---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no stability in this world. Who…"
description: "\"There is no stability in this world. Who is to say what meaning there is in anything? Who is to foretell the flight of a word? It is a balloon that sai..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/virginia-woolf-49_adventure_there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who_1449845.jpg"
---

#  There is no stability in this world. Who is to say what…

![“There is no stability in this world. Who is to say what meaning there is in anything? Who is to foretell the flight of a word? It is a balloon that sails over tree-tops. To speak of knowledge is futile. All is experiment and adventure. We are forever mixing ourselves with unknown quantities. What…” quote by Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/virginia-woolf-49_adventure_there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who_1449845.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/virginia-woolf-49_adventure_there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who_1449845.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/virginia-woolf-49_adventure_there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who_1449845.jpg)

> “There is no stability in this world. Who is to say what meaning there is in anything? Who is to foretell the flight of a word? It is a balloon that sails over tree-tops. To speak of knowledge is futile. All is experiment and adventure. We are forever mixing ourselves with unknown quantities. What is to come? I know not. But, as I put down my glass I remember; I am engaged to be married. I am to dine with my friends tonight. I am Bernard.”

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## About This Quote

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

The passage reflects existential uncertainty, the fleeting nature of meaning, and the tension between daily life and deeper philosophical doubt.

**In simple terms:** Life is uncertain and meaning is elusive.

Key Takeaway

Embrace uncertainty and live fully.

Themes

existentialism uncertainty daily life philosophy

Mood

reflective melancholic introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

- marriage planning
- social dinner
- personal reflection
- creative writing

Key Concepts

meaninglessness impermanence subjectivity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you find meaning amid uncertainty?
- What role do daily rituals play in grounding you?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook moments of stability found in relationships and routine.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Balloon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balloon/) [Balloons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/balloons/) [Being married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being-married/) [Experiment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiment/) [Experiments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiments/) [Knowledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/knowledge/) [Meaning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaning/) [Stability](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stability/) [Tree](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tree/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [Say the word the word balloon or get others to say it, sounds funny and weird doesn't it? That's why I don't say ir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/my/say-the-word-the-word-balloon-or-get-others-to-say-it-sounds-funny/)

My

> [My dream date is a tall, dark, handsome, blue eyed man with a bubble butt who will whisk me away to Paris in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-mcdougal/my-dream-date-is-a-tall-dark-handsome-blue-eyed-man-with-a-bubble/)

[Karen McDougal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-mcdougal/)

> [Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/nobody-can-be-uncheered-with-a-balloon/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I cant begin to count how many times I have warned politicians and candidates to worry as much about the good coverage as the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-estrich/i-cant-begin-to-count-how-many-times-i-have-warned-politicians-and/)

[Susan Estrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-estrich/)

> [The man who goes up in a balloon does not feel as if he were ascending; he only sees the earth sinking deeper below…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/the-man-who-goes-up-in-a-balloon-does-not-feel-as-if-he-were/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [When the air balloon was first discovered, some one flippantly asked Dr. Franklin what was the use of it. The doctor answered this question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/when-the-air-balloon-was-first-discovered-some-one-flippantly-asked/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [We're out of control on this loony balloon, barely missing the other planets and stars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-davies/we-re-out-of-control-on-this-loony-balloon-barely-missing-the-other/)

[Ray Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-davies/)

> [Why is electricity so expensive these days? Why does it cost so much for something I can make with a balloon and my hair?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-miller/why-is-electricity-so-expensive-these-days-why-does-it-cost-so-much/)

[Dennis Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-miller/)

> [To propel a dirigible balloon through the air is like pushing a candle through a brick wall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-santos-dumont/to-propel-a-dirigible-balloon-through-the-air-is-like-pushing-a/)

[Alberto Santos-Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-santos-dumont/)

> [I once threw a water balloon on a girl because I caught her cheating on me. She was kissing my friend and I thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/breckin-meyer/i-once-threw-a-water-balloon-on-a-girl-because-i-caught-her-cheating/)

[Breckin Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/breckin-meyer/)

> [Me being in my grandmother's yard in Brooklyn. I must have been about 3. I had this red balloon. I let go of it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lenny-kravitz/me-being-in-my-grandmother-s-yard-in-brooklyn-i-must-have-been-about/)

[Lenny Kravitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lenny-kravitz/)

> [I want to ride in a cold air balloon. "This isn't going anywhere!"](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-want-to-ride-in-a-cold-air-balloon-this-isn-t-going-anywhere/)

[Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/)

> [The balloon seems to stand still in the air while the earth flies past underneath.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-santos-dumont/the-balloon-seems-to-stand-still-in-the-air-while-the-earth-flies/)

[Alberto Santos-Dumont](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-santos-dumont/)

> [Imagination is to love what gas is to the balloon-that which raises it from earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/letitia-elizabeth-landon/imagination-is-to-love-what-gas-is-to-the-balloon-that-which-raises/)

[Letitia Elizabeth Landon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/letitia-elizabeth-landon/)

> [Five runs with two outs is tough to take. It sure took the air out of our balloon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-hargrove/five-runs-with-two-outs-is-tough-to-take-it-sure-took-the-air-out-of/)

Mike Hargrove

## More by Virginia Woolf

> [Fatigue is the safest sleeping draught.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/fatigue-is-the-safest-sleeping-draught/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“The train slows and lengthens, as we approach London, the centre, and my heart draws out too, in fear, in exaltation. I am about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-train-slows-and-lengthens-as-we-approach-london-the-centre-and-my/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Across the broad continent of a woman's life falls the shadow of a sword. On one side all is correct, definite, orderly; the paths…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/across-the-broad-continent-of-a-woman-s-life-falls-the-shadow-of-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Other worshipful objects were content with worship; men, women, God, all let one kneel prostrate; but this form, were it only the shape of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/other-worshipful-objects-were-content-with-worship-men-women-god-all/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Why does Samuel Butler say, 'Wise men never say what they think of women'? Wise men never say anything else apparently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/why-does-samuel-butler-say-wise-men-never-say-what-they-think-of/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“Sometimes he woke with a brain like lead; at others it was as if a thousand wax tapers were alight and people were throwing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/sometimes-he-woke-with-a-brain-like-lead-at-others-it-was-as-if-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [The extraordinary woman depends on the ordinary woman. It is only when we know what were the conditions of the average woman's life -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/the-extraordinary-woman-depends-on-the-ordinary-woman-it-is-only-when/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [A veil of insanity everywhere: Oh why I was born in this age? It is a terrible age.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-veil-of-insanity-everywhere-oh-why-i-was-born-in-this-age-it-is-a/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [Love ought to stop on both sides, don’t you think, simultaneously?’ He spoke without any stress on the words, so as not to wake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/love-ought-to-stop-on-both-sides-don-t-you-think-simultaneously-he/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“It is so vast an alleviation to be able to point for another to look at. And then not to talk. To follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/it-is-so-vast-an-alleviation-to-be-able-to-point-for-another-to-look/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“What a vast fertility of pleasure books hold for me! (...) I think I could happily live here &amp; read forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-vast-fertility-of-pleasure-books-hold-for-me-i-think-i-could/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“what a luxury to be alone once more,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/what-a-luxury-to-be-alone-once-more/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“...a woman writing thinks back through her mothers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/a-woman-writing-thinks-back-through-her-mothers/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“For one's children so often gave one's own perceptions a little thrust forwards.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/for-one-s-children-so-often-gave-one-s-own-perceptions-a-little/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

> [“She would not say of anyone in the world now that they were this or were that. She felt very young; at the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/she-would-not-say-of-anyone-in-the-world-now-that-they-were-this-or/)

[Virginia Woolf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

[Explore all 1,872 Virginia Woolf quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/)

## More Adventure quotes

> [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/)

[Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/)

> [I painted the words "GREAT ADVENTURE" in Beijing, Dallas, San Francisco, Copenhagen, and Japan. What it means to me is completely different to everybody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-eine/i-painted-the-words-great-adventure-in-beijing-dallas-san-francisco/)

[Ben Eine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-eine/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/)

[Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/)

> [I am attracted to looking at the different things language can mean even in one sometimes quite ordinary utterance. Writing is partly about listening…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rae-armantrout/i-am-attracted-to-looking-at-the-different-things-language-can-mean/)

[Rae Armantrout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rae-armantrout/)

> [What a thrill. You know you've entered new territory when you realise that your outfit cost more than your film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessica-yu/what-a-thrill-you-know-you-ve-entered-new-territory-when-you-realise/)

Jessica Yu

> [“So many people live within unhappy circumstances and yet will not take the initiative to change their situation because they are conditioned by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-supertramp-chris-mccandless/so-many-people-live-within-unhappy-circumstances-and-yet-will-not/)

Alexander Supertramp Chris McCandless

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [As an adventurer...I try to protect against the downside. I make sure I have covered as many eventualities as I can. In the end,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/as-an-adventurer-i-try-to-protect-against-the-downside-i-make-sure-i/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [“Love can give you such happiness, then can break the very heart it filled, leaving a hole that can never be fixed or protected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-mcleod/love-can-give-you-such-happiness-then-can-break-the-very-heart-it/)

Kevin McLeod

> [“It always gave Wolf a peculiar thrill thus to tighten his grip upon his stick, thus to wrap himself more closely in his faded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cowper-powys/it-always-gave-wolf-a-peculiar-thrill-thus-to-tighten-his-grip-upon/)

[John Cowper Powys](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cowper-powys/)

> [“It all had to be squeezed and squeezed again, to provide a thrill, to provide enjoyment. What did people mean, with their simply determined…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence-2/it-all-had-to-be-squeezed-and-squeezed-again-to-provide-a-thrill-to/)

[D.H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence-2/)

> [I am not an adventurous person but I am gutsy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rahul-vaidya/i-am-not-an-adventurous-person-but-i-am-gutsy/)

[Rahul Vaidya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rahul-vaidya/)

> [Our civilization, bequeathed to us by fierce adventurers, eaters of meat and hunters, is so full of hurry and combat, so busy about many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-joyce/our-civilization-bequeathed-to-us-by-fierce-adventurers-eaters-of/)

[James Joyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-joyce/)

[Browse all 7,690 Adventure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There is no stability in this world. Who is to say what meaning there is in anything? Who is to foretell the flight of a word? It is a balloon that sails over tree-tops. To speak of knowledge is futile. All is experiment and adventure. We are forever mixing ourselves with unknown quantities. What is to come? I know not. But, as I put down my glass I remember; I am engaged to be married. I am to dine with my friends tonight. I am Bernard.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Virginia Woolf"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who-is-to-say-what-meaning-there/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Adventure"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who-is-to-say-what-meaning-there/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/virginia-woolf-49_adventure_there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who_1449845.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/virginia-woolf-49_adventure_there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who_1449845.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/virginia-woolf-49_adventure_there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who_1449845.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There is no stability in this world. Who is to say what meaning there is in anything? Who is to foretell the…” — Virginia Woolf",
                "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": "Virginia Woolf",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virginia-woolf/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There is no stability in this...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who-is-to-say-what-meaning-there/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virginia-woolf/there-is-no-stability-in-this-world-who-is-to-say-what-meaning-there/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
