--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life reveals itself to us only in so far…" description: "\"Life reveals itself to us only in so far as well live it.\" — Thomas Merton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/thomas-merton-231_life_life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far_3138771.jpg" --- # Life reveals itself to us only in so far as well live it. ![“Life reveals itself to us only in so far as well live it.” quote by Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/thomas-merton-231_life_life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far_3138771.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/thomas-merton-231_life_life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far_3138771.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/thomas-merton-231_life_life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far_3138771.jpg) > “Life reveals itself to us only in so far as well live it.” [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life only becomes clear when we actively engage with it, not merely observe. **In simple terms:** Living reveals life's meaning. Key Takeaway Engage fully to understand life. Themes experience mindfulness existence Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily routines - travel - relationships - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism presence Questions to Reflect On - How does active participation change your perception? - What parts of life are you merely watching? A Different Perspective If you observe without living, insight remains shallow. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Far Live](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/far-live-1188402/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Reveals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-reveals-3101970/) [Reveals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reveals/) [Reveals Far](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reveals-far-3981560/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [Indeed. I have often thought that when a man selects one word over another he often reveals far more of himself than he intended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-hodder/indeed-i-have-often-thought-that-when-a-man-selects-one-word-over/) [Mark Hodder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-hodder/) > [“There is far more to us than what we live.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rana-dasgupta/there-is-far-more-to-us-than-what-we-live/) [Rana Dasgupta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rana-dasgupta/) > [Up to this far in live, I would say life is not short as compared to those lil babies that never even spend a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/up-to-this-far-in-live-i-would-say-life-is-not-short-as-compared-to/) [Simphiwe Scientist Dumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simphiwe-scientist-dumi/) > [To live in mankind is far more than to live in a name.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vachel-lindsay/to-live-in-mankind-is-far-more-than-to-live-in-a-name/) [Vachel Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vachel-lindsay/) > [If we devote ourselves to the life at hand, the rest will follow. For life, it seems, reveals itself through those willing to live.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-nepo/if-we-devote-ourselves-to-the-life-at-hand-the-rest-will-follow-for/) [Mark Nepo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-nepo/) > [The insatiable thirst for everything that lies beyond, and that life reveals, is the most living proof of our immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-insatiable-thirst-for-everything-that-lies-beyond-and-that-life/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [The insatiable thirst for everything which lies beyond, and which life reveals, is the most living proof of our immortality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/the-insatiable-thirst-for-everything-which-lies-beyond-and-which-life/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [“Life, wherever it reveals itself; truth, no matter how bitter; bold, sincere speech with people—these are my leaven, these are what I want, this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-wherever-it-reveals-itself-truth-no-matter-how-bitter-bold/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Upon an ever expansive horizon, Life reveals Her mystery; To live is a gift, to feel is a blessing, and to take part in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francisco/upon-an-ever-expansive-horizon-life-reveals-her-mystery-to-live-is-a/) [Francisco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francisco/) > [Hope is one of lifeôs powerful tools.. Hope carries you through tough times, builds your inner strength, makes you creative and possibility driven, connects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernajoy-vaal/hope-is-one-of-life-s-powerful-tools-hope-carries-you-through-tough/) [Bernajoy Vaal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernajoy-vaal/) > [So long as God reveals Himself, or doesn't, He is behaving like God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mignon-mclaughlin/so-long-as-god-reveals-himself-or-doesn-t-he-is-behaving-like-god/) [Mignon McLaughlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mignon-mclaughlin/) > [Certainly, cooking for oneself reveals man at his weirdest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-colwin/certainly-cooking-for-oneself-reveals-man-at-his-weirdest/) [Laurie Colwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-colwin/) > [Astrology reveals the will of the gods.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juvenal/astrology-reveals-the-will-of-the-gods/) [Juvenal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juvenal/) > [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [God reveals Himself through surprises.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-francis/god-reveals-himself-through-surprises/) [Pope Francis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-francis/) ## More by Thomas Merton > [“Let no one hope to find in contemplation an escape from conflict, from anguish or from doubt. On the contrary, the deep, inexpressible certitude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/let-no-one-hope-to-find-in-contemplation-an-escape-from-conflict-from/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If nothing that can be seen can either be God or represent Him to us as He is, then to find God we must…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-nothing-that-can-be-seen-can-either-be-god-or-represent-him-to-us/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [It is almost impossible to overestimate the value of true humility and its power in the spiritual life. For the beginning of humility is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/it-is-almost-impossible-to-overestimate-the-value-of-true-humility/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [We are not perfectly free until we live in pure hope. For when our hope is pure, it no longer trusts exclusively in human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/we-are-not-perfectly-free-until-we-live-in-pure-hope-for-when-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The desire to kill is like the desire to attack another with an ingot of red -hot iron: I have to pick up the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-desire-to-kill-is-like-the-desire-to-attack-another-with-an-ingot/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [To enter into the realm of contemplation one must in a certain sense die: but this death is in fact the entrance to a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/to-enter-into-the-realm-of-contemplation-one-must-in-a-certain-sense/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The mission of Christian humility in social life is not merely to edify, but to keep minds open to many alternatives. The rigidity of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-mission-of-christian-humility-in-social-life-is-not-merely-to/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Peace cannot be built on exclusivism, absolutism, and intolerance. But neither can it be built on vague liberal slogans and pious programs gestated in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/peace-cannot-be-built-on-exclusivism-absolutism-and-intolerance-but/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Things that are good are good, and if one is responding to that goodness one is in contact with a truth from which one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/things-that-are-good-are-good-and-if-one-is-responding-to-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Love winter when the plant says nothing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/love-winter-when-the-plant-says-nothing/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [The logic of worldly success rests on a fallacy: the strange error that our perfection depends on the thoughts and opinions and applause of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-logic-of-worldly-success-rests-on-a-fallacy-the-strange-error/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“The wisdom of the flesh is a judgement that the ordinary ends of our natural appetites are the goods to which the whole of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/the-wisdom-of-the-flesh-is-a-judgement-that-the-ordinary-ends-of-our/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [I will no longer wound myself with the thoughts and questions that have surrounded me like thorns: that is a penance You do not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/i-will-no-longer-wound-myself-with-the-thoughts-and-questions-that/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [If you write for God you will reach many men and bring them joy. If you write for men--you may make some money and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/if-you-write-for-god-you-will-reach-many-men-and-bring-them-joy-if/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Contemplation means rest, suspension of activity, withdrawal into the mysterious interior solitude in which the soul is absorbed in the immense and fruitful silence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/contemplation-means-rest-suspension-of-activity-withdrawal-into-the/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) [Explore all 851 Thomas Merton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) ## More Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) [Deanna L. Lawlis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deanna-l-lawlis/) > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Life reveals itself to us only in so far as well live it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Merton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far-as-well-live-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far-as-well-live-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/thomas-merton-231_life_life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far_3138771.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/thomas-merton-231_life_life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far_3138771.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/786/thomas-merton-231_life_life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far_3138771.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Life reveals itself to us only in so far as well live it.” — Thomas Merton", "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": "Thomas Merton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Life reveals itself to us only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far-as-well-live-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/life-reveals-itself-to-us-only-in-so-far-as-well-live-it/#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 } } ] } ```