--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But this is life on earth, you can't have…" description: "\"But this is life on earth, you can't have everything.\" — William Goldman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/william-goldman-1095_earth_but-this-is-life-on-earth-you-can-t-have_3124948.png" --- # But this is life on earth, you can't have everything. ![“But this is life on earth, you can't have everything.” quote by William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/william-goldman-1095_earth_but-this-is-life-on-earth-you-can-t-have_3124948.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/william-goldman-1095_earth_but-this-is-life-on-earth-you-can-t-have_3124948.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0ea/william-goldman-1095_earth_but-this-is-life-on-earth-you-can-t-have_3124948.png) > “But this is life on earth, you can't have everything.” [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life inevitably involves trade‑offs; perfection is unattainable. **In simple terms:** You can't have it all. Key Takeaway Accept limits, focus on priorities. Themes balance acceptance realism compromise Mood reflective pragmatic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career decisions - personal relationships - budgeting - time management Key Concepts philosophy human condition expectations Questions to Reflect On - What are you willing to sacrifice? - How do you decide what's essential? A Different Perspective Some may view this as fatalistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/earth/) [Everything](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everything/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Earth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-earth/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [The easiest thing to do on earth is not write…But this is life on earth, you can't have everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/the-easiest-thing-to-do-on-earth-is-not-write-but-this-is-life-on/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [So how can we test the idea that the transition from nonlife to life is simple enough to happen repeatedly? The most obvious and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-davies/so-how-can-we-test-the-idea-that-the-transition-from-nonlife-to-life/) [Paul Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-davies/) > [For much of history it was possible to believe that the great diversity of life on Earth was a fixed creation, that the living…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-r-miller/for-much-of-history-it-was-possible-to-believe-that-the-great/) [Kenneth R. Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-r-miller/) > [Life on earth is hard. Competition for the necessities of life is fierce. How ridiculous to believe that the law of harsh survival would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-bear/life-on-earth-is-hard-competition-for-the-necessities-of-life-is/) [Greg Bear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-bear/) > [There have only been about a half dozen genuinely important events in the four-billion-year saga of life on Earth: single-celled life, multicelled life, differentiation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elon-musk/there-have-only-been-about-a-half-dozen-genuinely-important-events-in/) [Elon Musk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elon-musk/) > [Life on Earth is at an ever-increasing risk of being wiped out by disaster. ... I think the human race doesn't have a future…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-diamandis/life-on-earth-is-at-an-ever-increasing-risk-of-being-wiped-out-by/) [Peter Diamandis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-diamandis/) > [“Life on earth is a head-scratcher for anyone who's paying attention. This place has been a bad match for me since I was four.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-lamott/life-on-earth-is-a-head-scratcher-for-anyone-who-s-paying-attention/) [Anne Lamott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-lamott/) > [“Is there life on earth? Yes there is! Are there special molecules that create life on Earth that do not exist in the universe?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/is-there-life-on-earth-yes-there-is-are-there-special-molecules-that/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [You were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it. God wants you to give something back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/you-were-created-to-add-to-life-on-earth-not-just-take-from-it-god/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [“No, my point is that life on earth can take of itself. In the thinking of a human being, a hundred years is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/no-my-point-is-that-life-on-earth-can-take-of-itself-in-the-thinking/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [“One life on this earth is all we get, whether it is enough or not enough, and the obvious conclusion would seem to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/one-life-on-this-earth-is-all-we-get-whether-it-is-enough-or-not/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Science reveals that all life on Earth is one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/science-reveals-that-all-life-on-earth-is-one/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [In two or three hundred years life on earth will be unimaginably beautiful, astounding. Man needs such a life and if it hasn't yetappeared,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/in-two-or-three-hundred-years-life-on-earth-will-be-unimaginably/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [People are intimately bound up with the diversity of life on Earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-advani/people-are-intimately-bound-up-with-the-diversity-of-life-on-earth/) [Nikhil Advani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-advani/) > [Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances for survival of life on Earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nothing-will-benefit-human-health-and-increase-the-chances-for/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More by William Goldman > [“aaron would not come out aaron entered into agony.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/aaron-would-not-come-out-aaron-entered-into-agony/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“INIGO WAS IN Despair. Hard to find on the map (this was after maps) not because cartographers didn't know of its existence, but because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/inigo-was-in-despair-hard-to-find-on-the-map-this-was-after-maps-not/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [You're alive!" Fezzik cried. The man in black sat immobile, like a ventriloquist's dummy, just his mouth moving. "That is perhaps the most childishly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-re-alive-fezzik-cried-the-man-in-black-sat-immobile-like-a/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“You thought I was answering "As you wish" but that's only because you were hearing wrong. "I love you" was what it was, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-thought-i-was-answering-as-you-wish-but-that-s-only-because-you/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [One way an author dies a little each day is when his books go out of print.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/one-way-an-author-dies-a-little-each-day-is-when-his-books-go-out-of/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“And when she at last came out, her eyes were dry. Her parents stared up from their silent breakfast at her. They both started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/and-when-she-at-last-came-out-her-eyes-were-dry-her-parents-stared-up/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“En mi cuerpo no hay sitio más que para tí.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/en-mi-cuerpo-no-hay-sitio-m-s-que-para-t/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“any experience is profitable if you allow it to be, all actions are profitable, no matter how badly you may suffer from them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/any-experience-is-profitable-if-you-allow-it-to-be-all-actions-are/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [You have a dizzying intellect.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-have-a-dizzying-intellect/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“Buttercup could picture Westley rounding the final corner. There were four guards outside waiting. At ten seconds per guard, she began figuring, but then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/buttercup-could-picture-westley-rounding-the-final-corner-there-were/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“Well, you haven’t once said you loved me.’ ‘That’s all you need? Easy. I love you. Okay? Want it louder? I love you. Spell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/well-you-haven-t-once-said-you-loved-me-that-s-all-you-need-easy-i/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [You think this is a trap then?" the Count asked. "I always think everything is a trap until proven otherwise," the Prince answered. "Which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/you-think-this-is-a-trap-then-the-count-asked-i-always-think/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“He nodded, took a step away. “I’ll send for you soon. Believe me." “Would my Westley ever lie?” He took another step. “I’m late.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/he-nodded-took-a-step-away-i-ll-send-for-you-soon-believe-me-would-my/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“This was not before doctors, but in Turkey they hadn't gotten around to claiming the bone business yet; milkmen still were in charge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/this-was-not-before-doctors-but-in-turkey-they-hadn-t-gotten-around/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [“Sonny, don't you tell me what's worthwhile--true love is the best thing in the world, except for cough drops. Everybody knows that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/sonny-don-t-you-tell-me-what-s-worthwhile-true-love-is-the-best-thing/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) [Explore all 281 William Goldman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) ## More Earth quotes > [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Well, The Day the Earth Caught Fire was a story... 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'It' has been on Earth for millions of years. He's been in contact with humans…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-muschietti/mythology-is-something-that-always-has-opportunities-to-explore-it/) [Andy Muschietti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-muschietti/) > [Give me strength to walk the soft earth, a relative to all that is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/black-elk/give-me-strength-to-walk-the-soft-earth-a-relative-to-all-that-is/) [Black Elk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/black-elk/) > [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/) > [Set NOT your hearts on the flowers of this world. They shall fade and die. Prize the Rose of Sharon and the Lily of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/set-not-your-hearts-on-the-flowers-of-this-world-they-shall-fade-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Then all this earth shines like one house.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramana-maharshi/then-all-this-earth-shines-like-one-house/) [Ramana Maharshi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramana-maharshi/) > [When I get a chance to play golf or go on a boat with good people, take the boat out and put some lobsters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernie-mac/when-i-get-a-chance-to-play-golf-or-go-on-a-boat-with-good-people/) [Bernie Mac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernie-mac/) > [When man of slender visits you / Nothing on earth that one can do / In well he’ll hide, or watery hole / And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-goldstein/when-man-of-slender-visits-you-nothing-on-earth-that-one-can-do-in/) [Jack Goldstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-goldstein/) > [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/) [Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/) > [This, at last, was where things were as they ought to be. Everything was in its place -- the tree, the earth underneath, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-liedloff/this-at-last-was-where-things-were-as-they-ought-to-be-everything-was/) [Jean Liedloff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-liedloff/) > [Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 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