--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you want to be happy for a short time…" description: "\"If you want to be happy for a short time, get drunk; happy for a long time, fall in love; happy forever, take up gardening.\" — Arthur Smith" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/arthur-smith-11334_drunk_if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time_2935075.jpg" --- # If you want to be happy for a short time, get drunk; happy… ![“If you want to be happy for a short time, get drunk; happy for a long time, fall in love; happy forever, take up gardening.” quote by Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/arthur-smith-11334_drunk_if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time_2935075.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/arthur-smith-11334_drunk_if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time_2935075.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/arthur-smith-11334_drunk_if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time_2935075.jpg) > “If you want to be happy for a short time, get drunk; happy for a long time, fall in love; happy forever, take up gardening.” [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Short‑term pleasure, long‑term love, and timeless happiness through gardening. **In simple terms:** Gardening brings lasting joy. Key Takeaway Cultivate a garden. Themes happiness time nature Mood calm hopeful Type practical inspirational When to use this quote - stress relief - relationship building - home improvement - community gardening Key Concepts well‑being sustainability Questions to Reflect On - What small habit could bring lasting joy? - How does nature affect your mood? A Different Perspective Gardening requires patience and effort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Drunk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) [Fall in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fall-in-love/) [Falling in love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/falling-in-love/) [Garden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/garden/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Want to be happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-to-be-happy/) ## Related quotes > [Yo, everybody drunk and happy raise your bottles and glasses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vybz-kartel/yo-everybody-drunk-and-happy-raise-your-bottles-and-glasses/) [Vybz Kartel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vybz-kartel/) > [For it was Saturday night, the best and bingiest glad-time of the week, one of the fifty-two holidays in the slow-turning Big Wheel of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-sillitoe/for-it-was-saturday-night-the-best-and-bingiest-glad-time-of-the-week/) [Alan Sillitoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-sillitoe/) > [But there's no joy at all, people say "Oh well he's drunk and happy let him sleep it off"--The poor drunkard is \*crying\*--He's crying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/but-there-s-no-joy-at-all-people-say-oh-well-he-s-drunk-and-happy-let/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [Being drunk n happy is good...Being drunk and sad isn't good...But I'm just drunk...Here nor there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-drunk-n-happy-is-good-being-drunk-and-sad-isn-t-good-but-i-m/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If you want to be happy, do not dwell in the past, do not worry about the future, focus on living fully in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-t-bennett/if-you-want-to-be-happy-do-not-dwell-in-the-past-do-not-worry-about/) [Roy T. 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I've fallen in love with a boy and I want to be happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arina-tanemura/god-i-m-a-girl-with-a-cursed-fate-i-ve-fallen-in-love-with-a-boy-and/) [Arina Tanemura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arina-tanemura/) > [I think it's so foolish for people to want to be happy. Happy is so momentary--you're happy for an instant and then you start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-it-s-so-foolish-for-people-to-want-to-be-happy-happy-is-so/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I want to be happy and free, living and loving for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lou-rawls/i-want-to-be-happy-and-free-living-and-loving-for-me/) [Lou Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lou-rawls/) ## More by Arthur Smith > [Acting in a stage play is like working the evening shift in an office.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/acting-in-a-stage-play-is-like-working-the-evening-shift-in-an-office/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [I read 'Crime and Punishment' years ago and don't recall the details of it, but I do retain a strong sense of the creeping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/i-read-crime-and-punishment-years-ago-and-don-t-recall-the-details-of/) [Arthur Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/) > [I've noticed that my resolutions involve me not doing stuff that I wasn't going to do anyway so here's something more positive. 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I am as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/but-i-did-not-return-until-half-past-four-this-morning-and-i/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“Joe!” he groaned, attempting to speak clearly. “Joe! Good ol’ Joe!” “Captain, you’re drunk!” Lofflin said, stating the obvious while trying to keep his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-engela/joe-he-groaned-attempting-to-speak-clearly-joe-good-ol-joe-captain/) [Christina Engela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-engela/) > [“If you ever have children, tell them they must always be drunk. Drunk on love, drunk on poetry, drunk on wine, it doesn’t matter.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-hale/if-you-ever-have-children-tell-them-they-must-always-be-drunk-drunk/) [Benjamin Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-hale/) > [“Well, make up your mind. I don’t have all night.” Fidelia set her beer on the porch and removed a set of keys from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerrelyn-sparks/well-make-up-your-mind-i-don-t-have-all-night-fidelia-set-her-beer-on/) [Kerrelyn Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerrelyn-sparks/) > [I have so strong a sense of creation, of tomorrow, that I cannot get drunk, knowing I will be less alive, less well, less…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-have-so-strong-a-sense-of-creation-of-tomorrow-that-i-cannot-get/) [Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/) > [I was so drunk last night I fell down and missed the floor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-martin/i-was-so-drunk-last-night-i-fell-down-and-missed-the-floor/) [Dean Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-martin/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. 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So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paperboi/i-m-not-drunk-i-m-just-intoxicated-by-you-i-was-so-enchanted-by-your/) Paperboi [Browse all 2,282 Drunk quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/drunk/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you want to be happy for a short time, get drunk; happy for a long time, fall in love; happy forever, take up gardening.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arthur Smith" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time-get-drunk-happy-for-a-long/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Drunk" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time-get-drunk-happy-for-a-long/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/arthur-smith-11334_drunk_if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time_2935075.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/arthur-smith-11334_drunk_if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time_2935075.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/arthur-smith-11334_drunk_if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time_2935075.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you want to be happy for a short time, get drunk; happy for a long time, fall in love; happy forever…” — Arthur Smith", "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": "Arthur Smith", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-smith/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you want to be happy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time-get-drunk-happy-for-a-long/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-smith/if-you-want-to-be-happy-for-a-short-time-get-drunk-happy-for-a-long/#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 } } ] } ```