--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life's too short\" is repeated often…" description: "\"“Life's too short\" is repeated often enough to be a cliche, but this time it's true. You don't have enough time to be both unhappy and mediocre. It's n..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/seth-godin-152_enough-time_life-s-too-short-is-repeated-often-enoug_801400.jpg" --- # Life's too short" is repeated often enough to be a cliche… ![“Life's too short" is repeated often enough to be a cliche, but this time it's true. You don't have enough time to be both unhappy and mediocre. It's not just pointless, it's painful. Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from.” quote by Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/seth-godin-152_enough-time_life-s-too-short-is-repeated-often-enoug_801400.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/seth-godin-152_enough-time_life-s-too-short-is-repeated-often-enoug_801400.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0a0/seth-godin-152_enough-time_life-s-too-short-is-repeated-often-enoug_801400.jpg) > ““Life's too short" is repeated often enough to be a cliche, but this time it's true. You don't have enough time to be both unhappy and mediocre. It's not just pointless, it's painful. Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you ought to set up a life you don't need to escape from.”” [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote warns that wasting time on unhappiness and mediocrity is painful; we should build a fulfilling life rather than escape it. **In simple terms:** Don't waste time being unhappy or average. Key Takeaway Create a life worth living now. Themes purpose fulfillment time mindset action Mood reflective motivational urgent Type advice inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal relationships - daily habits - mental health Key Concepts existentialism self‑actualization psychology Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of your life feel escapable? - How can you redesign daily routines for fulfillment? A Different Perspective It may overlook structural constraints that limit personal agency. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life's too short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-s-too-short/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacation/) ## Related quotes > [“Instead of wondering when you're next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life that you don't need to escape from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/instead-of-wondering-when-you-re-next-vacation-is-maybe-you-should/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don't need to escape from.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/instead-of-wondering-when-your-next-vacation-is-maybe-you-should-set/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Seth Godin says, “Instead of wondering when your next vacation is, maybe you should set up a life you don’t need to escape from.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-ramsey/seth-godin-says-instead-of-wondering-when-your-next-vacation-is-maybe/) [Dave Ramsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-ramsey/) > [You don't have enough time to be both unhappy & mediocre. It's not just pointless; it's painful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-don-t-have-enough-time-to-be-both-unhappy-mediocre-it-s-not-just/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Instead of wondering where your next vacation is,you should set up a life you don't need to escape from!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-wondering-where-your-next-vacation-is-you-should-set-up-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can take a week's vacation - maybe a week and a half - but after that, I'm itching to go back to work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/i-can-take-a-week-s-vacation-maybe-a-week-and-a-half-but-after-that-i/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [I don't have the luxury of time to be unhappy. I have too much to do. I have too much do accomplish. Who has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-don-t-have-the-luxury-of-time-to-be-unhappy-i-have-too-much-to-do-i/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [ Oh, that was a good time, when I was unhappy. \[Fr., Oh c'etait le bon temps, j'etais bien malheureuse.\] ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-arnould/oh-that-was-a-good-time-when-i-was-unhappy-fr-oh-c-etait-le-bon-temps/) [Sophie Arnould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-arnould/) > [Timing is everything in wrestling and when I was with the WWE it just wasn't the right time. I was unhappy and I decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-kim/timing-is-everything-in-wrestling-and-when-i-was-with-the-wwe-it-just/) [Gail Kim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-kim/) > [A lot of the time, I was unhappy as a kid, so I spent it, I guess, in a gray place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-krule/a-lot-of-the-time-i-was-unhappy-as-a-kid-so-i-spent-it-i-guess-in-a/) [King Krule](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-krule/) > [We cant change so why waste time being unhappy about things that will always be exactly what they are meant to be...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-cant-change-so-why-waste-time-being-unhappy-about-things-that-will/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Keep yourself busy with something or the other because a busy person never has the time to be unhappy.!!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tufail-mehraj/keep-yourself-busy-with-something-or-the-other-because-a-busy-person/) [Tufail Mehraj](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tufail-mehraj/) > [Keep busy at something: a busy person never has time to be unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/keep-busy-at-something-a-busy-person-never-has-time-to-be-unhappy/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [Oh, that was a good time, when I was unhappy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-arnould/oh-that-was-a-good-time-when-i-was-unhappy/) [Sophie Arnould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-arnould/) > [“I waver—in the dark—between the observation (but is it entirely accurate?) that I’m unhappy only by moments, by jerks and surges, sporadically, even if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-barthes/i-waver-in-the-dark-between-the-observation-but-is-it-entirely/) [Roland Barthes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-barthes/) ## More by Seth Godin > [“You weren't born to be a cog in the giant industrial machine. You were trained to become a cog. There's an alternative available to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/you-weren-t-born-to-be-a-cog-in-the-giant-industrial-machine-you-were/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Forgive yourself for not being the richest, the thinnest, the tallest, the one with the best hair. Forgive yourself for not being the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/forgive-yourself-for-not-being-the-richest-the-thinnest-the-tallest/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The easier it is to quantify, the less it's worth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-easier-it-is-to-quantify-the-less-it-s-worth/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Developing expertise or assets that are not easily copied is essential; otherwise you're just a middleman.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/developing-expertise-or-assets-that-are-not-easily-copied-is/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Leadership is a choice. It's the choice not to do nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/leadership-is-a-choice-it-s-the-choice-not-to-do-nothing/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The next thing you do today will be the most important thing on your agenda, because, after all, you're doing it next. Well, perhaps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-next-thing-you-do-today-will-be-the-most-important-thing-on-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I look at Starbucks, Howard Schultz has made many brilliant decisions, and one of the things that they did was they invented the third…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-look-at-starbucks-howard-schultz-has-made-many-brilliant-decisions/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Be relentlessly generous, without focusing on when it will come back to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/be-relentlessly-generous-without-focusing-on-when-it-will-come-back/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The public square is more public than ever, but minds are rarely changed in 140 character bursts and by selfies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-public-square-is-more-public-than-ever-but-minds-are-rarely/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Making an average pitch to average people, or having an average gala for average people isn't going to scale anymore. You've got to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/making-an-average-pitch-to-average-people-or-having-an-average-gala/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [Our job is to make change. Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/our-job-is-to-make-change-our-job-is-to-connect-to-people-to-interact/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [“Life is actually far better than it is in the movies. And it takes longer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/life-is-actually-far-better-than-it-is-in-the-movies-and-it-takes/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [I don't think there's a shortage of remarkable ideas. I think your business has plenty of great opportunities to do great things. Nope, what's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/i-don-t-think-there-s-a-shortage-of-remarkable-ideas-i-think-your/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [The mirror we hold up to the person next to us is one of the most important pictures she will ever see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/the-mirror-we-hold-up-to-the-person-next-to-us-is-one-of-the-most/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) > [If you're a marketer who doesn't know how to invent, design, influence, adapt, and ultimately discard products, then you're no longer a marketer. You're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-godin/if-you-re-a-marketer-who-doesn-t-know-how-to-invent-design-influence/) [Seth Godin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) [Explore all 1,110 Seth Godin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-godin/) ## More Enough time quotes > [If I died If I died tonight would you notice? Would you even care? If I died tonight would you find it humorous? Would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-i-died-if-i-died-tonight-would-you-notice-would-you-even-care-if-i/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Lots of relationships fail because we spend more time pointing out each other's mistakes and not enough time enjoying each other's company.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lots-of-relationships-fail-because-we-spend-more-time-pointing-out/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“If you spend too much time thinking about doing something, you won’t ever have enough time to experience it or feel it. And feeling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-lister/if-you-spend-too-much-time-thinking-about-doing-something-you-won-t/) [Ann Lister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-lister/) > [When you're frustrated with people, when they've made you angry, it just may be because you haven't given them enough time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/when-you-re-frustrated-with-people-when-they-ve-made-you-angry-it/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [Man: You are all going to live... (Smith family cheers) Man: ... for 24 more hours. Which is just enough time for you to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/american-dad/man-you-are-all-going-to-live-smith-family-cheers-man-for-24-more/) [American Dad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/american-dad/) > [“Artists are never poor, they just don't get enough time to make money !”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brahmananda-patra/artists-are-never-poor-they-just-don-t-get-enough-time-to-make-money/) [Brahmananda Patra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brahmananda-patra/) > [We live a short enough time on this earth. A man should do what he loves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-tsukiyama/we-live-a-short-enough-time-on-this-earth-a-man-should-do-what-he/) [Gail Tsukiyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-tsukiyama/) > [“If you say something over and over again, it begins to lose it's meaning... Say anything enough times and it becomes gibberish.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-berg/if-you-say-something-over-and-over-again-it-begins-to-lose-it-s/) [Elizabeth Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-berg/) > [If you really like Someone, there's no such things as not haveing enough Time for them…!!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-you-really-like-someone-there-s-no-such-things-as-not-haveing/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I’m worried that I haven’t said a lot of this very well, and that we don’t have enough time for me to tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-dibdin/i-m-worried-that-i-haven-t-said-a-lot-of-this-very-well-and-that-we/) Emma Dibdin > [My loves in life are food, history and rugby. I'd love to be a history professor or a rugby player but I prefer rugby…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregg-wallace/my-loves-in-life-are-food-history-and-rugby-i-d-love-to-be-a-history/) [Gregg Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregg-wallace/) > [This is your life do wat you love, and do it often. if you don't like something, change it. if you don't like your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amiea/this-is-your-life-do-wat-you-love-and-do-it-often-if-you-don-t-like/) Amiea > [I wish there were more minutes in an hour, more hours in a day, more days in a week, more weeks in a month,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wish-there-were-more-minutes-in-an-hour-more-hours-in-a-day-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Satire is tragedy plus time. You give it enough time, the public, the reviewers will allow you to satirize it. Which is rather ridiculous,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-bruce/satire-is-tragedy-plus-time-you-give-it-enough-time-the-public-the/) [Lenny Bruce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-bruce/) Browse all 941 Enough time quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Life's too short\" is repeated often enough to be a cliche, but this time it's true. You don't have enough time to be both unhappy and mediocre. It's not just pointless, it's painful. 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