Phrases & SayingsYouth, popular and digital culture
life wasn't meant to be easy
Also: life is not meant to be easy
A stock response to complaint or difficulty, often used stoically or ironically.
In a sentence
“Life wasn’t meant to be easy,” he said with a shrug.
Where it came from
The phrase became an Australian political catchphrase through Malcolm Fraser, but derives from George Bernard Shaw rather than being coined by Fraser.
- Initial era
- 1950–1999
- Where used
- Australia-wide