All is vanity, you know, ALL in the long run is but vanity and vexation of spirit.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- All human endeavors ultimately amount to nothing and cause distress.
- In plain terms
- Everything we do in the end is empty and frustrating.
- What can you take from it?
- Recognize the transient nature of worldly pursuits.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What gives your life meaning if nothing lasts?
- How do you cope with impermanence?
Another view
It overlooks personal joy found in the process rather than the outcome.
More from Joseph Heller
I'm not even sure we really had that much need for God as much as we did seem to have a need to believe in Him.
Permalink to quote #56 'If God was dead, how could I feel this bad?'
Permalink to quote #58 The last thing any sensible human being should want is immortality. As it is, life lasts too long for most of us.
Permalink to quote #55
Related quotes
It is only when we realize that life is taking us nowhere that it begins to have meaning.
P. D. OuspenskyP. D. Ouspensky quote #3 My son - and what's a son? A thing begot Within a pair of minutes, thereabout: A lump bred up in darkness.
Thomas KydThomas Kyd quote #8 There is not love of life without despair about life.
Albert CamusAlbert Camus quote #9