--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But I have learned that you make your own…" description: "\"But I have learned that you make your own happiness, that part of going for what you want means losing something else. And when the stakes are high, th..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/emily-giffin-938_happiness_but-i-have-learned-that-you-make-your-ow_2619042.png" --- # But I have learned that you make your own happiness, that… ![“But I have learned that you make your own happiness, that part of going for what you want means losing something else. And when the stakes are high, the losses can be that much greater.” quote by Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/emily-giffin-938_happiness_but-i-have-learned-that-you-make-your-ow_2619042.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/emily-giffin-938_happiness_but-i-have-learned-that-you-make-your-ow_2619042.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5b8/emily-giffin-938_happiness_but-i-have-learned-that-you-make-your-ow_2619042.png) > “But I have learned that you make your own happiness, that part of going for what you want means losing something else. And when the stakes are high, the losses can be that much greater.” [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness is self‑created, but pursuing desires often demands sacrifice, especially when stakes are high and losses can be greater. **In simple terms:** Happiness requires personal effort and trade‑offs. Key Takeaway Accept sacrifices for true happiness. Themes happiness choice sacrifice Mood thoughtful balanced Type reflective motivational When to use this quote - career choices - relationships - personal goals - risk assessment Key Concepts psychology decision‑making Questions to Reflect On - What are you willing to lose for happiness? - How do you weigh risks? A Different Perspective May cause regret if loss outweighs gain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Loss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loss/) [What you want](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/what-you-want/) ## Related quotes > [“When you compare losses, someone else’s may seem greater or lesser than your own, but all losses are painful. If”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elisabeth-kubler-ross/when-you-compare-losses-someone-else-s-may-seem-greater-or-lesser/) [Elisabeth Kübler-Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elisabeth-kubler-ross/) > [...Our losses...have reached an intolerable level. The enemy air force played a decisive role in inflicting these high losses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-donitz/our-losses-have-reached-an-intolerable-level-the-enemy-air-force/) [Karl Donitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-donitz/) > [“Loving means losing control of our schedule, our money, and our time. When we love we cease to be the master and become a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-miller/loving-means-losing-control-of-our-schedule-our-money-and-our-time/) [Paul Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-miller/) > [Sometimes following your heart means losing your mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-following-your-heart-means-losing-your-mind/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But I know loving someone means losing a part of myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/but-i-know-loving-someone-means-losing-a-part-of-myself/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [“That's what it's like to lose a woman. And at a certain time, losing one woman means losing all women. That's how we become…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-s-what-it-s-like-to-lose-a-woman-and-at-a-certain-time-losing/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Loss means losing what was We want to change but we don't want to lose. Without time for loss, we don't have time for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/loss-means-losing-what-was-we-want-to-change-but-we-don-t-want-to/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [Losing faith in one's self means losing faith in God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/losing-faith-in-one-s-self-means-losing-faith-in-god/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [“He’s winning. Something stirs inside me. That means I’m losing. I hate losing. 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I'm living large and living for today because there might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/commitment-means-losing-yourself-to-gain-something-temporary-nothing/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) > [“When you find a guy who calls you beautiful instead of hot, who calls you back when you hang up on him, who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-you-find-a-guy-who-calls-you-beautiful-instead-of-hot-who-calls/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Sometimes the best thing to do is to let things (people) go...even if it means losing the ones you love the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/sometimes-the-best-thing-to-do-is-to-let-things-people-go-even-if-it/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Commitment means losing yourself to gain something temporary. Nothing lasts. Not looks. Not love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-hopkins/commitment-means-losing-yourself-to-gain-something-temporary-nothing-2/) [Ellen Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-hopkins/) ## More by Emily Giffin > [I try to have something in common with my protagonists, especially when I'm writing in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-have-something-in-common-with-my-protagonists-especially/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I think exercise is critical to my writing and an essential way to recharge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-think-exercise-is-critical-to-my-writing-and-an-essential-way-to/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Grab his penis like this, and I guarantee, it’s a done deal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/grab-his-penis-like-this-and-i-guarantee-it-s-a-done-deal/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“Well, anyway… it’s over,” I say, realizing that those two words lump me right in with a hoard of naive women who say it’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/well-anyway-it-s-over-i-say-realizing-that-those-two-words-lump-me/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [There are two kinds of sorry. There is the sorry imbued with regret. And a pure sorry. The kind that is merely asking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/there-are-two-kinds-of-sorry-there-is-the-sorry-imbued-with-regret/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [Throw in the intensity of emotions that come with that bittersweet summer sandwiched between high school graduation and the rest of your life...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/throw-in-the-intensity-of-emotions-that-come-with-that-bittersweet/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“You can never be too sure when it comes to things that matter most”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/you-can-never-be-too-sure-when-it-comes-to-things-that-matter-most/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“It occurs to me that she is not unique--that all women compare lives. We are aware of whose husband works more, who helps more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/it-occurs-to-me-that-she-is-not-unique-that-all-women-compare-lives/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“I desperately want to feel that way again. To be in a relationship that I’m not trying to script or water down. It’s about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-desperately-want-to-feel-that-way-again-to-be-in-a-relationship/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I always find something in common with my protagonist, particularly when I write in the first person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-always-find-something-in-common-with-my-protagonist-particularly/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [There is no grief like heartbreak.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/there-is-no-grief-like-heartbreak/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I find my voice and manage to say those three one-syllable words back to him. Words I haven't uttered in a very, very long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-find-my-voice-and-manage-to-say-those-three-one-syllable-words-back/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [i wish i could freeze this moment, somehow delay my final decision, and just hang here in the balance between two places, two worlds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-wish-i-could-freeze-this-moment-somehow-delay-my-final-decision-and/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [I try to write about real women, real people - in other words flawed characters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/i-try-to-write-about-real-women-real-people-in-other-words-flawed/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) > [“never had a good gut feeling. It wasn’t so much that I didn’t have faith in my team, but that I maintained the truest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-giffin/never-had-a-good-gut-feeling-it-wasn-t-so-much-that-i-didn-t-have/) [Emily Giffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) [Explore all 324 Emily Giffin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-giffin/) ## 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": "But I have learned that you make your own happiness, that part of going for what you want means losing something else. 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