--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Am I sure that there is no mind behind…" description: "\"“Am I sure that there is no mind behind our existence and no mystery anywhere in the universe? I think I am. What joy, what relief there would be, if w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/thornton-wilder-1495_existence_am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-o_2825020.jpg" --- # Am I sure that there is no mind behind our existence and… ![“Am I sure that there is no mind behind our existence and no mystery anywhere in the universe? I think I am. What joy, what relief there would be, if we could declare so with complete conviction. If that were so I could wish to live for ever. How terrifying and glorious the role of man if, indeed…” quote by Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/thornton-wilder-1495_existence_am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-o_2825020.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/thornton-wilder-1495_existence_am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-o_2825020.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/thornton-wilder-1495_existence_am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-o_2825020.jpg) > ““Am I sure that there is no mind behind our existence and no mystery anywhere in the universe? I think I am. What joy, what relief there would be, if we could declare so with complete conviction. If that were so I could wish to live for ever. How terrifying and glorious the role of man if, indeed, without guidance and without consolation he must create from his own rituals the meaning for his existence and write the rules whereby he lives.”” [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Contemplates a universe without inherent meaning, finding both terror and freedom in creating personal purpose without external guidance. **In simple terms:** Life may lack built‑in meaning, so we must craft our own. Key Takeaway Embrace freedom to define your own purpose. Themes meaninglessness freedom existential creation human responsibility Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crisis - creative endeavors - spiritual searching Key Concepts existentialism nihilism self‑determination Questions to Reflect On - What personal rituals give your life meaning? - Can you find comfort in self‑created purpose? A Different Perspective Creating meaning can be overwhelming and lonely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Faith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faith/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) ## Related quotes > [“What if a man could write everything that came into his mind. You could find there gems of wisdom, depth of utter despair, heights…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/what-if-a-man-could-write-everything-that-came-into-his-mind-you/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [A sense of a wider meaning to one's existence is what raises a man beyond mere getting and spending. If he lacks this sense,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-jung/a-sense-of-a-wider-meaning-to-one-s-existence-is-what-raises-a-man/) [Carl Jung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-jung/) > [It seems that it is impossible to live without discovering the purpose of your life. And the first thing which a person should do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/it-seems-that-it-is-impossible-to-live-without-discovering-the/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Travel is a state of mind. It has nothing to do with existence or the exotic. It is almost always an inner experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-theroux/travel-is-a-state-of-mind-it-has-nothing-to-do-with-existence-or-the/) [Paul Theroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-theroux/) > [The mind has no existence by itself; it is only the glitter of the sun on the surface of the waters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/the-mind-has-no-existence-by-itself-it-is-only-the-glitter-of-the-sun/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [“The why of the mind's existence and the how of its profound capacity to reason - especially its penchant for moral reasoning - will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/the-why-of-the-mind-s-existence-and-the-how-of-its-profound-capacity/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [I am part of the sun as my eye is part of me. That I am part of the earth my feet know perfectly,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/i-am-part-of-the-sun-as-my-eye-is-part-of-me-that-i-am-part-of-the/) [D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/) > [“You must believe, sooner or later, in a Mind which brought mind into existence out of matter, unless you are going to sit down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-a-knox/you-must-believe-sooner-or-later-in-a-mind-which-brought-mind-into/) [Ronald A. Knox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-a-knox/) > [Our world does not exist from its own side--like a dream world, it is a mere appearance to our mind. In dreams we can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/our-world-does-not-exist-from-its-own-side-like-a-dream-world-it-is-a/) [Geshe Kelsang Gyatso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geshe-kelsang-gyatso/) > [Existence is a mystery , and one should accept it as a mystery and not pretend to have any explanation .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/existence-is-a-mystery-and-one-should-accept-it-as-a-mystery-and-not/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [“...wonder admits to the existence of mystery...recognition of mystery allows the possibility of Truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/wonder-admits-to-the-existence-of-mystery-recognition-of-mystery/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [Spirit is matter seen in a stronger light. What else did Malebranche mean when he spoke of "seeing all things in God"? Existence is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-p-jacks/spirit-is-matter-seen-in-a-stronger-light-what-else-did-malebranche/) [L. P. Jacks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-p-jacks/) > [I believe, not theoretically, but from direct personal experience, that very few of the things that happen to us are purposeless or accidental (and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iris-origo/i-believe-not-theoretically-but-from-direct-personal-experience-that/) [Iris Origo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iris-origo/) > [“Life and art are nothing but associations of ideas and sorrows that nourish our illusory quest for the Holy Grail of human existence. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-william-brown/life-and-art-are-nothing-but-associations-of-ideas-and-sorrows-that/) Carl William Brown > [Existence is not a mystery unless you think it has a meaning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/existence-is-not-a-mystery-unless-you-think-it-has-a-meaning/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) ## More by Thornton Wilder > [“He respected the slight nervous shadow that crossed her face when he came too near her. But there arose out of this denial itself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/he-respected-the-slight-nervous-shadow-that-crossed-her-face-when-he/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/when-you-re-safe-at-home-you-wish-you-were-having-an-adventure-when/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [“Simon Stimson: "...That's what it was to be alive. To move about in a cloud of ignorance; to go up and down trampling on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/simon-stimson-that-s-what-it-was-to-be-alive-to-move-about-in-a-cloud/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [“Love as education is one of the great powers of the world, but it hangs in a delicate suspension; it achieves its harmony as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/love-as-education-is-one-of-the-great-powers-of-the-world-but-it/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [Many great writers have been extraordinarily awkward in daily exchange, but the greatest give the impression that their style was nursed by the closest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/many-great-writers-have-been-extraordinarily-awkward-in-daily/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [A man looks pretty small at a wedding, George. All those good women standing shoulder to shoulder, making sure that the knot's tied in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/a-man-looks-pretty-small-at-a-wedding-george-all-those-good-women/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [The knowledge that she would never be loved in return acted upon her ideas as a tide acts upon cliffs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/the-knowledge-that-she-would-never-be-loved-in-return-acted-upon-her/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [“But while they continued staring into one another’s face waiting for the miracle of science the pain grew worse.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/but-while-they-continued-staring-into-one-another-s-face-waiting-for/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [I am convinced that, except in a few extraordinary cases, one form or another of an unhappy childhood is essential to the formation of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/i-am-convinced-that-except-in-a-few-extraordinary-cases-one-form-or/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [Many who have spent a lifetime in it can tell us less of love than the child that lost a dog yesterday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/many-who-have-spent-a-lifetime-in-it-can-tell-us-less-of-love-than/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [“Cesar is not a philosophical man. His life has been one long flight from reflection. At least he is clever enough not to expose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/cesar-is-not-a-philosophical-man-his-life-has-been-one-long-flight/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [Every person who has ever lived has lived an unbroken succession of unique occasions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/every-person-who-has-ever-lived-has-lived-an-unbroken-succession-of/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [“Without your wounds where would your power be? It is your melancholy that makes your low voice tremble into the hearts of men and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/without-your-wounds-where-would-your-power-be-it-is-your-melancholy/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [Ninety-nine per cent of the people in the world are fools and the rest of us are in great danger of contagion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/ninety-nine-per-cent-of-the-people-in-the-world-are-fools-and-the/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) > [There's nothing like mixing with woman to bring out all the foolishness in a man of sense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/there-s-nothing-like-mixing-with-woman-to-bring-out-all-the/) [Thornton Wilder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) [Explore all 232 Thornton Wilder quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/) ## More Existence quotes > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/) [Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/) > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [It does not seem to me to be sufficiently recognized everywhere among the officials that the existence or non-existence of our people and Empire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-von-hindenburg/it-does-not-seem-to-me-to-be-sufficiently-recognized-everywhere-among/) [Paul von Hindenburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-von-hindenburg/) > [Quantum physics fluctuates all the time. But now the fluctuations are not just particles coming into and out of existence, which happens all the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/quantum-physics-fluctuates-all-the-time-but-now-the-fluctuations-are/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We have a fear of facing ourselves. That is the obstacle. Experiencing the innermost core of our existence is very embarrassing to a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/we-have-a-fear-of-facing-ourselves-that-is-the-obstacle-experiencing/) [Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/) > [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/) [Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/) > [My mind rebels at stagnation. Give me problems, give me work, give me the most abstruse cryptogram, or the most intricate analysis, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/my-mind-rebels-at-stagnation-give-me-problems-give-me-work-give-me/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Never belong to a crowd; Never belong to a nation; Never belong to a religion; Never belong to a race. Belong to the whole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/never-belong-to-a-crowd-never-belong-to-a-nation-never-belong-to-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [A knowledge of the existence of something we cannot penetrate, of the manifestations of the profoundest reason and the most radiant beauty - it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-knowledge-of-the-existence-of-something-we-cannot-penetrate-of-the/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/universities-are-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-age-they-shouldn-t-have/) [David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/) > [Just as everybody has the vote including women, I think children should, because as a child is conscious of itself then it has to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gertrude-stein/just-as-everybody-has-the-vote-including-women-i-think-children/) [Gertrude Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gertrude-stein/) > [To divide one's life by years is of course to tumble into a trap set by our own arithmetic. The calendar consents to carry…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/to-divide-one-s-life-by-years-is-of-course-to-tumble-into-a-trap-set/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [The party in Alobar’s head, which agitation and anxiety were throwing, now was crashed by a notion: existence can be rearranged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-party-in-alobar-s-head-which-agitation-and-anxiety-were-throwing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Browse all 7,646 Existence quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Am I sure that there is no mind behind our existence and no mystery anywhere in the universe? I think I am. What joy, what relief there would be, if we could declare so with complete conviction. If that were so I could wish to live for ever. How terrifying and glorious the role of man if, indeed, without guidance and without consolation he must create from his own rituals the meaning for his existence and write the rules whereby he lives.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thornton Wilder" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-our-existence-and-no-mystery/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Existence" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-our-existence-and-no-mystery/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/thornton-wilder-1495_existence_am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-o_2825020.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/thornton-wilder-1495_existence_am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-o_2825020.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/54c/thornton-wilder-1495_existence_am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-o_2825020.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Am I sure that there is no mind behind our existence and no mystery anywhere in the universe? I think I am…” — Thornton Wilder", "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": "Thornton Wilder", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thornton-wilder/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Am I sure that there is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-our-existence-and-no-mystery/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thornton-wilder/am-i-sure-that-there-is-no-mind-behind-our-existence-and-no-mystery/#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 } } ] } ```