---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One wants to move through life with…"
description: "\"One wants to move through life with elegance and grace, blossoming infrequently but with exquisite taste, and perfect timing, like a rare bloom, a zebr..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/tony-kushner-2204_beauty_one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-eleg_3080429.jpg"
---

#  One wants to move through life with elegance and grace…

![“One wants to move through life with elegance and grace, blossoming infrequently but with exquisite taste, and perfect timing, like a rare bloom, a zebra orchid... One wants... But one so seldom gets what one wants, does one?” quote by Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/tony-kushner-2204_beauty_one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-eleg_3080429.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/tony-kushner-2204_beauty_one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-eleg_3080429.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/tony-kushner-2204_beauty_one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-eleg_3080429.jpg)

> “One wants to move through life with elegance and grace, blossoming infrequently but with exquisite taste, and perfect timing, like a rare bloom, a zebra orchid... One wants... But one so seldom gets what one wants, does one?”

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

## About This Quote

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

Living gracefully involves rare, timed moments of beauty, yet desires often go unmet, highlighting life's unpredictability.

**In simple terms:** Graceful living is rare and timed, desires often unfulfilled.

Key Takeaway

Embrace moments of elegance despite uncertainty.

Themes

beauty desire timing imperfection

Mood

hopeful melancholic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal growth
- artistic expression
- relationship dynamics

Key Concepts

grace elegance rarity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does elegance mean to you?
- How do you handle unmet desires?

A Different Perspective

Rare elegance may be unsustainable or exclusive.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/) [Blossoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blossoming/) [Elegance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elegance/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers/) [Grace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/grace/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Nature of Beauty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature-of-beauty/) [Orchids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/orchids/) [Perfect timing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfect-timing/) [Timing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/timing/) [Zebras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/zebras/)

## Related quotes

> [I very much like Kenya. It's hard to beat the Masai Mara and the idea of ballooning across it. I have a great time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-burnett/i-very-much-like-kenya-it-s-hard-to-beat-the-masai-mara-and-the-idea/)

[Mark Burnett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-burnett/)

> [I finally got around to reading the dictionary. Turns out the Zebra did it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/i-finally-got-around-to-reading-the-dictionary-turns-out-the-zebra/)

[Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/)

> [The Zebra is striped all over so that the Lion can see him and eat him. Some people say he is striped so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-cuppy/the-zebra-is-striped-all-over-so-that-the-lion-can-see-him-and-eat/)

[Will Cuppy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-cuppy/)

> [I asked the Zebra, are you black with white stripes? Or white with black stripes? And the zebra asked me, Are you good with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/i-asked-the-zebra-are-you-black-with-white-stripes-or-white-with/)

[Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/)

> [Elephants, it turns out, are surprisingly stealthy. As the sunlight fades, other species declare their presence. Throngs of zebras and wildebeests thunder by in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-french/elephants-it-turns-out-are-surprisingly-stealthy-as-the-sunlight/)

[Thomas French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-french/)

> [Ria snorted. “Leo’s pride rarely leaves the plains. What are they supposed to mate? The zebras?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lora-leigh/ria-snorted-leo-s-pride-rarely-leaves-the-plains-what-are-they/)

[Lora Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lora-leigh/)

> [Iggy: "I'll grab a zebra; Gaz, you fill all the bubbles with your trademark scent. so people are choking and gagging; and let's throw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/iggy-i-ll-grab-a-zebra-gaz-you-fill-all-the-bubbles-with-your/)

[James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/)

> [I turned around, stepped over the Zebra and threw myself overboard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yann-martel/i-turned-around-stepped-over-the-zebra-and-threw-myself-overboard/)

[Yann Martel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yann-martel/)

> [I'm not fighting with myself. Oh, my God. That's how I am. You know, the story of the hippo? The hippo comes to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marat-safin/i-m-not-fighting-with-myself-oh-my-god-that-s-how-i-am-you-know-the/)

[Marat Safin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marat-safin/)

> [I suddenly realized. The zebra. It is not something outside of us. The zebra is something inside of us. Our fears. Our own self-destructive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/i-suddenly-realized-the-zebra-it-is-not-something-outside-of-us-the/)

[Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/)

> [Scientists think they can now clone an all-white zebra. Now, I'm no expert, but isn't that a horse?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/scientists-think-they-can-now-clone-an-all-white-zebra-now-i-m-no/)

[Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/)

> [“... when they hear hooves they look for zebras instead of horses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-brookmyre/when-they-hear-hooves-they-look-for-zebras-instead-of-horses/)

[Christopher Brookmyre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-brookmyre/)

> [“Zebras dream of polka-dots”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-caruso/zebras-dream-of-polka-dots/)

Phil Caruso

> [How fast does a zebra have to run before it looks gray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetri-martin/how-fast-does-a-zebra-have-to-run-before-it-looks-gray/)

[Demetri Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demetri-martin/)

> [...Humans were the only creatures in the world that ate their food cooked. You'd never find a Gorilla frying up some bananas for dinner…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-gregory/humans-were-the-only-creatures-in-the-world-that-ate-their-food/)

[Dick Gregory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-gregory/)

## More by Tony Kushner

> [My whole life has conspired to bring me to this place, and I can’t despise my whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-whole-life-has-conspired-to-bring-me-to-this-place-and-i-can-t/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [The big influence on me was Robert Altman, who, especially in 'Nashville,' transformed my sense of dramatic structure and showed how you could handle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-big-influence-on-me-was-robert-altman-who-especially-in-nashville/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [“Fabulous. If you possess it, you don’t need to ask what it is. When you attempt to delineate it, you move away from it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/fabulous-if-you-possess-it-you-don-t-need-to-ask-what-it-is-when-you/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [People are more easily manipulated when they don't have information. If you ensure that kids grow up without basic reading skills, math skills, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/people-are-more-easily-manipulated-when-they-don-t-have-information/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [The white cracker who wrote the National Anthem knew what he was doing. He set the word "free" to a note so high nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-white-cracker-who-wrote-the-national-anthem-knew-what-he-was/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [“If the snake sheds his skin before a new skin is ready, naked he will be in the world, prey to the forces of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/if-the-snake-sheds-his-skin-before-a-new-skin-is-ready-naked-he-will/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [“MATAMORE: I never fight with my love face on, I worry that it might get scratched.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/matamore-i-never-fight-with-my-love-face-on-i-worry-that-it-might-get/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [“I never really feel that I’m stuck. I actually think that people are never stuck, there’s no such thing as writers block, I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-never-really-feel-that-i-m-stuck-i-actually-think-that-people-are/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [The act of thinking and interpreting is so central to Judaism that it makes more sense that we've become people like Woody Allen -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-act-of-thinking-and-interpreting-is-so-central-to-judaism-that-it/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [Respect the delicate ecology of your delusions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/respect-the-delicate-ecology-of-your-delusions/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [The general consensus among historians, among the ones who can handle the fact that 'Lincoln' is, in fact, historical fiction, is that we demonstrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/the-general-consensus-among-historians-among-the-ones-who-can-handle/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [“I've lived through such terrible times and there are people who live through much worse. But you see them living anyway. When they're more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/i-ve-lived-through-such-terrible-times-and-there-are-people-who-live/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [When really writing I'm not a good friend. Because writing disorganizes the social self, you become atomized. It scrambles you, sometimes to the point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/when-really-writing-i-m-not-a-good-friend-because-writing/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [My back went out and I gained 40 pounds while sweating over 'Perestroika.' It was incredibly hard, the hardest thing I had to do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/my-back-went-out-and-i-gained-40-pounds-while-sweating-over/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

> [Film is like tech starts on the first day of filming and it never stops. There's never a moment when the audience comes in,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/film-is-like-tech-starts-on-the-first-day-of-filming-and-it-never/)

[Tony Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

[Explore all 179 Tony Kushner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/)

## More Beauty quotes

> [We do not want nowadays temples of worship and outward rites and ceremonies. What we really want is an Asram. We want a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/we-do-not-want-nowadays-temples-of-worship-and-outward-rites-and/)

[Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/)

> [How could anybody confuse truth with beauty, I thought as I looked at him. Truth came with sunken eyes, bony or scarred, decayed. Its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janet-fitch/how-could-anybody-confuse-truth-with-beauty-i-thought-as-i-looked-at/)

[Janet Fitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janet-fitch/)

> [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [To fathom the power, to witness the beauty, to bathe in the fountain, to swing on the spiral of our divinity, and still be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tool/to-fathom-the-power-to-witness-the-beauty-to-bathe-in-the-fountain-to/)

[Tool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tool/)

> [The term "black metal" has become a lot looser, or can include a larger range of sounds and extra-musical aesthetics, not just Satan and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-marston/the-term-black-metal-has-become-a-lot-looser-or-can-include-a-larger/)

[Colin Marston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-marston/)

> [“We've all met people who are beautiful on the outside, however, when they open their mouths to speak, they have nothing of substance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-c-young/we-ve-all-met-people-who-are-beautiful-on-the-outside-however-when/)

[Susan C. Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-c-young/)

> [There are various orders of beauty, causing men to make fools of themselves in various styles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/there-are-various-orders-of-beauty-causing-men-to-make-fools-of/)

[George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/)

> [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/)

[Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/)

> [“do not misunderstand person by beauty You really do not know its real or Mask on dirty thoughts”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-zaki-ansari/do-not-misunderstand-person-by-beauty-you-really-do-not-know-its-real/)

[Mohammed Zaki Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-zaki-ansari/)

> [“I already love in you your beauty, but I am only beginning to love in you that which is eternal and ever precious –…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/i-already-love-in-you-your-beauty-but-i-am-only-beginning-to-love-in/)

[Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/)

> [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/)

[Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/)

> [Call her beautiful a million times and she won't believe you. Call her ugly once, and she will never forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumblr/call-her-beautiful-a-million-times-and-she-won-t-believe-you-call-her/)

Tumblr

> [Time can but make her beauty over again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-butler-yeats/time-can-but-make-her-beauty-over-again/)

[William Butler Yeats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-butler-yeats/)

> [ The social \[media channel\] isn't about beauty contests and popularity contests. They're a distortion, a caricature of the real thing. It's about trust, connection,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umair-haque/the-social-media-channel-isn-t-about-beauty-contests-and-popularity/)

[Umair Haque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umair-haque/)

> [“What about you? What do you do?” I needed to ask questions, draw him out. I needed to find out all the information I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-avery-ellison/what-about-you-what-do-you-do-i-needed-to-ask-questions-draw-him-out/)

[Kate Avery Ellison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-avery-ellison/)

[Browse all 24,662 Beauty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beauty/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "One wants to move through life with elegance and grace, blossoming infrequently but with exquisite taste, and perfect timing, like a rare bloom, a zebra orchid... One wants... But one so seldom gets what one wants, does one?",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Tony Kushner"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-elegance-and-grace-blossoming/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Beauty"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-elegance-and-grace-blossoming/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/tony-kushner-2204_beauty_one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-eleg_3080429.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/tony-kushner-2204_beauty_one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-eleg_3080429.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/897/tony-kushner-2204_beauty_one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-eleg_3080429.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“One wants to move through life with elegance and grace, blossoming infrequently but with exquisite taste…” — Tony Kushner",
                "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": "Tony Kushner",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-kushner/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "One wants to move through life...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-elegance-and-grace-blossoming/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-kushner/one-wants-to-move-through-life-with-elegance-and-grace-blossoming/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
