--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is no such joy in the tavern as…" description: "\"There is no such joy in the tavern as upon the road thereto.\" — Cormac McCarthy" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/cormac-mccarthy-181_joy_there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-up_499632.jpg" --- # There is no such joy in the tavern as upon the road thereto. ![“There is no such joy in the tavern as upon the road thereto.” quote by Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/cormac-mccarthy-181_joy_there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-up_499632.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/cormac-mccarthy-181_joy_there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-up_499632.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/cormac-mccarthy-181_joy_there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-up_499632.jpg) > “There is no such joy in the tavern as upon the road thereto.” [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The journey itself holds more joy than the destination, especially when traveling with purpose. **In simple terms:** Journey brings joy, not just destination. Key Takeaway Value the process over the end goal. Themes travel joy purpose Mood contemplative hopeful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - road trips - career paths - spiritual quests - creative projects Key Concepts existential meaning mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What makes your journey meaningful? - How can you find joy in everyday travel? A Different Perspective Joy may fade without clear purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Tavern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tavern/) [Taverns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taverns/) ## Related quotes > [Shakespeare was not meant for taverns, nor for tavern louts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-g-engel/shakespeare-was-not-meant-for-taverns-nor-for-tavern-louts/) Samuel G Engel > [In a tavern everybody puts on airs except the landlord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/in-a-tavern-everybody-puts-on-airs-except-the-landlord/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [A drunkard is the annoyance of modesty, the trouble of civility, the spoil of wealth, the distraction of reason. He is the brewer's agent,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-adams/a-drunkard-is-the-annoyance-of-modesty-the-trouble-of-civility-the/) [Thomas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-adams/) > [The tavern will compare favorably with the church. The church is the place where prayers and sermons are delivered, but the tavernis where they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-tavern-will-compare-favorably-with-the-church-the-church-is-the/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [The study of tavern history often brings to light much evidence of sad domestic changes. Many a cherished and beautiful home, rich in annals…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-morse-earle/the-study-of-tavern-history-often-brings-to-light-much-evidence-of/) [Alice Morse Earle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-morse-earle/) > [How lucky is the man who, like Mozart and others, goes to the tavern of an evening and writes some fresh music. For he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johannes-brahms/how-lucky-is-the-man-who-like-mozart-and-others-goes-to-the-tavern-of/) [Johannes Brahms](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johannes-brahms/) > [Souls of poets dead and gone, What Elysium have ye known, Happy field or mossy cavern, Choicer than the Mermaid Tavern? Have ye tippled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/souls-of-poets-dead-and-gone-what-elysium-have-ye-known-happy-field-2/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [When the hour is nigh me, Let me in a tavern die, With a tankard by me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archpoet/when-the-hour-is-nigh-me-let-me-in-a-tavern-die-with-a-tankard-by-me/) Archpoet > [I waited tables at Govnr's Park Tavern in Denver.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-perino/i-waited-tables-at-govnr-s-park-tavern-in-denver/) [Dana Perino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-perino/) > [Now musing o'er the changing scene Farmers behind the tavern screen Collect; with elbows idly press'd On hob, reclines the corner's guest, Reading the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-clare/now-musing-o-er-the-changing-scene-farmers-behind-the-tavern-screen/) [John Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-clare/) > [“The tavern will compare favorably with the church.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/the-tavern-will-compare-favorably-with-the-church/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“Souls of poets dead and gone, What Elysium have ye known, Happy field or mossy cavern, Choicer than the Mermaid Tavern? Have ye tippled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/souls-of-poets-dead-and-gone-what-elysium-have-ye-known-happy-field/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [Many a man who thinks to found a home discovers that he has merely opened a tavern for his friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-douglas/many-a-man-who-thinks-to-found-a-home-discovers-that-he-has-merely/) [Norman Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-douglas/) > [A tavern is a place where madness is sold by the bottle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-swift/a-tavern-is-a-place-where-madness-is-sold-by-the-bottle/) [Jonathan Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-swift/) > [There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/there-is-nothing-which-has-yet-been-contrived-by-man-by-which-so-much/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More by Cormac McCarthy > [The cooler days have brought a wistful mood upon him. The smell of coalsmoke in the air at night. Old times, dead years. For…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-cooler-days-have-brought-a-wistful-mood-upon-him-the-smell-of/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“The events of the world can have no separate life from the world. And yet the world itself can have no temporal view of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/the-events-of-the-world-can-have-no-separate-life-from-the-world-and/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“I had two dreams about him after he died. I dont remember the first one all that well but it was about meetin him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/i-had-two-dreams-about-him-after-he-died-i-dont-remember-the-first/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You think people was meaner then than they are now? the deputy said. The old man was looking out at the flooded town. No,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-think-people-was-meaner-then-than-they-are-now-the-deputy-said/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They set forth in a crimson dawn where sky and earth closed in a razorous plane. Out there dark little archipelagos of cloud and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-set-forth-in-a-crimson-dawn-where-sky-and-earth-closed-in-a/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Nothing. Where all was burnt to ash before them no fires were to be had and the nights were long and dark and cold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/nothing-where-all-was-burnt-to-ash-before-them-no-fires-were-to-be/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [He said that whether a man's life was writ in a book someplace or whether it took its form day by day was one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-said-that-whether-a-man-s-life-was-writ-in-a-book-someplace-or/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“He lives in a room above a courtyard behind a tavern and he comes down at night like some fairybook beast to fight with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/he-lives-in-a-room-above-a-courtyard-behind-a-tavern-and-he-comes/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Ultimo hombre. Last man standing, must've been one. Where'd he go?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/ultimo-hombre-last-man-standing-must-ve-been-one-where-d-he-go/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“To seek out the upright. No fall but preceded by a declination. He took great marching steps into the nothingness, counting them against his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/to-seek-out-the-upright-no-fall-but-preceded-by-a-declination-he-took/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“They went through the last of the cars and then walked up the track to the locomotive and climbed up to the catwalk. Rust…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/they-went-through-the-last-of-the-cars-and-then-walked-up-the-track/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“Night fell upon them dark and starblown and the wagon grew swollen near mute with dew. On their chairs in such black immobility these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/night-fell-upon-them-dark-and-starblown-and-the-wagon-grew-swollen/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“When I was in school I studied biology. I learned that in making their experiments scientists will take some group - bacteria, mice, people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/when-i-was-in-school-i-studied-biology-i-learned-that-in-making-their/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [ “We none of us knew him to speak \[Dutch\]. Asked him where he'd learned it you know what he said? What did he say.… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/we-none-of-us-knew-him-to-speak-dutch-asked-him-where-he-d-learned-it/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) > [“You know that the things you put it your head stay there, right?' 'Yeah. But you remember some things, don't you?' 'Yeah. You remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/you-know-that-the-things-you-put-it-your-head-stay-there-right-yeah/) [Cormac McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) [Explore all 927 Cormac McCarthy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/) ## More Joy quotes > [These joys were so trifling as to be as imperceptible as grains of gold among the sand, and in moments of depression she saw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/these-joys-were-so-trifling-as-to-be-as-imperceptible-as-grains-of/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [A thing of beauty is a joy for ever;It's loveliness increase;it will never pass into nothingness;but still will keep a bower quiet for us,and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/a-thing-of-beauty-is-a-joy-for-ever-it-s-loveliness-increase-it-will/) [John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/) > [“When you finally realize your gifts and talents, joy and satisfaction come as you walk in your purpose.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sanya-richards-ross/when-you-finally-realize-your-gifts-and-talents-joy-and-satisfaction/) [Sanya Richards-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sanya-richards-ross/) > [When I first started, my message was about joy, but I didn't really have the vocabulary and life experience to fully deliver it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-mraz/when-i-first-started-my-message-was-about-joy-but-i-didn-t-really/) [Jason Mraz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-mraz/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The more perfect the sight is the more delightful the beautiful object. The more perfect the appetite, the sweeter the food. The more musical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-baxter/the-more-perfect-the-sight-is-the-more-delightful-the-beautiful/) [Richard Baxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-baxter/) > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) > [Safin, in his way, is very talented. It is a joy to watch them play; it is tennis of a very high quality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-krajicek/safin-in-his-way-is-very-talented-it-is-a-joy-to-watch-them-play-it/) [Richard Krajicek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-krajicek/) > [The writings of latter-day prophets clearly teach that the sorrows and sufferings endured by Adam and Eve upon their leaving the Garden of Eden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-k-judd/the-writings-of-latter-day-prophets-clearly-teach-that-the-sorrows/) Daniel K Judd > [“Start the daily practice of joyful living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/start-the-daily-practice-of-joyful-living/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have touched with a sense of art some people-they felt the love and the life. Can you offer me anything to compare to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cassatt/i-have-touched-with-a-sense-of-art-some-people-they-felt-the-love-and/) [Mary Cassatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cassatt/) > [“Reverend Veronica Goines sums this up as, “Peace is joy at rest, and joy is peace on its feet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-sandberg/reverend-veronica-goines-sums-this-up-as-peace-is-joy-at-rest-and-joy/) [Sheryl Sandberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-sandberg/) > [Be in a state of gratitude for everything that shows up in your life. Be thankful for the storms as well as the smooth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/be-in-a-state-of-gratitude-for-everything-that-shows-up-in-your-life/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Spiritually, life is a festival, a celebration. Joy is of the essence of life;](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnivesh/spiritually-life-is-a-festival-a-celebration-joy-is-of-the-essence-of/) [Agnivesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnivesh/) [Browse all 15,003 Joy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is no such joy in the tavern as upon the road thereto.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cormac McCarthy" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-upon-the-road-thereto/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Joy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-upon-the-road-thereto/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/cormac-mccarthy-181_joy_there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-up_499632.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/cormac-mccarthy-181_joy_there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-up_499632.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7ad/cormac-mccarthy-181_joy_there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-up_499632.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is no such joy in the tavern as upon the road thereto.” — Cormac McCarthy", "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": "Cormac McCarthy", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cormac-mccarthy/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is no such joy in...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-upon-the-road-thereto/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cormac-mccarthy/there-is-no-such-joy-in-the-tavern-as-upon-the-road-thereto/#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 } } ] } ```