--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The hamster friend said being able to do…" description: "\"“The hamster friend said being able to do front rolls didn't make the hamster as good as Bruce Lee, which was not a true statement and not an untrue st..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/tao-lin-3279_friendship_the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do_157160.jpg" --- # The hamster friend said being able to do front rolls… ![“The hamster friend said being able to do front rolls didn't make the hamster as good as Bruce Lee, which was not a true statement and not an untrue statement, because the word 'good' is meaningless until defined within a context and a goal, and hamsters when enjoying the company of other hamsters…” quote by Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/tao-lin-3279_friendship_the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do_157160.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/tao-lin-3279_friendship_the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do_157160.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/tao-lin-3279_friendship_the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do_157160.jpg) > ““The hamster friend said being able to do front rolls didn't make the hamster as good as Bruce Lee, which was not a true statement and not an untrue statement, because the word 'good' is meaningless until defined within a context and a goal, and hamsters when enjoying the company of other hamsters rarely define or think about contexts and goals, because to do so would make them aware of certain things about the universe that would make them feel a kind of emptiness or 'neutrality of emotion' that is usually desirable only in situations where the hamster wants to stop his or her self-perpetuating cycle of negative thinking, in order to fight severe depression or crippling loneliness. In a situation of severe depression or crippling loneliness caused by a period of time of uncontrollable negative thinking this 'kind of emptiness'--effected by an understanding (of the arbitrary nature of the universe) that is attained by thinking comprehensively about context, goals, and meaning--can be used to neutralize the hamster's automatic and self-perpetuating pattern of negative thoughts, at which point the hamster can form new thoughts, that will cause new behaviors, that will cause new patterns of thought, with which the hamster can better function in life and in relationships with other hamsters.”” [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Meaning is context‑dependent; labeling something as “good” requires a clear goal, and confronting emptiness can break negative thought cycles. **In simple terms:** Goodness needs a purpose; emptiness can help reset thoughts. Key Takeaway Define goals to give meaning, and use emptiness to disrupt negativity. Themes meaning context mental health self‑awareness Mood introspective hopeful Type psychological motivational When to use this quote - depression - loneliness - self‑reflection - therapy - personal growth Key Concepts existentialism cognitive restructuring Questions to Reflect On - What purpose guides your actions? - How can you use a sense of emptiness constructively? A Different Perspective If goals are unclear, emptiness may deepen despair rather than help. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Hamster Good](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamster-good-1733852/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Negative thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-thinking/) [Negative thoughts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/negative-thoughts/) [Philosophy of Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-of-mind/) [Relationships Hamsters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships-hamsters-1733856/) [Severe Depression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/severe-depression/) [Situations Hamster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/situations-hamster-1733854/) [Thought Hamster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thought-hamster-1733850/) ## Related quotes > [“that was bad; i shouldn't have done that to prevent you from entering a catatonic state i am going to maintain a calm facial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/that-was-bad-i-shouldn-t-have-done-that-to-prevent-you-from-entering/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“The pain of severe depression is quite unimaginable to those who have not suffered it, and it kills in many instances because its anguish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-styron/the-pain-of-severe-depression-is-quite-unimaginable-to-those-who-have-2/) [William Styron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-styron/) > [“Do you know doctors say that the lack of positive physical human contact will cause severe depression? 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Just driving in the nice weather and listening to music.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/i-was-delivering-pizzas-at-domino-s-i-was-17-maybe-i-liked-it-a-lot/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [loneliness can fly a helicopter through a cut-out shape of a helicopter the same size as the helicopter and that's it's only skill and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/loneliness-can-fly-a-helicopter-through-a-cut-out-shape-of-a/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [Life has never died, which is something that I think people ignore.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/life-has-never-died-which-is-something-that-i-think-people-ignore/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“Amoeba ass is so hot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/amoeba-ass-is-so-hot/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“After untangling a cord, then moving the MacBook to the floor, Paul lay beside Erin and meekly pawed her forearm three times, then briefly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/after-untangling-a-cord-then-moving-the-macbook-to-the-floor-paul-lay/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [“It was a face that said, “Fuck the world,” but said it reluctantly, and tonelessly, and then apologized, said “Sorry,” but said all of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/it-was-a-face-that-said-fuck-the-world-but-said-it-reluctantly-and/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [ Death is the end of the fear of death. \[...\] To avoid it we must not stop fearing it and so life is fear.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/death-is-the-end-of-the-fear-of-death-to-avoid-it-we-must-not-stop/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) [Explore all 133 Tao Lin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) ## More Friendship quotes > [Life is full of change. 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I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Friends are like stars you can't always see them, but you know they're there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknwon/friends-are-like-stars-you-can-t-always-see-them-but-you-know-they-re/) [Unknwon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknwon/) > [I've been writing songs since I was 10 years old and always had a penchant for rhyming. 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In a situation of severe depression or crippling loneliness caused by a period of time of uncontrollable negative thinking this 'kind of emptiness'--effected by an understanding (of the arbitrary nature of the universe) that is attained by thinking comprehensively about context, goals, and meaning--can be used to neutralize the hamster's automatic and self-perpetuating pattern of negative thoughts, at which point the hamster can form new thoughts, that will cause new behaviors, that will cause new patterns of thought, with which the hamster can better function in life and in relationships with other hamsters.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tao Lin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do-front-rolls-didn-t-make-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friendship" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do-front-rolls-didn-t-make-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/tao-lin-3279_friendship_the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do_157160.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/tao-lin-3279_friendship_the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do_157160.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fef/tao-lin-3279_friendship_the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do_157160.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The hamster friend said being able to do front rolls didn't make the hamster as good as Bruce Lee, which was…” — Tao Lin", "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": "Tao Lin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The hamster friend said being able...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do-front-rolls-didn-t-make-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/the-hamster-friend-said-being-able-to-do-front-rolls-didn-t-make-the/#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 } } ] } ```