--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Every individual existence goes out in a…" description: "\"Every individual existence goes out in a lonely spasm of helpless agony.\" — William James" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/william-james-228_agony_every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a_1584836.png" --- # Every individual existence goes out in a lonely spasm of… ![“Every individual existence goes out in a lonely spasm of helpless agony.” quote by William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/william-james-228_agony_every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a_1584836.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/william-james-228_agony_every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a_1584836.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/william-james-228_agony_every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a_1584836.png) > “Every individual existence goes out in a lonely spasm of helpless agony.” [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Existence feels isolated and painful, highlighting the universal experience of loneliness and existential angst. **In simple terms:** Life can feel lonely and painful. Key Takeaway Seek connection to alleviate existential loneliness. Themes existential loneliness human condition Mood somber empathetic Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - mental health therapy - artistic expression - spiritual practice - friendship Key Concepts psychology philosophy suffering Questions to Reflect On - What brings meaning amid loneliness? - How can you support others feeling isolated? A Different Perspective May overlook moments of joy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Agony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Helpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helpless/) [Helpless Agony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/helpless-agony-3749266/) [Individual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/individual/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loneliness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loneliness/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Lonely Spasm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely-spasm-5994245/) [Shambles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shambles/) [Spasm Helpless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spasm-helpless-5994244/) [Suffering](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/suffering/) ## Related quotes > [“The normal process of life contains moments as bad as any of those which insane melancholy is filled with, moments in which radical evil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-ligotti/the-normal-process-of-life-contains-moments-as-bad-as-any-of-those/) [Thomas Ligotti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-ligotti/) > [The lunatic's visions of horror are all drawn from the material of daily fact. Our civilization is founded on the shambles, and every individual…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-lunatic-s-visions-of-horror-are-all-drawn-from-the-material-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The lunatic's visions of horror are all drawn from the material of daily fact.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-lunatic-s-visions-of-horror-are-all-drawn-from-the-material-of-2/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [I'M SAD, because another young life was lost from his family, the racial divide has widened, a community is in shambles, accusations, insensitivity hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-watson/i-m-sad-because-another-young-life-was-lost-from-his-family-the/) [Benjamin Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-watson/) > [In the shambles of love they kill only the best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/in-the-shambles-of-love-they-kill-only-the-best/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [It's important for me to have hope because that's my job as a parent, to have hope, for my kids, that we're not going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cameron/it-s-important-for-me-to-have-hope-because-that-s-my-job-as-a-parent/) [James Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cameron/) > [Gross and obscure natures, however decorated, seem impure shambles; but character gives splendor to youth, and awe to wrinkled skin and gray hairs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/gross-and-obscure-natures-however-decorated-seem-impure-shambles-but/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A minute analysis of life at once destroys that splendor which dazzles the imagination. Whatsoever grandeur can display, or luxury enjoy, is procured by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-minute-analysis-of-life-at-once-destroys-that-splendor-which/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [What’s any artist, but the dregs of his work?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gaddis/what-s-any-artist-but-the-dregs-of-his-work/) [William Gaddis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gaddis/) > [We know about General John Kelly's military experience and his record there and being a decorated veteran of combat over in Iraq in particular.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-king/we-know-about-general-john-kelly-s-military-experience-and-his-record/) [Steve King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-king/) > [Students of history are horror-struck at the massacres of old; but in the shambles, men are being murdered to-day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/students-of-history-are-horror-struck-at-the-massacres-of-old-but-in/) [Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/) > [about ten days ago I got started on a new book, and am completely, brazenly devoted to it: my hair is uncut, my letters…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/about-ten-days-ago-i-got-started-on-a-new-book-and-am-completely/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [Funny bones, to me, are more important than funny lines. If a comedian is just not likable and doing the lines, you could read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/funny-bones-to-me-are-more-important-than-funny-lines-if-a-comedian/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [Its contempt for citizens ... is so routine, and so unlimited, that the agency has become a kind of Frankenstein, running wild and terrorizing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/its-contempt-for-citizens-is-so-routine-and-so-unlimited-that-the/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [“Funding for the Special Operations Network comes directly from the government. Most work is centralized, but all of the SpecOps divisions have local representatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/funding-for-the-special-operations-network-comes-directly-from-the/) [Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/) ## More by William James > [Effort is the one strictly undervalued and original contribution we make to this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/effort-is-the-one-strictly-undervalued-and-original-contribution-we/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We are all potentially such sick men. The sanest and best of us are of one clay with lunatics and prison-inmates. And whenever we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-are-all-potentially-such-sick-men-the-sanest-and-best-of-us-are-of/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [In the dim background of our mind we know meanwhile what we ought to be doing: getting up, dressing ourselves, answering the person who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/in-the-dim-background-of-our-mind-we-know-meanwhile-what-we-ought-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Our minds thus grow in spots; and like grease-spots, the spots spread. But we let them spread as little as possible: we keep unaltered…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/our-minds-thus-grow-in-spots-and-like-grease-spots-the-spots-spread/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Circumstance does not make me, it reveals me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/circumstance-does-not-make-me-it-reveals-me/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > ['Facts' are the bounds of human knowledge, set for it, not by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/facts-are-the-bounds-of-human-knowledge-set-for-it-not-by-it/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Woe to him whose beliefs play fast and loose with the order which realities follow in his experience; they will lead him nowhere or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/woe-to-him-whose-beliefs-play-fast-and-loose-with-the-order-which/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [We never fully grasp the import of any true statement until we have a clear notion of what the opposite untrue statement would be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/we-never-fully-grasp-the-import-of-any-true-statement-until-we-have-a/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is your friends who make your world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-your-friends-who-make-your-world/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitudes of mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-can-alter-their-lives-by-altering-their-attitudes-of-mind/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [Most people, probably, are in doubt about certain matters ascribed to their past. They may have seen them, may have said them, done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/most-people-probably-are-in-doubt-about-certain-matters-ascribed-to/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“How soon, indeed, are human things forgotten! As we meet here this morning, the Southern sun is shining on their place of burial, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/how-soon-indeed-are-human-things-forgotten-as-we-meet-here-this/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [There can be no difference anywhere that does not make a difference somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/there-can-be-no-difference-anywhere-that-does-not-make-a-difference/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [It is wrong always, everywhere, and for everyone, to believe anything upon insufficient evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/it-is-wrong-always-everywhere-and-for-everyone-to-believe-anything/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [The pragmatist turns away from abstraction and insufficiency, from verbal solutions, from bad a priori reasons, from fixed principles, closed systems, and pretended absolutes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/the-pragmatist-turns-away-from-abstraction-and-insufficiency-from/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) [Explore all 854 William James quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) ## More Agony quotes > [Many Republicans have always reminded me of professional WWF wrestlers. They come into the ring all pumped up and acting like they're invincible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feig/many-republicans-have-always-reminded-me-of-professional-wwf/) [Paul Feig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feig/) > [“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/) > [ “\[W\]e must learn to accommodate ourselves to the discovery that some of those cunningly-fashioned instruments called human souls have only a very limited range… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-eliot/w-e-must-learn-to-accommodate-ourselves-to-the-discovery-that-some-of/) [George Eliot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-eliot/) > [As we look upon that agony and those tearful prayers, let us not only look with thankfulness; but let that kneeling Saviour teach us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-maclaren/as-we-look-upon-that-agony-and-those-tearful-prayers-let-us-not-only/) [Alexander MacLaren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-maclaren/) > [Love masters agony; the soul that seemed Forsaken feels her present God again And in her Father's arms Contented dies away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keble/love-masters-agony-the-soul-that-seemed-forsaken-feels-her-present/) [John Keble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keble/) > [I have seen war. I have seen war on land and sea. I have seen blood running from the wounded. I have seen men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franklin-d-roosevelt/i-have-seen-war-i-have-seen-war-on-land-and-sea-i-have-seen-blood/) [Franklin D. Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franklin-d-roosevelt/) > [“Anger was a reliable defense, but one that allowed no chance of final victory. Anger was a medicine but never a cure, briefly numbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/anger-was-a-reliable-defense-but-one-that-allowed-no-chance-of-final/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [The cure is in the house, not brought by other hands from distant places, but by its own, in agony and blood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/the-cure-is-in-the-house-not-brought-by-other-hands-from-distant/) [Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/) > [Sometimes, a lie is told in kindness. I don't believe it ever works kindly. The quick pain of truth can pass away, but the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/sometimes-a-lie-is-told-in-kindness-i-don-t-believe-it-ever-works/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) > [The young man shivered. He rolled the stock themes of fantasy over in his mind: cars and stockbrokers and commuters, housewives and police, agony…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/the-young-man-shivered-he-rolled-the-stock-themes-of-fantasy-over-in/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [Being ill like this combines shock - this time I will die - with a pain and agony that are unfamiliar, that wrench me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-brodkey/being-ill-like-this-combines-shock-this-time-i-will-die-with-a-pain/) [Harold Brodkey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-brodkey/) > [One often learns more from ten days of agony than ten years of contentment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merle-shain/one-often-learns-more-from-ten-days-of-agony-than-ten-years-of/) [Merle Shain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merle-shain/) > [There’s been a problem, a problem eating away at me from the inside out. I’ve become weak, I’ve shown human compassion, and it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kane/there-s-been-a-problem-a-problem-eating-away-at-me-from-the-inside/) [Kane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kane/) > [Pay special attention to their agony so I might take some pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/euripides/pay-special-attention-to-their-agony-so-i-might-take-some-pleasure/) [Euripides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/euripides/) > [Die, enemies of Ra!" Sekhemet yelled. "Perish in agony!" "She's almost as annoying as you," I told Horus. "Impossible," Horus said. "No one bests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/die-enemies-of-ra-sekhemet-yelled-perish-in-agony-she-s-almost-as/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) [Browse all 813 Agony quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/agony/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Every individual existence goes out in a lonely spasm of helpless agony.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William James" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a-lonely-spasm-of-helpless/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Agony" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a-lonely-spasm-of-helpless/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/william-james-228_agony_every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a_1584836.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/william-james-228_agony_every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a_1584836.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e3/william-james-228_agony_every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a_1584836.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Every individual existence goes out in a lonely spasm of helpless agony.” — William James", "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": "William James", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Every individual existence goes out in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a-lonely-spasm-of-helpless/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/every-individual-existence-goes-out-in-a-lonely-spasm-of-helpless/#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 } } ] } ```