--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The life I know now is the only one that…" description: "\"“The life I know now is the only one that matters. The suffocation, the luxury, the sleepless nights, and the dead bodies. I’ve always been taught to f..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51a/tahereh-mafi-229_grieve_the-life-i-know-now-is-the-only-one-that_2742534.png" --- # The life I know now is the only one that matters. The… ![“The life I know now is the only one that matters. The suffocation, the luxury, the sleepless nights, and the dead bodies. I’ve always been taught to focus on power and pain, gaining and inflicting. I grieve nothing. I take everything. It’s the only way I know how to live in this battered body.” quote by Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51a/tahereh-mafi-229_grieve_the-life-i-know-now-is-the-only-one-that_2742534.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51a/tahereh-mafi-229_grieve_the-life-i-know-now-is-the-only-one-that_2742534.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/51a/tahereh-mafi-229_grieve_the-life-i-know-now-is-the-only-one-that_2742534.png) > ““The life I know now is the only one that matters. The suffocation, the luxury, the sleepless nights, and the dead bodies. I’ve always been taught to focus on power and pain, gaining and inflicting. I grieve nothing. I take everything. It’s the only way I know how to live in this battered body.”” [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The narrator sees only a harsh, painful existence, embracing power and pain as the sole way to survive. **In simple terms:** Only power and pain matter in a battered life. Key Takeaway Seek healthier ways to cope with suffering. Themes pain survival identity Mood somber intense Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - mental health struggles - conflict zones - personal adversity Key Concepts existentialism trauma response Questions to Reflect On - What alternative sources of meaning exist? - How can one find peace beyond power? A Different Perspective Glorifying pain can normalize suffering. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Sleepless night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleepless-night/) [Sleepless nights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sleepless-nights/) ## Related quotes > [“Please," he says. "I'm begging you to stop." I still. "I can't stomach your pain," he says. "I can feel it so strongly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/please-he-says-i-m-begging-you-to-stop-i-still-i-can-t-stomach-your/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [A handful of letters doesn't always make a word, love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/a-handful-of-letters-doesn-t-always-make-a-word-love/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [Oh, yes, I love sleepless nights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-robinson/oh-yes-i-love-sleepless-nights/) Larry Robinson > [What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know you're near? What if trials of this life are your mercies in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-if-a-thousand-sleepless-nights-are-what-it-takes-to-know-you-re/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...these sleepless nights, when oddly enough my concentration was high, fueled perhaps by the effort to ignore the all-engrossing threat of bombs and rockets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/these-sleepless-nights-when-oddly-enough-my-concentration-was-high/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [Sleepless nights I'm not a big fan of to be honest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/callum-smith/sleepless-nights-i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-to-be-honest/) [Callum Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/callum-smith/) > [I have sleepless nights before press days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-burton/i-have-sleepless-nights-before-press-days/) [Amanda Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-burton/) > [No one should judge what I've done with my life, not unless they've been in my shoes every horrible day and every sleepless night.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jackson/no-one-should-judge-what-i-ve-done-with-my-life-not-unless-they-ve/) [Michael Jackson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jackson/) > [“If you promote peace and progress for others, I don’t think you will have sleepless nights.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/if-you-promote-peace-and-progress-for-others-i-don-t-think-you-will/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [My parents are very much a 'heads down, let's get on with this' kind of family, so I don't think there was ever any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-pearson/my-parents-are-very-much-a-heads-down-let-s-get-on-with-this-kind-of/) [Adam Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-pearson/) > [Better for you to have one sleepless night on earth than millions in hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-ravenhill/better-for-you-to-have-one-sleepless-night-on-earth-than-millions-in/) [Leonard Ravenhill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-ravenhill/) > [If I lose a match, I don't get sad or feel down. But if I lose a close match, I surely have sleepless nights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jwala-gutta/if-i-lose-a-match-i-don-t-get-sad-or-feel-down-but-if-i-lose-a-close/) [Jwala Gutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jwala-gutta/) > [Impossible to spend sleepless nights and accomplish anything: if, in my youth, my parents had not financed my insomnias, I should surely have killed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/impossible-to-spend-sleepless-nights-and-accomplish-anything-if-in-my/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [He'll probably wake up having sleepless nights about that one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-parry/he-ll-probably-wake-up-having-sleepless-nights-about-that-one/) [Alan Parry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-parry/) > [“To tell you the truth, sleepless nights are as unusual for me as sumo wrestlers who look good in berets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/to-tell-you-the-truth-sleepless-nights-are-as-unusual-for-me-as-sumo/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More by Tahereh Mafi > [His hands are holding my cheeks, and he pulls back just to look me in the eye and his chest is heaving and he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/his-hands-are-holding-my-cheeks-and-he-pulls-back-just-to-look-me-in/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“think Adam is looking to break Kenji’s neck at this point.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/think-adam-is-looking-to-break-kenji-s-neck-at-this-point/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I didn't want the clothes or the perfect shoes or the expensive anything. I didn't want to be draped in silk. All I ever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-didn-t-want-the-clothes-or-the-perfect-shoes-or-the-expensive/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“infinite points of feeling for every nerve ending in my body”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/infinite-points-of-feeling-for-every-nerve-ending-in-my-body/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“He's too much. Everything about him is too much. His emotions, his actions, his anger, his aggression. His love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/he-s-too-much-everything-about-him-is-too-much-his-emotions-his/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“Right now I can't even control my own imagination as it grips my hair and drags me into the dark”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/right-now-i-can-t-even-control-my-own-imagination-as-it-grips-my-hair/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I want you, I want all of you. I want you inside and out and catching your breath and aching for me like I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-want-you-i-want-all-of-you-i-want-you-inside-and-out-and-catching/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I will give no one the satisfaction of my death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-will-give-no-one-the-satisfaction-of-my-death/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I almost forget that she still hates me, despite how hard I’ve fallen for her. And I’ve fallen. So hard. I’ve hit the ground.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-almost-forget-that-she-still-hates-me-despite-how-hard-i-ve-fallen/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [All I ever wanted was to reach out and touch another human being not just with my hands but with my heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/all-i-ever-wanted-was-to-reach-out-and-touch-another-human-being-not/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“It's the kind of kiss that makes you realize oxygen is overrated.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/it-s-the-kind-of-kiss-that-makes-you-realize-oxygen-is-overrated/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“That’s when I understand. Of course she’s not okay. Of course she didn’t get any sleep last night. Last night she almost killed one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/that-s-when-i-understand-of-course-she-s-not-okay-of-course-she-didn/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I used to have a family. He”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-used-to-have-a-family-he/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“I've never been able to follow through.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/i-ve-never-been-able-to-follow-through/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) > [“ground where it smells like ice and metal and dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahereh-mafi/ground-where-it-smells-like-ice-and-metal-and-dirt/) [Tahereh Mafi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) [Explore all 821 Tahereh Mafi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahereh-mafi/) ## More Grieve quotes > [... I think we grieve forever, but that goes for love too, fortunately for us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-f-k-fisher/i-think-we-grieve-forever-but-that-goes-for-love-too-fortunately-for/) [M. F. K. Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-f-k-fisher/) > [Those who grieve frequently find themselves alone. Missed is the laughter of children, the commotion of teenagers, and the tender, loving concern of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-s-monson/those-who-grieve-frequently-find-themselves-alone-missed-is-the/) [Thomas S. Monson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-s-monson/) > [“It is the capacity to feel consuming grief and pain and despair that also allows me to embrace love and joy and beauty with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-white/it-is-the-capacity-to-feel-consuming-grief-and-pain-and-despair-that/) [Anna White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-white/) > [“It is possible to grieve for the loss of a thing even as you are in possession of it. To crave the very thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-blair/it-is-possible-to-grieve-for-the-loss-of-a-thing-even-as-you-are-in/) Joe Blair > [“I grieve to leave Thornfield: I love Thornfield - I love it, because I have lived in it a full and delightful life, -momentarily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/i-grieve-to-leave-thornfield-i-love-thornfield-i-love-it-because-i/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [We must grieve what might have been in order to rise and abundantly live in what truly is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-must-grieve-what-might-have-been-in-order-to-rise-and-abundantly/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I grieve and dare not show my discontent, I love and yet am forced to seem to hate, I do, yet dare not say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/i-grieve-and-dare-not-show-my-discontent-i-love-and-yet-am-forced-to/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [“Had life not given me reasons to grieve, I would never have known the healing power of a hug.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/had-life-not-given-me-reasons-to-grieve-i-would-never-have-known-the/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“If one lied, or put you down, don't mourn don't grieve, for why do you care, you don't want to be friends with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zoe-rosenberg/if-one-lied-or-put-you-down-don-t-mourn-don-t-grieve-for-why-do-you/) Zoe Rosenberg > [“I'm not saying we shouldn't grieve. Just, why don't we put it in God's hands? she said. Why haven't we learned this, after all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-delillo/i-m-not-saying-we-shouldn-t-grieve-just-why-don-t-we-put-it-in-god-s/) [Don DeLillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-delillo/) > [“Dont grieve any more, see I am coming up with you everyday now, and if there is anything the matter, you can come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-spyri/dont-grieve-any-more-see-i-am-coming-up-with-you-everyday-now-and-if/) [Johanna Spyri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-spyri/) > [“I have the ghost of you pressing against my ribs like deep water. It is only now, in this cardigan of a house that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvette-walker/i-have-the-ghost-of-you-pressing-against-my-ribs-like-deep-water-it/) [Yvette Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvette-walker/) > [Man, when he does not grieve, hardly exists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-porchia/man-when-he-does-not-grieve-hardly-exists/) [Antonio Porchia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-porchia/) > [“The most difficult experience one might ever have, is to grieve the loss of a Loved-one who is still alive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-d-longoria-jr/the-most-difficult-experience-one-might-ever-have-is-to-grieve-the/) [Raymond D. Longoria Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-d-longoria-jr/) > [God is inviting you today to appropriately grieve your pains and losses and to acknowledge the world is seriously broken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tullian-tchividjian/god-is-inviting-you-today-to-appropriately-grieve-your-pains-and/) [Tullian Tchividjian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tullian-tchividjian/) Browse all 265 Grieve quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The life I know now is the only one that matters. The suffocation, the luxury, the sleepless nights, and the dead bodies. I’ve always been taught to focus on power and pain, gaining and inflicting. I grieve nothing. I take everything. 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