It is in books, poems, paintings which often give us the confidence to take seriously feelings in ourselves that we might otherwise never have thought to acknowledge.
Alain De BottonRead
Happiness is impossible for longer than 15 minutes. We are the descendants of creatures who, above all else, worried.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Happiness is fleeting, as our natural tendency is to worry.
In this quote, Alain De Botton reflects on the transient nature of happiness, suggesting that it can rarely be sustained for long periods, particularly because humans are predisposed to worry. This speaks to the underlying anxiety and concerns that often overshadow moments of joy, highlighting a fundamental aspect of human psychology where happiness is often fleeting and worries take precedence.
Themes
HappinessWorryFleetingHuman NatureAnxiety
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can be used in a motivational speech about embracing lifeβs brief moments of joy.
More from Alain De Botton
All quotes βTaking architecture seriously therefore makes some singular and strenuous demands upon us...It means conceding that we are inconveniently vulnerable to the colour of our wallpaper and that our sense of purpose may be derailed by an unfortunate bedspread
Alain De BottonRead
The more closely we analyze what we consider 'sexy,' the more clearly we will understand that eroticism is the feeling of excitement we experience at finding another human being who shares our values and our sense of the meaning of existence.
Alain De BottonRead
Good books put a finger on emotions that are deeply our own - but that we could never have described on our own.
Alain De BottonRead
The challenge of modern relationships: how to prove more interesting than the other's smartphone.
Alain De BottonRead
It is the most ambitious and driven among us who are the most sorely in need of having our reckless hopes dampened through immersive dousings in the darkness which religions have explored. This is a particular priority for secular Americans, perhaps the most anxious and disappointed people on earth, for their nation infuses them with the most extreme hopes about what they may be able to achieve in their working lives and relationships.
Alain De BottonRead
Similar quotes
Happiness presents itself to man, wearing the crown of sorrow on its head. He who welcomes it must also welcome sorrow.
Swami VivekanandaRead
That man is rich whose pleasures are the cheapest.
Henry David ThoreauRead
We only need so much to survive, but this world we live in tells us we need more stuff to be happy. We're inundated with our televisions, the Internet and advertising that says in order to be happy you have to have these things. When you say, 'Gimme, gimme, gimme,' you will always be in short supply.
Wayne DyerRead
At my age, any day above ground and vertical is a good day.
Anthony HopkinsRead
a happy birthday this evening, I sat by an open window and read till the light was gone and the book was no more than a part of the darkness. I could easily have switched on a lamp, but I wanted to ride the day down into night, to sit alone, and smooth the unreadable page with the pale gray ghost of my hand
Ted KooserRead
I'll never forget the blooming happiness that spread in me like the sun coming up when Lydia's obstetrician poked me awake: 'Congratulations... you have a fine son.'
Charlton HestonRead