--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The trouble is that we have a bad habit…" description: "\"The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pendants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is in..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/anonymous-1_artist_the-trouble-is-that-we-have-a-bad-habit_1167360.jpg" --- # The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by… ![“The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pendants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/anonymous-1_artist_the-trouble-is-that-we-have-a-bad-habit_1167360.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/anonymous-1_artist_the-trouble-is-that-we-have-a-bad-habit_1167360.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0c2/anonymous-1_artist_the-trouble-is-that-we-have-a-bad-habit_1167360.jpg) > “The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pendants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. Only pain is intellectual, only evil interesting. This is the treason of the artist: a refusal to admit the banality of evil and the terrible boredom of pain.” [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. The author criticizes the tendency to romanticize pain and evil while dismissing happiness as trivial **In simple terms:** Pain and evil are glorified, happiness is undervalued Key Takeaway Challenge the glorification of suffering and embrace joy Themes art morality philosophy Mood thoughtful critical Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - creative work - ethical debates - personal coping strategies Key Concepts existentialism aesthetic theory ethical relativism Questions to Reflect On - Do you equate suffering with depth? - How can happiness be seen as profound? A Different Perspective Ignoring pain’s complexity can lead to shallow art ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Artist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/artist/) [Bad habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habit/) [Bad habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habits/) [Banality Of Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/banality-of-evil/) [Boredom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boredom/) [Evil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/evil/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habits/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Intellectual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intellectual/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Pendants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pendants/) [Treason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treason/) ## Related quotes > [“The trouble is that we have a bad habit, encouraged by pedants and sophisticates, of considering happiness as something rather stupid. 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Le Guin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ursula-k-le-guin/) > [“Lauren Berlant has called such a fantasy of happiness a "stupid" form of optimism: "the faith that adjustment t o certain forms or practices…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/lauren-berlant-has-called-such-a-fantasy-of-happiness-a-stupid-form/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I have given up considering happiness as relevant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gorey/i-have-given-up-considering-happiness-as-relevant/) [Edward Gorey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gorey/) > [And that must end us, that must be our cure: To be no more. Sad cure! For who would lose, Though full of pain,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/and-that-must-end-us-that-must-be-our-cure-to-be-no-more-sad-cure-for/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [“For who would lose, though full of pain, this intellectual being, those thoughts that wander through eternity to perish rather, swallowed up and lost…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/for-who-would-lose-though-full-of-pain-this-intellectual-being-those/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) ## 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. 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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 Artist quotes > [One is a painter because one wants so-called freedom; one doesn't want to go to the office every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-duchamp/one-is-a-painter-because-one-wants-so-called-freedom-one-doesn-t-want/) [Marcel Duchamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-duchamp/) > [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/) [Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/) > [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/) [Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/) > [“People in coats and ties were milling around the Talley gallery, and on the wall were the minimally rendered still lifes by Giorgio Morandi,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/people-in-coats-and-ties-were-milling-around-the-talley-gallery-and/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [The prophet who fails to present a bearable alternative and yet preaches doom is part of the trap that he postulates. Not only does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-prophet-who-fails-to-present-a-bearable-alternative-and-yet/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [From as long as I can remember, I was always fond of drawing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/st-lucia/from-as-long-as-i-can-remember-i-was-always-fond-of-drawing/) [St. Lucia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/st-lucia/) > [I think a business guy is different from an artist. 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