---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: although i know that a wall to happiness…"
description: "\"“although i know that a wall to happiness is expecting too much happiness”\" — Colum McCann"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/colum-mccann-902_expecting_although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness_1799115.png"
---

#  although i know that a wall to happiness is expecting too…

![“although i know that a wall to happiness is expecting too much happiness” quote by Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/colum-mccann-902_expecting_although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness_1799115.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/colum-mccann-902_expecting_although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness_1799115.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/colum-mccann-902_expecting_although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness_1799115.png)

> ““although i know that a wall to happiness is expecting too much happiness””

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

## 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 how expecting excessive happiness can become a barrier to true contentment.

**In simple terms:** Too much expectation blocks happiness.

Key Takeaway

Moderate expectations for genuine joy.

Themes

expectations happiness contentment

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- goal setting
- mental health
- self‑care

Key Concepts

psychology mindset well‑being

Questions to Reflect On

- What expectations limit your joy?
- How can you embrace uncertainty?

A Different Perspective

It may overlook that some happiness comes from unexpected moments.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/)

## Related quotes

> [“The joy of having something comes from the length of time you have been wanting it, expecting it. Happiness really lies in the expectation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/the-joy-of-having-something-comes-from-the-length-of-time-you-have/)

[Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

> [Maybe that was the secret of happiness--not expecting any one thing to last forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-samuel/maybe-that-was-the-secret-of-happiness-not-expecting-any-one-thing-to/)

[Barbara Samuel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-samuel/)

> [Most persons have but a very moderate capacity of happiness. Expecting...in marriage a far greater degree of happiness than they commonly find, and knowing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-stuart-mill/most-persons-have-but-a-very-moderate-capacity-of-happiness-expecting/)

[John Stuart Mill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-stuart-mill/)

> [No scientist knows the world merely by holding it at arm's length: if we ever managed to build the objectivist wall between the knower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/parker-j-palmer/no-scientist-knows-the-world-merely-by-holding-it-at-arm-s-length-if/)

[Parker J. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/parker-j-palmer/)

> [You get to a certain age, where you know you can't go over the wall, but I'll never get to the age where I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/burt-reynolds/you-get-to-a-certain-age-where-you-know-you-can-t-go-over-the-wall/)

[Burt Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/burt-reynolds/)

> [And if I know anything at all, it's that a wall is just a wall and nothing more at all. It can be broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/assata-shakur/and-if-i-know-anything-at-all-it-s-that-a-wall-is-just-a-wall-and/)

[Assata Shakur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/assata-shakur/)

> [Some of the best ideas come sort of out of nowhere and when you're not expecting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-gordon/some-of-the-best-ideas-come-sort-of-out-of-nowhere-and-when-you-re/)

[Seth Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-gordon/)

> [The reward is in doing, but doing without expecting anything...doing unselfishly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reward-is-in-doing-but-doing-without-expecting-anything-doing/)

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

> [“Am I … not what you were expecting?” Of course, my immediate instinct is to say no. No, you’re not what I was expecting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-stein/am-i-not-what-you-were-expecting-of-course-my-immediate-instinct-is/)

[Charlotte Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-stein/)

> [At the time when this famous historical battle was fought in Kosovo, the people were looking at the stars, expecting aid from them. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slobodan-milosevi/at-the-time-when-this-famous-historical-battle-was-fought-in-kosovo/)

[Slobodan Milosević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slobodan-milosevi/)

> [You cannot keep doing the same thing, the same way, and keep expecting something different to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/you-cannot-keep-doing-the-same-thing-the-same-way-and-keep-expecting/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [Those of us of a certain age grew up expecting that by now we would have Rosie the Robot from 'The Jetsons' in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-enriquez/those-of-us-of-a-certain-age-grew-up-expecting-that-by-now-we-would/)

[Juan Enriquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-enriquez/)

> [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/)

[Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/)

> [Ranger fans, they're expecting you to win, so you really want to show up every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hagelin/ranger-fans-they-re-expecting-you-to-win-so-you-really-want-to-show/)

[Carl Hagelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hagelin/)

> [I've always made sure that I tour with bands that people aren't expecting me to tour with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/i-ve-always-made-sure-that-i-tour-with-bands-that-people-aren-t/)

[Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/)

## More by Colum McCann

> [Give life long enough and it will solve all your problems, including the one of being alive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/give-life-long-enough-and-it-will-solve-all-your-problems-including/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [“There is something that happens to the mind in moments of terror. Perhaps we figure it's the last we'll ever have and we record…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/there-is-something-that-happens-to-the-mind-in-moments-of-terror/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [“The short sharp shock of three thousand mother two hundred mothers. The ones who picked through the supermarket debris for pieces of their dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/the-short-sharp-shock-of-three-thousand-mother-two-hundred-mothers/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [I'm not so sure that I can teach people how to, you know, write dialogue or create plot or anything like that. But if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-m-not-so-sure-that-i-can-teach-people-how-to-you-know-write/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [“Once we had filled each other with desire, not remembrance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/once-we-had-filled-each-other-with-desire-not-remembrance/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [“How long ago it was and how strange, but all dead friends come to life again sometimes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/how-long-ago-it-was-and-how-strange-but-all-dead-friends-come-to-life/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [“She would want, instead, to recall him in the air, between layers of cloud. To give him back that ancient dignity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/she-would-want-instead-to-recall-him-in-the-air-between-layers-of/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [Novels are more difficult simply because they are longer and require more juggling, but short stories are closer to perfection, if you can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/novels-are-more-difficult-simply-because-they-are-longer-and-require/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [It was a silence that heard itself, awful and beautiful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/it-was-a-silence-that-heard-itself-awful-and-beautiful/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [I think one of the biggest political failures, and the biggest social failures, over the past few years has been the failure of empathy;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-think-one-of-the-biggest-political-failures-and-the-biggest-social/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [“Bits of it floating in the air, he said. "It's like dust. You walk about and don't see it, don't notice it, but it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/bits-of-it-floating-in-the-air-he-said-it-s-like-dust-you-walk-about/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [“He has read whole volumes on the philosophy of nonviolence. How peace had to be understood in all its moral dimensions. The proper coexistence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/he-has-read-whole-volumes-on-the-philosophy-of-nonviolence-how-peace/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [“She’s always thought that one of the beauties of New York is that you can be from anywhere and within moments of landing it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/she-s-always-thought-that-one-of-the-beauties-of-new-york-is-that-you/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [I'm of the opinion that the real is imagined and the imagined is quite real. The real is imagined, in the sense that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/i-m-of-the-opinion-that-the-real-is-imagined-and-the-imagined-is/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

> [“She had that emigrant’s sadness—she would never go back to her old country—it was gone in more senses than one—but she was forever gazing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/she-had-that-emigrant-s-sadness-she-would-never-go-back-to-her-old/)

[Colum McCann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

[Explore all 333 Colum McCann quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/)

## More Expecting quotes

> [I've always made sure that I tour with bands that people aren't expecting me to tour with.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mayer-hawthorne/i-ve-always-made-sure-that-i-tour-with-bands-that-people-aren-t/)

[Mayer Hawthorne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mayer-hawthorne/)

> [Ranger fans, they're expecting you to win, so you really want to show up every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-hagelin/ranger-fans-they-re-expecting-you-to-win-so-you-really-want-to-show/)

[Carl Hagelin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-hagelin/)

> [I don't concern myself with thinking ahead to the finished product. I focus more specifically on what the character is experiencing. Once you relieve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-eisenberg/i-don-t-concern-myself-with-thinking-ahead-to-the-finished-product-i/)

[Jesse Eisenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-eisenberg/)

> [Those of us of a certain age grew up expecting that by now we would have Rosie the Robot from 'The Jetsons' in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juan-enriquez/those-of-us-of-a-certain-age-grew-up-expecting-that-by-now-we-would/)

[Juan Enriquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/juan-enriquez/)

> [You cannot keep doing the same thing, the same way, and keep expecting something different to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-moore/you-cannot-keep-doing-the-same-thing-the-same-way-and-keep-expecting/)

[Beth Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-moore/)

> [At the time when this famous historical battle was fought in Kosovo, the people were looking at the stars, expecting aid from them. Now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slobodan-milosevi/at-the-time-when-this-famous-historical-battle-was-fought-in-kosovo/)

[Slobodan Milosević](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/slobodan-milosevi/)

> [“Am I … not what you were expecting?” Of course, my immediate instinct is to say no. No, you’re not what I was expecting.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-stein/am-i-not-what-you-were-expecting-of-course-my-immediate-instinct-is/)

[Charlotte Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-stein/)

> [The reward is in doing, but doing without expecting anything...doing unselfishly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-reward-is-in-doing-but-doing-without-expecting-anything-doing/)

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

> [Some of the best ideas come sort of out of nowhere and when you're not expecting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-gordon/some-of-the-best-ideas-come-sort-of-out-of-nowhere-and-when-you-re/)

[Seth Gordon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-gordon/)

> [So for a period of time each day, try to sit, without moving, without expecting anything, as if you were in your last moment.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/so-for-a-period-of-time-each-day-try-to-sit-without-moving-without/)

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

> [“That's the key to having it all: stop expecting it to look like what you thought it was going to look like.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cindy-chupack/that-s-the-key-to-having-it-all-stop-expecting-it-to-look-like-what/)

[Cindy Chupack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cindy-chupack/)

> [The definition of insanity is doing the same thing with the same result over and over again, expecting something different. The left just spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-definition-of-insanity-is-doing-the-same-thing-with-the-same/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [If my happiness at this moment consists largely in reviewing happy memories and expectations, I am but dimly aware of this present. I shall…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-watts/if-my-happiness-at-this-moment-consists-largely-in-reviewing-happy/)

[Alan Watts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-watts/)

> [I'm a dreamer and continue to dream of what can and will be, "Expecting great things from God, Attempting great things for God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carey/i-m-a-dreamer-and-continue-to-dream-of-what-can-and-will-be-expecting/)

[William Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carey/)

> [ It was at Harvard not quite forty years ago that I went into an anechoic \[totally silent\] chamber not expecting in that silent room… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cage/it-was-at-harvard-not-quite-forty-years-ago-that-i-went-into-an/)

[John Cage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cage/)

Browse all 899 Expecting quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“although i know that a wall to happiness is expecting too much happiness”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Colum McCann"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness-is-expecting-too-much/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Expecting"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness-is-expecting-too-much/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/colum-mccann-902_expecting_although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness_1799115.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/colum-mccann-902_expecting_although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness_1799115.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fe4/colum-mccann-902_expecting_although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness_1799115.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“although i know that a wall to happiness is expecting too much happiness” — Colum McCann",
                "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": "Colum McCann",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colum-mccann/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“although i know that a wall...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness-is-expecting-too-much/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colum-mccann/although-i-know-that-a-wall-to-happiness-is-expecting-too-much/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```