--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think the real reason is that life has…" description: "\"I think the real reason is that life has no meaning. I mean, no obvious meaning. You wake up, you go to work, you do stuff. I think everybody's always ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/susan-orlean-2207_helping_i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has_764441.png" --- # I think the real reason is that life has no meaning. I… ![“I think the real reason is that life has no meaning. I mean, no obvious meaning. You wake up, you go to work, you do stuff. I think everybody's always looking for something a little unusual that can preoccupy them and help pass the time.” quote by Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/susan-orlean-2207_helping_i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has_764441.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/susan-orlean-2207_helping_i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has_764441.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/susan-orlean-2207_helping_i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has_764441.png) > “I think the real reason is that life has no meaning. I mean, no obvious meaning. You wake up, you go to work, you do stuff. I think everybody's always looking for something a little unusual that can preoccupy them and help pass the time.” [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The author reflects on life's apparent lack of inherent meaning, noting routine and the search for novelty to fill time. **In simple terms:** Life feels meaningless, so we seek novelty. Key Takeaway Pursue purposeful activities beyond routine. Themes meaninglessness routine novelty Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily work - creative hobbies - travel Key Concepts existentialism psychology of boredom Questions to Reflect On - What small moments give you purpose? - How can routine become meaningful? A Different Perspective The view may overlook intrinsic meaning in small moments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life has no meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-has-no-meaning/) [Life meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-meaning/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wake up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wake-up/) ## Related quotes > [Now the answer ... is plain, but it is so unpalatable that most men will not face it. There is no reason for life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-somerset-maugham/now-the-answer-is-plain-but-it-is-so-unpalatable-that-most-men-will/) [W. Somerset Maugham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-somerset-maugham/) > [Life has no meaning. Each of us has meaning and we bring it to life. We are the only answer of meaning of life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikas-runwal/life-has-no-meaning-each-of-us-has-meaning-and-we-bring-it-to-life-we/) [Vikas Runwal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikas-runwal/) > [Life has no direct meaning, in other words you give your own life meaning. But for me my life has no meaning, nor does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-limn/life-has-no-direct-meaning-in-other-words-you-give-your-own-life/) [Jeremy Limn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-limn/) > [The fact that life has no meaning is a reason to live - moreover, the only one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-fact-that-life-has-no-meaning-is-a-reason-to-live-moreover-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life has no meaning the moment you lose the illusion of being eternal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/life-has-no-meaning-the-moment-you-lose-the-illusion-of-being-eternal/) [Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/) > [“Life has no meaning but what we give it. I wish a few more of ye would give it a little.- Elminster of Shadowdale”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-greenwood/life-has-no-meaning-but-what-we-give-it-i-wish-a-few-more-of-ye-would/) [Ed Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-greenwood/) > [“Sei il grande amore della mia vita. Il mio cuore è solo tuo Senza di te la vita non ha più senso. (You are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-j-mcavoy/sei-il-grande-amore-della-mia-vita-il-mio-cuore-solo-tuo-senza-di-te/) [J.J. McAvoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-j-mcavoy/) > [Love is when you feel like your life has no meaning or purpose without her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryaj-ablando-catayas/love-is-when-you-feel-like-your-life-has-no-meaning-or-purpose/) [Ryaj Ablando Catayas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryaj-ablando-catayas/) > [If life has no meaning, why don't we create a meaning for it?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naguib-mahfouz/if-life-has-no-meaning-why-don-t-we-create-a-meaning-for-it/) [Naguib Mahfouz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naguib-mahfouz/) > [The meaning of life consists in the fact that it makes no sense to say that life has no meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niels-bohr/the-meaning-of-life-consists-in-the-fact-that-it-makes-no-sense-to/) [Niels Bohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niels-bohr/) > [Life has no meaning unless one lives it with a will, at least to the limit of one's will. Virtue, good, evil are nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/life-has-no-meaning-unless-one-lives-it-with-a-will-at-least-to-the/) [Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/) > [“The danger facing all of us--let me say it again, for one feels it tremendously--is not that we shall make an absolute failure of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phillips-brooks/the-danger-facing-all-of-us-let-me-say-it-again-for-one-feels-it/) [Phillips Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phillips-brooks/) > [I have no time to love others because I'm far too busy thinking new ways to love you everyday. You are everything to me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bel-claveria-carig-martinez/i-have-no-time-to-love-others-because-i-m-far-too-busy-thinking-new/) [Bel Claveria Carig Martinez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bel-claveria-carig-martinez/) > [Christians claim that life has no meaning if you stop pretending to know things you don't know, though they phrase it more tersely as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-boghossian/christians-claim-that-life-has-no-meaning-if-you-stop-pretending-to/) [Peter Boghossian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-boghossian/) > [A judgment about life has no meaning except the truth of the one who speaks last, and the mind is at ease only at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-bataille/a-judgment-about-life-has-no-meaning-except-the-truth-of-the-one-who/) [Georges Bataille](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-bataille/) ## More by Susan Orlean > [I've used Twitter now and again to try to figure something out; it's an amazing resource. But I think you have to use it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-ve-used-twitter-now-and-again-to-try-to-figure-something-out-it-s/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Who on earth is going to use 'utilize' in a text message, a whopping seven characters including the always-hard-to-type 'z,' when you can say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/who-on-earth-is-going-to-use-utilize-in-a-text-message-a-whopping/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [When my son was born, and after a day of lying-in I was told that I could leave the hospital and take him home,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/when-my-son-was-born-and-after-a-day-of-lying-in-i-was-told-that-i/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm happy to be reminded that an ordinary day full of nothing but nothingness can make you feel like you've won the lottery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-happy-to-be-reminded-that-an-ordinary-day-full-of-nothing-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I once had a boyfriend who couldn't write unless he was wearing a necktie and a dress shirt, which I thought was really weird,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-once-had-a-boyfriend-who-couldn-t-write-unless-he-was-wearing-a/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [“I, too, had set out to be remembered. I had wanted to create something permanent in my life- some proof that everything in its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-too-had-set-out-to-be-remembered-i-had-wanted-to-create-something/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I think of myself as something of a connoisseur of procrastination, creative and dogged in my approach to not getting things done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-of-myself-as-something-of-a-connoisseur-of-procrastination/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I'm very excited about my new Spotify account, which gives me access to twenty gazillion songs any time, all the time. The day I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-m-very-excited-about-my-new-spotify-account-which-gives-me-access/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I approach stories as a private educational enterprise: I want to learn about something. I teach myself through research, reporting, and thinking, and then,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-approach-stories-as-a-private-educational-enterprise-i-want-to/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [We're fascinated by animals because it's almost like having Martians living among us. We can see some familiarity in them, but they're entirely different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/we-re-fascinated-by-animals-because-it-s-almost-like-having-martians/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My inspiration is really very simple: I'm struck by things that I want to know more about. I really do react just as a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-inspiration-is-really-very-simple-i-m-struck-by-things-that-i-want/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I am dismayed to realize that much of the advice I used to parcel out to aspiring writers has passed its sell-by date.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-am-dismayed-to-realize-that-much-of-the-advice-i-used-to-parcel-out/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [I wish I had coined the phrase 'tyranny of choice,' but someone beat me to it. The counterintuitive truth is that have an abundance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-wish-i-had-coined-the-phrase-tyranny-of-choice-but-someone-beat-me/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [My ace in the hole as a human being used to be my capacity for remembering birthdays. I worked at it. Whenever I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/my-ace-in-the-hole-as-a-human-being-used-to-be-my-capacity-for/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) > [Sometimes I think I've figured out some order in the universe, but then I find myself in Florida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/sometimes-i-think-i-ve-figured-out-some-order-in-the-universe-but/) [Susan Orlean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) [Explore all 179 Susan Orlean quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/) ## More Helping quotes > [I know for my wife and I, we always loved the idea of being young parents. It is an incredibly inspiring and challenging job…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-hanson/i-know-for-my-wife-and-i-we-always-loved-the-idea-of-being-young/) [Taylor Hanson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-hanson/) > [The only significance of life consists in helping to establish the kingdom of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/the-only-significance-of-life-consists-in-helping-to-establish-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/) [John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/) > [“We will all, at some point in our lives, fall. Every single one of us. We shouldn't spend our time trying to avoid falling.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/we-will-all-at-some-point-in-our-lives-fall-every-single-one-of-us-we/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [The CIA has concluded in a secret assessment that Russia intervened in the 2016 election to help Donald Trump win the presidency rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/the-cia-has-concluded-in-a-secret-assessment-that-russia-intervened/) [Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/) > [Ambition drives you on, ability certainly helps, but the fickle finger of fate and luck are great things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fergus-henderson/ambition-drives-you-on-ability-certainly-helps-but-the-fickle-finger/) [Fergus Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fergus-henderson/) > [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [Broken by hardships, disappointments and tragedy, people can become discouraged and cynical. But lives can also be mended. Put back together well, they won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-goodier/broken-by-hardships-disappointments-and-tragedy-people-can-become/) [Steve Goodier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-goodier/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/) > [You need to remind people that you vote, you matter, and that they can't succeed without your help.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-need-to-remind-people-that-you-vote-you-matter-and-that-they-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What it comes down to for me is this: Will the technologies of communication in our culture, serve to enlighten us and help us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/what-it-comes-down-to-for-me-is-this-will-the-technologies-of/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [Life's unfairness is not irrevocable; we can help balance the scales for others, if not always for ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hubert-h-humphrey/life-s-unfairness-is-not-irrevocable-we-can-help-balance-the-scales/) [Hubert H. Humphrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hubert-h-humphrey/) > [We did an episode where she goes out to get a job and she gets fired because she's not good. They hire a babysitter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-heaton/we-did-an-episode-where-she-goes-out-to-get-a-job-and-she-gets-fired/) [Patricia Heaton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-heaton/) > [The path I choose through the maze makes me what I am. I am not only a thing, but also a way of being--one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-keyes/the-path-i-choose-through-the-maze-makes-me-what-i-am-i-am-not-only-a/) [Daniel Keyes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-keyes/) > [It’s a small thing to help one animal, but to that one animal it’s a big thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-baur/it-s-a-small-thing-to-help-one-animal-but-to-that-one-animal-it-s-a/) [Gene Baur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-baur/) Browse all 17,861 Helping quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think the real reason is that life has no meaning. I mean, no obvious meaning. You wake up, you go to work, you do stuff. I think everybody's always looking for something a little unusual that can preoccupy them and help pass the time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Susan Orlean" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has-no-meaning-i-mean-no-obvious/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Helping" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has-no-meaning-i-mean-no-obvious/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/susan-orlean-2207_helping_i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has_764441.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/susan-orlean-2207_helping_i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has_764441.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/283/susan-orlean-2207_helping_i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has_764441.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think the real reason is that life has no meaning. I mean, no obvious meaning. You wake up, you go to…” — Susan Orlean", "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": "Susan Orlean", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-orlean/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think the real reason is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has-no-meaning-i-mean-no-obvious/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-orlean/i-think-the-real-reason-is-that-life-has-no-meaning-i-mean-no-obvious/#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 } } ] } ```