---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Your problem is that you don’t know how…"
description: "\"“Your problem is that you don’t know how to be happy with unhappiness.”\" — Anthony Breznican"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/anthony-breznican-39440_happiness_your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how_2633381.jpg"
---

#  Your problem is that you don’t know how to be happy with…

![“Your problem is that you don’t know how to be happy with unhappiness.” quote by Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/anthony-breznican-39440_happiness_your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how_2633381.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/anthony-breznican-39440_happiness_your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how_2633381.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/anthony-breznican-39440_happiness_your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how_2633381.jpg)

> ““Your problem is that you don’t know how to be happy with unhappiness.””

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Happiness can be found even amid unhappiness if we accept it.

**In simple terms:** Learn to be content with unhappiness.

Key Takeaway

Practice acceptance of negative emotions.

Themes

psychology acceptance well‑being

Mood

reflective calm

Type

philosophical self‑help

When to use this quote

- therapy sessions
- self‑help books
- daily journaling

Key Concepts

mindfulness emotional regulation

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you balance acceptance and improvement?
- What practices help you coexist with unhappiness?

A Different Perspective

Acceptance may lead to complacency.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Unhappiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unhappiness/)

## Related quotes

> [“Have you sunk into so deep a stupor that you are happy only in your unhappiness? - Anywhere, Out of this World ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/have-you-sunk-into-so-deep-a-stupor-that-you-are-happy-only-in-your/)

[Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/)

> [“He was not happy, but he was as happy here in his unhappiness, he accepted, as he was ever going to be.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/he-was-not-happy-but-he-was-as-happy-here-in-his-unhappiness-he/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Just try to be happy. Unhappiness starts with wanting to be happier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levenson/just-try-to-be-happy-unhappiness-starts-with-wanting-to-be-happier/)

[Sam Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levenson/)

> [Whatever you can do with unhappiness, you can do better when you're happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-neill/whatever-you-can-do-with-unhappiness-you-can-do-better-when-you-re/)

[Michael Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-neill/)

> [“Will I ever be happy again?” “Do we even know we’re happy when we’re happy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-ross/will-i-ever-be-happy-again-do-we-even-know-we-re-happy-when-we-re/)

[Rodney Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-ross/)

> [I don't need a "reason" to be happy. I don't have to consult the future to know how happy I feel now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-prather/i-don-t-need-a-reason-to-be-happy-i-don-t-have-to-consult-the-future/)

[Hugh Prather](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-prather/)

> [“So, this is my life. And I want you to know I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/so-this-is-my-life-and-i-want-you-to-know-i-am-both-happy-and-sad-and/)

[Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/)

> [You know I'm very happy with WWE, the company in which I still work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-steamboat/you-know-i-m-very-happy-with-wwe-the-company-in-which-i-still-work/)

[Ricky Steamboat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-steamboat/)

> [“It is very queer that the unhappiness of the world is so often brought on by small men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-maria-remarque/it-is-very-queer-that-the-unhappiness-of-the-world-is-so-often/)

[Erich Maria Remarque](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-maria-remarque/)

> [“His spelling was several degrees beyond arbitrary, and his punctuation brought reason to sigh with unhappiness. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-gilbert/his-spelling-was-several-degrees-beyond-arbitrary-and-his-punctuation/)

[Elizabeth Gilbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-gilbert/)

> [I don't want to get hung up on what 'people,' that nebulous mass, think about me. That's the way to unhappiness, I think.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-ali/i-don-t-want-to-get-hung-up-on-what-people-that-nebulous-mass-think/)

[Monica Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-ali/)

> [More than any other personality trait, my mother seemed to be ruled by anger and sadness. She seemed to hate being a mother. Watching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/merrill-markoe/more-than-any-other-personality-trait-my-mother-seemed-to-be-ruled-by/)

[Merrill Markoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/merrill-markoe/)

> [ “The primary cause of unhappiness is never the \[external\] situation but your thoughts about it.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-s-rosenthal/the-primary-cause-of-unhappiness-is-never-the-external-situation-but/)

[Robert S. Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-s-rosenthal/)

> [“Human unhappiness is evidence of our immortality.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-rodriguez/human-unhappiness-is-evidence-of-our-immortality/)

[Richard Rodriguez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-rodriguez/)

> [“She searched her mind for a single day when it had felt good to be alive. There must have been one, surely?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-abbott/she-searched-her-mind-for-a-single-day-when-it-had-felt-good-to-be/)

[Rachel Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-abbott/)

## More by Anthony Breznican

> [“Yeah, kids who trash bathrooms. Maybe those kids are matter more than even the good little ones who sit in the front row and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/yeah-kids-who-trash-bathrooms-maybe-those-kids-are-matter-more-than/)

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

> [“Surprise, surprise—the good guys don’t always win. Sometimes, they’re lucky if they just get to keep on being the good guys.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/surprise-surprise-the-good-guys-don-t-always-win-sometimes-they-re/)

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

> [“They hate what’s different because they’re all so fucking alike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/they-hate-what-s-different-because-they-re-all-so-fucking-alike/)

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

> [“So now she was trying her best to make conversation, but a parent can't leave a child alone for so long and expect the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/so-now-she-was-trying-her-best-to-make-conversation-but-a-parent-can/)

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

> [“But sometimes we crave the love of those we’re afraid to hate.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/but-sometimes-we-crave-the-love-of-those-we-re-afraid-to-hate/)

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

> [“Maybe it’s the way you talk, or the color of your skin, or the color of your underwear, or whether you’ve got a clip-on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/maybe-it-s-the-way-you-talk-or-the-color-of-your-skin-or-the-color-of/)

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

> [“It's not enough to step in front of people's bullets; you have to be bulletproof too. You have to be harder than anything anyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/it-s-not-enough-to-step-in-front-of-people-s-bullets-you-have-to-be/)

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

> [“His footsteps caught the worried attention of the old couple. There was another door”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/his-footsteps-caught-the-worried-attention-of-the-old-couple-there/)

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

> [“The things we surrender to when we're young, we keep surrendering to the rest of our lives.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/the-things-we-surrender-to-when-we-re-young-we-keep-surrendering-to/)

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

> [“If you start letting people push you around, you’ll always be at the mercy of losers like that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/if-you-start-letting-people-push-you-around-you-ll-always-be-at-the/)

[Anthony Breznican](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

[Explore all 11 Anthony Breznican quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/)

## 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

[Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Your problem is that you don’t know how to be happy with unhappiness.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Anthony Breznican"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how-to-be-happy-with-unhappiness/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Happiness"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how-to-be-happy-with-unhappiness/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/anthony-breznican-39440_happiness_your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how_2633381.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/anthony-breznican-39440_happiness_your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how_2633381.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/66b/anthony-breznican-39440_happiness_your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how_2633381.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Your problem is that you don’t know how to be happy with unhappiness.” — Anthony Breznican",
                "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": "Anthony Breznican",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-breznican/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Your problem is that you don’t...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how-to-be-happy-with-unhappiness/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-breznican/your-problem-is-that-you-don-t-know-how-to-be-happy-with-unhappiness/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
