Hamster Wheel Quotes

“Users scroll through their feeds and look for something that isn’t there— what a perfect hamster wheel: unlimited content for a lonely soul. The miscellaneous dumpsters of the internet have sought refuge in modern consciousness.”
― Karl Kristian Flores, The Goodbye Song

“I hate burnout, but we have to listen to our body when it is pleading for us to relax more. We’re so trained to constantly be on the hamster wheel. Take a break, rest, and do something enjoyable for yourself. You’re still on track.”
― Robin S. Baker

“The future many pursue is only a step ahead:
Get to work. Get to lunch. Get to the end of the day. Get to the weekend. Pay the bills.

When you’re engaged in short-term goals, [you're] like a hamster on a wheel: expending lots of energy, but not making progress.

To exit the rat race of [one-step-ahead] day-to-day mindset requires a shift in your focus. Begin thinking much bigger and further out. [Instead of asking yourself, "what am I doing after this task?" ask yourself:] Where could you be in five years?”
― Benjamin P. Hardy, Be Your Future Self Now: The Science of Intentional Transformation

“It didn’t seem to matter whether the goals I set were constructive or destructive, both led to cycles that felt like hamster wheels with occasional treats. The constructive goals like careers, vacations, degrees, adventures, luxury and status seemed just as futile as the destructive goals like drinking, drugging, sexing, relationships, and partying. None of them brought lasting objective and subjective meaning to life. At best, they gave a temporary blip of euphoria before they faded into obscurity.”
― Michael J Heil, Pursued: God’s relentless pursuit and a drug addict’s journey to finding purpose

“I was beginning to think there was no adequate reason for our existence. I realized that so long as the main pursuit of my life boiled down to hedonism that I was more like the hamster on the wheel than I cared to admit.
As I watched the people around me chase different things, I realized I wasn’t the only one on a hamster wheel. Many college students think that partying on the weekends and filling their lives with one-night stands is the path towards satisfaction. Many adults think that education, success, luxury, vacationing and wealth are better paths. I had hoped so as well, but they were proving to be just as empty. The harder I ran towards success, the more burnt out I felt.”
― Michael J Heil, Pursued: God’s relentless pursuit and a drug addict’s journey to finding purpose