Our lives don't really belong to us, you see—they belong to the world, and in spite of our efforts to make sense of it, the world is a place beyond our understanding.

About Paul Auster

Paul Benjamin Auster (February 3, 1947 – April 30, 2024) was an American writer, novelist, memoirist, poet, and filmmaker. His notable works include The New York Trilogy (1987), Moon Palace (1989), The Music of Chance (1990), True Tales of American Life (2001), The Book of Illusions (2002), The Brooklyn Follies...

More quotations from Paul Auster

People say you have to travel to see the world. Sometimes I think that if you just stay in one place and keep your eyes open, you're going to see just about all that you can handle.

—Paul Auster

More quotations tagged with “effort”

The fifteen-year-old daughter of a friend once addressed the old Carl Jung as follows: "Herr Professor, you are so clever. Could you please tell me the shortest path to my life's goal?" Without a moment's hesitation Jung replied, "The detour!

—Richard Kehl

effort goals detour

A team effort is a lot of people doing what I say.

—Michael Winner

effort control team

Relationships take work. Hours and days and years of getting close to that person. That's real love, real intimacy.

—Karen Kingsbury in A Time to Embrace

love relationships work effort intimacy

There is nothing man will not attempt when great enterprises hold out the promise of great rewards.

—Livy

chance effort reward

Give yourself something to work toward—constantly.

—Mary Kay Ash

work effort constancy

History

23 Nov 2014 Added
26 Oct 2026 Wording changed

Previous wording

Our lives don't really belong to us, you see — they belong to the world, and in spite of our efforts to make sense of it, the world is a place beyond our understanding.