---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: That these people are wandering around…"
description: "\"“That these people are wandering around, looking for aliens to justify the emptiness inside them and let them feel special without effort, creeps me ou..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/thomm-quackenbush-2029_aliens_that-these-people-are-wandering-around-l_2872360.jpg"
---

#  That these people are wandering around, looking for aliens…

![“That these people are wandering around, looking for aliens to justify the emptiness inside them and let them feel special without effort, creeps me out.” quote by Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/thomm-quackenbush-2029_aliens_that-these-people-are-wandering-around-l_2872360.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/thomm-quackenbush-2029_aliens_that-these-people-are-wandering-around-l_2872360.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/thomm-quackenbush-2029_aliens_that-these-people-are-wandering-around-l_2872360.jpg)

> ““That these people are wandering around, looking for aliens to justify the emptiness inside them and let them feel special without effort, creeps me out.””

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People seek external validation through fantastical beliefs, revealing inner emptiness and a desire for effortless significance.

**In simple terms:** Chasing aliens reflects a need for easy meaning.

Key Takeaway

Seek authentic purpose rather than escapism.

Themes

meaning validation escapism

Mood

contemplative critical

Type

philosophical psychological

When to use this quote

- spiritual quests
- media consumption
- personal crises

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology culture

Questions to Reflect On

- What drives your search for meaning?
- How can you find purpose without fantasy?

A Different Perspective

Escapism may prevent real growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Aliens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Ufo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ufo/)

## Related quotes

> [“Here’s a story, and you don’t have to visit many houses to find it. One person is talking, the other one is not really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/here-s-a-story-and-you-don-t-have-to-visit-many-houses-to-find-it-one/)

[Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/)

> [“What were you doing out here?” He chuckled. “Looking for aliens. What else?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/b-j-daniels/what-were-you-doing-out-here-he-chuckled-looking-for-aliens-what-else/)

[B.J. Daniels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/b-j-daniels/)

> [“Looking for aliens? The sun is also an alien, and every morning when you open your curtains, you see this curious visitor from 150…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/looking-for-aliens-the-sun-is-also-an-alien-and-every-morning-when/)

[Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“I know for a fact the first UFOs reported in modern times, just before the crash at Roswell, were boomerang shaped and were reported…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/i-know-for-a-fact-the-first-ufos-reported-in-modern-times-just-before/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [ “Maybe \[aliens\] have been in our lives a lot longer than we want to admit. People have always seen strange things—elves and fairies—and now… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/maybe-aliens-have-been-in-our-lives-a-lot-longer-than-we-want-to/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“Were genuine aliens to find us… the chances were fairly good they would appear in a form beyond reckoning, shaped by the requirements of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/were-genuine-aliens-to-find-us-the-chances-were-fairly-good-they/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“I don't think I'm being harassed by little green stalkers. I don't know what's really going on, but I'd rather try to eliminate all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/i-don-t-think-i-m-being-harassed-by-little-green-stalkers-i-don-t/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“The UFOs were explicable enough, just experimental aircrafts from the airport. Of course the government was not going to tell people what was actually…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/the-ufos-were-explicable-enough-just-experimental-aircrafts-from-the/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“The UFOs were nothing more than the collective fantasies of a stressed out society... The world into which UFOs had appeared was one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/the-ufos-were-nothing-more-than-the-collective-fantasies-of-a/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [As if to build a fence around the fatal emptiness inside her, she had to create a sunny person that she became. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/as-if-to-build-a-fence-around-the-fatal-emptiness-inside-her-she-had/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“pretend to feel emotions that they don’t actually feel, as well as pretend they don’t feel ones that they actually do. They often believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-parker/pretend-to-feel-emotions-that-they-don-t-actually-feel-as-well-as/)

Emily Parker

> [“Away I turned, from the ghosts that brought me to this place. From an insatiable desperation to be wanted and my urge to fill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-irwin/away-i-turned-from-the-ghosts-that-brought-me-to-this-place-from-an/)

Jennifer Irwin

> [I'm still trying to figure out how to tell you I was wrong. I can't fill the emptiness inside since you've been gone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-still-trying-to-figure-out-how-to-tell-you-i-was-wrong-i-can-t/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“All my life, I've been trying to fill an emptiness inside. But that emptiness...I've built myself around it. Filling it in would be like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blake-charlton/all-my-life-i-ve-been-trying-to-fill-an-emptiness-inside-but-that/)

[Blake Charlton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blake-charlton/)

> [I got this emptiness inside that got me fighting for approval because I missed out on my daddy saying, Way to Go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lecrae/i-got-this-emptiness-inside-that-got-me-fighting-for-approval-because/)

[Lecrae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lecrae/)

## More by Thomm Quackenbush

> [“Which God is the forgiving one, exactly? Old Testament, where He got His rocks off by smiting? Or New Testament, once Our Heavenly Father…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/which-god-is-the-forgiving-one-exactly-old-testament-where-he-got-his/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“As a man, I was a failure. A pathetic teacher lusting after Catholic school girls in short skirts. As a monster, I'm superb. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/as-a-man-i-was-a-failure-a-pathetic-teacher-lusting-after-catholic/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“The whole concept of some stranger making his way down our chimney - not that we had one - suggested burglary more readily than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/the-whole-concept-of-some-stranger-making-his-way-down-our-chimney/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [ “Maybe \[aliens\] have been in our lives a lot longer than we want to admit. People have always seen strange things—elves and fairies—and now… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/maybe-aliens-have-been-in-our-lives-a-lot-longer-than-we-want-to/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“The seed of an urban legend finding fertile soil at the corner of tragedy and imagination.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/the-seed-of-an-urban-legend-finding-fertile-soil-at-the-corner-of/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“There was a charm in being reborn into the world when one was old enough to appreciate it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/there-was-a-charm-in-being-reborn-into-the-world-when-one-was-old/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“She hated anyone who clung to the supernatural when the natural was perfectly serviceable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/she-hated-anyone-who-clung-to-the-supernatural-when-the-natural-was/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“Do you want me because you love me or because I provide you normality drag?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/do-you-want-me-because-you-love-me-or-because-i-provide-you-normality/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“You got a vicious animal inside you. It wants to snap, it wants to attack, but it's harmless because some woman fitted a muzzle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/you-got-a-vicious-animal-inside-you-it-wants-to-snap-it-wants-to/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“He had not even done the fledgling courtesy of shredding open a major artery, anointing himself in the viscous gore, and desecrating her body.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/he-had-not-even-done-the-fledgling-courtesy-of-shredding-open-a-major/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [ “\[T\]hese friends were of the female persuasion, and while by and large they were bi and large, they still represented potential threats on \[her\]… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/t-hese-friends-were-of-the-female-persuasion-and-while-by-and-large/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“She kissed him… long enough he could almost hear her thoughts. Long enough that he began to know her story, know what she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/she-kissed-him-long-enough-he-could-almost-hear-her-thoughts-long/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“Shane never knew how to address her friends' parents. She wanted to call her Mrs. Eliot's Mom, but knew that the cutesiness would not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/shane-never-knew-how-to-address-her-friends-parents-she-wanted-to/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“It’s hard to stay upset over someone else’s happy ending.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/it-s-hard-to-stay-upset-over-someone-else-s-happy-ending/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

> [“I don't think I'm being harassed by little green stalkers. I don't know what's really going on, but I'd rather try to eliminate all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/i-don-t-think-i-m-being-harassed-by-little-green-stalkers-i-don-t/)

[Thomm Quackenbush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

[Explore all 190 Thomm Quackenbush quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/)

## More Aliens quotes

> [My days – the blossom of my youth and the flower of my manhood – have been darkened by the dreariness of servitude. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-o-connell/my-days-the-blossom-of-my-youth-and-the-flower-of-my-manhood-have/)

[Daniel O'Connell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-o-connell/)

> [Ay-firmative,' Eve said, and tried for a smile. 'Sorry. An Aliens reference always makes me feel better at times like this. Exept I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/ay-firmative-eve-said-and-tried-for-a-smile-sorry-an-aliens-reference/)

[Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/)

> [You gonna take the case?" It's not a case. It's a missing person. Sort of." You're gonna have a devil of a time finding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-evanovich/you-gonna-take-the-case-it-s-not-a-case-it-s-a-missing-person-sort-of/)

[Janet Evanovich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-evanovich/)

> [Ancient eyes had stared at me, filled with ancient grief. And something more. Something so alien and unexpected that I'd almost burst into tears.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/ancient-eyes-had-stared-at-me-filled-with-ancient-grief-and-something/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/)

Chaz Brenchley

> [Emma was a shocking driver, simultaneously sloppy and petrified, and for the first fifty miles had been absent-mindedly driving with her spectacles on top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/emma-was-a-shocking-driver-simultaneously-sloppy-and-petrified-and/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [Humans suffer from self-centred notions as to the nature of life. Humans assume that alien life forms should conform to standards that match our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-perry/humans-suffer-from-self-centred-notions-as-to-the-nature-of-life/)

[Steve Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-perry/)

> [If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-powers/if-you-re-going-to-immerse-yourself-in-a-project-for-three-years-why/)

[Richard Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-powers/)

> [I'm not a fan of any genre but am a fan of movies that are intelligent and/or funny. That goes across all genres: a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-not-a-fan-of-any-genre-but-am-a-fan-of-movies-that-are/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The respect for human rights, essential if we are to use technology wisely, is not something alien that must be grafted onto science. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-charles-polanyi/the-respect-for-human-rights-essential-if-we-are-to-use-technology/)

[John Charles Polanyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-charles-polanyi/)

> [“Intellectualism is a poor master over passion”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/twe-stephens/intellectualism-is-a-poor-master-over-passion/)

Twe Stephens

> [Robin Williams was an airman, a doctor, a genie, a nanny, a president, a professor, a bangarang Peter Pan, and everything in between. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/robin-williams-was-an-airman-a-doctor-a-genie-a-nanny-a-president-a/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [Evangelicals are distraught over the state of America because they have not been taught that we're aliens here.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-piper/evangelicals-are-distraught-over-the-state-of-america-because-they/)

[John Piper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-piper/)

> [Even the Supreme Court, back when it used to makes sense, the Supreme Court has never ruled that a baby born to illegal aliens…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/even-the-supreme-court-back-when-it-used-to-makes-sense-the-supreme/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Some pundits have proposed that the aliens have come here to breed with us. Apparently, too much bike riding or something similar has rendered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/some-pundits-have-proposed-that-the-aliens-have-come-here-to-breed/)

[Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/)

[Browse all 1,329 Aliens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aliens/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“That these people are wandering around, looking for aliens to justify the emptiness inside them and let them feel special without effort, creeps me out.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomm Quackenbush"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/that-these-people-are-wandering-around-looking-for-aliens-to-justify/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Aliens"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/that-these-people-are-wandering-around-looking-for-aliens-to-justify/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/thomm-quackenbush-2029_aliens_that-these-people-are-wandering-around-l_2872360.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/thomm-quackenbush-2029_aliens_that-these-people-are-wandering-around-l_2872360.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/001/thomm-quackenbush-2029_aliens_that-these-people-are-wandering-around-l_2872360.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“That these people are wandering around, looking for aliens to justify the emptiness inside them and let them…” — Thomm Quackenbush",
                "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": "Thomm Quackenbush",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomm-quackenbush/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“That these people are wandering around,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/that-these-people-are-wandering-around-looking-for-aliens-to-justify/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomm-quackenbush/that-these-people-are-wandering-around-looking-for-aliens-to-justify/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
