This is my favourite (spot the Brit) quote about life, unparalleled only by Matthew Arnold's poem:
'Weary of myself, and sick of asking
What I am, and what I ought to be,
At this vessel's prow I stand, which bears me
Forwards, forwards, o'er the starlit sea.'
I find it incredible that Matthew Arnold is so accessible, despite being a Victoriana.
Anyway here is Alfred De Souza:
'For a long time it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But here was always some obstacle in the way, something to be gotten through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, or a debt to be paid. Then life would begin. At last it dawned on me that this was my life.'
Some might find this depressing, but I think it's beautiful; I defy anyway who has struggled at some point in their life not to find beauty and resonance in it.