--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The first thing we need to find,' said Mr…" description: "\"“The first thing we need to find,' said Mr Golan, 'is a reason to live'. ... 'Without a reason, why bother? Existence needs purpose: to be able to endu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/sarah-winman-10153_existence_the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr_267344.jpg" --- # The first thing we need to find,' said Mr Golan, 'is a… ![“The first thing we need to find,' said Mr Golan, 'is a reason to live'. ... 'Without a reason, why bother? Existence needs purpose: to be able to endure the pain of life with dignity; to give us a reason to continue. The meaning must enter our hearts, not out heads. We must understand the meaning…” quote by Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/sarah-winman-10153_existence_the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr_267344.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/sarah-winman-10153_existence_the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr_267344.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/sarah-winman-10153_existence_the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr_267344.jpg) > ““The first thing we need to find,' said Mr Golan, 'is a reason to live'. ... 'Without a reason, why bother? Existence needs purpose: to be able to endure the pain of life with dignity; to give us a reason to continue. The meaning must enter our hearts, not out heads. We must understand the meaning of our suffering.”” [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character argues that purpose is essential for enduring life's pain, and that meaning must be felt emotionally rather than intellectually. **In simple terms:** Purpose helps us bear suffering with dignity. Key Takeaway Find a heartfelt reason to keep going. Themes purpose existence meaning suffering dignity Mood thoughtful hopeful serene Type philosophical inspirational reflective When to use this quote - grief counseling - career setbacks - health crises - personal loss Key Concepts philosophical resilience emotional intelligence existential purpose Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning? - How can you cultivate purpose during hardship? A Different Perspective Finding purpose can be difficult and may feel forced. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dignity Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dignity-reason-2505177/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Existence Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence-needs-567240/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Needs Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs-purpose-2444826/) [Pain Of Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain-of-life/) [Purpose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purpose/) ## Related quotes > [Without reason, why bother? Existence needs purpose: to be able to endure the pain of life with dignity; to give us a reason to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/without-reason-why-bother-existence-needs-purpose-to-be-able-to/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [The demeaning of dignity is almost the only reason for a fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-soloveychik/the-demeaning-of-dignity-is-almost-the-only-reason-for-a-fight/) [Simon Soloveychik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-soloveychik/) > [There can be no reproach to pain unless we assume human dignity, there is no reason for restraints on pleasure unless we assume human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/there-can-be-no-reproach-to-pain-unless-we-assume-human-dignity-there/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [In this world, only those people who have fallen to the lowest degree of humiliation, far below beggary, who are not just without any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/in-this-world-only-those-people-who-have-fallen-to-the-lowest-degree/) [Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/) > [I believe that there's a way to question authority with manners, with dignity. There's no reason to be rude about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolas-cage/i-believe-that-there-s-a-way-to-question-authority-with-manners-with/) [Nicolas Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolas-cage/) > [A man needs a purpose for real health.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherwood-anderson/a-man-needs-a-purpose-for-real-health/) [Sherwood Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherwood-anderson/) > [I don't know anything about god except that it's not me. So, somewhere between that acceptance and doing my homework and being competitive and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-hardy/i-don-t-know-anything-about-god-except-that-it-s-not-me-so-somewhere/) [Tom Hardy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-hardy/) > [The world needs You and the Purpose for which you were born. You also need the Purposes of others in order to fulfill your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/myles-munroe/the-world-needs-you-and-the-purpose-for-which-you-were-born-you-also/) [Myles Munroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/myles-munroe/) > [He created the church to meet your five deepest needs: a purpose to live for, people to live with, principles to live by, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/he-created-the-church-to-meet-your-five-deepest-needs-a-purpose-to/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [The way in which we experience and interpret the world obviously depends very much indeed on the kind of ideas that fill our minds.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/the-way-in-which-we-experience-and-interpret-the-world-obviously-2/) [E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/) > [With respect to physical existence, one needs little, and to the degree that one needs less, the more perfect one is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/with-respect-to-physical-existence-one-needs-little-and-to-the-degree/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [“No one wants to go through life alone, fighting battles single-handedly their whole life. Not even the hardiest of heroes. That’s just a miserable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-one-wants-to-go-through-life-alone-fighting-battles-single/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's existence needs to be established independently before he can be brought into account for causation; it cannot be assumed at the start.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-existence-needs-to-be-established-independently-before-he-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Even the Atheists... readily acknowledge it for an indubitable truth, that there must be something... which was never made or produced - and which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-cudworth/even-the-atheists-readily-acknowledge-it-for-an-indubitable-truth/) [Ralph Cudworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-cudworth/) > [“One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: that word is love. ~Sophocles”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-gracie/one-word-frees-us-of-all-the-weight-and-pain-of-life-that-word-is/) [Anne Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-gracie/) ## More by Sarah Winman > [You can hold onto anything to make you carry on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/you-can-hold-onto-anything-to-make-you-carry-on/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“... I wrote about ... my childhood, when dreams were small and attainable for all. When sweets were a penny and god was a rabbit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/i-wrote-about-my-childhood-when-dreams-were-small-and-attainable-for/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“Autumn knocks on the window. I pull back the sliding doors and let it in. Lights from the meat market flicker and car lights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/autumn-knocks-on-the-window-i-pull-back-the-sliding-doors-and-let-it/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“You said I could be anything I wanted when I was older', I said. She smiled and said, 'And you can be. But it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/you-said-i-could-be-anything-i-wanted-when-i-was-older-i-said-she/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“He started to do that, started to inform me of everything; the inconsequential, the meaningful; conversations that ended in a cul-de-sac of unanswerable rhetoric.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/he-started-to-do-that-started-to-inform-me-of-everything-the/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [ “\[My mum\] was always like that: grateful for life itself. Her glass was not only half full, it was gold plated with a permanent… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/my-mum-was-always-like-that-grateful-for-life-itself-her-glass-was/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“It was the final chapter of his breakdown, the moment when his glass drained of everything, and its emptiness awaited only for choices to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/it-was-the-final-chapter-of-his-breakdown-the-moment-when-his-glass/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“There's something about first love, isn't there? she said. It's untouchable to those who played no part in it. But it's the measure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/there-s-something-about-first-love-isn-t-there-she-said-it-s/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [Memories no matter how small or inconsequential are the pages that define us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/memories-no-matter-how-small-or-inconsequential-are-the-pages-that/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“And I wonder what the sound of a heart breaking might be. And I think it might be quiet, unperceptively so, and not dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/and-i-wonder-what-the-sound-of-a-heart-breaking-might-be-and-i-think/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“I'd been feeling like this for a while, the continual looking back, the stuckness of it all. I blamed it on the coming New…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/i-d-been-feeling-like-this-for-a-while-the-continual-looking-back-the/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“Everyone had a story of grief. Everyone else's was worse than yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/everyone-had-a-story-of-grief-everyone-else-s-was-worse-than-yours/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“I thought that probably I was worth more when I was younger.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/i-thought-that-probably-i-was-worth-more-when-i-was-younger/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“... shunning all offers of help, all offers of the more practical... This was his task, he said, and it would be carried out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/shunning-all-offers-of-help-all-offers-of-the-more-practical-this-was/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) > [“I try hard to be liked, I always have. I try hard to lessen people’s pain. I try hard because I can’t face my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/i-try-hard-to-be-liked-i-always-have-i-try-hard-to-lessen-people-s/) [Sarah Winman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) [Explore all 61 Sarah Winman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/) ## More Existence quotes > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/universities-are-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-age-they-shouldn-t-have/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Browse all 7,646 Existence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The first thing we need to find,' said Mr Golan, 'is a reason to live'. ... 'Without a reason, why bother? Existence needs purpose: to be able to endure the pain of life with dignity; to give us a reason to continue. The meaning must enter our hearts, not out heads. We must understand the meaning of our suffering.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sarah Winman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr-golan-is-a-reason-to-live/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Existence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr-golan-is-a-reason-to-live/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/sarah-winman-10153_existence_the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr_267344.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/sarah-winman-10153_existence_the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr_267344.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/90f/sarah-winman-10153_existence_the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr_267344.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The first thing we need to find,' said Mr Golan, 'is a reason to live'. ... 'Without a reason, why bother?…” — Sarah Winman", "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 Winman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-winman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The first thing we need to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr-golan-is-a-reason-to-live/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-winman/the-first-thing-we-need-to-find-said-mr-golan-is-a-reason-to-live/#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 } } ] } ```