--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It’s not about being happy,’ he said…" description: "\"“It’s not about being happy,’ he said, which was, and still is, the saddest remark I’ve ever heard.”\" — Anna Burns" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/anna-burns-74769_happiness_it-s-not-about-being-happy-he-said-which_2677949.jpg" --- # It’s not about being happy,’ he said, which was, and still… ![“It’s not about being happy,’ he said, which was, and still is, the saddest remark I’ve ever heard.” quote by Anna Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/anna-burns-74769_happiness_it-s-not-about-being-happy-he-said-which_2677949.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/anna-burns-74769_happiness_it-s-not-about-being-happy-he-said-which_2677949.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2e6/anna-burns-74769_happiness_it-s-not-about-being-happy-he-said-which_2677949.jpg) > ““It’s not about being happy,’ he said, which was, and still is, the saddest remark I’ve ever heard.”” [Anna Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-burns/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True happiness is elusive; acknowledging this can be profoundly sad. **In simple terms:** Happiness is hard to achieve. Key Takeaway Accept the limits of happiness. Themes existential sadness realism Mood melancholic reflective Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - mental health counseling - literary analysis Key Concepts philosophy of happiness psychology Questions to Reflect On - What brings you genuine contentment? - Can sadness coexist with hope? A Different Perspective Focusing on sadness may ignore joy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy/) [Happy Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-said-785362/) [Remark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/remark/) [Saddest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddest/) [Saddest Remark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/saddest-remark-2556954/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Said Saddest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/said-saddest-2556955/) ## Related quotes > [My father always said, 'The saddest thing in life is wasted talent.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chazz-palminteri/my-father-always-said-the-saddest-thing-in-life-is-wasted-talent/) [Chazz Palminteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chazz-palminteri/) > [“Please don’t tell me you’re going to go to Fillory so you can get more homework done,” Alice said. “Because that would be the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lev-grossman/please-don-t-tell-me-you-re-going-to-go-to-fillory-so-you-can-get/) [Lev Grossman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lev-grossman/) > [“The World "You know the saddest thing," she said. 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He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/he-was-not-happy-he-was-not-happy-he-said-the-words-to-himself-he/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [To Be Happy or Said; To Be Good or Bad There Is No different ï Because No more Real Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayoub-ber/to-be-happy-or-said-to-be-good-or-bad-there-is-no-different-because/) [Ayoub Ber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayoub-ber/) > [“I must be happy, he said, it is less pleasant than I should have thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-beckett/i-must-be-happy-he-said-it-is-less-pleasant-than-i-should-have-thought/) [Samuel Beckett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-beckett/) > [“I love you. I love you. I love you. Always have, probably always will. Happy?” she said. 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"And now the feeling's gone,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/i-ve-always-been-happy-with-you-he-said-but-i-never-thought-i/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [“You can’t even think of ten things that make you happy,” she said. “What made you think you were ready for marriage? How is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-union/you-can-t-even-think-of-ten-things-that-make-you-happy-she-said-what/) [Gabrielle Union](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-union/) > [“Everyone is so cheerful and happy,” I said “This isn’t Mister Rogers Neighborhood, Dex. It’s Miami. Only the bad guys are happy.” She looked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-lindsay/everyone-is-so-cheerful-and-happy-i-said-this-isn-t-mister-rogers/) [Jeff Lindsay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-lindsay/) ## More by Anna Burns > [“It was strange though, that after that whole build-up, after the last bastion of "mustn't get in his vehicles", of being warned, not just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-burns/it-was-strange-though-that-after-that-whole-build-up-after-the-last/) [Anna Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-burns/) > [“Here was my mother, one of the Top Five pious women of the district, coming out with the unbelievable "God's great and all but".…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-burns/here-was-my-mother-one-of-the-top-five-pious-women-of-the-district/) [Anna Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-burns/) [Explore all 3 Anna Burns quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-burns/) ## 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. 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