There's an old saying: 'No piece of writing is ever finished, it's just abandoned.' But my own rule is: No piece of work is done until you want to kill everyone involved in the publishing process, especially yourself.
Chuck PalahniukRead
I'm not sure what we're running from. Nobody. Or the future. Fate. Growing up. Getting old. Picking up the pieces. As if running we won't have to get on with our lives.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote reflects on the human tendency to avoid confronting life's realities, such as maturity and fate.
In this quote, Chuck Palahniuk explores the idea that people often find themselves running away from various aspects of life, including personal challenges and the inevitability of aging. It suggests that instead of facing these truths, individuals may choose to escape or avoid dealing with them, leading to a superficial existence where they fail to fully engage with their lives. This highlights the struggle between the desire to flee from discomfort and the necessity of confronting life's realities head-on.
Themes
LifeFateGrowing UpRunningConfrontation
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech to encourage people to face their challenges.
More from Chuck Palahniuk
All quotes →Griping isn't the same as creating something. Rebelling isn't rebuilding. Ridiculing isn't replacing. We've taken the world apart but we have no idea what to do with the pieces.
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If we can forgive what’s been done to us... If we can forgive what we’ve done to others... If we can leave all of our stories behind. Our being villains or victims. Only then can we maybe rescue the world.
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We're all trapped. It's always 1734. All of us, we're stuck in the same time capsule, the same as those television shows where the same people are marooned on the same desert island for thirty seasons and never age or escape. They just wear more makeup. In a creepy way, those shows are maybe too authentic.
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One thing I really envy about my friends who have kids is that as their children develop, they're able to revisit their own developmental stages and recognise themselves and undo a lot of things they decided.
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If you knew that your life was merely a phase or short, short segment of your entire existence, how would you live? Knowing nothing 'real' was at risk, what would you do? You'd live a gigantic, bold, fun, dazzling life. You know you would. That's what the ghosts want us to do - all the exciting things they no longer can.
Chuck PalahniukRead
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