Joe Rogan Reveals How To Escape A Life Of ‘Quiet Desperation’

"The safe path leaves you stuck in quiet desperation – almost every time."

Joe Rogan Reveals How To Escape A Life Of ‘Quiet Desperation’

During episode 1299 of the Joe Rogan Experience, the UF commentator, comedian and podcast host shared his take on how men get stuck living lives of “quiet desperation” and how – in his opinion – you can break out of such a life.


While speaking to Annie Jacobsen – an investigative journalist, author, and a 2016 Pulitzer Prize finalist – Joe Rogan made a point during episode 1299 of the Joe Rogan Experience that resonates today more than ever. Speaking about the famous quote “men lead lives of quiet desperation,” which may have come from either Pink Floyd or Henry David Thoreau (depending on where you get your moral philosophy), Rogan said it’s “one of my favourite quotes ever, because it’s true and I’ve been that guy.”

“You’re just in this world where you just can’t wait to run away.”

Joe Rogan

Rogan reckons people get stuck there because of “bills and commitment,” adding: “You have an apartment you have to pay for. You have a car you leased. You have a wife… you have a child you have to raise… you have your mortgage, you have your this you have your that – that’s where it all comes from. When you’re young and you don’t have any responsibility, that’s when you have your options.”

Rogan added: “Your options are severly limited the moment you gather responsibilities. If I had to, as a 51-year-old father of 3 – [a] married man who pays taxes, has a house, a mortgage and a business – if I had to quit everything now and struggle the way I struggled as a stand-up comedian it would never work. The only way I could be this person now is if I took that chance when I was 21, when I was dead broke and had my cars repossessed and all that stuff – that’s the only way you get where you want to go.”

To avoid living a life of quiet desperation, Rogan said: “You have to take a path that’s dangerous and most people want to take the safe path and the safe path leaves you stuck in quiet desperation – almost every time. It’s hell: you’re selling insurance or some other stuff that you care zero about.”

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“The way you can change, you have to plan it out… You have to put aside enough money to give yourself a window; you have to spend all your waking hours outside of whatever sh*t job you do planning your escape and you have to come to the realisation very clearly that you f***ed up.”

“You got yourself stuck, so whatever you’re doing, you have to do it like your life depends on it – whether you’re trying to be an author and you’re working 8 hours a day plus commuting (plus family responsibilities) or whatever else, in whatever time you have you [have got to] attack like you’re trying to save the world.”

“You don’t want to drown. The one and a half hours a day you’ve got to write, you have got to be caffeinated and motivated. You have got to get after it; you got to have discipline. Most people don’t have those things. Most people don’t know what it’s like to really go for something and… the consequences of not doing that are horrific.”

Rogan also reckons this concept of quiet desperation is why so many men follow guys like Dan Bilzerian. Rogan spoke about this on another podcast episode, saying: “there’s a lot of people out there stuck in cubicles, stuck in jobs, they’re tired all the time… there’s not a lot of joy and then they go on your Instagram and you’re f***ing jet skiing… and shooting guns in your underwear.”

Food for thought for your Thursday. And maybe time to get that nest egg building…

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