--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness is not everything and men have…" description: "\"Happiness is not everything and men have their duties. Mine is to find my mother, a homeland\" — Albert Camus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/albert-camus-47_duty_happiness-is-not-everything-and-men-have_1115568.jpg" --- # Happiness is not everything and men have their duties… ![“Happiness is not everything and men have their duties. Mine is to find my mother, a homeland” quote by Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/albert-camus-47_duty_happiness-is-not-everything-and-men-have_1115568.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/albert-camus-47_duty_happiness-is-not-everything-and-men-have_1115568.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/73a/albert-camus-47_duty_happiness-is-not-everything-and-men-have_1115568.jpg) > “Happiness is not everything and men have their duties. Mine is to find my mother, a homeland” [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life requires balancing personal joy with responsibility; fulfillment comes from duty and belonging, not just happiness. **In simple terms:** Duty and belonging matter more than happiness alone. Key Takeaway Prioritize responsibilities that give purpose. Themes responsibility belonging purpose Mood reflective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - family search - immigration - personal growth - community involvement Key Concepts existentialism humanism Questions to Reflect On - What duties give your life purpose? - How does belonging shape your identity? A Different Perspective Happiness alone cannot sustain meaning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Duties Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duties-mother-2994215/) [Duty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) [Family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/family/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-men-1108894/) [Homeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homeland/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Mines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mines/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Mother Homeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother-homeland-1597154/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [I kiss the soil as if I placed a kiss on the hands of a mother, for the homeland is our earthly mother. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-john-paul-ii/i-kiss-the-soil-as-if-i-placed-a-kiss-on-the-hands-of-a-mother-for/) [Pope John Paul II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-john-paul-ii/) > [“Certain things are indispensable to the happiness of most men, but these are simple things: food and shelter, health, love, successful work and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/certain-things-are-indispensable-to-the-happiness-of-most-men-but/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [“I found in myself the ability to give everything, to lay the whole show on the line. In that ability is hidden happiness, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dorworth/i-found-in-myself-the-ability-to-give-everything-to-lay-the-whole/) [Dick Dorworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dorworth/) > [“The perfect happiness of men on the earth (if it ever comes) will not be a flat and solid thing, like the satisfaction of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-k-chesterton/the-perfect-happiness-of-men-on-the-earth-if-it-ever-comes-will-not/) [G.K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-k-chesterton/) > [It is a great happiness when men's professions and their inclinations accord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/it-is-a-great-happiness-when-men-s-professions-and-their-inclinations/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [I owe everything - my success and happiness - to men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dinah-shore/i-owe-everything-my-success-and-happiness-to-men/) [Dinah Shore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dinah-shore/) > [The office of government is not to confer happiness, but to give men the opportunity to work out happiness for themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ellery-channing/the-office-of-government-is-not-to-confer-happiness-but-to-give-men/) [William Ellery Channing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ellery-channing/) > [The happiness of men consists in life. And life is in labor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-happiness-of-men-consists-in-life-and-life-is-in-labor/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It is because I know all that science can bring to the world that I shall continue my efforts to ensure that it contributes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fr-d-ric-joliot-curie/it-is-because-i-know-all-that-science-can-bring-to-the-world-that-i/) [Frédéric Joliot-Curie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fr-d-ric-joliot-curie/) > [I'm upset by the happiness of all these men who don't know they're unhappy. Because of that, though, I love them all. Dear vegetables!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-m-upset-by-the-happiness-of-all-these-men-who-don-t-know-they-re/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [It is a well-known fact that we always recognize our homeland at the moment we are about to lose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/it-is-a-well-known-fact-that-we-always-recognize-our-homeland-at-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [It is a well-known fact that we always recognize our homeland when we are about to lose it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/it-is-a-well-known-fact-that-we-always-recognize-our-homeland-when-we/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Always there comes an hour when one is weary of one's work and devotion to duty, and all one craves for is a loved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/always-there-comes-an-hour-when-one-is-weary-of-one-s-work-and/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Love your country. Your country is the land where your parents sleep, where is spoken that language in which the chosen of your heart,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giuseppe-mazzini/love-your-country-your-country-is-the-land-where-your-parents-sleep/) [Giuseppe Mazzini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giuseppe-mazzini/) > [My dad's Israeli. He was born in Baghdad to Iraqi Jews. Then, at age two, his parents wanted to move to their homeland and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliott-yamin/my-dad-s-israeli-he-was-born-in-baghdad-to-iraqi-jews-then-at-age-two/) [Elliott Yamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliott-yamin/) ## More by Albert Camus > [“The whole town rushed outside to celebrate this crowded minute when the time of suffering had ended and the time of forgetting had not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-whole-town-rushed-outside-to-celebrate-this-crowded-minute-when/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Generally, I like all islands. There, it is easier to rule.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/generally-i-like-all-islands-there-it-is-easier-to-rule/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Being is good, but getting rich is better… If the gods had only the riches of men's adoration, they would be as poor as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/being-is-good-but-getting-rich-is-better-if-the-gods-had-only-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The more I produce, the less I am certain. On the road along which the artist walks, night falls ever more densely. Finally, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-more-i-produce-the-less-i-am-certain-on-the-road-along-which-the/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Having been, not only mutilated in our country, wounded in our very flesh, but also divested of our most beautiful images, for you gave…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/having-been-not-only-mutilated-in-our-country-wounded-in-our-very/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I've seen of enough of people who die for an idea. I don't believe in heroism; I know it's easy and I've learned it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-ve-seen-of-enough-of-people-who-die-for-an-idea-i-don-t-believe-in/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The best are led to make greater demands upon themselves. As for those who succumb, they did not deserve to survive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-best-are-led-to-make-greater-demands-upon-themselves-as-for-those/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“Then he asked me if I wasn’t interested in a change of life. I said that people never change their lives, that in any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/then-he-asked-me-if-i-wasn-t-interested-in-a-change-of-life-i-said/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Life is meaningless, but worth living, provided you recognize it's meaningless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/life-is-meaningless-but-worth-living-provided-you-recognize-it-s/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [Thinking of the future, establishing aims for oneself, having preferences-all this presupposes a belief in freedom, even if one occasionally ascertains that one doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/thinking-of-the-future-establishing-aims-for-oneself-having/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [I explained to him, however, that my nature was such that my physical needs often got in the way of my feelings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/i-explained-to-him-however-that-my-nature-was-such-that-my-physical/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The only way to deal with an unfree world is to become so absolutely free that your very existence is an act of rebellion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-only-way-to-deal-with-an-unfree-world-is-to-become-so-absolutely/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [“We love people not because for good they did for us, but for good we did for them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/we-love-people-not-because-for-good-they-did-for-us-but-for-good-we/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [You have so much inside you, and the noblest happiness of all. Don’t just wait for a man to come along. That’s the mistake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/you-have-so-much-inside-you-and-the-noblest-happiness-of-all-don-t/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) > [The desire for possession is insatiable, to such a point that it can survive even love itself. To love, therefore, is to sterilize the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-camus/the-desire-for-possession-is-insatiable-to-such-a-point-that-it-can/) [Albert Camus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) [Explore all 1,600 Albert Camus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-camus/) ## More Duty quotes > [I pray that wherever we are and whatever duties we have in the priesthood of God, we will be united in the cause to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-b-eyring/i-pray-that-wherever-we-are-and-whatever-duties-we-have-in-the/) [Henry B. Eyring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-b-eyring/) > [Few political debates have been as divisive as the European one. I fought as hard as I could on the Remain side, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-green/few-political-debates-have-been-as-divisive-as-the-european-one-i/) [Damian Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damian-green/) > [I'm a strange mixture of my mother's curiosity; my father, who grew up the son of the manse in a Presbyterian family, who had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupert-murdoch/i-m-a-strange-mixture-of-my-mother-s-curiosity-my-father-who-grew-up/) [Rupert Murdoch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupert-murdoch/) > [“Is that what they teach you at the convent? That the gods demand the hearts from our bodies?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-lafevers/is-that-what-they-teach-you-at-the-convent-that-the-gods-demand-the/) [Robin LaFevers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-lafevers/) > [The less we show our love to a woman, Or please her less, and neglect our duty, The more we trap and ruin her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pushkin/the-less-we-show-our-love-to-a-woman-or-please-her-less-and-neglect/) [Alexander Pushkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pushkin/) > [We can find common qualities and common values that have made Britain the country it is. Our belief in tolerance and liberty which shines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gordon-brown/we-can-find-common-qualities-and-common-values-that-have-made-britain/) [Gordon Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gordon-brown/) > [Consideration is the soil in which wisdom may be expected to grow, and strength be given to every up-springing plant of duty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/consideration-is-the-soil-in-which-wisdom-may-be-expected-to-grow-and/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“You have a right to be sad, and a duty to move on. Only wins who wipes the tears, gather strength and move forward.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augusto-branco/you-have-a-right-to-be-sad-and-a-duty-to-move-on-only-wins-who-wipes/) [Augusto Branco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augusto-branco/) > [Our duty as Christians is always to keep heaven in our eye and earth under our feet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-henry/our-duty-as-christians-is-always-to-keep-heaven-in-our-eye-and-earth/) [Matthew Henry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-henry/) > [May God bless each of us in our calls to serve. May our faith strengthen as we serve in righteousness, faithfully keeping the commandments.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-tom-perry/may-god-bless-each-of-us-in-our-calls-to-serve-may-our-faith/) [L. Tom Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-tom-perry/) > [Regardless of how you feel about war and peace those serving military are doing a duty for the rest of us and they're protecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/linda-cardellini/regardless-of-how-you-feel-about-war-and-peace-those-serving-military/) [Linda Cardellini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/linda-cardellini/) > [“Duty is a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/duty-is-a-done-deal/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Politics...You see, it depends on what kind of politics. What we did during my father's generation was a duty. And it was beautiful because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/politics-you-see-it-depends-on-what-kind-of-politics-what-we-did/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [I do not so much rejoice that God hath made me to be a Queen, as to be a Queen over so thankful a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-i/i-do-not-so-much-rejoice-that-god-hath-made-me-to-be-a-queen-as-to-be/) [Elizabeth I](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-i/) > [The whole duty of man is summed up in obedience to God's will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/the-whole-duty-of-man-is-summed-up-in-obedience-to-god-s-will/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) [Browse all 5,178 Duty quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/duty/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Happiness is not everything and men have their duties. 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