102 Thought-Provoking Questions to Ask About Life

Thought-provoking questions are a stepping stone to critical thinking.

Have you ever posed a thought-provoking question to your child?

Do you want to train your students to question well, but you’re not sure how—or which questions to ask? 

Today, I want to share a list of thought-provoking questions to help you kickstart their critical thinking journey. 

Think of these queries as discussion topics that you can handpick according to their age and level of understanding. 

Deep Thought-Provoking Questions About Life

Life itself sparks thought-provoking questions.

Some of the best thought-provoking topics are those that examine our morals, ethics, and opinions on a life well-lived. 

The right questions can even help us reflect on our own journeys—and prompt us to correct course as needed.

Next time your mind is free to roam, here are some good questions to make you think about life.

You may notice that some are similar to those asked in our 240 Philosophical Questions post.

That’s because philosophy pursues a deep understanding of life, and its nature is naturally thought-provoking. 

  1. Is it better to live to a ripe old age with little excitement or lead an adventurous but short life?
  2. What does it mean to be free?
  3. What does it mean to be successful in life?
  4. Can perfection ever become reality?
  5. Do you think the world would be better or worse if everyone thought the same way?
  6. If you could take away all negative feelings, would this be a good or bad thing? 
  7. Is everyone’s life of equal value, or is it more important to protect some lives than others?
  8. Is it okay to break the law if there are extenuating circumstances?
  9. Which is the better choice—fight or flight?
  10. If you had all the time in the world, what would you fill it with?
  11. If nobody cared what you did—good or bad—how would you live your life differently than you do now?
  12. Have you ever impulsively acted in a way that changed your life forever?
  13. If you could choose a life of ease, would you?
  14. What wise advice do you wish you had followed?
  15. Is it okay to “fake it until you make it,” or is it more important to be genuine?
  16. Can a person be true to him or herself while also bending to the needs of others?

20 Questions: Exercises in Critical Thinking

Get a Question-Based Critical Thinking Exercise—Free!

Introduce critical thinking gently & easily with thought-provoking exercises.


Thoughtful Questions for Friends and Family

Internal pondering of thought-provoking questions can help you examine your own life better. 

What about the people around you? 

Thoughtful questions make great conversation starters with friends and family.

Do you know them as well as you’d like? 

How a person answers tough questions can reveal much about him or her. Their answers may even lead you to question your own beliefs. 

That’s where critical thinking comes to into play.

At the very least, thoughtful questions are far more fascinating than small talk.

While you don’t necessarily want to interrogate your friends, it’s nice to have a few conversation starters to draw from. 

Here are some examples of thought-provoking questions to get to know someone:

  1. Do you enjoy being by yourself? 
  2. Do you ever cave in to peer pressure, even if it’s not what you want to do?
  3. Do you ever feel misunderstood? When does it happen the most?
  4. Do you ever show off—even subtly—just to make other people think better of you?
  5. Do you have any internal rules that you live by no matter what?
  6. Do you have any real phobias?
  7. Have you ever experienced something unbelievable—and people think you’re lying about it?
  8. If there was ever a disaster in your town and everyone had to pitch in to rebuild, what part would you play?
  9. If you could be like anyone in the world, who would it be?
  10. If you had to live with only 5 material possessions, what would you choose?
  11. Are you so competitive that you end up being a sore loser or gloating winner?
  12. Is there a song whose lyrics speak to you?
  13. What do you think is the best thing about you?
  14. What is your most unusual talent?
  15. What do you want more than anything else?
  16. What would you keep even if you were offered all the money in the world for it?
  17. What’s the title of your fictionalized life story? Does the hero live happily ever after?
  18. When you feel anxious, what place, activity, or person makes you feel better?
  19. When you’re sick, do you like to be babied or left alone?

Thought-Provoking Questions That Are Funny and Lighthearted

Thoughtful questions can still be fun and lighthearted.

Thoughtful questions don’t have to be so serious. 

Whether you need to wake everyone’s minds before school or want to jazz up boring chit-chat, try some thought-provoking conversation starters and icebreakers.

Here are a few fun questions to get you started:

  1. Where do you think a hamster is trying to go when he’s running on that wheel?
  2. What animal would you bring back from extinction?
  3. What’s the weirdest dream you’ve ever had?
  4. Do cats rule and dogs drool, or do you prefer dogs over cats?
  5. Speaking of cats, what would your cat be like as a person?
  6. If you could convince people to believe anything you told them, what story would you create just for fun?
  7. If you could live in an amusement park, shopping center, or other fun place, which would you choose?
  8. If you had a chance to meet your clone, would you?
  9. If you had to choose only two foods to eat for the rest of your life, what would they be?
  10. If you had to choose two of these—seeing, hearing, or being able to walk—which would you choose and why?
  11. What is the funniest joke you’ve ever heard?
  12. What is the best way to start your day?
  13. What movie or comic book superhero do you most relate to?
  14. Which storybook character do you wish you could be?
  15. Which movie villain would you most hate to meet in real life?
  16. Why are yummy foods bad for you and gross foods good for you?
  17. Will machines ever totally take over everyone’s manual-labor jobs?
  18. Would you own an exotic animal if it wasn’t harmful to the animal or yourself? Which one?
  19. You have one day to spend a million dollars—what do you buy?
  20. Does pineapple belong on pizza? 
  21. If you had to eat a worm, would you swallow it whole or chew it up?

We also have a post with fun critical thinking questions. Be sure to check it out!

Open Ended Thought-Provoking Questions

Deep questions help teenagers think about life and the world around them.

Now more than ever, it is critical to teach our children to think on topics that may not have black-and-white answers.

They will face tough issues eventually.

Sadly, the unprepared person is prone to believing false narratives.

Thought-provoking questions for teens and students can nudge them toward thinking carefully about important topics: 


240 Questions

Identify Deceptive Lies Disguised as Logic

Our teens may be deceived tomorrow if they don’t learn to discern today!


Try some of these intriguing topics for discussion:

  1. Do people see you the way you see yourself?
  2. What is a true friend?
  3. Would you rather live in an era of the past? Which one?
  4. If you could outlaw one thing that’s acceptable in our culture right now, what would it be?
  5. What constitutes “the good life”?
  6. If you had to live in one place for the rest of your life, where would it be?
  7. Is there anything you need to pay forward?
  8. What has been your greatest adventure up to this point?
  9. What is at the top of your bucket list?
  10. What first impression do you try to give new people?
  11. When is it okay to tell a lie?
  12. What does perfection look like?
  13. Who has shaped your personality the most?
  14. Would you rather have work you enjoy or lots of time to do nothing?
  15. Would you rather walk on the moon or explore the deepest oceans?
  16. Where do you see yourself in five years? Ten?
  17. What mistakes have you seen adults around you make that you plan to avoid?
  18. What does it mean to be an adult?

Questions to Ask About Yourself and the World Around You

Existential questions help us ponder human nature.

When you want your students to ponder their human nature and purpose, existential questions like these are helpful:

  1. Does the American dream exist?
  2. Should all crimes be equally punishable, or should circumstances decide the punishment?
  3. Do you derive energy from nature, manmade environments, or somewhere else?
  4. What keeps you up at night?
  5. What legacy do you hope to leave?
  6. What motivates you most?
  7. Is one life enough?
  8. In what ways do you wish you were different? Can you change?
  9. What’s something you need to do—but haven’t yet—because it scares you?
  10. What parts of your personality do you hide and why?
  11. If you could master one thing, what would it be?
  12. What would a collage of your life include?
  13. What makes the world a better place?
  14. In what ways do you fool yourself?
  15. Are you a producer or consumer?
  16. Do you think people in the past had it easier or harder than we do now?
  17. If you had to choose between remembering your past or being able to make new memories in the future, which would you choose?
  18. If you had a “do-over,” what past event would you spend it on?
  19. If you had a chance to live in the woods with no access to the internet, would you do it?
  20. If you had to pick a motto for your life, what would it be?
  21. What causes two people to “connect”?
  22. Was the invention of social media a bad idea?
  23. What brings you joy?
  24. What do you need most?
  25. Why are some truths hard to accept?
  26. What’s holding you back from doing what you want to do?
  27. What one thing would you eliminate forever if you could?
  28. Can opinions be wrong?

How to Use: Create Time for a “Question of the Day” 

If you’re looking for a way to incorporate deep thought into your homeschool, may I recommend instituting a “Thought-Provoking Question of the Day”?

Simply put, you would choose a time that works best for your family to come together and present a question to ponder. 

Provide time for each member to think about the topic and form an answer. Next, discuss the question openly, encouraging everyone to voice their opinion—even if they fear it might seem “silly.”

You’d be amazed how a simple question can spark quality conversation and deep critical thinking.

We created 240 Questions for just this purpose:

240 Questions

Identify Deceptive Lies Disguised as Logic

Our teens may be deceived tomorrow if they don’t learn to discern today!

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