QuoteGeekFor the lines that stay with you.

People

What are we doing here, that is the question.

— Samuel Beckett · Waiting for Godot

Painterly two mismatched empty wooden chairs on a bare country road beneath a grey sky.
Original artwork
Behind the line May contain spoilers.

Our reading

An editorial interpretation.

The speaker places a simple question about present activity at the center of attention. Read more broadly, it can also ask about purpose: what does being here amount to? The line's openness allows an immediate practical uncertainty to carry a larger existential one.

Context reviewed

Share this quote