--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What I am looking for is not happiness. I…" description: "\"What I am looking for is not happiness. I work solely because it is impossible for me to do anything else.\" — Alberto Giacometti" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/alberto-giacometti-15077_happiness_what-i-am-looking-for-is-not-happiness-i_153499.png" --- # What I am looking for is not happiness. I work solely… ![“What I am looking for is not happiness. I work solely because it is impossible for me to do anything else.” quote by Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/alberto-giacometti-15077_happiness_what-i-am-looking-for-is-not-happiness-i_153499.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/alberto-giacometti-15077_happiness_what-i-am-looking-for-is-not-happiness-i_153499.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/alberto-giacometti-15077_happiness_what-i-am-looking-for-is-not-happiness-i_153499.png) > “What I am looking for is not happiness. I work solely because it is impossible for me to do anything else.” [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker sees work as an unavoidable compulsion rather than a source of joy, suggesting a deep existential drive. **In simple terms:** Work feels like a necessary burden, not a path to happiness. Key Takeaway Recognize the compulsion and seek balance. Themes existentialism work purpose compulsion Mood reflective serious Type philosophical existential When to use this quote - career - creative pursuits - daily routine - self‑reflection Key Concepts meaninglessness obligation identity psychology Questions to Reflect On - What drives you to work beyond happiness? - Can you reframe work as meaningful? A Different Perspective The view may overlook the possibility of finding fulfillment within work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-work/) [Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/impossible/) [Solely Impossible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/solely-impossible-1702738/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/) [Work Solely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-solely-1702737/) ## Related quotes > [I am not really interested in only showcasing my life or work but plan to produce, write and create work that is solely my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saba-qamar/i-am-not-really-interested-in-only-showcasing-my-life-or-work-but/) [Saba Qamar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saba-qamar/) > [Happiness is a work of art. Handle with care.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/happiness-is-a-work-of-art-handle-with-care/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) > [The only happiness a brave person ever troubles themselves in asking about, is happiness enough to get their work done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/the-only-happiness-a-brave-person-ever-troubles-themselves-in-asking/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [Dont allow problems of the past to clog your happiness. Work diligently to unravel yourself from your past history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/dont-allow-problems-of-the-past-to-clog-your-happiness-work/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [“I keep remembering one of my Guru's teachings about happiness. She says that people universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/i-keep-remembering-one-of-my-guru-s-teachings-about-happiness-she/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [I saw what a mess a lot of people could make of their lives when they're smitten. Some of them go temporarily insane. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mae-west/i-saw-what-a-mess-a-lot-of-people-could-make-of-their-lives-when-they/) [Mae West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mae-west/) > [All happiness is a work of art: the smallest error falsifies it, the slightest hesitation alters it, the least heaviness spoils it, the slightest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marguerite-yourcenar/all-happiness-is-a-work-of-art-the-smallest-error-falsifies-it-the/) [Marguerite Yourcenar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marguerite-yourcenar/) > [“No other technique for the conduct of life attaches the individual so firmly to reality as laying emphasis on work; for his work at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/no-other-technique-for-the-conduct-of-life-attaches-the-individual-so-2/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“People universally tend to think that happiness is a stroke of luck, something that will maybe descend upon you like fine weather if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/people-universally-tend-to-think-that-happiness-is-a-stroke-of-luck/) [Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/) > [work is happiness. No one can take my work from me and therefore no one can take my happiness from me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-corelli/work-is-happiness-no-one-can-take-my-work-from-me-and-therefore-no/) [Marie Corelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-corelli/) > [You can always find happiness at work on Friday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-can-always-find-happiness-at-work-on-friday/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happiness and work rose up together with the sun, radiant like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-gauguin/happiness-and-work-rose-up-together-with-the-sun-radiant-like-it/) [Paul Gauguin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-gauguin/) > [The reality is that fulfillment, success and all of these good things comes from trying to help those that we care about to achieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/the-reality-is-that-fulfillment-success-and-all-of-these-good-things/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [“Most people chase success at work, thinking that will make them happy. The truth is that happiness at work will make you successful.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-kjerulf/most-people-chase-success-at-work-thinking-that-will-make-them-happy/) [Alexander Kjerulf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-kjerulf/) > [“Happiness is when you do the work you love and earn from it as much money as you want and need, and you live…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamuna-tsertsvadze/happiness-is-when-you-do-the-work-you-love-and-earn-from-it-as-much/) [Tamuna Tsertsvadze](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamuna-tsertsvadze/) ## More by Alberto Giacometti > [If only someone else could paint what I see, it would be marvellous, because then I wouldn't have to paint at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/if-only-someone-else-could-paint-what-i-see-it-would-be-marvellous/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [Only reality interests me now and I know I could spend the rest of my life in copying a chair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/only-reality-interests-me-now-and-i-know-i-could-spend-the-rest-of-my/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [I've tried doing so, for it was never my intention to paint only with gray. But in the course of my work I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/i-ve-tried-doing-so-for-it-was-never-my-intention-to-paint-only-with/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [I don't know who I am or who I was. I know it less than ever. I do and I don't identify myself with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/i-don-t-know-who-i-am-or-who-i-was-i-know-it-less-than-ever-i-do-and/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [Whores are the most honest girls. They present the bill right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/whores-are-the-most-honest-girls-they-present-the-bill-right-away/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [The more you fail, the more you succeed. It is only when everything is lost and - instead of giving up - you go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/the-more-you-fail-the-more-you-succeed-it-is-only-when-everything-is/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [Artistically I am still a child with a whole life ahead of me to discover and create. I want something, but I won't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/artistically-i-am-still-a-child-with-a-whole-life-ahead-of-me-to/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [The more I work, the more I see things differently, that is, everything gains in grandeur every day, becomes more and more unknown, more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/the-more-i-work-the-more-i-see-things-differently-that-is-everything/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [In every work of art the subject is primordial, whether the artist knows it or not. The measure of the formal qualities is only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/in-every-work-of-art-the-subject-is-primordial-whether-the-artist/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [Once the object has been constructed, I have a tendency to discover in it, transformed and displaced, images, impressions, facts which have deeply moved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/once-the-object-has-been-constructed-i-have-a-tendency-to-discover-in/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [All the sculptures of today, like those of the past, will end one day in pieces... So it is important to fashion ones work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/all-the-sculptures-of-today-like-those-of-the-past-will-end-one-day/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [When one lives with problems of importance, the prostitute is ideal. You pay, and whether or not you fail is of no importance. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/when-one-lives-with-problems-of-importance-the-prostitute-is-ideal/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [When you look at art made by other people, you see what you need to see in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/when-you-look-at-art-made-by-other-people-you-see-what-you-need-to/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [All I can do will only ever be a faint image of what I see and my success will always be less than my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/all-i-can-do-will-only-ever-be-a-faint-image-of-what-i-see-and-my/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) > [The head is what matters. The rest of the body plays the part of antennae making life possible for people and life itself is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-giacometti/the-head-is-what-matters-the-rest-of-the-body-plays-the-part-of/) [Alberto Giacometti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) [Explore all 44 Alberto Giacometti quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-giacometti/) ## More Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "What I am looking for is not happiness. 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