--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is it possible to pursue happiness if the…" description: "\"“Is it possible to pursue happiness if the pursuit itself does not make you happy?”\" — Deepak Malhotra" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/deepak-malhotra-55390_happiness_is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-th_2416760.jpg" --- # Is it possible to pursue happiness if the pursuit itself… ![“Is it possible to pursue happiness if the pursuit itself does not make you happy?” quote by Deepak Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/deepak-malhotra-55390_happiness_is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-th_2416760.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/deepak-malhotra-55390_happiness_is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-th_2416760.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/deepak-malhotra-55390_happiness_is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-th_2416760.jpg) > ““Is it possible to pursue happiness if the pursuit itself does not make you happy?”” [Deepak Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-malhotra/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Questioning whether the chase for happiness can itself be a source of unhappiness. **In simple terms:** Pursuing happiness may not bring happiness. Key Takeaway Examine why you seek happiness. Themes psychology philosophy well‑being motivation Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type self‑help philosophical When to use this quote - career goals - personal relationships - self‑improvement - mindfulness practices Key Concepts hedonic paradox self‑determination theory Questions to Reflect On - What drives your pursuit of happiness? - Can contentment be found without active pursuit? A Different Perspective Happiness can be elusive if it becomes a pressure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) ## Related quotes > [“It's possible to pursue something for yourself, while simultaneously showing up well for the people you love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-hollis/it-s-possible-to-pursue-something-for-yourself-while-simultaneously/) [Rachel Hollis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-hollis/) > [But I have been exposed, I am pursued - by myself! That is a pursuit that does not readily let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/but-i-have-been-exposed-i-am-pursued-by-myself-that-is-a-pursuit-that/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [My aim in life isn't so much the pursuit of happiness as the happiness of pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-saatchi/my-aim-in-life-isn-t-so-much-the-pursuit-of-happiness-as-the/) [Charles Saatchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-saatchi/) > [“I'm not in pursuit of happiness, I'm happiness in pursuit; ready to happen everywhere I go.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-kelvin-clive/i-m-not-in-pursuit-of-happiness-i-m-happiness-in-pursuit-ready-to/) [Bernard Kelvin Clive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-kelvin-clive/) > [“A calm and modest life brings more happiness than the pursuit of success combined with constant restlessness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/a-calm-and-modest-life-brings-more-happiness-than-the-pursuit-of/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [You know what made us the biggest, meanest, Big Mac eating, calorie-counting, world-dominating kick-ass powerhouse country in the history of the human race? The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-ferguson/you-know-what-made-us-the-biggest-meanest-big-mac-eating-calorie/) [Will Ferguson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-ferguson/) > [“Finding joy in the experience of imperfection is a surer way to happiness than the pursuit of happiness as a goal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-orgill-brown/finding-joy-in-the-experience-of-imperfection-is-a-surer-way-to/) Jodi Orgill Brown > [I think the pursuit of happiness is the pursuit of reality because illusion never leaves us ultimately happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-the-pursuit-of-happiness-is-the-pursuit-of-reality-because/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Let people be the pursuits of happiness, you be the pursuit of perfection.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amit-kalantri/let-people-be-the-pursuits-of-happiness-you-be-the-pursuit-of/) [Amit Kalantri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amit-kalantri/) > [Don't lose your happiness on the pursuit for more](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-stud/don-t-lose-your-happiness-on-the-pursuit-for-more/) [Mike Stud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-stud/) > [“The U.S. Constitution doesn't guarantee happiness, only the pursuit of it. Your have to catch up with it yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/the-u-s-constitution-doesn-t-guarantee-happiness-only-the-pursuit-of/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Happiness, as a pursuit, is suitable only for pigs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/happiness-as-a-pursuit-is-suitable-only-for-pigs/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [It is not in the pursuit of happiness that we find fulfillment, it is in the happiness of pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/it-is-not-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-that-we-find-fulfillment-it-is/) [Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/) > [I'm living the life of liberty, happiness and pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nipsey-russell/i-m-living-the-life-of-liberty-happiness-and-pursuit/) [Nipsey Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nipsey-russell/) > [“In other words, dopamine is not about the happiness of reward. It's about the happiness of pursuit of reward that has a decent chance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-sapolsky/in-other-words-dopamine-is-not-about-the-happiness-of-reward-it-s/) [Robert Sapolsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-sapolsky/) ## More by Deepak Malhotra > [“But in my experience, there is one way to signal your commitment to process that all negotiations provide: Always keep your word, even when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-malhotra/but-in-my-experience-there-is-one-way-to-signal-your-commitment-to/) [Deepak Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-malhotra/) > [“Do not force people to choose between doing what is smart and doing what helps them save face.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-malhotra/do-not-force-people-to-choose-between-doing-what-is-smart-and-doing/) [Deepak Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-malhotra/) > [“Imagine that you are on the street and someone attacks you. If you feel that you must fight back to defend yourself, you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-malhotra/imagine-that-you-are-on-the-street-and-someone-attacks-you-if-you/) [Deepak Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-malhotra/) > [“Instead, realizing that there is only so much that a mouse in the maze can know and understand … I resolved to get out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-malhotra/instead-realizing-that-there-is-only-so-much-that-a-mouse-in-the-maze/) [Deepak Malhotra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-malhotra/) [Explore all 5 Deepak Malhotra quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-malhotra/) ## More Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [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/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) Pancho Barnes [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Is it possible to pursue happiness if the pursuit itself does not make you happy?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Deepak Malhotra" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-malhotra/is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-the-pursuit-itself-does-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-malhotra/is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-the-pursuit-itself-does-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/deepak-malhotra-55390_happiness_is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-th_2416760.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/deepak-malhotra-55390_happiness_is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-th_2416760.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ac4/deepak-malhotra-55390_happiness_is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-th_2416760.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Is it possible to pursue happiness if the pursuit itself does not make you happy?” — Deepak Malhotra", "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 Malhotra", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-malhotra/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Is it possible to pursue happiness...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-malhotra/is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-the-pursuit-itself-does-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-malhotra/is-it-possible-to-pursue-happiness-if-the-pursuit-itself-does-not/#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 } } ] } ```