I am doomed to an eternity of compulsive work. No set goal achieved satisfies. Success only breeds a new goal. The golden apple devoured has seeds. It is endless.
Bette DavisRead
You will never be happier than you expect. To change your happiness, change your expectation.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Happiness is closely tied to our expectations, and adjusting them can enhance our overall joy.
This quote by Bette Davis highlights the idea that our level of happiness is often determined by our expectations. If we anticipate happiness, we are likely to experience it; conversely, unrealistic or low expectations can lead to disappointment. To cultivate a more fulfilling sense of joy, one must shift their expectations to align with a more positive outlook on life.
Themes
HappinessExpectationChangeMindsetJoy
In practice
Example use cases
Using this quote during a motivational speech about personal growth.
More from Bette Davis
All quotes βI have been uncompromising, peppery, intractable, monomaniacal, tactless, volatile, and oftentimes disagreeable... I suppose I'm larger than life.
Bette DavisRead
Acting should be bigger than life. Scripts should be bigger than life. It should all be bigger than life.
Bette DavisRead
Today everyone is a star - they're all billed as 'starring' or 'also starring'. In my day, we earned that recognition.
Bette DavisRead
Once the love bug wears off, as it inevitably does, you are shocked to discover that you really didn't know the object of your affections at all. We know this to be so, even as we repeat the same mistake over and over and over.
Bette DavisRead
If everybody likes you, you're pretty dull.
Bette DavisRead
Similar quotes
Make it a habit to tell people thank you. To express your appreciation, sincerely and without the expectation of anything in return. Truly appreciate those around you, and you'll soon find many others around you. Truly appreciate life, and you'll find that you have more of it.
Ralph MarstonRead
To live long and achieve happiness, cultivate the art of radiating happiness.
Malcolm ForbesRead
Nobody is in a position to decree what should make a fellow man happier.
Ludwig Von MisesRead
A good life with contentment is itself a great wealth. For we brought nothing with us into this world, and we can take nothing out of it. So if we have enough of what we need, let us be content with that.
Saint TimothyRead
Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble and grand. The word my grandfather uses is comfort. So there are cakes and pillows and colors galore, but underneath this more obvious patchwork quilt are places like a quiet room where you can go and hold someone's hand and not have to say anything. Give no story. Make no claim. Where you can live at the edge of your skin for as long as you wish.
Alice SeboldRead
I'd been out to a lot of people since 19. I wish to God it had happened then. I don't think I would have the same career - my ego might not have been satisfied in some areas - but I think I would have been a happier man.
George MichaelRead