--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: In the short term, it would make me happy…" description: "\"In the short term, it would make me happy to go play outside. In the long term, it would make me happier to do well at school and become successful. Bu..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/bill-watterson-728_becoming-successful_in-the-short-term-it-would-make-me-happy_270117.png" --- # In the short term, it would make me happy to go play… ![“In the short term, it would make me happy to go play outside. In the long term, it would make me happier to do well at school and become successful. But in the VERY long term, I know which will make better memories.” quote by Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/bill-watterson-728_becoming-successful_in-the-short-term-it-would-make-me-happy_270117.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/bill-watterson-728_becoming-successful_in-the-short-term-it-would-make-me-happy_270117.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb8/bill-watterson-728_becoming-successful_in-the-short-term-it-would-make-me-happy_270117.png) > “In the short term, it would make me happy to go play outside. In the long term, it would make me happier to do well at school and become successful. But in the VERY long term, I know which will make better memories.” [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Balancing immediate pleasure with future goals creates lasting fulfillment. **In simple terms:** Choose short fun now, but plan for long‑term success. Key Takeaway Prioritize long‑term happiness over fleeting joy. Themes balance future fulfillment Mood reflective optimistic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - playtime - school work - career planning - memory making Key Concepts delayed gratification memory formation goal setting Questions to Reflect On - What activities give you lasting joy? - How can you align today’s fun with tomorrow’s goals? A Different Perspective Short‑term joy can distract from building lasting success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Becoming successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/becoming-successful/) [Long term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-term/) [Memories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/memories/) [Play](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/play/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) [Short term](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-term/) [Successful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/successful/) ## Related quotes > [I play outside the pocket if I need to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-jones/i-play-outside-the-pocket-if-i-need-to/) [Daniel Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-jones/) > [It's Earth Day...hug a tree. Let your little ones play outside in the dirt...like we used to when we were growing up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-earth-day-hug-a-tree-let-your-little-ones-play-outside-in-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [... one thing people always ask me is 'How do you play outside?' ... I have no idea how to teach that, but when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-scofield/one-thing-people-always-ask-me-is-how-do-you-play-outside-i-have-no/) [John Scofield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-scofield/) > [“I do know a boy and a girl who've benefitted from their parents' high regard for academic achievement. But they've suffered from it, too...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muffy-mead-ferro/i-do-know-a-boy-and-a-girl-who-ve-benefitted-from-their-parents-high/) [Muffy Mead-Ferro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muffy-mead-ferro/) > [Children that play outside develop better problem solving skills and have a stronger ability to work within a group.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-foxworthy/children-that-play-outside-develop-better-problem-solving-skills-and/) [Jeff Foxworthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-foxworthy/) > [When we were kids, our parents would let us play outside all day, and there was a horse-drawn milk wagon that could become anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-shorter/when-we-were-kids-our-parents-would-let-us-play-outside-all-day-and/) [Wayne Shorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-shorter/) > [When you get frustrated you try to do too much, you try to make stuff up that's not there, and you play outside yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-hasselbeck/when-you-get-frustrated-you-try-to-do-too-much-you-try-to-make-stuff/) [Matt Hasselbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-hasselbeck/) > [Some of my friends wanted to do different things, but all I ever wanted to do was play outside with a ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernandinho/some-of-my-friends-wanted-to-do-different-things-but-all-i-ever/) [Fernandinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernandinho/) > [Children don't play outside enough. 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Take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/summer-sanders/the-kids-know-what-i-m-doing-when-i-exercise-and-that-s-powerful-so/) [Summer Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/summer-sanders/) > [In Brooklyn, the block wasn't very long or very wide, and not that many kids were out there, either. But when I got to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-gatlin/in-brooklyn-the-block-wasn-t-very-long-or-very-wide-and-not-that-many/) [Justin Gatlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-gatlin/) > [We were always a party band and we used to play outside a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-anastasio/we-were-always-a-party-band-and-we-used-to-play-outside-a-lot/) [Trey Anastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-anastasio/) > [For me, the money isn't a big issue. I'm at the end of my career and I'm just happy to play.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-wicks/for-me-the-money-isn-t-a-big-issue-i-m-at-the-end-of-my-career-and-i/) [Sue Wicks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-wicks/) ## More by Bill Watterson > [Calvin: The more you know, the harder it is to take decisive action. Once you are informed, you start seeing complexities and shades of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/calvin-the-more-you-know-the-harder-it-is-to-take-decisive-action/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [A day can really slip by when you're deliberately avoiding what you're supposed to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/a-day-can-really-slip-by-when-you-re-deliberately-avoiding-what-you/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [For your information, I'm staying like this, and everyone else can just get used to it! 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You will do well to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-tell-you-all-this-because-it-s-worth-recognizing-that-there-is-no/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [The secret to enjoying your job is to have a hobby that's even worse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/the-secret-to-enjoying-your-job-is-to-have-a-hobby-that-s-even-worse/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [By golly, life's too darn short to waste time trying to please every meddlesome moron who's got an idea how I ought to be!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/by-golly-life-s-too-darn-short-to-waste-time-trying-to-please-every/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) > [I'm yet another resource-consuming kid in an overpopulated planet, raised to an alarming extent by Hollywood and Madison Avenue, poised with my cynical and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-watterson/i-m-yet-another-resource-consuming-kid-in-an-overpopulated-planet/) [Bill Watterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) [Explore all 389 Bill Watterson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-watterson/) ## More Becoming successful quotes > [Becoming successful is a relentless pursuit. 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We're all kind of finding our niches and becoming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelsea-ballerini/i-m-in-this-wave-with-maddie-tae-and-raelynn-and-mickey-guyton-and/) [Kelsea Ballerini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelsea-ballerini/) > [Sometimes in human nature causes us to start slacking off at our moment of greatest accomplishment.As you become successful,you will need a great deal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ross-perot/sometimes-in-human-nature-causes-us-to-start-slacking-off-at-our/) [Ross Perot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ross-perot/) > [When a business becomes successful seemingly overnight, no one knows about all the months and years you've invested, all the projects you've tried before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niklas-zennstrom/when-a-business-becomes-successful-seemingly-overnight-no-one-knows/) [Niklas Zennstrom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niklas-zennstrom/) > [When someone becomes successful or rich and famous, people perceive that person as being different. But I'm the same guy I've always been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-zito/when-someone-becomes-successful-or-rich-and-famous-people-perceive/) [Barry Zito](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-zito/) > [Nobody said that becoming successful would ever be an easy task by any means. One must be willing to fail and fail time again…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/nobody-said-that-becoming-successful-would-ever-be-an-easy-task-by/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [The irony of that is, what makes it kind of ironic, is when you do become successful as a professional athlete in particular, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-shorter/the-irony-of-that-is-what-makes-it-kind-of-ironic-is-when-you-do/) [Frank Shorter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-shorter/) > [Humanity has the option to become successful on our planet if we reorient world production away from weaponry - from killingry to livingry. 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