--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Life is a vacation from two eternities…" description: "\"Life is a vacation from two eternities, who wants to waste those precious years worrying about what happens when you get back to forever?\" — William S...." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/william-s-burroughs-528_eternity_life-is-a-vacation-from-two-eternities-w_198723.png" --- # Life is a vacation from two eternities, who wants to waste… ![“Life is a vacation from two eternities, who wants to waste those precious years worrying about what happens when you get back to forever?” quote by William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/william-s-burroughs-528_eternity_life-is-a-vacation-from-two-eternities-w_198723.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/william-s-burroughs-528_eternity_life-is-a-vacation-from-two-eternities-w_198723.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6a7/william-s-burroughs-528_eternity_life-is-a-vacation-from-two-eternities-w_198723.png) > “Life is a vacation from two eternities, who wants to waste those precious years worrying about what happens when you get back to forever?” [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is fleeting; treat it as a brief holiday between endless past and future, not a time to dread. **In simple terms:** Life is a short break between endless time. Key Takeaway Live fully, avoid needless worry. Themes mortality time mindfulness Mood reflective urgent Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily routine - career planning - relationships - health decisions Key Concepts existentialism impermanence Questions to Reflect On - How can you honor the present without fearing the unknown? - What habits help you savor each moment? A Different Perspective Worry can still be useful for risk management. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eternity/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Vacation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vacation/) [Waste](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/waste/) [Worry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worry/) ## Related quotes > [Life is a vacation from two eternities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-vacation-from-two-eternities/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“When he has obtained those things which are necessary to life, there is another alternative than to obtain the superfluities; and that is, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/when-he-has-obtained-those-things-which-are-necessary-to-life-there/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [What happens to you here is forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/what-happens-to-you-here-is-forever/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Life is a series of dreams, a series of interlocking awarenesses. I don't necessarily believe in linear time. Everything happens all at once forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/life-is-a-series-of-dreams-a-series-of-interlocking-awarenesses-i-don/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [“All those years when Ronni thought she was sick, all those years convinced that every mole was melanoma, every cough was lung cancer, every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-green/all-those-years-when-ronni-thought-she-was-sick-all-those-years/) [Jane Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-green/) > [I wasted years worrying about what other people thought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-wasted-years-worrying-about-what-other-people-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You feel like half of your life is a vacation when you go to these Barcelona music festivals and have all day to sound…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hamilton-leithauser/you-feel-like-half-of-your-life-is-a-vacation-when-you-go-to-these/) [Hamilton Leithauser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hamilton-leithauser/) > [Life is a vacation God gives to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celedonio-romero/life-is-a-vacation-god-gives-to-you/) Celedonio Romero > [For most of my life, the U.S. was never anything more than vacation memories.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mona-eltahawy/for-most-of-my-life-the-u-s-was-never-anything-more-than-vacation/) [Mona Eltahawy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mona-eltahawy/) > [You would think people who call themselves pro-life would want to make sure that our children are educated, that people could work and live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nina-turner/you-would-think-people-who-call-themselves-pro-life-would-want-to/) [Nina Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nina-turner/) > [The only way you can stay on top is to remember to touch bottom and get back to basics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-black/the-only-way-you-can-stay-on-top-is-to-remember-to-touch-bottom-and/) [Shane Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-black/) > [Music is my personal addiction. 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I would say that you need to be a conservative, but you need to maintain your independent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-tantaros/play-small-ball-get-back-to-basics-i-would-say-that-you-need-to-be-a/) [Andrea Tantaros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-tantaros/) > [Meanwhile someone is shining my head to get it dry to attach my top-hat to my head with toupee tape. I get into microphone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tituss-burgess/meanwhile-someone-is-shining-my-head-to-get-it-dry-to-attach-my-top/) [Tituss Burgess](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tituss-burgess/) ## More by William S. Burroughs > [“Control never be a means to any practical end. It can never be a means to anything but more control… Like punk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/control-never-be-a-means-to-any-practical-end-it-can-never-be-a-means/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Well as, one judge said to the other, 'Be just and if you can't be just be arbitrary.' Regret cannot observe customary obscenities.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/well-as-one-judge-said-to-the-other-be-just-and-if-you-can-t-be-just/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say 'I want to see the manager.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/after-one-look-at-this-planet-any-visitor-from-outer-space-would-say/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [For seven days she lay in bed looking sullenly at the ceiling as though resenting the death she had cultivated for so many years.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-seven-days-she-lay-in-bed-looking-sullenly-at-the-ceiling-as/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [When you stop growing you start dying.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-you-stop-growing-you-start-dying/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [Life is a cutup. And to pretend that you write or paint in a timeless vacuum is just simply . . . not .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/life-is-a-cutup-and-to-pretend-that-you-write-or-paint-in-a-timeless/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [When all lies, deceit, pretense is stripped away, what remains? The truth of a painting, or a book or a man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/when-all-lies-deceit-pretense-is-stripped-away-what-remains-the-truth/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“There is no final enough of wisdom, experience - any fucking thing. No Holy Grail, No Final Satori, no solution. Just conflict. Only thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/there-is-no-final-enough-of-wisdom-experience-any-fucking-thing-no/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“For John Dillinger In hope he is still alive Thanksgiving Day, November 28, 1986 In hope he is still alive Thanks for the wild…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/for-john-dillinger-in-hope-he-is-still-alive-thanksgiving-day/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“Did I ever tell you about the man who taught his asshole to talk? His whole abdomen would move up and down, you dig,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/did-i-ever-tell-you-about-the-man-who-taught-his-asshole-to-talk-his/) [William S. 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Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [ \[Arab peoples\] are stuck back thousands of years and they think they're going to get out with a TV set. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/arab-peoples-are-stuck-back-thousands-of-years-and-they-think-they-re/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) > [“It is not the intensity but the duration of pain that breaks the will to resist.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-s-burroughs/it-is-not-the-intensity-but-the-duration-of-pain-that-breaks-the-will/) [William S. Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) [Explore all 484 William S. Burroughs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-s-burroughs/) ## More Eternity quotes > [“I believe in forever, and that’s what you and I are. We define eternity. 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And there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-kuyper/there-are-two-kinds-of-beauty-there-is-a-beauty-which-god-gives-at/) [Abraham Kuyper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-kuyper/) > [If I have a system it is limited to a recognition of what Kierkegaard called 'the infinite qualitative distinction' between time and eternity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-barth/if-i-have-a-system-it-is-limited-to-a-recognition-of-what-kierkegaard/) [Karl Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-barth/) > [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [The religion of art, like the religion of politics, was born from the ruins of Christianity. Art inherited from the old religion the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/the-religion-of-art-like-the-religion-of-politics-was-born-from-the/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [I think we all have a core that's ecstatic, that knows and that looks up in wonder. We all know that there are marvelous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-barks/i-think-we-all-have-a-core-that-s-ecstatic-that-knows-and-that-looks/) [Coleman Barks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-barks/) > [One of our great allies at present is the Church itself. Do not misunderstand me. I do not mean the Church as we see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/one-of-our-great-allies-at-present-is-the-church-itself-do-not/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [Heaven? Floating about with everyone you ever knew for eternity? Me family does me 'ed in after one day at xmas, I'd rather be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-pilkington/heaven-floating-about-with-everyone-you-ever-knew-for-eternity-me/) [Karl Pilkington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-pilkington/) > [What does the future, that half of time, matter to the man who is infatuated with eternity?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emile-m-cioran/what-does-the-future-that-half-of-time-matter-to-the-man-who-is/) [Emile M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emile-m-cioran/) > [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. 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