---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Human happiness seems to consist in three…"
description: "\"Human happiness seems to consist in three ingredients: action, pleasure and indolence.\" — David Hume"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/david-hume-538_action_human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-thre_362319.jpg"
---

#  Human happiness seems to consist in three ingredients…

![“Human happiness seems to consist in three ingredients: action, pleasure and indolence.” quote by David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/david-hume-538_action_human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-thre_362319.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/david-hume-538_action_human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-thre_362319.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/david-hume-538_action_human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-thre_362319.jpg)

> “Human happiness seems to consist in three ingredients: action, pleasure and indolence.”

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Human happiness arises from three components: active engagement, enjoyable experiences, and restful leisure.

**In simple terms:** Happiness = action + pleasure + rest.

Key Takeaway

Balance activity, enjoyment, and rest.

Themes

happiness balance well‑being

Mood

reflective thoughtful

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career planning
- vacation
- creative projects
- relaxation routines

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology ethics

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you allocate time for each component?
- What prevents you from balancing action and rest?

A Different Perspective

Too much leisure can become laziness, undermining purpose.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Action](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/) [Action Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action-pleasure-3324004/) [Feelings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feelings/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Consist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-consist-596650/) [Human happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-happiness/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Indolence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indolence/) [Ingredients](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ingredients/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Pleasure Indolence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure-indolence-3324003/) [Seems](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seems/) [Three](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/three/)

## Related quotes

> [Human happiness seems to consist in three ingredients; action, pleasure and indolence. And though these ingredients ought to be mixed in different proportions, according…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-three-ingredients-action-pleasure-2/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [Of all the cankers of human happiness none corrodes with so silent, yet so baneful an influence, as indolence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/of-all-the-cankers-of-human-happiness-none-corrodes-with-so-silent/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Employment, which Galen calls 'Nature's Physician,' is so essential to human happiness that indolence is justly considered as the mother of misery.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-burton/employment-which-galen-calls-nature-s-physician-is-so-essential-to/)

[Robert A. Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-burton/)

> [True Happiness Consist Not In The Multitude of Friends. But, In The Worth And Choice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/true-happiness-consist-not-in-the-multitude-of-friends-but-in-the/)

[Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/)

> [One ought to seek out virtue for its own sake, without being influenced by fear or hope, or by any external influence. Moreover, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/one-ought-to-seek-out-virtue-for-its-own-sake-without-being/)

[Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/)

> [Happiness may well consist primarily of an attitude toward time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-grudin/happiness-may-well-consist-primarily-of-an-attitude-toward-time/)

[Robert Grudin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-grudin/)

> [Machines deprive us of two things which are certainly important ingredients of human happiness, namely, spontaneity and variety.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/machines-deprive-us-of-two-things-which-are-certainly-important/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [And indeed nothing but the most determined scepticism, along with a great degree of indolence, can justify this aversion to metaphysics. For if truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/and-indeed-nothing-but-the-most-determined-scepticism-along-with-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [The love of indolence is universal, or next to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-taylor-coleridge/the-love-of-indolence-is-universal-or-next-to-it/)

[Samuel Taylor Coleridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-taylor-coleridge/)

> [“A man must find his occasions in himself, it is true. The natural day is very calm, and will hardly reprove his indolence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/a-man-must-find-his-occasions-in-himself-it-is-true-the-natural-day/)

[Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/)

> [“A sloppy half-Windsor is the first symptom of serial indolence' she replied in the patronizing voice that Yellows reserved for Rule-breakers, 'and ignoring the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasper-fforde/a-sloppy-half-windsor-is-the-first-symptom-of-serial-indolence-she/)

[Jasper Fforde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasper-fforde/)

> [To will the impossible is usually a sin of indolence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fanny-lewald/to-will-the-impossible-is-usually-a-sin-of-indolence/)

[Fanny Lewald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fanny-lewald/)

> [The critic is a man who prefers the indolence of opinion to the trials of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mason-brown/the-critic-is-a-man-who-prefers-the-indolence-of-opinion-to-the/)

[John Mason Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mason-brown/)

> [There are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the other with habits of indolence. The first is a virtue; the other,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-edgeworth/there-are-two-sorts-of-content-one-is-connected-with-exertion-the/)

[Maria Edgeworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-edgeworth/)

> [In our own time the whole of Greece has been subject to a low birth rate and a general decrease of the population, owing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/polybius/in-our-own-time-the-whole-of-greece-has-been-subject-to-a-low-birth/)

[Polybius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/polybius/)

## More by David Hume

> [“Beauty in things exists in the mind that contemplates them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/beauty-in-things-exists-in-the-mind-that-contemplates-them/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“It is impossible for us to think of any thing, which we have not antecedently felt, either by our external or internal senses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/it-is-impossible-for-us-to-think-of-any-thing-which-we-have-not/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [All morality depends upon our sentiments; and when any action or quality of the mind pleases us after a certain manner we say it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/all-morality-depends-upon-our-sentiments-and-when-any-action-or/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [And indeed nothing but the most determined scepticism, along with a great degree of indolence, can justify this aversion to metaphysics. For if truth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/and-indeed-nothing-but-the-most-determined-scepticism-along-with-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [...virtue is attended by more peace of mind than vice, and meets with a more favourable reception from the world. I am sensible, that,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/virtue-is-attended-by-more-peace-of-mind-than-vice-and-meets-with-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [That the sun will not rise tomorrow is no less intelligible a proposition, and implies no more contradiction, than the affirmation, that it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/that-the-sun-will-not-rise-tomorrow-is-no-less-intelligible-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [We may conclude, therefore, that, in order to establish laws for the regulation of property, we must be acquainted with the nature and situation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/we-may-conclude-therefore-that-in-order-to-establish-laws-for-the/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [The observation of human blindness and weakness is the result of all philosophy, and meets us at every turn, in spite of our endeavours…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-observation-of-human-blindness-and-weakness-is-the-result-of-all/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [The religious hypothesis, therefore, must be considered only as a particular method of accounting for the visible phenomena of the universe: but no just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-religious-hypothesis-therefore-must-be-considered-only-as-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [Manufacturers...gradually shift their places, leaving those countries and provinces which they have already enriched, and flying to others, whether they are allured by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/manufacturers-gradually-shift-their-places-leaving-those-countries/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [We may observe that, in displaying the praises of any humane, beneficent man, there is one circumstance which never fails to be amply insisted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/we-may-observe-that-in-displaying-the-praises-of-any-humane/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“The most perfect happiness, surely, must arise from the contemplation of the most perfect object.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/the-most-perfect-happiness-surely-must-arise-from-the-contemplation/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“They all make up new species of crime and bring unhappiness in their train. When I hear a man is religious , I conclude…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/they-all-make-up-new-species-of-crime-and-bring-unhappiness-in-their/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [There is not to be found, in all history, any miracle attested by a sufficient number of men, of such unquestioned good sense, education…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/there-is-not-to-be-found-in-all-history-any-miracle-attested-by-a/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

> [“But though there be naturally a wide difference in point of delicacy between one person and another, nothing tends further to encrease and improve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/but-though-there-be-naturally-a-wide-difference-in-point-of-delicacy/)

[David Hume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

[Explore all 487 David Hume quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/)

## More Action quotes

> [I always say there are two things to be successful. The first is decide exactly what you want - set your goals - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/i-always-say-there-are-two-things-to-be-successful-the-first-is/)

[Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/)

> [You'd be surprised how hard it can often be to translate an action into an idea.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-kraus/you-d-be-surprised-how-hard-it-can-often-be-to-translate-an-action/)

[Karl Kraus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-kraus/)

> [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/)

[Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/)

> [Nothing is so powerful as an insight into human nature... what compulsions drive a man, what instincts dominate his action. If you know these…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-bernbach/nothing-is-so-powerful-as-an-insight-into-human-nature-what/)

[William Bernbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-bernbach/)

> [Every thought I have imprisioned in expression I must free by my deeds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kahlil-gibran/every-thought-i-have-imprisioned-in-expression-i-must-free-by-my-deeds/)

[Kahlil Gibran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kahlil-gibran/)

> [It took me 20 years to buy an electric typewriter, because I was afraid it would be too sensitive. I like to bang the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elmore-leonard/it-took-me-20-years-to-buy-an-electric-typewriter-because-i-was/)

[Elmore Leonard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elmore-leonard/)

> [Every action that helps us manifest our divine nature more and more is good; every action that retards it is evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/every-action-that-helps-us-manifest-our-divine-nature-more-and-more/)

[Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/)

> [As you begin changing your thinking, start immediately to change your behaviour. Begin to act the part of the person you would like to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-you-begin-changing-your-thinking-start-immediately-to-change-your/)

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

> [It's easy to say, let's go in and get the bad guys. But you have a divided country of Sunnis and Shias. The United…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tulsi-gabbard/it-s-easy-to-say-let-s-go-in-and-get-the-bad-guys-but-you-have-a/)

[Tulsi Gabbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tulsi-gabbard/)

> [For comedy action, I must know the language.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sammo-hung/for-comedy-action-i-must-know-the-language/)

[Sammo Hung](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sammo-hung/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Action is a powerful thing. When you smile through your sadness, it can completely change your outlook. Try it! Smile :) Now hold onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leticia-rae/action-is-a-powerful-thing-when-you-smile-through-your-sadness-it-can/)

[Leticia Rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leticia-rae/)

> [I reject criticism because the last thing I wanted was to sit there and look at people talking. I think people are conditioned to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-tyrnauer/i-reject-criticism-because-the-last-thing-i-wanted-was-to-sit-there/)

[Matt Tyrnauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-tyrnauer/)

> [“I take my actions because of my passion not because of compulsion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/i-take-my-actions-because-of-my-passion-not-because-of-compulsion/)

[Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/)

> [When the first Superman movie came out I was frequently asked "What is a hero?" ...My answer was that a hero is someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-reeve/when-the-first-superman-movie-came-out-i-was-frequently-asked-what-is/)

[Christopher Reeve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-reeve/)

[Browse all 14,940 Action quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/action/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Human happiness seems to consist in three ingredients: action, pleasure and indolence.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Hume"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-three-ingredients-action-pleasure/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Action"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-three-ingredients-action-pleasure/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/david-hume-538_action_human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-thre_362319.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/david-hume-538_action_human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-thre_362319.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/646/david-hume-538_action_human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-thre_362319.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Human happiness seems to consist in three ingredients: action, pleasure and indolence.” — David Hume",
                "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": "David Hume",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hume/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Human happiness seems to consist in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-three-ingredients-action-pleasure/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hume/human-happiness-seems-to-consist-in-three-ingredients-action-pleasure/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
