--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A life spent seeking approval of others…" description: "\"A life spent seeking approval of others is a life spent without joy.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/anonymous-1_approval-of-others_a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others_2842885.jpg" --- # A life spent seeking approval of others is a life spent… ![“A life spent seeking approval of others is a life spent without joy.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/anonymous-1_approval-of-others_a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others_2842885.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/anonymous-1_approval-of-others_a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others_2842885.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/anonymous-1_approval-of-others_a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others_2842885.jpg) > “A life spent seeking approval of others is a life spent without joy.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Seeking others' approval deprives one of genuine happiness. **In simple terms:** Approval chase blocks joy. Key Takeaway Find fulfillment within. Themes self‑esteem joy validation Mood reflective serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - career decisions - social media use Key Concepts psychology self‑worth Questions to Reflect On - What would you enjoy if you stopped seeking approval? - How does external validation affect your wellbeing? A Different Perspective Approval may be socially reinforced, making change hard. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Approval Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval-life-2663543/) [Approval of others](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval-of-others/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life Spent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-spent/) [Seeking Approval](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeking-approval-267950/) [Spent Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spent-joy-3737265/) ## Related quotes > [The people who receive the most approval in life are the ones who care the least about it--so technically, if you want the approval…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/the-people-who-receive-the-most-approval-in-life-are-the-ones-who/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Some people lower their own self esteem simply by seeking approval of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-lower-their-own-self-esteem-simply-by-seeking-approval-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When we approve of ourselves, rather than always seeking approval of others, we find happiness .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-we-approve-of-ourselves-rather-than-always-seeking-approval-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why, as women, are we constantly seeking approval of others for everything we say and do?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-as-women-are-we-constantly-seeking-approval-of-others-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Seeking approval of others is typically a good indication that we've been shortchanging our potential for greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-approval-of-others-is-typically-a-good-indication-that-we-ve/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Seeking approval of others...Have you no mind of your own?!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-approval-of-others-have-you-no-mind-of-your-own/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some of y'all only act and aspire to do things because you're seeking approval of others. That's what makes you and I different.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-of-y-all-only-act-and-aspire-to-do-things-because-you-re-seeking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The older you get, the more you realize that seeking approval of others is a total waste of time. Being at peace with God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-older-you-get-the-more-you-realize-that-seeking-approval-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Innovators do not need to be loved...as they're not seeking approval of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/innovators-do-not-need-to-be-loved-as-they-re-not-seeking-approval-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stop seeking approval of others, you'll never please everyone. Just do you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-seeking-approval-of-others-you-ll-never-please-everyone-just-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's amazing what you can get done when you stop seeking APPROVAL of others! No one defines you, TRUST GOD!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-amazing-what-you-can-get-done-when-you-stop-seeking-approval-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Funny how my world improved immediately when I stopped seeking approval of others and began approving of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/funny-how-my-world-improved-immediately-when-i-stopped-seeking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Seeking approval of others is away to avoid how deeply we disapprove of ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-approval-of-others-is-away-to-avoid-how-deeply-we-disapprove/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [No effective guidance will ever be achieved by seeking approval of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-effective-guidance-will-ever-be-achieved-by-seeking-approval-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stop bartering away your body, heart, energy and time, seeking approval of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-bartering-away-your-body-heart-energy-and-time-seeking-approval/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Approval of others quotes > [Some people lower their own self esteem simply by seeking approval of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-people-lower-their-own-self-esteem-simply-by-seeking-approval-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Lord help me to work on giving, praying and fasting without seeking approval of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lord-help-me-to-work-on-giving-praying-and-fasting-without-seeking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A man doesn't require the approval of others. He's willing to follow his heart wherever it leads him. When a man is following his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-pavlina/a-man-doesn-t-require-the-approval-of-others-he-s-willing-to-follow/) [Steve Pavlina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-pavlina/) > [No effective guidance will ever be achieved by seeking approval of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-effective-guidance-will-ever-be-achieved-by-seeking-approval-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Self-approval is acquired mainly from the approval of other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/self-approval-is-acquired-mainly-from-the-approval-of-other-people/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It seemed so natural, receiving it, watching others receive it, assuming that the approval of others determined our worth. Then one day we found…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-goff/it-seemed-so-natural-receiving-it-watching-others-receive-it-assuming/) [Lee Goff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-goff/) > [“My thoughts are my own—I will not modify them to receive the approval of others. My feelings are my own—I will not silence them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-lynn-reilly/my-thoughts-are-my-own-i-will-not-modify-them-to-receive-the-approval/) [Patricia Lynn Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-lynn-reilly/) > [Embrace fanaticism. Harness joie de vivre by pursuing insane interests, consuming passions, and constant sources of gratification that do not depend on the approval…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/embrace-fanaticism-harness-joie-de-vivre-by-pursuing-insane-interests/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [“The dismal fact is that self-respect has nothing to do with the approval of others — who are, after all, deceived easily enough; has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-didion/the-dismal-fact-is-that-self-respect-has-nothing-to-do-with-the/) [Joan Didion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-didion/) > [“A balanced inner calmness radiates from a peaceful centre. It neither craves others' approval nor rejects others' presence. It neither pulls towards nor pushes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-goddard/a-balanced-inner-calmness-radiates-from-a-peaceful-centre-it-neither/) [Donna Goddard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-goddard/) > [Seeking approval of others is away to avoid how deeply we disapprove of ourselves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/seeking-approval-of-others-is-away-to-avoid-how-deeply-we-disapprove/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Too many people base their worth and value on what other people think of them. They worry if others like them, approve of them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-osteen/too-many-people-base-their-worth-and-value-on-what-other-people-think/) [Joel Osteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-osteen/) > [Happiness means loving yourself and being less concerned with the approval of others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-barton/happiness-means-loving-yourself-and-being-less-concerned-with-the/) [Karina Barton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-barton/) > [“To be mad is to feel with excruciating intensity the sadness and joy of a time which has not arrived or has already been.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/to-be-mad-is-to-feel-with-excruciating-intensity-the-sadness-and-joy/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) > [Funny how my world improved immediately when I stopped seeking approval of others and began approving of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/funny-how-my-world-improved-immediately-when-i-stopped-seeking/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 97 Approval of others quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/approval-of-others/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A life spent seeking approval of others is a life spent without joy.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others-is-a-life-spent-without-joy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Approval of others" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others-is-a-life-spent-without-joy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/anonymous-1_approval-of-others_a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others_2842885.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/anonymous-1_approval-of-others_a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others_2842885.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c21/anonymous-1_approval-of-others_a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others_2842885.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A life spent seeking approval of others is a life spent without joy.” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A life spent seeking approval of...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others-is-a-life-spent-without-joy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others-is-a-life-spent-without-joy/#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 } } ] } ```