reformer-of-public-schools-came-across-some/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Yeah, I'm the Brit who isn't Lewis Hamilton that woke up and realised he was good. I got that tag because I was young,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenson-button/yeah-i-m-the-brit-who-isn-t-lewis-hamilton-that-woke-up-and-realised/) [Jenson Button](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenson-button/) > [There were some things that I found I really enjoyed singing about; like, on the title track, there's this film-noir character of a woman…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-krall/there-were-some-things-that-i-found-i-really-enjoyed-singing-about/) [Diana Krall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-krall/) > [We are not being arrogant or complacent when we are said that our country, as a united nation, has never in its entire history,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/we-are-not-being-arrogant-or-complacent-when-we-are-said-that-our/) [Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/) > [I've always enjoyed traveling and having experience with different cultures and different people. But it's also a wonderful thing to be able to benefit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurel-clark/i-ve-always-enjoyed-traveling-and-having-experience-with-different/) [Laurel Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurel-clark/) > [The whole of life is a journey toward youthful old age, toward self-contemplation, love, gaiety, and, in a fundamental sense, the most gratifying time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-montagu/the-whole-of-life-is-a-journey-toward-youthful-old-age-toward-self/) [Ashley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-montagu/) > [I truly enjoyed Greece - Santorini. That's somewhere that I always want to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kendall-jenner/i-truly-enjoyed-greece-santorini-that-s-somewhere-that-i-always-want/) [Kendall Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kendall-jenner/) > [I have known lots of adults who enjoyed similar enthusiasms as a kid and weren't encouraged and then didn't go anywhere with it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-joyce/i-have-known-lots-of-adults-who-enjoyed-similar-enthusiasms-as-a-kid/) [William Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-joyce/) > [ I'm often asked, "What is your favorite moment during the 30 years you hosted \[The Tonight Show\]?" I really don't have just one. The… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-carson/i-m-often-asked-what-is-your-favorite-moment-during-the-30-years-you/) [Johnny Carson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johnny-carson/) [Browse all 1,856 Enjoyed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoyed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-which-much-is-to-be-endured-and/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enjoyed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-which-much-is-to-be-endured-and/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/samuel-johnson-50_enjoyed_human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-whic_1723239.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/samuel-johnson-50_enjoyed_human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-whic_1723239.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b96/samuel-johnson-50_enjoyed_human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-whic_1723239.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured, and little to be enjoyed.” — Samuel Johnson", "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 Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Human life is everywhere a state...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-which-much-is-to-be-endured-and/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/human-life-is-everywhere-a-state-in-which-much-is-to-be-endured-and/#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 } } ] } ```