“Life is like arriving late for a movie, having to figure out what was going on without bothering everybody with a lot of questions, and then being unexpectedly called away before you find out how it ends.”- Joseph Campbell, American mythologist & writer
🧠 Who was Joseph Campbell?
- Lived: 1904-1987
- Known as: One of the most influential mythologists and storytellers of the 20th century
- Famous for:
- Developing the concept of the Hero’s Journey (the monomyth)
- Inspiring creators such as George Lucas (Star Wars)
- Writing seminal works like The Hero with a Thousand Faces
- Contributions:
- Revealed the deep similarities among world myths and religions
- Showed how stories shape human identity, purpose, and meaning
- Encouraged people to “Follow your bliss,” a phrase now iconic in self-discovery and creativity
Campbell’s quote is a poetic reflection on the human condition.
He suggests that life is mysterious, fragmented, and often incomplete. We enter the world mid-story, trying to understand our purpose while navigating uncertainty, only to leave before the grand narrative fully reveals itself.
Rather than seeing this as tragic, Campbell invites us to embrace the wonder of the unknown, the curiosity that drives us, and the humility that comes from realizing we are part of a story far larger than ourselves.
Life may not give us all the answers, but it gives us all the questions that matter.
How will you make meaning in the part of the story you get to live?