--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Misery's the river of the world…" description: "\"“Misery's the river of the world. Everybody row!”\" — Tom Waits" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/tom-waits-916_quote_misery-s-the-river-of-the-world-everybod_1135899.jpg" --- # Misery's the river of the world. Everybody row! ![“Misery's the river of the world. Everybody row!” quote by Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/tom-waits-916_quote_misery-s-the-river-of-the-world-everybod_1135899.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/tom-waits-916_quote_misery-s-the-river-of-the-world-everybod_1135899.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/tom-waits-916_quote_misery-s-the-river-of-the-world-everybod_1135899.jpg) > ““Misery's the river of the world. Everybody row!”” [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Suffering is universal; everyone must endure life's hardships together. **In simple terms:** We all share in life's hardships. Key Takeaway Accept and support each other's struggles. Themes suffering shared experience humanity Mood somber reflective Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - mental health - community support - personal adversity Key Concepts existentialism empathy Questions to Reflect On - How can we turn shared suffering into collective strength? - What role does empathy play? A Different Perspective Focusing on misery can be discouraging. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Misery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) [River](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/river/) ## Related quotes > [Misery is the River of the World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/misery-is-the-river-of-the-world/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“The higher that the monkey can climb, the more he shows his tail. Call no man happy till he dies, there's no milk at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-higher-that-the-monkey-can-climb-the-more-he-shows-his-tail-call/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“Misery is a river of tears that whispers my name in a constant hiss.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/misery-is-a-river-of-tears-that-whispers-my-name-in-a-constant-hiss/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [A great country is like the lower outlet of a river. It is the world's meeting ground, the world's female.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/a-great-country-is-like-the-lower-outlet-of-a-river-it-is-the-world-s/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [If you're good at it, and you love it, and it helps you navigate the river of the world, then it can't be wrong.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherman-alexie/if-you-re-good-at-it-and-you-love-it-and-it-helps-you-navigate-the/) [Sherman Alexie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherman-alexie/) > [“Look closer. The river's its own world of fast and slow, deep and shallow, bright and shadowed. If you look at it like that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/look-closer-the-river-s-its-own-world-of-fast-and-slow-deep-and/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [Swift or smooth, broad as the Hudson or narrow enough to scrape your gunwales, every river is a world of its own, unique in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-marshall/swift-or-smooth-broad-as-the-hudson-or-narrow-enough-to-scrape-your/) [Bob Marshall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-marshall/) > [The River... It's my world, and I don't want any other. What it hasn't got is not worth having, and what it doesn't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-grahame/the-river-it-s-my-world-and-i-don-t-want-any-other-what-it-hasn-t-got/) [Kenneth Grahame](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-grahame/) > [In a perfect world, everybody would be gay. I mean if everybody looked like Zach Braff, you just wouldn't be able to resist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zach-braff/in-a-perfect-world-everybody-would-be-gay-i-mean-if-everybody-looked/) [Zach Braff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zach-braff/) > [There is enough in this world for everybody's needs, but not enough for certain people's greed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mahatma-gandhi/there-is-enough-in-this-world-for-everybody-s-needs-but-not-enough/) [Mahatma Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mahatma-gandhi/) > [If you're talking about a world in which everybody is connected by computers 24 hours a day, that exists right now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cabrera/if-you-re-talking-about-a-world-in-which-everybody-is-connected-by/) [John Cabrera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cabrera/) > [America is the most inventive country in the world because everybody has access to information.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/america-is-the-most-inventive-country-in-the-world-because-everybody/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [We spend trillions of dollars to travel around the world, but it's in everybody's interest that we have a better framework, and not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/we-spend-trillions-of-dollars-to-travel-around-the-world-but-it-s-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [In an ideal world, everybody would find it easy to talk to the press... but not everybody is so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-allen/in-an-ideal-world-everybody-would-find-it-easy-to-talk-to-the-press/) [Paul Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-allen/) > [We live in an impatient world. Everybody is always looking for the next big Kobe, the next big LeBron, the next big Twitter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaquille-o-neal/we-live-in-an-impatient-world-everybody-is-always-looking-for-the/) [Shaquille O'Neal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaquille-o-neal/) ## More by Tom Waits > [Most of us have the residue of thousands of songs in our ears, that if you end up songwriting, I think you're mostly smoking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-us-have-the-residue-of-thousands-of-songs-in-our-ears-that-if/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Bill Hicks - blowtorch, excavator, truthsayer, and brain specialist. He will correct your vision. Others will drive on the road he built.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/bill-hicks-blowtorch-excavator-truthsayer-and-brain-specialist-he/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Don't plant your days they turn into weeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/don-t-plant-your-days-they-turn-into-weeds/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“T’ain’t no sin to take off your skin, and dance around in your bones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/t-ain-t-no-sin-to-take-off-your-skin-and-dance-around-in-your-bones/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [“an all time favorite: "The large print giveth, the small print taketh away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/an-all-time-favorite-the-large-print-giveth-the-small-print-taketh/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'll tell you all my secrets but I lie about my past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-ll-tell-you-all-my-secrets-but-i-lie-about-my-past/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [For a songwriter, you don't really go to songwriting school; you learn by listening to tunes. And you try to understand them and take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/for-a-songwriter-you-don-t-really-go-to-songwriting-school-you-learn/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'm trying to learn how to write faster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-trying-to-learn-how-to-write-faster/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-world-is-a-hellish-place-and-bad-writing-is-destroying-the/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I'm always looking for sounds that are pleasing at the time. The sound of a helicopter is really annoying until you're drowning, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-m-always-looking-for-sounds-that-are-pleasing-at-the-time-the-sound/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I was born in the back seat of a Yellow Cab in a hospital loading zone and with the meter still running. I emerged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-was-born-in-the-back-seat-of-a-yellow-cab-in-a-hospital-loading/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [There's not much difference between what I appear to be on stage and what I am. I think people like that, that I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/there-s-not-much-difference-between-what-i-appear-to-be-on-stage-and/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [Most of the things you absorb you will ultimately secrete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/most-of-the-things-you-absorb-you-will-ultimately-secrete/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [The devil knows the Bible like the back of his hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/the-devil-knows-the-bible-like-the-back-of-his-hand/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) > [I bark my voice out through a closed throat, pretty much. It's more, perhaps, like a dog in some ways. It does have its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-waits/i-bark-my-voice-out-through-a-closed-throat-pretty-much-it-s-more/) [Tom Waits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) [Explore all 328 Tom Waits quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-waits/) ## More Misery quotes > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“Where there is doubt (shanka), there is misery. The moment one begins to doubt the knowledge that, 'I am Chandubhai,' misery arises. Once one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-is-doubt-shanka-there-is-misery-the-moment-one-begins-to/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) > [“I hereby propose the term “miserize”, as a verb for misery – referring to “to cause misery”.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/i-hereby-propose-the-term-miserize-as-a-verb-for-misery-referring-to/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There's never any ebb in human misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynn-nottage/there-s-never-any-ebb-in-human-misery/) [Lynn Nottage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynn-nottage/) > [Money can't buy happiness. But it sure makes misery easier to live with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/money-can-t-buy-happiness-but-it-sure-makes-misery-easier-to-live-with/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is thus only this personal feeling of misery that we get rid of by acts of pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/it-is-thus-only-this-personal-feeling-of-misery-that-we-get-rid-of-by/) [Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/) > [The vast majority of people are born, grow up, struggle and go through life in misery and failure, not realizing that it would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/the-vast-majority-of-people-are-born-grow-up-struggle-and-go-through/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > ["Spirituality" wrongly understood or pursued is a major source of human misery and rebellion against God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/spirituality-wrongly-understood-or-pursued-is-a-major-source-of-human/) [Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/) > [Get away from me misery, get away from me loneliness, get away from me fake bitches I can't take the phoniness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kanye-west/get-away-from-me-misery-get-away-from-me-loneliness-get-away-from-me/) [Kanye West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kanye-west/) > [You see misery, you see misfortune, you see pain, you see suffering. It's all part of the fatalistic way of looking at life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/you-see-misery-you-see-misfortune-you-see-pain-you-see-suffering-it-s/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [Another step had her backed up against the wall, and he braced his arms on both sides of her. "I'm beginning to look forward…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-lindsey/another-step-had-her-backed-up-against-the-wall-and-he-braced-his/) [Johanna Lindsey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-lindsey/) > [“Misery only added to the cumulative experience of the adventure that would ultimately sculpt me into a stronger, more resilient human being.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-rohrig/misery-only-added-to-the-cumulative-experience-of-the-adventure-that/) [Kyle Rohrig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-rohrig/) > [If you try to control everything, and then worry about the things you can't control, you are setting yourself up for a lifetime of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suman-rai/if-you-try-to-control-everything-and-then-worry-about-the-things-you/) [Suman Rai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suman-rai/) > [“All our misery comes from wanting at all costs to go on being Tom, Dick, or Harry, year in, year out. This body of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-ferdinand-celine/all-our-misery-comes-from-wanting-at-all-costs-to-go-on-being-tom/) [Louis-Ferdinand Celine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-ferdinand-celine/) [Browse all 2,835 Misery quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/misery/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Misery's the river of the world. 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