--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: However, by Sunday noon--not…" description: "\"“However, by Sunday noon--not coincidentally, the unhappiest hour in America--you may have run through your options and wind up slumped on a couch, suf..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/856/winifred-gallagher-23647_existential-crisis_however-by-sunday-noon-not-coincidentall_424537.jpg" --- # However, by Sunday noon--not coincidentally, the… ![“However, by Sunday noon--not coincidentally, the unhappiest hour in America--you may have run through your options and wind up slumped on a couch, suffering from the Sabbath existential crisis. It's at just such unfocused, unproductive times, says Csikszentmihalyi, that "people start ruminating…” quote by Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/856/winifred-gallagher-23647_existential-crisis_however-by-sunday-noon-not-coincidentall_424537.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/856/winifred-gallagher-23647_existential-crisis_however-by-sunday-noon-not-coincidentall_424537.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/856/winifred-gallagher-23647_existential-crisis_however-by-sunday-noon-not-coincidentall_424537.jpg) > ““However, by Sunday noon--not coincidentally, the unhappiest hour in America--you may have run through your options and wind up slumped on a couch, suffering from the Sabbath existential crisis. It's at just such unfocused, unproductive times, says Csikszentmihalyi, that "people start ruminating and feeling that their lives are wasted and so forth.”” [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. On lazy Sundays, people may feel wasted and start ruminating, leading to an existential crisis about purpose. **In simple terms:** Idle time can trigger feelings of life being unproductive. Key Takeaway Use downtime for reflection, not rumination. Themes productivity existential rumination leisure Mood thoughtful calm Type advice reflective When to use this quote - weekend planning - creative projects - mental health breaks Key Concepts psychology mindfulness time management Questions to Reflect On - How can you turn idle time into purposeful reflection? - What activities prevent rumination for you? A Different Perspective Not all idle moments are harmful; they can foster insight. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Existential crisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existential-crisis/) [Sabbath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sabbath/) [Sunday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunday/) ## Related quotes > [We have an existential crisis, which is the climate crisis. Canada is one of the laggards in the industrialized world. Our record is terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-may/we-have-an-existential-crisis-which-is-the-climate-crisis-canada-is/) [Elizabeth May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-may/) > [I thought I was having an existential crisis, but it was nothing. Please don't tailgate: body in trunk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-thought-i-was-having-an-existential-crisis-but-it-was-nothing/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [“I don’t know who I am, and who I’m not, I don’t know who I’m supposed to be, and I miss who I was;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/i-don-t-know-who-i-am-and-who-i-m-not-i-don-t-know-who-i-m-supposed/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [“You could call it “hitting bottom” or “having an existential crisis.” I prefer to call it “weathering the shitstorm.” Choose what suits you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/you-could-call-it-hitting-bottom-or-having-an-existential-crisis-i/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [I don't know any 21-year-old who's not having an existential crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-purnell/i-don-t-know-any-21-year-old-who-s-not-having-an-existential-crisis/) [Ella Purnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-purnell/) > [“ACTION WILL BE YOUR LEGACY “He who has a vehement desire for posthumous fame does not consider that every one of those who remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-eschenroeder/action-will-be-your-legacy-he-who-has-a-vehement-desire-for/) [Kyle Eschenroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-eschenroeder/) > [I had an existential crisis at the Oscars, sitting next to Sean Penn and Meryl Streep, and being like, 'What am I doing here?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-adams/i-had-an-existential-crisis-at-the-oscars-sitting-next-to-sean-penn/) [Amy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-adams/) > [We like existentially wacky characters who exist in existential crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-russo/we-like-existentially-wacky-characters-who-exist-in-existential-crisis/) [Joe Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-russo/) > [“In order to build a truly wise society devoid of any kind of existential crisis, it is imperative that the individuals foster a healthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/in-order-to-build-a-truly-wise-society-devoid-of-any-kind-of/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [“A period of darkness is essential in order to expand personal awareness. Experiencing sadness and loss makes a person appreciative of life, more tenderhearted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-period-of-darkness-is-essential-in-order-to-expand-personal/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [Error ... is less an intellectual problem than an existential one - a crisis not in what we know, but in who we are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/error-is-less-an-intellectual-problem-than-an-existential-one-a/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [Huge public spending and borrowing in the face of an existential crisis is clearly the right thing to do, as is putting people's health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lucas/huge-public-spending-and-borrowing-in-the-face-of-an-existential/) [Caroline Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lucas/) > [I write very rarely. Only, in fact, when the sheet of paper suffers an existential crisis and threatens, if I don't surrender to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-dimoula/i-write-very-rarely-only-in-fact-when-the-sheet-of-paper-suffers-an/) [Kiki Dimoula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-dimoula/) > [“My robust lexicon notwithstanding, I struggle to find the right words to describe just how much I despise, hate, abhor, revile, detest and categorically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/my-robust-lexicon-notwithstanding-i-struggle-to-find-the-right-words/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > ['Atomic Blonde' is about the characters' bigger existential crisis and their world. It's not so much the conceit of the spy game; it's more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-leitch/atomic-blonde-is-about-the-characters-bigger-existential-crisis-and/) [David Leitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-leitch/) ## More by Winifred Gallagher > [“Where visual artists are concerned, the Baroque sculptor and architect Bernini and the painter and sculptor Picasso were clearly adept at both experiential and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/where-visual-artists-are-concerned-the-baroque-sculptor-and-architect/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“Because you actually might not know what activities truly engage your attention and satisfy you, he says, it can be helpful to keep a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/because-you-actually-might-not-know-what-activities-truly-engage-your/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“Over time, a commitment to challenging, focused work and leisure produces not only better daily experience, but also a more complex, interesting person: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/over-time-a-commitment-to-challenging-focused-work-and-leisure/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“Research shows that when they confront a potentially unpleasant situation, such as some unfriendly faces at a gathering, these extraverts are apt to shift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/research-shows-that-when-they-confront-a-potentially-unpleasant/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“Yet he argued that even a tedious topic can take on a certain fascination if you make an effort to look at it afresh:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/yet-he-argued-that-even-a-tedious-topic-can-take-on-a-certain/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“Once out of your cradle, you don't focus on the world in the abstract, perceiving things for the first time, but in synchrony with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/once-out-of-your-cradle-you-don-t-focus-on-the-world-in-the-abstract/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“Temperamentally anxious people can have a hard time staying motivated, period, because their intense focus on their worries distracts them from their goals.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/temperamentally-anxious-people-can-have-a-hard-time-staying-motivated/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“Einstein didn't invent the theory of relativity while he was multitasking at the Swiss patent office." quoting, David Meyer, a cognitive scientist at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/einstein-didn-t-invent-the-theory-of-relativity-while-he-was/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“In a variation on James's recipe for interesting experience--the familiar leavened by the novel--Hobbs's "art of choosing difficulties" requires selecting projects that are "just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/in-a-variation-on-james-s-recipe-for-interesting-experience-the/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“I'll live the focused life, because it's the best kind there is.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/i-ll-live-the-focused-life-because-it-s-the-best-kind-there-is/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“Whenever you squander attention on something that doesn’t put your brain through its paces and stimulate change, your mind stagnates a little and life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/whenever-you-squander-attention-on-something-that-doesn-t-put-your/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“Among these temperamentally unhappy campers are "reactant" personalities, who focus on what they often wrongly perceive as others' attempts to control them. In one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/among-these-temperamentally-unhappy-campers-are-reactant/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“After he wrote The Paradox of Choice, Schwartz got fervent amens from European governments as well as individual readers for insisting that the management…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/after-he-wrote-the-paradox-of-choice-schwartz-got-fervent-amens-from/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“Living the focused life is not about trying to feel happy all the time…rather, it’s about treating your mind as you would a private…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/living-the-focused-life-is-not-about-trying-to-feel-happy-all-the/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) > [“People who are diagnosed as having "generalized anxiety disorder" are afflicted by three major problems that many of us experience to a lesser extent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-gallagher/people-who-are-diagnosed-as-having-generalized-anxiety-disorder-are/) [Winifred Gallagher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) [Explore all 25 Winifred Gallagher quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-gallagher/) ## More Existential crisis quotes > [We have an existential crisis, which is the climate crisis. Canada is one of the laggards in the industrialized world. Our record is terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-may/we-have-an-existential-crisis-which-is-the-climate-crisis-canada-is/) [Elizabeth May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-may/) > [“My robust lexicon notwithstanding, I struggle to find the right words to describe just how much I despise, hate, abhor, revile, detest and categorically…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-held-evans/my-robust-lexicon-notwithstanding-i-struggle-to-find-the-right-words/) [Rachel Held Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-held-evans/) > [I write very rarely. Only, in fact, when the sheet of paper suffers an existential crisis and threatens, if I don't surrender to it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiki-dimoula/i-write-very-rarely-only-in-fact-when-the-sheet-of-paper-suffers-an/) [Kiki Dimoula](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiki-dimoula/) > [Huge public spending and borrowing in the face of an existential crisis is clearly the right thing to do, as is putting people's health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-lucas/huge-public-spending-and-borrowing-in-the-face-of-an-existential/) [Caroline Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-lucas/) > [Error ... is less an intellectual problem than an existential one - a crisis not in what we know, but in who we are.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/error-is-less-an-intellectual-problem-than-an-existential-one-a/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [“A period of darkness is essential in order to expand personal awareness. Experiencing sadness and loss makes a person appreciative of life, more tenderhearted,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kilroy-j-oldster/a-period-of-darkness-is-essential-in-order-to-expand-personal/) [Kilroy J. Oldster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kilroy-j-oldster/) > [“In order to build a truly wise society devoid of any kind of existential crisis, it is imperative that the individuals foster a healthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/in-order-to-build-a-truly-wise-society-devoid-of-any-kind-of/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [We like existentially wacky characters who exist in existential crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-russo/we-like-existentially-wacky-characters-who-exist-in-existential-crisis/) [Joe Russo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-russo/) > [I had an existential crisis at the Oscars, sitting next to Sean Penn and Meryl Streep, and being like, 'What am I doing here?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-adams/i-had-an-existential-crisis-at-the-oscars-sitting-next-to-sean-penn/) [Amy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-adams/) > [“ACTION WILL BE YOUR LEGACY “He who has a vehement desire for posthumous fame does not consider that every one of those who remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyle-eschenroeder/action-will-be-your-legacy-he-who-has-a-vehement-desire-for/) [Kyle Eschenroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyle-eschenroeder/) > [I don't know any 21-year-old who's not having an existential crisis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-purnell/i-don-t-know-any-21-year-old-who-s-not-having-an-existential-crisis/) [Ella Purnell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-purnell/) > [“You could call it “hitting bottom” or “having an existential crisis.” I prefer to call it “weathering the shitstorm.” Choose what suits you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/you-could-call-it-hitting-bottom-or-having-an-existential-crisis-i/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“I don’t know who I am, and who I’m not, I don’t know who I’m supposed to be, and I miss who I was;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-schwab/i-don-t-know-who-i-am-and-who-i-m-not-i-don-t-know-who-i-m-supposed/) [Victoria Schwab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-schwab/) > [I thought I was having an existential crisis, but it was nothing. Please don't tailgate: body in trunk.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/i-thought-i-was-having-an-existential-crisis-but-it-was-nothing/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > ['Atomic Blonde' is about the characters' bigger existential crisis and their world. It's not so much the conceit of the spy game; it's more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-leitch/atomic-blonde-is-about-the-characters-bigger-existential-crisis-and/) [David Leitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-leitch/) [Browse all 77 Existential crisis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existential-crisis/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“However, by Sunday noon--not coincidentally, the unhappiest hour in America--you may have run through your options and wind up slumped on a couch, suffering from the Sabbath existential crisis. 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