--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If kings would only determine not to…" description: "\"If kings would only determine not to extend their dominions until they had filled them with happiness, they would find the smallest territories too lar..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/charles-caleb-colton-270_accomplishment_if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-ext_1739023.png" --- # If kings would only determine not to extend their… ![“If kings would only determine not to extend their dominions until they had filled them with happiness, they would find the smallest territories too large, but the longest life too short for the full accomplishment of so grand and so noble an ambition.” quote by Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/charles-caleb-colton-270_accomplishment_if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-ext_1739023.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/charles-caleb-colton-270_accomplishment_if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-ext_1739023.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/charles-caleb-colton-270_accomplishment_if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-ext_1739023.png) > “If kings would only determine not to extend their dominions until they had filled them with happiness, they would find the smallest territories too large, but the longest life too short for the full accomplishment of so grand and so noble an ambition.” [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If rulers focused on happiness rather than expansion, even small realms would feel ample and long life would be insufficient for lofty goals. **In simple terms:** Rulers should value contentment over conquest. Key Takeaway Prioritize happiness over territorial ambition. Themes leadership contentment ambition governance Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - policy making - personal leadership - national governance Key Concepts philosophy political theory human fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders measure happiness? - What limits should ambition have? A Different Perspective Happiness alone may not satisfy all desires, and ambition can be redirected. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) [Ambition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ambition/) [Dominion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dominion/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Kings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kings/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life too short](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-too-short/) [Noble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/noble/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Territory](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/territory/) ## Related quotes > [Happiness,... even the smallest happiness, is like a step out of Time, and the greatest happiness is sharing in Eternity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-pieper/happiness-even-the-smallest-happiness-is-like-a-step-out-of-time-and/) [Josef Pieper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-pieper/) > [But I am happy. 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Remember "Life is too short to be little".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/let-s-not-allow-ourselves-to-be-upset-by-small-things-we-should/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Lifes too short to just breeze on by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chang/lifes-too-short-to-just-breeze-on-by/) [David Chang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chang/) > [I really hate the feeling of knowing exactly what I want but being being too afraid to go out and get it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-really-hate-the-feeling-of-knowing-exactly-what-i-want-but-being/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only things you regret are the things you didn't do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-curtiz/the-only-things-you-regret-are-the-things-you-didn-t-do/) Michael Curtiz > [I still find each day too short..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-burroughs/i-still-find-each-day-too-short/) [John Burroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-burroughs/) > [Never stop enjoying, life too short to be gloomy everyday. Smile .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/never-stop-enjoying-life-too-short-to-be-gloomy-everyday-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Charles Caleb Colton > [Villainy that is vigilant will be an overmatch for virtue, if she slumber at her post.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/villainy-that-is-vigilant-will-be-an-overmatch-for-virtue-if-she/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [A beautiful woman, if poor, should use double circumspection; for her beauty will tempt others, her poverty herself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/a-beautiful-woman-if-poor-should-use-double-circumspection-for-her/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Were the life of man prolonged, he would become such a proficient in villainy, that it would become necessary again to drown or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/were-the-life-of-man-prolonged-he-would-become-such-a-proficient-in/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [To dare to live alone is the rarest courage; since there are many who had rather meet their bitterest enemy in the field, than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/to-dare-to-live-alone-is-the-rarest-courage-since-there-are-many-who/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [It is doubtful whether mankind are most indebted to those who like Bacon and Butler dig the gold from the mine of literature, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-doubtful-whether-mankind-are-most-indebted-to-those-who-like/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Be very slow to believe that you are wiser than all others; it is a fatal but common error. 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The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue it - and the more we seem to acquire it - the more we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-aquilina/humility-is-an-elusive-virtue-the-more-we-pursue-it-and-the-more-we/) [Mike Aquilina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-aquilina/) > [I'm not always right, but I learn from my mistakes and make it a productive experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kolhoff/i-m-not-always-right-but-i-learn-from-my-mistakes-and-make-it-a/) [Carson Kolhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kolhoff/) > [Suffering in life can uncover untold depths of character and unknown strength for service. People who go through life unscathed by sorrow and untouched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/suffering-in-life-can-uncover-untold-depths-of-character-and-unknown/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-limit-to-the-amount-of-good-you-can-do-if-you-don-t-care/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Research is the live heart of the scientific life ... Greatness of position, respect for past accomplishments, the Nobel Prize itself -- none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/research-is-the-live-heart-of-the-scientific-life-greatness-of/) [Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/) > [“One man accomplishment Is another mans failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-sargent/one-man-accomplishment-is-another-mans-failure/) Anthony Sargent > [I expected college to feel like a major accomplishment. I walked across the stage, eight months pregnant with my almost seven-year-old daughter watching in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-expected-college-to-feel-like-a-major-accomplishment-i-walked/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [Our purpose on this earth is not one single event, an accomplishment we can check off a list. There is no test. No passing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/our-purpose-on-this-earth-is-not-one-single-event-an-accomplishment/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/an-untrained-or-uneducated-marine-deployed-to-the-combat-zone-is-a/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) [Browse all 1,598 Accomplishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If kings would only determine not to extend their dominions until they had filled them with happiness, they would find the smallest territories too large, but the longest life too short for the full accomplishment of so grand and so noble an ambition.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Caleb Colton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-extend-their-dominions-until/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accomplishment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-extend-their-dominions-until/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/charles-caleb-colton-270_accomplishment_if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-ext_1739023.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/charles-caleb-colton-270_accomplishment_if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-ext_1739023.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c70/charles-caleb-colton-270_accomplishment_if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-ext_1739023.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If kings would only determine not to extend their dominions until they had filled them with happiness, they…” — Charles Caleb Colton", "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": "Charles Caleb Colton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If kings would only determine not...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-extend-their-dominions-until/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/if-kings-would-only-determine-not-to-extend-their-dominions-until/#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 } } ] } ```