Happiness is not a goal, it is a by-product. Paradoxically, the one sure way not to be happy is deliberately to map out a way of life in which one would please oneself completely and exclusively.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Happiness comes indirectly from purpose, not direct pursuit of self-pleasure.
- In plain terms
- Happiness is a side effect, not a goal.
- What can you take from it?
- Focus on purpose, not just pleasure.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- What gives you lasting satisfaction?
- Are you chasing happiness directly?
Another view
Pleasure can still be a valid part of life.
More from Eleanor Roosevelt
A mature person is one who does not think only in absolutes, who is able to be objective even when deeply stirred emotionally, who has learned that there is bo…
Permalink to quote #23 It takes courage to love, but pain through love is the purifying fire which those who love generously know. We all know people who are so much afraid of pain t…
Permalink to quote #25 You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived…
Permalink to quote #22
Related quotes
Vain are the beliefs and teachings that make man miserable, and false is the goodness that leads him into sorrow and despair, for it is man's purpose to be hap…
Khalil GibranKhalil Gibran quote #1 I need more than a bedtime story, I need more than a youth group God.I am looking for a savior. A guide. An existential answer to my questions about purpose an…
Don MillerDon Miller quote #1 The purpose of life is living. Men and women should get the most they can out of their lives. The smallest, tiniest intellect may be quite as valuable to socie…
Clarence DarrowClarence Darrow quote #10