--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Better to have a short life that is full…" description: "\"Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way...\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/anonymous-1_life_better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full_1682224.jpg" --- # Better to have a short life that is full of what you like… ![“Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way...” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/anonymous-1_life_better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full_1682224.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/anonymous-1_life_better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full_1682224.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/anonymous-1_life_better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full_1682224.jpg) > “Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way...” [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. A brief, fulfilling life is preferable to a prolonged, unhappy existence. **In simple terms:** Short happiness beats long misery. Key Takeaway Prioritize joy over longevity. Themes happiness life purpose quality of life Mood thoughtful hopeful Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career choice - relationship decisions - health choices - creative projects Key Concepts existentialism well‑being Questions to Reflect On - What activities bring you the most joy? - How can you increase fulfillment now? A Different Perspective Long life may still bring joy if approached differently. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-life/) [Miserable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/miserable/) [Short life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-life/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing, than a long life spent in a miserable way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/it-s-better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full-of-what-you-like-doing/) [Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/) > [It's better to have a short life full of what you like to, than a long Life spent in a miserable way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simpleman/it-s-better-to-have-a-short-life-full-of-what-you-like-to-than-a-long/) Simpleman > [Better to have a short life full of what you like doing then a long one spent in a miserable way...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/better-to-have-a-short-life-full-of-what-you-like-doing-then-a-long/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Have you ever lived my life, have you ever spent one minute in my shoes? If you havent, then tell me why you judge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/have-you-ever-lived-my-life-have-you-ever-spent-one-minute-in-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A life spent seeking approval of others is a life spent without joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-life-spent-seeking-approval-of-others-is-a-life-spent-without-joy/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life spent with someone for a lifetime may be meaningless. But a moment spent with someone who really loves you is more than life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-spent-with-someone-for-a-lifetime-may-be-meaningless-but-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/half-our-life-is-spent-trying-to-find-something-to-do-with-the-time/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing.—George Bernard Shaw.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-life-spent-making-mistakes-is-not-only-more-honorable-but-more/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The most time wasted in life, is the one spent worrying about other peoples opinion of you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-most-time-wasted-in-life-is-the-one-spent-worrying-about-other/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Every minute you spend in your life is either spent bringing you closer to your goals or moving you away from your goals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-minute-you-spend-in-your-life-is-either-spent-bringing-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The time we waste trying to find out what life is all about could be spent loving someone and finding out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-time-we-waste-trying-to-find-out-what-life-is-all-about-could-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is ours to be spent, not to be saved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-ours-to-be-spent-not-to-be-saved/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Don't search about happiness in a miserable way.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anas-alhijjaj/don-t-search-about-happiness-in-a-miserable-way/) Anas Alhijjaj > [I think that people who get to a certain position, and then try to ferociously defend it or build on it, it's kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viggo-mortensen/i-think-that-people-who-get-to-a-certain-position-and-then-try-to/) [Viggo Mortensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viggo-mortensen/) > [There are lots of ways of being miserable, but there's only one way of being comfortable, and that is to stop running round after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edith-wharton/there-are-lots-of-ways-of-being-miserable-but-there-s-only-one-way-of/) [Edith Wharton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edith-wharton/) ## 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 Life quotes > [Of all the people who have affected my life and influenced the choices I've made, none has been more important than my father. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teddy-atlas/of-all-the-people-who-have-affected-my-life-and-influenced-the/) [Teddy Atlas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teddy-atlas/) > [What sets worlds in motion is the interplay of differences, their attractions and repulsions. Life is plurality, death is uniformity. By suppressing differences and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavio-paz/what-sets-worlds-in-motion-is-the-interplay-of-differences-their/) [Octavio Paz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavio-paz/) > [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/) > [Life works most perfectly when a reciprocal love relationship is in place between man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/life-works-most-perfectly-when-a-reciprocal-love-relationship-is-in/) [Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/) > [I value the experiences that come with life too much to sit by and not put my full effort into them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-miller/i-value-the-experiences-that-come-with-life-too-much-to-sit-by-and/) [Jim Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-miller/) > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [“There's more to life than you can see. Your sight is limited.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tammy-kling/there-s-more-to-life-than-you-can-see-your-sight-is-limited/) [Tammy Kling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tammy-kling/) > [“I've spent much of my life calling my intuition "something wrong with me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deanna-l-lawlis/i-ve-spent-much-of-my-life-calling-my-intuition-something-wrong-with/) Deanna L. Lawlis > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [The only people who think the Internet is a calamity are people whose lives have been hurt by it; the only people who insist…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-klosterman/the-only-people-who-think-the-internet-is-a-calamity-are-people-whose/) [Chuck Klosterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-klosterman/) > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [“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/) > [“The future is only an indifferent void no one cares about, but the past is filled with life, and its countenance is irritating, repellent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/the-future-is-only-an-indifferent-void-no-one-cares-about-but-the/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) > [Two things revolutionised life: moving to the countryside and falling in love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-love/two-things-revolutionised-life-moving-to-the-countryside-and-falling/) [Nick Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-love/) > [But just remember, life without me would be even more unbearable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-rice/but-just-remember-life-without-me-would-be-even-more-unbearable/) [Anne Rice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-rice/) [Browse all 265,290 Life quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way...", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full-of-what-you-like-doing-than/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Life" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full-of-what-you-like-doing-than/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/anonymous-1_life_better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full_1682224.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/anonymous-1_life_better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full_1682224.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b4/anonymous-1_life_better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full_1682224.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Better to have a short life that is full of what you like doing than a long life spent in a miserable way...” — 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": "Better to have a short life...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full-of-what-you-like-doing-than/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/better-to-have-a-short-life-that-is-full-of-what-you-like-doing-than/#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 } } ] } ```