The hunter for aphorisms on human nature has to fish in muddy water, and he is even condemned to find much of his own mind.
F. H. BradleyRead
The secret of happiness is to admire without desiring. And that is not happiness.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True happiness comes from appreciating what we have rather than longing for more.
F. H. Bradley suggests that happiness is rooted in the ability to admire and appreciate the present moment and its experiences, without falling into the trap of desire and longing for things we do not possess. When we focus on wanting more, we often miss the joy found in gratitude and acceptance, which is central to true happiness.
Themes
HappinessAdmirationDesireGratitudeAppreciation
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about cultivating a positive mindset, one might say, 'As F. H. Bradley wisely noted, the secret of happiness is to admire without desiring.'
More from F. H. Bradley
All quotes βWhere everything is bad it must be good to know the worst.
F. H. BradleyRead
True penitence condemns to silence. What a man is ready to recall he would be willing to repeat.
F. H. BradleyRead
Our live experiences, fixed in aphorisms, stiffen into cold epigrams. Our heart's blood, as we write it, turns to mere dull ink.
F. H. BradleyRead
Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe on instinct.
F. H. BradleyRead
One said of suicide, As long as one has brains one should not blow them out. And another answered, But when one has ceased to have them, too often one cannot.
F. H. BradleyRead
Similar quotes
No one is happy all his life long.
EuripidesRead
Happiness is not a life without pain, but rather a life in which the pain is traded for a worthy price.
Orson Scott CardRead
It was my mom who told me, "Ernie, if you make even one person happy with your smile or a funny thing you did every day, you'll have accomplished a great deal." And that's all I've ever tried to do.
Ernest BorgnineRead
I wake up some mornings and sit and have my coffee and look out at my beautiful garden, and I go, 'Remember how good this is. Because you can lose it.'
Jim CarreyRead
The best thing about the bedroom was the bed. I liked to stay in bed for hours, even during the day with covers pulled up to my chin. It was good in there, nothing ever occurred in there, no people, nothing.
Charles BukowskiRead
It is the end of happiness and the beginning of peace.
George Bernard ShawRead