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Creativity Quote by Van Morrison

"There's always got to be a struggle. What else is there? That's what life is made of. I don't know anything else. If there is, tell me about it"

About this Quote

Van Morrison’s line lands like a half-shrug and a dare: struggle isn’t just inevitable, it’s the only language he trusts. Coming from a musician whose catalog is built on restless motion, spiritual hunger, and a lifelong suspicion of easy answers, the quote reads less like philosophy and more like self-portrait. He frames struggle as the default setting of consciousness - not heroic, not tragic, just matter-of-fact. That flatness is the point. It strips away the comforting fiction that a smooth life is the baseline and hardship the interruption.

The subtext is both defensive and invitational. “I don’t know anything else” sounds like humility, but it also stakes a claim: don’t ask me to sell you serenity if I’ve only ever earned meaning through friction. Morrison’s music often turns dissatisfaction into propulsion; he’s the kind of artist who treats longing as fuel. In that light, “What else is there?” isn’t nihilism so much as an artist’s practical credo: without resistance, there’s no rhythm, no chorus, no reason to keep reaching.

Then he pivots: “If there is, tell me about it.” That last line cracks the armor. It’s skepticism with a small window left open, a refusal to accept platitudes but a willingness to be surprised. It’s also a quiet critique of audiences who want transcendence on demand. Morrison suggests transcendence, if it exists, is inseparable from the grind that precedes it - and he’s not pretending otherwise.

Quote Details

TopicMeaning of Life
SourceHelp us find the source
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Morrison, Van. (2026, January 16). There's always got to be a struggle. What else is there? That's what life is made of. I don't know anything else. If there is, tell me about it. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/theres-always-got-to-be-a-struggle-what-else-is-129469/

Chicago Style
Morrison, Van. "There's always got to be a struggle. What else is there? That's what life is made of. I don't know anything else. If there is, tell me about it." FixQuotes. January 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/theres-always-got-to-be-a-struggle-what-else-is-129469/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"There's always got to be a struggle. What else is there? That's what life is made of. I don't know anything else. If there is, tell me about it." FixQuotes, 16 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/theres-always-got-to-be-a-struggle-what-else-is-129469/. Accessed 5 Feb. 2026.

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Van Morrison quote on struggle and artistic authenticity
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About the Author

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Van Morrison (born August 31, 1945) is a Musician from United Kingdom.

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