--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If I’m happy because of something -even…" description: "\"“If I’m happy because of something -even if that thing persists- my happiness in time vanishes. But if I regret something or become sad about something..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/759/cave-man-87499_deathbed_if-i-m-happy-because-of-something-even-i_1911973.jpg" --- # If I’m happy because of something -even if that thing… ![“If I’m happy because of something -even if that thing persists- my happiness in time vanishes. But if I regret something or become sad about something that sadness or regret can follow me for many years, maybe even to my deathbed.” quote by Cave Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/759/cave-man-87499_deathbed_if-i-m-happy-because-of-something-even-i_1911973.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/759/cave-man-87499_deathbed_if-i-m-happy-because-of-something-even-i_1911973.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/759/cave-man-87499_deathbed_if-i-m-happy-because-of-something-even-i_1911973.jpg) > ““If I’m happy because of something -even if that thing persists- my happiness in time vanishes. But if I regret something or become sad about something that sadness or regret can follow me for many years, maybe even to my deathbed.”” Cave Man ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The quote reflects on the fleeting nature of happiness versus the lingering weight of regret and sadness over time. **In simple terms:** Happiness fades quickly; regret endures. Key Takeaway Recognize and address regrets early. Themes emotions memory impermanence Mood reflective melancholic Type philosophical emotional When to use this quote - personal reflection - mental health - life planning - grief counseling Key Concepts psychology temporal perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you process lingering regrets? - What practices help transform sadness? A Different Perspective Regret may be mitigated by forgiveness and perspective. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Deathbed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deathbed/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Sad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sad/) [Sadness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sadness/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“If the years have taught me one thing it's that those who care are always scarce. Those who genuinely care; not the acquaintances, false…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darrell-drake/if-the-years-have-taught-me-one-thing-it-s-that-those-who-care-are/) [Darrell Drake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darrell-drake/) > [Moments I want to forget, circle my head every time I feel regret, I follow my heart and after all my failures, I wonder…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cody-joseph/moments-i-want-to-forget-circle-my-head-every-time-i-feel-regret-i/) [Cody Joseph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cody-joseph/) > [Regret is a sad harsh feeling. We feel when we fail to do something our heart wanted to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/regret-is-a-sad-harsh-feeling-we-feel-when-we-fail-to-do-something/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Regret is a sad harsh feeling. When you know you could of save something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/regret-is-a-sad-harsh-feeling-when-you-know-you-could-of-save/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [“War was to be entered upon with sadness, with regret, but also with ferocity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-fehrenbach/war-was-to-be-entered-upon-with-sadness-with-regret-but-also-with/) [T. R. Fehrenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-fehrenbach/) > [All of my remaining days, I will feel tremendous sadness and regret for my conduct and for what I have done. I only hope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-abramoff/all-of-my-remaining-days-i-will-feel-tremendous-sadness-and-regret/) [Jack Abramoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-abramoff/) > [“so here i sit. a sum of the parts. about a third way down this wonderful path, so to speak. and i've been thinking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-wright/so-here-i-sit-a-sum-of-the-parts-about-a-third-way-down-this/) Chris Wright > [“Before I continue, I just want to write about living every day like your last one. I don’t agree with it at all. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cave-man/before-i-continue-i-just-want-to-write-about-living-every-day-like/) Cave Man > [“I shall stay here as long as I may, I don't want to think — I needn't think. I don't care for anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-shall-stay-here-as-long-as-i-may-i-don-t-want-to-think-i-needn-t/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [There's a little book I'm thinking of writing - "Swan Song" is what I shall call it. The song of the dying. And my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/there-s-a-little-book-i-m-thinking-of-writing-swan-song-is-what-i/) [Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/) > [When we die our money, fame, and honors will be meaningless. We own nothing in this world. Everything we think we own is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-huffington/when-we-die-our-money-fame-and-honors-will-be-meaningless-we-own/) [Michael Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-huffington/) > [I feel nothing, apart from a certain difficulty in continuing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/i-feel-nothing-apart-from-a-certain-difficulty-in-continuing-to-exist/) [Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/) > [I do seem to favor a deathbed confession as the occasion for my dramatic monologues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-do-seem-to-favor-a-deathbed-confession-as-the-occasion-for-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [And I hope that you die And your death'll come soon I will follow your casket In the pale afternoon And I'll watch while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/and-i-hope-that-you-die-and-your-death-ll-come-soon-i-will-follow/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [When I'm on my deathbed, I'll hopefully be able to count more friends than parts that I had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-lea/when-i-m-on-my-deathbed-i-ll-hopefully-be-able-to-count-more-friends/) [Nicholas Lea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-lea/) ## More by Cave Man > [“We do things, we never thought we would, we live things we never thought we would, we think things we never thought we would.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cave-man/we-do-things-we-never-thought-we-would-we-live-things-we-never/) Cave Man > [“Before I continue, I just want to write about living every day like your last one. I don’t agree with it at all. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cave-man/before-i-continue-i-just-want-to-write-about-living-every-day-like/) Cave Man Explore all 3 Cave Man quotes ## More Deathbed quotes > [“I shall stay here as long as I may, I don't want to think — I needn't think. I don't care for anything but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-james/i-shall-stay-here-as-long-as-i-may-i-don-t-want-to-think-i-needn-t/) [Henry James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-james/) > [When I'm on my deathbed, I'll hopefully be able to count more friends than parts that I had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-lea/when-i-m-on-my-deathbed-i-ll-hopefully-be-able-to-count-more-friends/) [Nicholas Lea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-lea/) > [And I hope that you die And your death'll come soon I will follow your casket In the pale afternoon And I'll watch while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/and-i-hope-that-you-die-and-your-death-ll-come-soon-i-will-follow/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) > [I do seem to favor a deathbed confession as the occasion for my dramatic monologues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-lock/i-do-seem-to-favor-a-deathbed-confession-as-the-occasion-for-my/) [Norman Lock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-lock/) > [I feel nothing, apart from a certain difficulty in continuing to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/i-feel-nothing-apart-from-a-certain-difficulty-in-continuing-to-exist/) [Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-le-bovier-de-fontenelle/) > [When we die our money, fame, and honors will be meaningless. We own nothing in this world. Everything we think we own is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-huffington/when-we-die-our-money-fame-and-honors-will-be-meaningless-we-own/) [Michael Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-huffington/) > [There's a little book I'm thinking of writing - "Swan Song" is what I shall call it. The song of the dying. And my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxim-gorky/there-s-a-little-book-i-m-thinking-of-writing-swan-song-is-what-i/) [Maxim Gorky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxim-gorky/) > [At the end of our life, we ought to be able to look back over it from our deathbed and know somehow the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-ehrmann/at-the-end-of-our-life-we-ought-to-be-able-to-look-back-over-it-from/) [Joe Ehrmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-ehrmann/) > [W. C. Fields, a lifetime agnostic, was discovered reading a Bible on his deathbed. ''I'm looking for a loop-hole,'' he explained.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-c-fields/w-c-fields-a-lifetime-agnostic-was-discovered-reading-a-bible-on-his/) [W. C. Fields](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-c-fields/) > [“Prologue   May 24th, 1543 Frombork, Poland 1015 hours   The man lay on his deathbed waiting for the sweet release into nothingness. He…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-pauletti/prologue-may-24th-1543-frombork-poland-1015-hours-the-man-lay-on-his/) Vincent Pauletti > [“Many people don’t realize until they are on their deathbed and everything external falls away that no thing ever had anything to do with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/many-people-don-t-realize-until-they-are-on-their-deathbed-and/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“When i'm 58 years old and on my deathbed, i'd better see through my one good eye Matt drawing a donger on my forehead,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chip-zdarsky/when-i-m-58-years-old-and-on-my-deathbed-i-d-better-see-through-my/) Chip Zdarsky > [“And just as in life, if a man imagines himself on his deathbed and then works back through the years of his life, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/and-just-as-in-life-if-a-man-imagines-himself-on-his-deathbed-and/) [Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/) > [“...nothing more excruciating when you are fighting for your life than to have healthy people round you, squabbling over futilities. Who do you love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p/nothing-more-excruciating-when-you-are-fighting-for-your-life-than-to/) A.P > [“Obitus vitae otium est (Death is life's rest).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/obitus-vitae-otium-est-death-is-life-s-rest/) [Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/) [Browse all 168 Deathbed quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deathbed/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If I’m happy because of something -even if that thing persists- my happiness in time vanishes. 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