--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Maybe I shall never achieve happiness…" description: "\"Maybe I shall never achieve happiness, but one thing I have had - the terrible wisdom of love.\" — Corra May Harris" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/corra-may-harris-23340_achieve_maybe-i-shall-never-achieve-happiness-bu_108969.png" --- # Maybe I shall never achieve happiness, but one thing I… ![“Maybe I shall never achieve happiness, but one thing I have had - the terrible wisdom of love.” quote by Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/corra-may-harris-23340_achieve_maybe-i-shall-never-achieve-happiness-bu_108969.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/corra-may-harris-23340_achieve_maybe-i-shall-never-achieve-happiness-bu_108969.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fa1/corra-may-harris-23340_achieve_maybe-i-shall-never-achieve-happiness-bu_108969.png) > “Maybe I shall never achieve happiness, but one thing I have had - the terrible wisdom of love.” [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness may be elusive, yet love imparts a painful wisdom that deepens understanding of life’s complexities. **In simple terms:** Love teaches painful wisdom. Key Takeaway Love offers insight even without happiness. Themes love wisdom suffering philosophy Mood melancholic reflective Type philosophical poetic When to use this quote - grieving a loss - navigating a difficult relationship - creative writing Key Concepts existential reflection Practical Applications - embrace vulnerability - reflect on lessons from love Questions to Reflect On - Can love be a source of growth without happiness? - What does ‘terrible wisdom’ mean to you? A Different Perspective Focusing on love’s pain can overlook moments of joy that also teach. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Wisdom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wisdom/) ## Related quotes > [The one thing that's terrible about traveling for fun is writing about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/the-one-thing-that-s-terrible-about-traveling-for-fun-is-writing/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [“I would have killed myself years ago if it weren't for the fact that I’m pretty sure death is the only thing more terrible…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-sargeant/i-would-have-killed-myself-years-ago-if-it-weren-t-for-the-fact-that/) Alex Sargeant > [Her mind was all disorder. The past, present, future, every thing was terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/her-mind-was-all-disorder-the-past-present-future-every-thing-was/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [“How terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the wise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-conan-doyle/how-terrible-is-wisdom-when-it-brings-no-profit-to-the-wise/) [Arthur Conan Doyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-conan-doyle/) > [“Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the man that's wise! This I knew well, but had forgotten it, else…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/alas-how-terrible-is-wisdom-when-it-brings-no-profit-to-the-man-that/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“TEIRESIAS: Alas, how terrible is wisdom when it brings no profit to the man that's wise! This I knew well, but had forgotten it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/teiresias-alas-how-terrible-is-wisdom-when-it-brings-no-profit-to-the/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [How terrible it is to have wisdom when it does not benefit those who have it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/how-terrible-it-is-to-have-wisdom-when-it-does-not-benefit-those-who/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [How terrible is wisdom, when it brings no profit to the man that's wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/how-terrible-is-wisdom-when-it-brings-no-profit-to-the-man-that-s-wise/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“Say fuck the hole day, geuss what. By the end of that day you'ld achieve more happiness then if you did not ~”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricio-telman-chincocolo/say-fuck-the-hole-day-geuss-what-by-the-end-of-that-day-you-ld/) [Patricio Telman Chincocolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricio-telman-chincocolo/) > [The way to achieve happiness is to try for perfection that is impossible to achieve, and spend the rest of your life trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-way-to-achieve-happiness-is-to-try-for-perfection-that-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“the best way to achieve happiness for oneself is to give happiness to others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-michie/the-best-way-to-achieve-happiness-for-oneself-is-to-give-happiness-to/) [David Michie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-michie/) > [To expect happiness without giving up negative action is like holding your hand in a fire and hoping not to be burned. Of course,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/to-expect-happiness-without-giving-up-negative-action-is-like-holding/) [Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dilgo-khyentse-rinpoche/) > [“Perhaps when you helped someone to achieve happiness that you yourself would no longer experience, you also gained a small piece of that happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoav-blum/perhaps-when-you-helped-someone-to-achieve-happiness-that-you/) [Yoav Blum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoav-blum/) > [“I will write about sadness,till the time i achieve my happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sh-sheeban/i-will-write-about-sadness-till-the-time-i-achieve-my-happiness/) sh sheeban > [There is only one way to achieve happiness on this terrestrial ball, and that is to have either a clear conscience or none at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogden-nash/there-is-only-one-way-to-achieve-happiness-on-this-terrestrial-ball/) [Ogden Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogden-nash/) ## More by Corra May Harris > [Once you grow accustomed to being famous, you do not realize it, but you are never quite your humble, honest self. No matter how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/once-you-grow-accustomed-to-being-famous-you-do-not-realize-it-but/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [As I have grown older I am more and more convinced that I have not grown up, that my powers have not come to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/as-i-have-grown-older-i-am-more-and-more-convinced-that-i-have-not/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [There is something in the quality of the French mind to which I have always felt a reluctant kinship. They are the only people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/there-is-something-in-the-quality-of-the-french-mind-to-which-i-have/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [If you wish to collect complimentary material for a record of yourself, never appeal to your relations. 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A dollar mark would not look well there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/no-one-has-yet-had-the-courage-to-memorialize-his-wealth-on-his/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [I remember being very smart, which is a form of stupidity. I try not to remember it, but it occurs to me that I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corra-may-harris/i-remember-being-very-smart-which-is-a-form-of-stupidity-i-try-not-to/) [Corra May Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corra-may-harris/) > [sanity, in my opinion, is an achievement. 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