--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Estraven stood there in harness beside me…" description: "\"“Estraven stood there in harness beside me looking at that magnificent and unspeakable desolation. 'I'm glad I have lived to see this,' he said. I have..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/ursula-k-le-guin-138_end-journey_estraven-stood-there-in-harness-beside-m_2519111.jpg" --- # Estraven stood there in harness beside me looking at that… ![“Estraven stood there in harness beside me looking at that magnificent and unspeakable desolation. 'I'm glad I have lived to see this,' he said. I have felt as he did. It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.” quote by Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/ursula-k-le-guin-138_end-journey_estraven-stood-there-in-harness-beside-m_2519111.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/ursula-k-le-guin-138_end-journey_estraven-stood-there-in-harness-beside-m_2519111.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ec/ursula-k-le-guin-138_end-journey_estraven-stood-there-in-harness-beside-m_2519111.jpg) > ““Estraven stood there in harness beside me looking at that magnificent and unspeakable desolation. 'I'm glad I have lived to see this,' he said. I have felt as he did. It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”” [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on the paradox that while achieving an end goal is satisfying, the true value lies in the experiences and growth encountered during the journey. **In simple terms:** Ends are satisfying but the journey matters most. Key Takeaway Focus on the process, not just the outcome. Themes purpose journey fulfillment Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - career development - creative projects - spiritual practice Key Concepts existentialism human experience Questions to Reflect On - What does the journey teach you that the destination cannot? - How can you honor the process in everyday life? A Different Perspective The journey may be fraught with hardship, making the end feel less rewarding. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Desolation Glad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desolation-glad-1233180/) [End Journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-journey/) [Estraven Stood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/estraven-stood-1233179/) [Journey Matters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/journey-matters-790081/) [Matters End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matters-end-362570/) ## Related quotes > [It is good to have an end to journey toward, but it is the journey that matters in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/it-is-good-to-have-an-end-to-journey-toward-but-it-is-the-journey/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-good-to-have-an-end-to-journey-towards-but-it-is-the-journey/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [What we call endurance sport today, we've been doing for centuries with pilgrimages, walking across the earth towards some goal, which is not all-important,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milind-soman/what-we-call-endurance-sport-today-we-ve-been-doing-for-centuries/) [Milind Soman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milind-soman/) > [I always try to remember that I am a work in progress. It is life's journey that matters and the turns I take will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/i-always-try-to-remember-that-i-am-a-work-in-progress-it-is-life-s/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [“It's the journey that matters, soak it in. Learn lessons out of it. Impact positively so that if you never get to your destination,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emem-uko/it-s-the-journey-that-matters-soak-it-in-learn-lessons-out-of-it/) [Emem Uko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emem-uko/) > [“Most of us fail, but it’s the journey that matters, not the ending.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-jace/most-of-us-fail-but-it-s-the-journey-that-matters-not-the-ending/) [Cameron Jace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-jace/) > [The key is to trust in your preparation. You have done all you can, so focus on that fact. You will remain the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chrissie-wellington/the-key-is-to-trust-in-your-preparation-you-have-done-all-you-can-so/) [Chrissie Wellington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chrissie-wellington/) > [The journey matters as much as the destination. By engaging in the moment on set, I've stopped rushing and now find pleasure in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-dockery/the-journey-matters-as-much-as-the-destination-by-engaging-in-the/) [Michelle Dockery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-dockery/) > [The true secret to seeking the unknown is in the looking, not the finding. The journey is what matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-gates/the-true-secret-to-seeking-the-unknown-is-in-the-looking-not-the/) [Josh Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-gates/) > [It's the journey that matters. Learning is more important than the test. Practice well, and the games will take care of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tony-dungy/it-s-the-journey-that-matters-learning-is-more-important-than-the/) [Tony Dungy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tony-dungy/) > [The journey matters as much as the goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kalpana-chawla/the-journey-matters-as-much-as-the-goal/) [Kalpana Chawla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kalpana-chawla/) > [“The river never changes. it may alter it's path a bit, but it never changes. It's us who change. We come back here and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-martin/the-river-never-changes-it-may-alter-it-s-path-a-bit-but-it-never/) [Charles Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-martin/) > [Only the journey matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harry-callahan/only-the-journey-matters/) [Harry Callahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harry-callahan/) > [“What matters is at the end of life, when you're about to pass into oblivion, that you've at least scratched 'Kilroy was here,' on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/what-matters-is-at-the-end-of-life-when-you-re-about-to-pass-into/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [Because it may seem like a small role now, but it matters. In the end, everything matters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/because-it-may-seem-like-a-small-role-now-but-it-matters-in-the-end/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) ## More by Ursula K. Le Guin > [“...I wore his blood for clothing, on my legs and thighs and hands: a dry, stiff, brown garment with no warmth in it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-wore-his-blood-for-clothing-on-my-legs-and-thighs-and-hands-a-dry/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Translation is entirely mysterious. Increasingly I have felt that the art of writing is itself translating, or more like translating than it is like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/translation-is-entirely-mysterious-increasingly-i-have-felt-that-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Aeneas' mother is a star?" "No; a goddess." I said cautiously, "Venus is the power that we invoke in spring, in the garden, when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/aeneas-mother-is-a-star-no-a-goddess-i-said-cautiously-venus-is-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Meaning - this is perhaps the common note, the bane I am seeking. What is the Meaning of this book, this event in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/meaning-this-is-perhaps-the-common-note-the-bane-i-am-seeking-what-is/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [For fantasy is true, of course. It isn't factual, but it is true. Children know that. Adults know it too, and that is precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/for-fantasy-is-true-of-course-it-isn-t-factual-but-it-is-true/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“. . . chronosophy does involve ethics. Because our sense of time involves our ability to separate cause and effect, means and end. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/chronosophy-does-involve-ethics-because-our-sense-of-time-involves/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“If both you and your plane are on time, the airport is merely a diffuse, short, miserable prelude to the intense, long, miserable plane…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/if-both-you-and-your-plane-are-on-time-the-airport-is-merely-a/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“The author is not impartial. Dystopia is not tragedy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/the-author-is-not-impartial-dystopia-is-not-tragedy/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [Between thought and spoken word is a gap where intention can enter, the symbol be twisted aside, and the lie come to be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/between-thought-and-spoken-word-is-a-gap-where-intention-can-enter/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [I have no control over my writing. I have lots of good intentions, but no control. There's a story that wants to be told.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-have-no-control-over-my-writing-i-have-lots-of-good-intentions-but/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I did a lot today. That is, I did something. The only thing I have ever done. I pressed a button. It took the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-did-a-lot-today-that-is-i-did-something-the-only-thing-i-have-ever/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [To me the female principle is, or at least historically has been, basically anarchic. It values order without constraint, rule by custom not by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/to-me-the-female-principle-is-or-at-least-historically-has-been/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Hector had no virtue?” “Of course he did. He won all his battles, till the last one.” “We all do,” Aeneas remarked.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/hector-had-no-virtue-of-course-he-did-he-won-all-his-battles-till-the/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“I was willing to believe him that most modern writing was trash, on the evidence that so much old writing was trash; but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/i-was-willing-to-believe-him-that-most-modern-writing-was-trash-on/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Can women operate as women in a male institution without becoming imitation men?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ursula-k-le-guin/can-women-operate-as-women-in-a-male-institution-without-becoming/) [Ursula K. Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) [Explore all 1,114 Ursula K. Le Guin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) ## More End Journey quotes > [They spoke less and less between them until at last they were silent altogether as is often the way with travelers approaching the end…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-spoke-less-and-less-between-them-until-at-last-they-were-silent/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path... One that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sangfroid-stalker/end-no-the-journey-doesn-t-end-here-death-is-just-another-path-one/) [SangFroid Stalker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sangfroid-stalker/) > [Believing in yourself is an endless destination... Believing you have failed is the end of your journey...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-meredith/believing-in-yourself-is-an-endless-destination-believing-you-have/) [Sarah Meredith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-meredith/) > [Who knows where life will take you, the road is long and in the end the journey is the destination.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucas-scott/who-knows-where-life-will-take-you-the-road-is-long-and-in-the-end/) [Lucas Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucas-scott/) > [“The end of my journey is happiness what is the point of having the journey if it ends in sadness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amina-warsuma/the-end-of-my-journey-is-happiness-what-is-the-point-of-having-the/) [Amina Warsuma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amina-warsuma/) > [If you can mentally see the end of the journey, then your body will physically find a way to achieve that goal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-plitt/if-you-can-mentally-see-the-end-of-the-journey-then-your-body-will/) [Greg Plitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-plitt/) > [I want to believe there will be light at the end of my journey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-want-to-believe-there-will-be-light-at-the-end-of-my-journey/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [PIPPIN: I didn't think it would end this way. GANDALF: End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pippin-i-didn-t-think-it-would-end-this-way-gandalf-end-no-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is a circle. The end of one journey is the beginning of the next.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-m-marshall-iii/life-is-a-circle-the-end-of-one-journey-is-the-beginning-of-the-next/) [Joseph M. Marshall III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-m-marshall-iii/) > [A slow horse does not always reach the end of the journey.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-jordan/a-slow-horse-does-not-always-reach-the-end-of-the-journey/) [Robert Jordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-jordan/) > [“Because some people see a wall, and assume that's the end of their journey. Others see it, and decide it's just the beginning.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angeline-trevena/because-some-people-see-a-wall-and-assume-that-s-the-end-of-their/) [Angeline Trevena](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angeline-trevena/) > [At the end of your journey there are only two important questions: who did you love, and who loved you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/minassian/at-the-end-of-your-journey-there-are-only-two-important-questions-who/) [Minassian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/minassian/) > [“...The Abbe's warning: 'Never confront an enemy at the end of a journey, unless it happens to be his journey'.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stella-gibbons/the-abbe-s-warning-never-confront-an-enemy-at-the-end-of-a-journey/) [Stella Gibbons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stella-gibbons/) > [How do you expect to arrive at the end of your own journey if you take the road to another man's city?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/how-do-you-expect-to-arrive-at-the-end-of-your-own-journey-if-you/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [“Everyone here now is going to die. But really no one knows what death is really like. Maybe we just take on another part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/art-hochberg/everyone-here-now-is-going-to-die-but-really-no-one-knows-what-death/) [Art Hochberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/art-hochberg/) [Browse all 67 End Journey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-journey/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Estraven stood there in harness beside me looking at that magnificent and unspeakable desolation. 'I'm glad I have lived to see this,' he said. I have felt as he did. It is good to have an end to journey towards; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ursula K. 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