--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Tennessee Williams once wrote, 'We all…" description: "\"“Tennessee Williams once wrote, 'We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/tom-robbins-169_fire_tennessee-williams-once-wrote-we-all-liv_1933273.jpg" --- # Tennessee Williams once wrote, 'We all live in a house on… ![“Tennessee Williams once wrote, 'We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it.' Yes, but oh! What a view from that upstairs window! What Tennessee failed to mention…” quote by Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/tom-robbins-169_fire_tennessee-williams-once-wrote-we-all-liv_1933273.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/tom-robbins-169_fire_tennessee-williams-once-wrote-we-all-liv_1933273.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d09/tom-robbins-169_fire_tennessee-williams-once-wrote-we-all-liv_1933273.jpg) > ““Tennessee Williams once wrote, 'We all live in a house on fire, no fire department to call; no way out, just the upstairs window to look out of while the fire burns the house down with us trapped, locked in it.' Yes, but oh! What a view from that upstairs window! What Tennessee failed to mention was that if we look out of that window with an itchy curiousity and a passionate eye; with a generous spirit and a capacity for delight; and yes, the language with which to support and enrich the thing we see, then it DOESN'T MATTER that the house is burning down around us. It doesn't matter. Let the motherfucker blaze!”” [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life feels like a burning house, but adopting curiosity, generosity, and expressive language transforms the crisis into a meaningful, even exhilarating experience. **In simple terms:** Curiosity and generosity make hardship bearable. Key Takeaway Embrace curiosity and expressive language in adversity. Themes resilience perspective creativity adversity joy Mood defiant inspirational provocative Type essay motivational When to use this quote - personal crisis - artistic creation - teaching resilience - public speaking - writing workshops Key Concepts existentialism psychology of coping literary expression Questions to Reflect On - What does it mean to find joy in suffering? - How can we balance realism with optimism? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on positivity may ignore genuine pain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Burning Doesn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/burning-doesn-3037839/) [Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Fire department](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire-department/) [Generous spirit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/generous-spirit/) [House Burning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/house-burning-241681/) [Tennessee Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tennessee-williams/) [Williams Wrote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/williams-wrote-3037838/) [Window Tennessee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/window-tennessee-3037837/) ## Related quotes > [Divorce is a fire exit. When a house is burning, it doesn't matter who set the fire. 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I can't worry about someone else's house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-parcells/i-m-trying-to-keep-my-own-house-from-burning-down-i-can-t-worry-about/) [Bill Parcells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-parcells/) > [If your house is burning, wouldn't you try and put out the fire?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imran-khan/if-your-house-is-burning-wouldn-t-you-try-and-put-out-the-fire/) [Imran Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imran-khan/) > [My friends are the kind that'd be hitting on firemen when the house is burning down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-friends-are-the-kind-that-d-be-hitting-on-firemen-when-the-house/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was taught that candles are like house cats - domesticated versions of something wild and dangerous. There's no way to know how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sloane-crosley/i-was-taught-that-candles-are-like-house-cats-domesticated-versions/) [Sloane Crosley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sloane-crosley/) > [When your house is burning down, you don't worry about the remodeling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/when-your-house-is-burning-down-you-don-t-worry-about-the-remodeling/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [You can find shame in every house, burning in an ashtray, hanging framed upon a wall, covering a bed. But nobody notices it any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/you-can-find-shame-in-every-house-burning-in-an-ashtray-hanging/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [Your House is Burning around you...,so what do you do? You might want to leave that House..before the Flames consume You. You have smelled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-nathaniel-butler/your-house-is-burning-around-you-so-what-do-you-do-you-might-want-to/) [Eugene Nathaniel Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-nathaniel-butler/) > [“The house was burning, the yellow-red sky was like the sunset...Nothing would be left, the golden ferns and the silver ferns, the orchids, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-rhys/the-house-was-burning-the-yellow-red-sky-was-like-the-sunset-nothing/) [Jean Rhys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-rhys/) > [Our house is burning down and we are blind to it. The earth and humankind are in danger and we are all responsible. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-chirac/our-house-is-burning-down-and-we-are-blind-to-it-the-earth-and/) [Jacques Chirac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-chirac/) > [My computer's the first thing I'd save if my house was burning down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apl-de-ap/my-computer-s-the-first-thing-i-d-save-if-my-house-was-burning-down/) [apl.de.ap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apl-de-ap/) > [My friends are the kind that if the house was burning down, theyd be making smores, and hitting on the firemen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/my-friends-are-the-kind-that-if-the-house-was-burning-down-theyd-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Generous in spirit, richly poetic, and packed with memorable characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-millman/generous-in-spirit-richly-poetic-and-packed-with-memorable-characters/) [Lawrence Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-millman/) ## More by Tom Robbins > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [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/) > [The world is a wonderfully weird place, consensual reality is significantly flawed, no institution can be trusted, certainty is a mirage, security a delusion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-world-is-a-wonderfully-weird-place-consensual-reality-is/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Anyone who maintains absolute standards of good and evil is dangerous. As dangerous as a maniac with a loaded revolver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/anyone-who-maintains-absolute-standards-of-good-and-evil-is-dangerous/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“I believe in everything; nothing is sacred. I believe in nothing; everything is sacred. Ha Ha Ho Ho Hee Hee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/i-believe-in-everything-nothing-is-sacred-i-believe-in-nothing/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [A sense of humor...is superior to any religion so far devised.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/a-sense-of-humor-is-superior-to-any-religion-so-far-devised/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“Love is the ultimate outlaw. It just won't adhere to any rules. The most any of us can do is to sign on as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/love-is-the-ultimate-outlaw-it-just-won-t-adhere-to-any-rules-the-2/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“The glue that holds the natural world together appears to be a harmonious balance of opposites: day and night, light and dark, winter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-glue-that-holds-the-natural-world-together-appears-to-be-a/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Zippers are primal and modern at the very same time. On the one hand, your zipper is primitive and reptilian, on the other, mechanical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/zippers-are-primal-and-modern-at-the-very-same-time-on-the-one-hand/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [“religion is a paramount contributor to human misery. It is not merely the opium of the masses, it is the cyanide.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/religion-is-a-paramount-contributor-to-human-misery-it-is-not-merely/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [She continued weeping until the heat of her tear water, the sheer velocity of its flow, finally obscured the already vague circumstances of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/she-continued-weeping-until-the-heat-of-her-tear-water-the-sheer/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The bottom line is that (a) people are never perfect, but love can be, (b) that is the one and only way that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-bottom-line-is-that-a-people-are-never-perfect-but-love-can-be-b/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Virtually every advancement made by our species since civilization first peeked out of its nest of stone has been initiated by lone individuals, mavericks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/virtually-every-advancement-made-by-our-species-since-civilization/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [When we accept small wonders, we qualify ourselves to imagine great wonders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/when-we-accept-small-wonders-we-qualify-ourselves-to-imagine-great/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) [Explore all 994 Tom Robbins quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) ## More Fire quotes > [Elections belong to the people. It's their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/elections-belong-to-the-people-it-s-their-decision-if-they-decide-to/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/) [Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... I don't if anybody knows what it is but it was about... in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/val-guest/well-the-day-the-earth-caught-fire-was-a-story-i-don-t-if-anybody/) [Val Guest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/val-guest/) > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Eternal Trinity... mystery deep as the sea, You could give me no greater gift than the gift of Yourself. For You are a fire…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-catherine-of-siena/eternal-trinity-mystery-deep-as-the-sea-you-could-give-me-no-greater/) [St. Catherine of Siena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-catherine-of-siena/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [“Nothing is ever lost nor can be lost; the body aged, sluggish,cold… the embers left from earlier fires shall dully flame again”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/nothing-is-ever-lost-nor-can-be-lost-the-body-aged-sluggish-cold-the/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [There are different kinds of fire; there is false fire. No one knows this better than we do, but we are not such fools…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-booth/there-are-different-kinds-of-fire-there-is-false-fire-no-one-knows/) [William Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-booth/) > [ Next came the Patent laws. These began in England in 1624; and, in this country, with the adoption of our constitution. Before then \[these?\],… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/next-came-the-patent-laws-these-began-in-england-in-1624-and-in-this/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [War is like a fire. One man may start it, but it will spread all over. 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What Tennessee failed to mention was that if we look out of that window with an itchy curiousity and a passionate eye; with a generous spirit and a capacity for delight; and yes, the language with which to support and enrich the thing we see, then it DOESN'T MATTER that the house is burning down around us. It doesn't matter. 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