We only have one life (unless you’re a cat or a Buddhist) and it’s often dictated to us by what society tells us we should do. So we normalize and accept the paradox. We glamorize busy, but long to take a breath. We praise fat pay checks, but forget to be generous. We flaunt accumulation, but don’t use what we have. We value our diplomas, but forget how to be curious. We push a button on a treadmill that doesn’t take us anywhere as we look out at the park across the street. . Ellen Rowland
About This Quote

We only have one life (unless you’re a cat or a Buddhist) and it’s often dictated to us by what society tells us we should do. So we normalize and accept the paradox. We glamorize busy, but long to take a breath. We praise fat pay checks, but forget to be generous.

We flaunt accumulation, but don’t use what we have. We value our diplomas, but forget how to be curious. We push a button on a treadmill that doesn’t take us anywhere as we look out at the park across the street.

The quote suggests that people feel guilty for not being able to live up to what society teaches them they should do. They are guilty for having desires that are not aligned with what society defines as “normal” or “acceptable”. This guilt causes people to feel trapped in their lives, even though they can see many possibilities just beyond their grasp.

The message of this quote is that if people decide not to be prisoners of their own expectations, they will discover that life is not as bad as they think it is.

Source: Everything I Thought I Knew: An Exploration Of Life And Learning

Some Similar Quotes
  1. No matter how old you are now. You are never too young or too old for success or going after what you want. Here’s a short list of people who accomplished great things at different ages1) Helen Keller, at the age of 19 months, became... - Pablo
  2. I don't care if you're black, white, straight, bisexual, gay, lesbian, short, tall, fat, skinny, rich or poor. If you're nice to me, I'll be nice to you. Simple as that. - Robert Michaels
  3. Keep your best wishes, close to your heart and watch what happens - Tony Deliso
  4. I find the best way to love someone is not to change them, but instead, help them reveal the greatest version of themselves. - Steve Maraboli
  5. Plant seeds of happiness, hope, success, and love; it will all come back to you in abundance. This is the law of nature. - Steve Maraboli
More Quotes By Ellen Rowland
  1. We only have one life (unless you’re a cat or a Buddhist) and it’s often dictated to us by what society tells us we should do. So we normalize and accept the paradox. We glamorize busy, but long to take a breath. We praise fat...
Related Topics