--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We are tempted to believe that certain…" description: "\"We are tempted to believe that certain achievements and possessions will give us enduring satisfaction. We are invited to imagine ourselves scaling the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/alain-de-botton-221_achievement_we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-a_1892295.jpg" --- # We are tempted to believe that certain achievements and… ![“We are tempted to believe that certain achievements and possessions will give us enduring satisfaction. We are invited to imagine ourselves scaling the steep cliff face of happiness in order to reach a wide, high plateau on which we will live out the rest of our lives; we are not reminded that…” quote by Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/alain-de-botton-221_achievement_we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-a_1892295.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/alain-de-botton-221_achievement_we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-a_1892295.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/alain-de-botton-221_achievement_we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-a_1892295.jpg) > “We are tempted to believe that certain achievements and possessions will give us enduring satisfaction. We are invited to imagine ourselves scaling the steep cliff face of happiness in order to reach a wide, high plateau on which we will live out the rest of our lives; we are not reminded that soon after gaining the summit, we will be called down again into fresh lowlands of anxiety and desire.” [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. We chase external successes thinking they’ll bring lasting joy, yet fulfillment is fleeting and often followed by new anxieties. **In simple terms:** Success doesn’t guarantee lasting happiness. Key Takeaway Seek internal contentment over external validation. Themes happiness desire impermanence Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career advancement - relationship milestones - material purchases - life goals Key Concepts psychology philosophy well‑being Questions to Reflect On - What internal practices sustain lasting joy? - How do you measure true fulfillment? A Different Perspective External achievements can create dependency on constant novelty. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Achievement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Anxiety Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety-desire-745944/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Certain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/certain/) [Cliffs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cliffs/) [Desire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/desire/) [Endure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endure/) [Enduring Satisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enduring-satisfaction-2741408/) [Face Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-happiness-941125/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Giving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/giving/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Possession](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possession/) [Possessions Enduring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/possessions-enduring-2741409/) [Satisfaction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/satisfaction/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Summit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/summit/) [Tempted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tempted/) ## Related quotes > [“Prefer enduring satisfaction to immediate gratification.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/prefer-enduring-satisfaction-to-immediate-gratification/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [When we put people before possessions in our hearts, we are sowing seeds of enduring satisfaction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beverly-lahaye/when-we-put-people-before-possessions-in-our-hearts-we-are-sowing/) [Beverly LaHaye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beverly-lahaye/) > [All your anxiety is because of your desire for harmony. Seek disharmony, then you will gain peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rumi/all-your-anxiety-is-because-of-your-desire-for-harmony-seek/) [Rumi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rumi/) > [Anxiety and desire are two, often conflicting, orientations to the unknown. Both are tilted toward the future. Desire implies a willingness, or a need,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-epstein/anxiety-and-desire-are-two-often-conflicting-orientations-to-the/) [Mark Epstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-epstein/) > [“It was she whom I loved and whom I could not therefore see without that anxiety, without that desire for something more, which destroys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/it-was-she-whom-i-loved-and-whom-i-could-not-therefore-see-without/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [“Happiness isn’t the reward we retrieve after a long struggle. It arrives daily, in those clear moments when our hearts are tender, pricked by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toni-sorenson/happiness-isn-t-the-reward-we-retrieve-after-a-long-struggle-it/) [Toni Sorenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toni-sorenson/) > [I cannot say where I will be in 5 yearsscratch that, tomorrowBut I know that wherever you find me, I will remain true to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gina-carano/i-cannot-say-where-i-will-be-in-5-yearsscratch-that-tomorrowbut-i/) [Gina Carano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gina-carano/) > [May you begin this day with a smile on your face, and with happiness for your soul to embrace. Good Morning!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-you-begin-this-day-with-a-smile-on-your-face-and-with-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They ignore what problem they face now at least their happiness is getting bigger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delsocorro/they-ignore-what-problem-they-face-now-at-least-their-happiness-is/) [Delsocorro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delsocorro/) > [“Ladies, stress shows on your face. Happiness is the true beauty weapon." As quoted in The Black Book of Hollywood Beauty Secrets ( Kym…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sarandon/ladies-stress-shows-on-your-face-happiness-is-the-true-beauty-weapon/) [Susan Sarandon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sarandon/) > [Happiness is not what is happening to you that day or if you are living a good life overall. It is a mindset. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-is-not-what-is-happening-to-you-that-day-or-if-you-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I'd rather be a face for happiness and doing things that you have a passion for, rather than faking it and pretending like I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elena-delle-donne/i-d-rather-be-a-face-for-happiness-and-doing-things-that-you-have-a/) [Elena Delle Donne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elena-delle-donne/) > [I'm trying to broaden the scope of positive psychology well beyond the smiley face. Happiness is just one-fifth of what human beings choose to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-seligman/i-m-trying-to-broaden-the-scope-of-positive-psychology-well-beyond/) [Martin Seligman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-seligman/) > [The Long March The Red Army is not afraid of hardship on the march, the long march. Ten thousand waters and a thousand mountains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/the-long-march-the-red-army-is-not-afraid-of-hardship-on-the-march/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [Perhaps no order of mammals presents us with so extraordinary a series of gradations as this \[step by step, from humans to apes to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-huxley/perhaps-no-order-of-mammals-presents-us-with-so-extraordinary-a/) [Thomas Huxley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-huxley/) ## More by Alain de Botton > [“To be mature is, we're told, to move beyond possessiveness. Jealousy is for babies. The mature person knows that no one owns anyone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/to-be-mature-is-we-re-told-to-move-beyond-possessiveness-jealousy-is/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“He feared that by leaving her he would ruin her life - so he stayed, and did just that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/he-feared-that-by-leaving-her-he-would-ruin-her-life-so-he-stayed-and/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [You have to be quite heavily invested in someone to do them the honour of telling them you're annoyed with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/you-have-to-be-quite-heavily-invested-in-someone-to-do-them-the/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“The Anxiety of Sunday afternoon: your unlived lives and infinite possibility pressing upon the constraints of reality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-anxiety-of-sunday-afternoon-your-unlived-lives-and-infinite/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [Those who divorce aren't necessarily the most unhappy, just those neatly able to believe their misery is caused by one other person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/those-who-divorce-aren-t-necessarily-the-most-unhappy-just-those/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“We could not be fulfilled if we weren't inauthentic some of the time—inauthentic, that is, in relation to such things as our passing desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-could-not-be-fulfilled-if-we-weren-t-inauthentic-some-of-the-time/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Insofar as we appreciate order, it is when we perceive it as being accompanied by complexity, when we feel that a variety of elements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/insofar-as-we-appreciate-order-it-is-when-we-perceive-it-as-being/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [I like the values associated with a medical family - common sense, being practical but also thoughtful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/i-like-the-values-associated-with-a-medical-family-common-sense-being/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Anyone who urgently needs us deserves, in the true book of love, to be our friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/anyone-who-urgently-needs-us-deserves-in-the-true-book-of-love-to-be/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“We can then recognize that we invented religions to serve two central needs which continue to this day and which secular society has not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-can-then-recognize-that-we-invented-religions-to-serve-two-central/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Half the ingratitude and complacency in the world down to how slowly and imperceptibly most good and bad things unfold.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/half-the-ingratitude-and-complacency-in-the-world-down-to-how-slowly/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [It is perhaps when our lives are at their most problematic that we are likely to be most receptive to beautiful things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/it-is-perhaps-when-our-lives-are-at-their-most-problematic-that-we/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [“Does what is praised becomes better? Does an emerald become worse if it isn't praised? And what a gold, ivory, a flower or a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/does-what-is-praised-becomes-better-does-an-emerald-become-worse-if/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [The bourgeois thinkers of the eighteenth century thus turned Aristotle's formula on its head: satisfactions which the Greek philosopher had identified with leisure were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/the-bourgeois-thinkers-of-the-eighteenth-century-thus-turned/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) > [Reputation matters so much only because people so seldom think for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/reputation-matters-so-much-only-because-people-so-seldom-think-for/) [Alain de Botton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) [Explore all 850 Alain de Botton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/) ## More Achievement quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [“If attempting to make the world a civilized one, makes you a bad woman in the eyes of the dumb patriarchal society, then, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/if-attempting-to-make-the-world-a-civilized-one-makes-you-a-bad-woman/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [One achieves true human dignity only when one serves. Only he is great who subjects himself to taking part in the achievement of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/one-achieves-true-human-dignity-only-when-one-serves-only-he-is-great/) [Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-antonio-primo-de-rivera/) > [Needs cause motivation. Deep-rooted desires for esteem, affection, belonging, achievement, self-actualization, power, and control motivate us to push for what we want and need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorii-myers/needs-cause-motivation-deep-rooted-desires-for-esteem-affection/) [Lorii Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorii-myers/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It's tragic what America has become because there is a great segment of society that now resents luxury and success and achievement by others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-leach/it-s-tragic-what-america-has-become-because-there-is-a-great-segment/) [Robin Leach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-leach/) > [To preserve an unclouded capacity for the enjoyment of life is an unusual moral and psychological achievement. Contrary to popular belief, it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/to-preserve-an-unclouded-capacity-for-the-enjoyment-of-life-is-an/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) > [Joel Lane documents a life we don’t quite live, in a city we can’t quite find: half glimpsed and half imagined, we know it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaz-brenchley/joel-lane-documents-a-life-we-don-t-quite-live-in-a-city-we-can-t/) [Chaz Brenchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaz-brenchley/) > [The main substantive achievement of neoliberalism has been to redistribute rather than to generate wealth and income.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-harvey/the-main-substantive-achievement-of-neoliberalism-has-been-to/) [David Harvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-harvey/) > [Every profession has an ideology and a drive for power that goes far beyond its achievements and it is the task of democracy to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-feyerabend/every-profession-has-an-ideology-and-a-drive-for-power-that-goes-far/) [Paul Feyerabend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-feyerabend/) > [We have Internet now and people are not stupid. But it seems that some people are trying to push the same agenda of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bassem-youssef/we-have-internet-now-and-people-are-not-stupid-but-it-seems-that-some/) [Bassem Youssef](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bassem-youssef/) > [“If you find a way where there seems to be no way, that’s what we call miracle, not personal achievement.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/if-you-find-a-way-where-there-seems-to-be-no-way-that-s-what-we-call/) [Nkwachukwu Ogbuagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nkwachukwu-ogbuagu/) > [The Baseball Hall of Fame is something every player dreams about, but being a member of God's Hall of Fame is the greatest achievement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-carter/the-baseball-hall-of-fame-is-something-every-player-dreams-about-but/) [Gary Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-carter/) > [Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-roerich/cease-speaking-of-enemies-when-an-achievement-can-kindle-a-great/) [Nicholas Roerich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-roerich/) > [Every scene is a challenge. There are technical challenges, but often it's the simplest challenge where you feel a sense of achievement when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-deakins/every-scene-is-a-challenge-there-are-technical-challenges-but-often/) [Roger Deakins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-deakins/) [Browse all 3,867 Achievement quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/achievement/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We are tempted to believe that certain achievements and possessions will give us enduring satisfaction. We are invited to imagine ourselves scaling the steep cliff face of happiness in order to reach a wide, high plateau on which we will live out the rest of our lives; we are not reminded that soon after gaining the summit, we will be called down again into fresh lowlands of anxiety and desire.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alain de Botton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-achievements-and-possessions/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Achievement" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-achievements-and-possessions/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/alain-de-botton-221_achievement_we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-a_1892295.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/alain-de-botton-221_achievement_we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-a_1892295.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/939/alain-de-botton-221_achievement_we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-a_1892295.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We are tempted to believe that certain achievements and possessions will give us enduring satisfaction. We…” — Alain de Botton", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alain de Botton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alain-de-botton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We are tempted to believe that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-achievements-and-possessions/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alain-de-botton/we-are-tempted-to-believe-that-certain-achievements-and-possessions/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```