--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think that happiness has been elusive…" description: "\"I think that happiness has been elusive for me my entire life.\" — Cord Jefferson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/cord-jefferson-6009_elusive_i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive_346446.jpg" --- # I think that happiness has been elusive for me my entire… ![“I think that happiness has been elusive for me my entire life.” quote by Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/cord-jefferson-6009_elusive_i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive_346446.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/cord-jefferson-6009_elusive_i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive_346446.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/cord-jefferson-6009_elusive_i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive_346446.jpg) > “I think that happiness has been elusive for me my entire life.” [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness feels perpetually out of reach throughout life. **In simple terms:** Constantly chasing happiness without success. Key Takeaway Explore sources of fulfillment beyond happiness. Themes happiness existential self‑worth Mood thoughtful somber Type philosophical reflective When to use this quote - career choices - relationships - mental health - spiritual practice Key Concepts meaning mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What defines fulfillment for you? - Can contentment replace happiness? A Different Perspective Happiness may be fleeting, not a constant goal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Elusive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elusive/) [Elusive Entire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elusive-entire-3208801/) [Entire life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/entire-life/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Elusive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-elusive-370474/) [I think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/i-think/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/me/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-happiness/) ## Related quotes > [If you have enough money to be comfortable it makes life a lot easier and that's undeniable. But I think happiness is more elusive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/if-you-have-enough-money-to-be-comfortable-it-makes-life-a-lot-easier/) [Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/) > [Happiness is an elusive state of mind not to be gained by clumsy pursuit.It is given to those who do not sue for it:to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/happiness-is-an-elusive-state-of-mind-not-to-be-gained-by-clumsy/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [Happiness is the most elusive thing for human beings to find.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for-human-beings-to-find/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Don't seek happiness. If you seek it, you won't find it, because seeking is the antithesis of happiness. Happiness is ever elusive, but freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/don-t-seek-happiness-if-you-seek-it-you-won-t-find-it-because-seeking/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“Happiness is elusive, for sure.But like love, and music, I believe in it because I can feel it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/happiness-is-elusive-for-sure-but-like-love-and-music-i-believe-in-it/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [Pursuing happiness, and I did, and I still do, is not at all the same as being happy--which I think is fleeting, dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pursuing-happiness-and-i-did-and-i-still-do-is-not-at-all-the-same-as/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Happiness is elusive, for sure.But lime love, and music, I believe in it because I can feel it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/happiness-is-elusive-for-sure-but-lime-love-and-music-i-believe-in-it/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [“Happiness can be as elusive as a small fish darting away in a mountain stream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/happiness-can-be-as-elusive-as-a-small-fish-darting-away-in-a/) [Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/) > [“happiness was not some elusive force that only showered down upon the deserving, but a choice we all make despite the fact that life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-thomas/happiness-was-not-some-elusive-force-that-only-showered-down-upon-the/) [Janis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-thomas/) > [“Even our behavior and emotions seem to have been shaped by a prankster. Why do we crave the very foods that are bad for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/even-our-behavior-and-emotions-seem-to-have-been-shaped-by-a/) [Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/) > [“I’ve come to think that flourishing consists of putting yourself in situations in which you lose self-consciousness and become fused with other people, experiences,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-brooks/i-ve-come-to-think-that-flourishing-consists-of-putting-yourself-in/) [David Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-brooks/) > [Well wisher is not the one who meets U, And talk with you every day, Well wishers is the one who may or may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kand3n/well-wisher-is-not-the-one-who-meets-u-and-talk-with-you-every-day/) [Kand3n](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kand3n/) > [“Love is not always getting who you love; it’s also the ability to think about the happiness of the one you love…. Weather with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rikky-bhartia/love-is-not-always-getting-who-you-love-it-s-also-the-ability-to/) [Rikky Bhartia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rikky-bhartia/) > [“But I think sometimes happiness just meant living. Being present. Being alive. Being surrounded by those you loved.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paige-weaver/but-i-think-sometimes-happiness-just-meant-living-being-present-being/) [Paige Weaver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paige-weaver/) > [You are quite, quite wrong if you think that ... I find your happiness painful. What matters is that happiness - the golden day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winifred-holtby/you-are-quite-quite-wrong-if-you-think-that-i-find-your-happiness/) [Winifred Holtby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winifred-holtby/) ## More by Cord Jefferson > [To be very good at football, you need to be able to snuff out the voice inside of you that says it's better for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/to-be-very-good-at-football-you-need-to-be-able-to-snuff-out-the/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [I think that was one of the reasons I loved 'Moonlight.' I don't remember if there's a single white person in that movie. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/i-think-that-was-one-of-the-reasons-i-loved-moonlight-i-don-t/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [Bravery is a virtue people revere in dead soldiers and then turn to disparage in someone extending her hand to a weirdo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/bravery-is-a-virtue-people-revere-in-dead-soldiers-and-then-turn-to/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [Cutoff culture,' 'the friendzone:' these are just neologisms used by men to mask or soften the reality that they have been - and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/cutoff-culture-the-friendzone-these-are-just-neologisms-used-by-men/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [The reason I became a writer is because I like sitting in dark rooms by myself, not standing on stage and talking to people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/the-reason-i-became-a-writer-is-because-i-like-sitting-in-dark-rooms/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [My mother told me she thought I had clinical depression when I was 19 years old. And I thought, you're crazy because, you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/my-mother-told-me-she-thought-i-had-clinical-depression-when-i-was-19/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [There is an appetite for things that are different and a story with Black characters that's going to appeal to a lot of people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/there-is-an-appetite-for-things-that-are-different-and-a-story-with/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [The hostility directed at writers who cover minority beats in America is solid proof that those people are doing important work. But that work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/the-hostility-directed-at-writers-who-cover-minority-beats-in-america/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [It should go without saying that there's no outside arbiter of who 'deserves' which woman, or of what one 'deserves' to receive from a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/it-should-go-without-saying-that-there-s-no-outside-arbiter-of-who/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [The Black experience in America now includes everything, all the way up to being the president of the United States.' But there's genres for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/the-black-experience-in-america-now-includes-everything-all-the-way/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [The thing about New York stories that many storytellers often forget is that they can take place anywhere in the world. That's because for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/the-thing-about-new-york-stories-that-many-storytellers-often-forget/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [I feel both happy and sad in my life... Life is neither comedy nor tragedy. And so I just wanted to work on things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/i-feel-both-happy-and-sad-in-my-life-life-is-neither-comedy-nor/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [The prevalence of the GVP (grilled vegetable plate) as the sole vegetarian option at many restaurants is offensive for a whole host of reasons.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/the-prevalence-of-the-gvp-grilled-vegetable-plate-as-the-sole/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [I do not believe in things like ghosts or astrology or gods who care if you eat shellfish, so I feel unwaveringly confident in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/i-do-not-believe-in-things-like-ghosts-or-astrology-or-gods-who-care/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) > [For several years, I made my unofficial beat the stories, struggles, and politics of blacks in America. I wrote about other things, also, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/for-several-years-i-made-my-unofficial-beat-the-stories-struggles-and/) [Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) [Explore all 100 Cord Jefferson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/) ## More Elusive quotes > [I still don't feel I know Hitchcock at all. I find that the more one looks, the more elusive he becomes. But my admiration…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toby-jones/i-still-don-t-feel-i-know-hitchcock-at-all-i-find-that-the-more-one/) [Toby Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toby-jones/) > [“Good God, 'the elusive thing'. She had reached a turning point. She no longer believed that a situation could be made better by writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/good-god-the-elusive-thing-she-had-reached-a-turning-point-she-no/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [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/) > [We are all pilgrims on an elusive and endless road... Despite our attempts to build lives on stone foundations, our spirits continuously flow. Endless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-lawlor/we-are-all-pilgrims-on-an-elusive-and-endless-road-despite-our/) [Anthony Lawlor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-lawlor/) > [I believe in good. It is an ephemeral and elusive quality. It is the center of my beliefs, but it cannot be strengthened by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-teller/i-believe-in-good-it-is-an-ephemeral-and-elusive-quality-it-is-the/) [Edward Teller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-teller/) > [One of the capabilities, which seems to be the most difficult for aspiring leaders to maste is realistic optimism. It requires one to recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-menkes/one-of-the-capabilities-which-seems-to-be-the-most-difficult-for/) [Justin Menkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-menkes/) > [For at the heart of the uniform, reasoning is shaky and elusive: a mind in search of ideas should first stock up on appearances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-ponge/for-at-the-heart-of-the-uniform-reasoning-is-shaky-and-elusive-a-mind/) [Francis Ponge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-ponge/) > [Insofar as one can talk of a Vionnet school, it comes mostly from my having been an enemy of fashion. There is something superficial…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-vionnet/insofar-as-one-can-talk-of-a-vionnet-school-it-comes-mostly-from-my/) [Madeleine Vionnet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-vionnet/) > [The object of life is not happiness, but to serve God or the Grail. All of the Grail quests are to serve God. If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-johnson/the-object-of-life-is-not-happiness-but-to-serve-god-or-the-grail-all/) [Robert A. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-johnson/) > [I think love is one of the most elusive things in the world. I don't know that there's a perfect formula for it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashton-kutcher/i-think-love-is-one-of-the-most-elusive-things-in-the-world-i-don-t/) [Ashton Kutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashton-kutcher/) > [Personal happiness seems mysteriously and frustratingly elusive. Even when people achieve it, they can't hold onto it. That is the greatest clue, the biggest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neale-donald-walsch/personal-happiness-seems-mysteriously-and-frustratingly-elusive-even/) [Neale Donald Walsch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neale-donald-walsch/) > [This too is a jihad. Yet we Americans find ourselves in the dangerous position of going to war not against a state but against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-hedges/this-too-is-a-jihad-yet-we-americans-find-ourselves-in-the-dangerous/) [Chris Hedges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-hedges/) > [Relationships, for me, have been elusive. And I would say mostly it's been my fault. I was always more concentrated on my career. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-lane/relationships-for-me-have-been-elusive-and-i-would-say-mostly-it-s/) [Nathan Lane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-lane/) > [My name is Truth and I am the most elusive captive in the universe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sandburg/my-name-is-truth-and-i-am-the-most-elusive-captive-in-the-universe/) [Carl Sandburg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sandburg/) > [“Like wind and fire, water and soil, we used one another, to grow and blossom. Love was a dream, elusive as were we.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/iva-hotko/like-wind-and-fire-water-and-soil-we-used-one-another-to-grow-and/) [Iva Hotko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/iva-hotko/) [Browse all 333 Elusive quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elusive/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think that happiness has been elusive for me my entire life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cord Jefferson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive-for-me-my-entire-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Elusive" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive-for-me-my-entire-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/cord-jefferson-6009_elusive_i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive_346446.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/cord-jefferson-6009_elusive_i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive_346446.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ab5/cord-jefferson-6009_elusive_i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive_346446.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think that happiness has been elusive for me my entire life.” — Cord Jefferson", "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": "Cord Jefferson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think that happiness has been...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive-for-me-my-entire-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive-for-me-my-entire-life/#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 } } ] } ```