---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We all exist in relation to the world…"
description: "\"We all exist in relation to the world, our partners, the human race.\" — Sarah Ruhl"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/sarah-ruhl-13926_human-race_we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-ou_656231.jpg"
---

#  We all exist in relation to the world, our partners, the…

![“We all exist in relation to the world, our partners, the human race.” quote by Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/sarah-ruhl-13926_human-race_we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-ou_656231.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/sarah-ruhl-13926_human-race_we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-ou_656231.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/sarah-ruhl-13926_human-race_we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-ou_656231.jpg)

> “We all exist in relation to the world, our partners, the human race.”

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

## 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 defined by relationships with the world, partners, and humanity.

**In simple terms:** We live through our connections.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate meaningful relationships.

Themes

existence interdependence humanity

Mood

thoughtful empathetic

Type

dramatic reflective

When to use this quote

- family life
- community service
- global activism

Key Concepts

philosophical inquiry social bonds

Questions to Reflect On

- What relationships shape your identity?
- How can you honor both self and others?

A Different Perspective

Overemphasis on relationships may neglect self.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Human race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [We are participants, whether we would or not, in the life of the world… We are partners with the rest. What affects mankind isinevitably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/we-are-participants-whether-we-would-or-not-in-the-life-of-the-world/)

[Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/)

> [However self-sufficient we may fancy ourselves, we exist only in relation - to our friend, family, and life partners; to those we teach and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/however-self-sufficient-we-may-fancy-ourselves-we-exist-only-in-2/)

[Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/)

> [However self-sufficient we may fancy ourselves, we exist only in relation -- to our friend, family, and life partners; to those we teach and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derrick-bell/however-self-sufficient-we-may-fancy-ourselves-we-exist-only-in/)

[Derrick Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derrick-bell/)

> [Best relation in the world is… When you hold the hand of a person and the person walks with you without asking where and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/best-relation-in-the-world-is-when-you-hold-the-hand-of-a-person-and/)

[Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/)

> [“Philip that there were three things to find out: man's relation to the world he lives in, man's relation with the men among whom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/philip-that-there-were-three-things-to-find-out-man-s-relation-to-the/)

[W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/)

> [If we face the fact, for it is a fact, that there is no arm to cling to, but that we go alone and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/if-we-face-the-fact-for-it-is-a-fact-that-there-is-no-arm-to-cling-to/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“What our mind focuses on becomes our world. Seen this way, the mind does not seem so insignificant in relation to the world out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haemin-sunim/what-our-mind-focuses-on-becomes-our-world-seen-this-way-the-mind/)

[Haemin Sunim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haemin-sunim/)

> [On Valentine's Day, couples in Calgary can celebrate their love for each other with couples' nude yoga - great way to get in shape…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sagal/on-valentine-s-day-couples-in-calgary-can-celebrate-their-love-for/)

[Peter Sagal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sagal/)

> [And it´s so different for a lot of people I´ve known. One partner doesn´t love the other enough to stop drinking, or gambling, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alma-katsu/and-it-s-so-different-for-a-lot-of-people-i-ve-known-one-partner/)

[Alma Katsu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alma-katsu/)

> [The only thing Steve Jobs has ever asked me in all the years we've been together and have been partners, the only thing he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lasseter/the-only-thing-steve-jobs-has-ever-asked-me-in-all-the-years-we-ve/)

[John Lasseter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lasseter/)

> [The acting background helped a lot when I started writing. I was training for it. In acting class they teach you about the stakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-higgins-clark/the-acting-background-helped-a-lot-when-i-started-writing-i-was/)

[Carol Higgins Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-higgins-clark/)

> [When a person partners with God in delivering a miracle to another person, they have done what they were supposed to do; God can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-wilkinson/when-a-person-partners-with-god-in-delivering-a-miracle-to-another/)

[Bruce Wilkinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-wilkinson/)

> [It is an interesting law of romance that a truly strong woman will choose a strong man who disagrees with her over a weak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ebert/it-is-an-interesting-law-of-romance-that-a-truly-strong-woman-will/)

[Roger Ebert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ebert/)

> [I was always anti-marriage. I didn't understand monogamy. I couldn't figure out how that could last. And then I met Bryn and I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-bello/i-was-always-anti-marriage-i-didn-t-understand-monogamy-i-couldn-t/)

[Maria Bello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-bello/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

## More by Sarah Ruhl

> [“I hate parties. And a wedding is the biggest party of all. All the guests arrived and Orpheus is taking a shower. He's always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/i-hate-parties-and-a-wedding-is-the-biggest-party-of-all-all-the/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [Have you ever been so melancholy, that you wanted to fit in the palm of your beloved's hand? And lie there, for fortnights, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/have-you-ever-been-so-melancholy-that-you-wanted-to-fit-in-the-palm/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [“the theater is one of the few places left in the bright and noisy world where we sit in the quiet dark together, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/the-theater-is-one-of-the-few-places-left-in-the-bright-and-noisy/)

[sarah ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [I do think there's a relationship between a book and a reader that's more intimate, in many ways, than the relationship between an audience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/i-do-think-there-s-a-relationship-between-a-book-and-a-reader-that-s/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [“When you read a novel, it seems that everything is clear, trite and understandable. But when you yourself fall in love, you understand that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/when-you-read-a-novel-it-seems-that-everything-is-clear-trite-and/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [“When you snatch happiness in little bits, fits and starts, and lose it, like me, you become coarse, little by little, you become hateful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/when-you-snatch-happiness-in-little-bits-fits-and-starts-and-lose-it/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [Sitting down with younger women writers and saying, "This is what I do and you can do this" is hugely important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/sitting-down-with-younger-women-writers-and-saying-this-is-what-i-do/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [Attachment parenting is this theory that if you wear your baby around and you sleep with your baby and you breast-feed for a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/attachment-parenting-is-this-theory-that-if-you-wear-your-baby-around/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [“Play itself is a primary process, not a luxury, not a hobby, but something all children must do to survive into adulthood.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/play-itself-is-a-primary-process-not-a-luxury-not-a-hobby-but/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [“Orpheus never liked words. He had his music. He would get a funny look on his face and I would say what are you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/orpheus-never-liked-words-he-had-his-music-he-would-get-a-funny-look/)

[sarah ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [“What silly little things sometimes take on meaning in life, suddenly, out of nowhere. And you know they're little nothings, and you laugh at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/what-silly-little-things-sometimes-take-on-meaning-in-life-suddenly/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [Being dead is the most airtight defense of one's own aesthetic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/being-dead-is-the-most-airtight-defense-of-one-s-own-aesthetic/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [“Don't make a wall of glass between your play and the people watching. Don't forget they were once children, who enjoyed being read to,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/don-t-make-a-wall-of-glass-between-your-play-and-the-people-watching/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [Plays are architecture, and you can make them stand in many ways that are hard to describe. And, I think, in our limited ability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/plays-are-architecture-and-you-can-make-them-stand-in-many-ways-that/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

> [I would never be essentialist about sexuality and structure, but I do think there's a way in which this male-arc has been talked about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/i-would-never-be-essentialist-about-sexuality-and-structure-but-i-do/)

[Sarah Ruhl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

[Explore all 48 Sarah Ruhl quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/)

## More Human race quotes

> [Race is the idea that a human being is more superior than another human being, race in society grants illusional rights to mistreat each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/race-is-the-idea-that-a-human-being-is-more-superior-than-another/)

[Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/)

> [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/)

[Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/)

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

> [Poetry fettered, fetters the human race. Nations are destroyed or flourish in proportion as their poetry, painting, and music are destroyed or flourish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-blake/poetry-fettered-fetters-the-human-race-nations-are-destroyed-or/)

[William Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-blake/)

> [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [“It occurred to me that the death of his grazing land hurt him more, incomparably more than the death of the human race. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-heller/it-occurred-to-me-that-the-death-of-his-grazing-land-hurt-him-more/)

[Peter Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-heller/)

> [“The greatest shortcoming of the human race is our inability to understand the exponential function.” —Albert A. Bartlett”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-brynjolfsson/the-greatest-shortcoming-of-the-human-race-is-our-inability-to/)

[Erik Brynjolfsson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-brynjolfsson/)

> [“My problem is that the human race seems to want to be destroyed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jhonen-vasquez/my-problem-is-that-the-human-race-seems-to-want-to-be-destroyed/)

[Jhonen Vasquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jhonen-vasquez/)

> [“I told him that if we doubted that we are demons in Hell, he should read The Mysterious Stranger, which Mark Twain wrote in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/i-told-him-that-if-we-doubted-that-we-are-demons-in-hell-he-should/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

> [ “both the Mosaic law and the grace of the new covenant, as both fitted for the times \[at which they were given\], were bestowed… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-church-fathers/both-the-mosaic-law-and-the-grace-of-the-new-covenant-as-both-fitted/)

The Church Fathers

> [“Human race had never planned to show up in this universe. I wonder whether current human efforts are relevant to its sustainability.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/human-race-had-never-planned-to-show-up-in-this-universe-i-wonder/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [As a result of reading science fiction when I was eight, I grew up with an interest in music, architecture, city planning, transportation, politics,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/as-a-result-of-reading-science-fiction-when-i-was-eight-i-grew-up/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“They all deserve to die. Tell you why, Mrs. Lovett, tell you why. Because in all of the whole human race Mrs Lovett, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-sondheim/they-all-deserve-to-die-tell-you-why-mrs-lovett-tell-you-why-because/)

[Stephen Sondheim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-sondheim/)

> [You don't have to be Sigmund Freud to surmise that war has a perverse appeal for the human race, nor is the attraction limited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-willis/you-don-t-have-to-be-sigmund-freud-to-surmise-that-war-has-a-perverse/)

[Ellen Willis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-willis/)

> [How many years has it taken people to realize that we are all brothers and sisters and human beings in the human race? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsha-p-johnson/how-many-years-has-it-taken-people-to-realize-that-we-are-all/)

[Marsha P. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsha-p-johnson/)

[Browse all 2,205 Human race quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-race/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We all exist in relation to the world, our partners, the human race.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Sarah Ruhl"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-our-partners-the-human-race/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Human race"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-our-partners-the-human-race/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/sarah-ruhl-13926_human-race_we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-ou_656231.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/sarah-ruhl-13926_human-race_we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-ou_656231.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bfb/sarah-ruhl-13926_human-race_we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-ou_656231.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We all exist in relation to the world, our partners, the human race.” — Sarah Ruhl",
                "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": "Sarah Ruhl",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-ruhl/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We all exist in relation to...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-our-partners-the-human-race/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-ruhl/we-all-exist-in-relation-to-the-world-our-partners-the-human-race/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
