--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Why are we here? We exist not to pursue…" description: "\"Why are we here? We exist not to pursue happiness, which is fleeting, or outer accomplishment, which can always be bettered. We are here to nourish the..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/deepak-chopra-63_accomplishment_why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-h_1593039.jpg" --- # Why are we here? We exist not to pursue happiness, which… ![“Why are we here? We exist not to pursue happiness, which is fleeting, or outer accomplishment, which can always be bettered. We are here to nourish the self.” quote by Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/deepak-chopra-63_accomplishment_why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-h_1593039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/deepak-chopra-63_accomplishment_why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-h_1593039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/deepak-chopra-63_accomplishment_why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-h_1593039.jpg) > “Why are we here? We exist not to pursue happiness, which is fleeting, or outer accomplishment, which can always be bettered. We are here to nourish the self.” [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Existence isn’t for fleeting happiness or external achievement, but to nurture the inner self. **In simple terms:** Life’s purpose is self‑nourishment. Key Takeaway Prioritize inner growth. Themes spirituality purpose self‑care Mood peaceful inspirational Type spiritual motivational When to use this quote - meditation - personal development - education Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - How do you nourish your self? - What balance between inner and outer goals? A Different Perspective External goals can still hold value. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) [Exist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist/) [Exist Pursue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exist-pursue-6042510/) [Existence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/existence/) [Fleeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fleeting/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Fleeting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-fleeting-1466804/) [Nourish Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nourish-self-6042509/) [Pursue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursue/) [Pursue Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursue-happiness/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Spiritual](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/spiritual/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) ## Related quotes > [Happiness is fleeting - I think that's the main lesson I have learned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-blanchett/happiness-is-fleeting-i-think-that-s-the-main-lesson-i-have-learned/) [Cate Blanchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-blanchett/) > [Happiness is fleeting and life is brief, but we know that, nonetheless, life can be savored and that happiness, even of the ecstatic kind,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-hitchens/happiness-is-fleeting-and-life-is-brief-but-we-know-that-nonetheless/) [Christopher Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-hitchens/) > [Happiness is such a fleeting point of view - there's no such thing as continual happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/happiness-is-such-a-fleeting-point-of-view-there-s-no-such-thing-as/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [“I remind myself if happiness is fleeting, then so is sadness. I remind myself depression is the weather, and I'm a weather-worn tree. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaheen-bhatt/i-remind-myself-if-happiness-is-fleeting-then-so-is-sadness-i-remind/) [Shaheen Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaheen-bhatt/) > [“Happy? Most of the time? Happiness is always a fleeting thing," he said, "It never rests upon anyone as a permanent state, though many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-balogh/happy-most-of-the-time-happiness-is-always-a-fleeting-thing-he-said/) [Mary Balogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-balogh/) > [“I was delighted to see you again, and forgot for the moment that all happiness is fleeting.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/i-was-delighted-to-see-you-again-and-forgot-for-the-moment-that-all/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [“For what it’s worth, I think happiness is a fleeting condition, not a permanent goddamn state of mind. I’ve learned that if you chase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/for-what-it-s-worth-i-think-happiness-is-a-fleeting-condition-not-a-2/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [Joy is a noble thing, but happiness though fleeting can be found every day and in every small little way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/joy-is-a-noble-thing-but-happiness-though-fleeting-can-be-found-every/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“These memories of happiness are fleeting things, reflections in a stream, glimpsed all broken for a second and then swept away in the current…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/these-memories-of-happiness-are-fleeting-things-reflections-in-a/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) > [“Happiness was a fleeting gift, and Bay-Lee learned long ago to treasure those rare moments when she found them. ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kasi-blake/happiness-was-a-fleeting-gift-and-bay-lee-learned-long-ago-to/) [Kasi Blake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kasi-blake/) > [“For what it's worth, I think happiness is a fleeting condition, not a permanent state of goddamn mind. I've learned that if you chase…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/for-what-it-s-worth-i-think-happiness-is-a-fleeting-condition-not-a/) [Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/) > [“If I identify happiness with fleeting pleasant sensations, and crave to experience more and more of them, I have no choice but to pursue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yuval-noah-harari/if-i-identify-happiness-with-fleeting-pleasant-sensations-and-crave/) [Yuval Noah Harari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yuval-noah-harari/) > [Meeting a stranger can be totally fleeting and meaningless, for example, unless you enter the individual’s world by finding out at least one thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/meeting-a-stranger-can-be-totally-fleeting-and-meaningless-for/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [So that we pursue the happiness of this world just as little Children chase birds, when we think we are come very near it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-tillotson/so-that-we-pursue-the-happiness-of-this-world-just-as-little-children/) [John Tillotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-tillotson/) > [I have a God-given right to pursue happiness, and happiness to me is killing things, skinning them, plucking them, and then having a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-robertson/i-have-a-god-given-right-to-pursue-happiness-and-happiness-to-me-is/) [Phil Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-robertson/) ## More by Deepak Chopra > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“Molecules form and dissolve, returning to the primordial soup of atoms. But consciousness survives the death of the molecules on which it rides. What…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/molecules-form-and-dissolve-returning-to-the-primordial-soup-of-atoms/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Unbounded awareness is the reservoir of possibilities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/unbounded-awareness-is-the-reservoir-of-possibilities/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Spiritual awareness is not only one of the keys to the healing process. Spiritual awareness is the only way that healing can occur.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/spiritual-awareness-is-not-only-one-of-the-keys-to-the-healing/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [All experiences are either positive for your brain or negative. If you maximize the positive ones, you are shaping the brain you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/all-experiences-are-either-positive-for-your-brain-or-negative-if-you/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [There are only 2 responses to the world, fear or love. Your life depends on which one you choose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/there-are-only-2-responses-to-the-world-fear-or-love-your-life/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [If you take the the insults of your fellow human beings personally, you will be offended for the rest of your life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/if-you-take-the-the-insults-of-your-fellow-human-beings-personally/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [A person desperately searching for love," Merlin said, "reminds me of a fish desperately searching for water.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/a-person-desperately-searching-for-love-merlin-said-reminds-me-of-a/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Fighting your ego is a melodrama of the ego.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/fighting-your-ego-is-a-melodrama-of-the-ego/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The same faint song is heard in everything: "Behold yourself".](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-same-faint-song-is-heard-in-everything-behold-yourself/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [“All creativity is based on quantum leaps and uncertainty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/all-creativity-is-based-on-quantum-leaps-and-uncertainty/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The soul knows everything. Be who you are and your life will transform forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-soul-knows-everything-be-who-you-are-and-your-life-will-transform/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [The willingness to reach inside every part of yourself opens the door to total understanding. You place your entire identity on the line, not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/the-willingness-to-reach-inside-every-part-of-yourself-opens-the-door/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Be willing to redefine yourself every day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/be-willing-to-redefine-yourself-every-day/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [To have weakness is not to be flawed--it's to be complete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/to-have-weakness-is-not-to-be-flawed-it-s-to-be-complete/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) [Explore all 1,675 Deepak Chopra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) ## More Accomplishment quotes > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [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/) > [I'm not always right, but I learn from my mistakes and make it a productive experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kolhoff/i-m-not-always-right-but-i-learn-from-my-mistakes-and-make-it-a/) [Carson Kolhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kolhoff/) > [Suffering in life can uncover untold depths of character and unknown strength for service. People who go through life unscathed by sorrow and untouched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/suffering-in-life-can-uncover-untold-depths-of-character-and-unknown/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-limit-to-the-amount-of-good-you-can-do-if-you-don-t-care/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Research is the live heart of the scientific life ... Greatness of position, respect for past accomplishments, the Nobel Prize itself -- none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/research-is-the-live-heart-of-the-scientific-life-greatness-of/) [Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/) > [“One man accomplishment Is another mans failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-sargent/one-man-accomplishment-is-another-mans-failure/) [Anthony Sargent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-sargent/) > [I expected college to feel like a major accomplishment. I walked across the stage, eight months pregnant with my almost seven-year-old daughter watching in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-expected-college-to-feel-like-a-major-accomplishment-i-walked/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [Our purpose on this earth is not one single event, an accomplishment we can check off a list. There is no test. No passing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/our-purpose-on-this-earth-is-not-one-single-event-an-accomplishment/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/an-untrained-or-uneducated-marine-deployed-to-the-combat-zone-is-a/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) [Browse all 1,598 Accomplishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Why are we here? We exist not to pursue happiness, which is fleeting, or outer accomplishment, which can always be bettered. We are here to nourish the self.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Deepak Chopra" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-happiness-which-is-fleeting-or/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Accomplishment" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-happiness-which-is-fleeting-or/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/deepak-chopra-63_accomplishment_why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-h_1593039.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/deepak-chopra-63_accomplishment_why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-h_1593039.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/31c/deepak-chopra-63_accomplishment_why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-h_1593039.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Why are we here? We exist not to pursue happiness, which is fleeting, or outer accomplishment, which can…” — Deepak Chopra", "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": "Deepak Chopra", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Why are we here? We exist...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-happiness-which-is-fleeting-or/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/why-are-we-here-we-exist-not-to-pursue-happiness-which-is-fleeting-or/#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 } } ] } ```