--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think it's more important to…" description: "\"I think it's more important to concentrate on trying to be, simply, happy. Once you've known deep despair, you feel even more motivated to be as happy ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/emily-susan-rapp-34461_despair_i-think-it-s-more-important-to-concentra_2542433.jpg" --- # I think it's more important to concentrate on trying to… ![“I think it's more important to concentrate on trying to be, simply, happy. Once you've known deep despair, you feel even more motivated to be as happy as possible. That's how I feel.” quote by Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/emily-susan-rapp-34461_despair_i-think-it-s-more-important-to-concentra_2542433.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/emily-susan-rapp-34461_despair_i-think-it-s-more-important-to-concentra_2542433.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/535/emily-susan-rapp-34461_despair_i-think-it-s-more-important-to-concentra_2542433.jpg) > “I think it's more important to concentrate on trying to be, simply, happy. Once you've known deep despair, you feel even more motivated to be as happy as possible. That's how I feel.” [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Deep despair can sharpen the desire for happiness, making the pursuit more urgent and meaningful. **In simple terms:** Despair fuels a stronger drive for happiness. Key Takeaway Channel past pain into a purposeful quest for joy. Themes happiness resilience motivation Mood reflective hopeful Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - personal growth - mental health - goal setting - mindfulness Key Concepts psychology emotional intelligence meaning-making Questions to Reflect On - How can you transform past suffering into present joy? - What daily practice sustains happiness after hardship? A Different Perspective Happiness may be fleeting if not grounded in lasting habits. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Despair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) [Simply happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/simply-happy/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [“Don’t make promises when you are motivated or happy. Don’t make decisions when you are nervous or upset.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ehab-atalla/don-t-make-promises-when-you-are-motivated-or-happy-don-t-make/) [Ehab Atalla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ehab-atalla/) > [I think maybe there's a part of me that needs adversity from the rest of the world in order to feel motivated to want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-trank/i-think-maybe-there-s-a-part-of-me-that-needs-adversity-from-the-rest/) [Josh Trank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-trank/) > [Who says you need to wait until you 'feel like' doing something in order to start doing it? The problem, from this perspective, isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-burkeman/who-says-you-need-to-wait-until-you-feel-like-doing-something-in/) [Oliver Burkeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-burkeman/) > [There are days when I don't feel motivated and I don't want to get up to go to practice. I'm a very goal-oriented person,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dara-torres/there-are-days-when-i-don-t-feel-motivated-and-i-don-t-want-to-get-up/) [Dara Torres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dara-torres/) > [“When I need to feel motivated, I might repeat, ‘I am inspired, disciplined and energized’ out loud two or three hundred times.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-s-sharma/when-i-need-to-feel-motivated-i-might-repeat-i-am-inspired/) [Robin S. Sharma](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-s-sharma/) > [When you play against important teams, you obviously feel more motivated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thiago-silva/when-you-play-against-important-teams-you-obviously-feel-more/) [Thiago Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thiago-silva/) > [Some researchers sensibly suggest that rather than worrying too much about which programs our children are watching, we should concentrate on trying to reduce…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-mackay/some-researchers-sensibly-suggest-that-rather-than-worrying-too-much/) [Hugh Mackay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-mackay/) > [My great fear of being attacked or trivialized by my contemporaries made me concentrate on what I was trying to do as a writer.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-conroy/my-great-fear-of-being-attacked-or-trivialized-by-my-contemporaries/) [Pat Conroy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-conroy/) > [I still want to play for my country, I'm still ambitious. But things like that are out of my control so I'll just concentrate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-sinclair/i-still-want-to-play-for-my-country-i-m-still-ambitious-but-things/) [Scott Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-sinclair/) > [For us, the stuff we know is writing songs, playing shows, and that's what we're trying to concentrate on. Not trying to read about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-mayberry/for-us-the-stuff-we-know-is-writing-songs-playing-shows-and-that-s/) [Lauren Mayberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-mayberry/) > [A lot of the despair we feel watching the news every day flows from our sense of helplessness, and as a fiction writer you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/a-lot-of-the-despair-we-feel-watching-the-news-every-day-flows-from/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [Many people in the throes of suffering, disappointment, and despair, feel utterly stuck in their circumstances. They see no hope beyond their day-to-day drudgery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-eareckson-tada/many-people-in-the-throes-of-suffering-disappointment-and-despair/) [Joni Eareckson Tada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-eareckson-tada/) > [It is said that scattered through Despair's domain are a multitude of tiny windows, hanging in the void. Each window looks out onto a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-is-said-that-scattered-through-despair-s-domain-are-a-multitude-of/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [It is said that scattered through Despair's domain are a multitude of tiny windows, hanging in the void. Each window looks out onto a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/it-is-said-that-scattered-through-despair-s-domain-are-a-multitude-of-2/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [The opposite of hope is despair, and when we despair, it is because we feel there are no choices.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-g-bennis/the-opposite-of-hope-is-despair-and-when-we-despair-it-is-because-we/) [Warren G. Bennis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-g-bennis/) ## More by Emily Susan Rapp > [Although I don't think love is quantitatively measured - in other words, I don't believe that you "don't know love until you have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/although-i-don-t-think-love-is-quantitatively-measured-in-other-words/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [Nonfiction ties your hands a bit, and just like writing poetry in rhyme, it can force you to make more brutal decisions in terms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/nonfiction-ties-your-hands-a-bit-and-just-like-writing-poetry-in/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [I have been, earlier in my life, a lazy writer. I'd spend three hours at the gym to avoid writing, or I'd just find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/i-have-been-earlier-in-my-life-a-lazy-writer-i-d-spend-three-hours-at/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [The most precious love is often the kind that isn't returned, and that is given freely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/the-most-precious-love-is-often-the-kind-that-isn-t-returned-and-that/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [I do believe that great love brings with it the terror and possibility of great loss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/i-do-believe-that-great-love-brings-with-it-the-terror-and/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [I don't believe in God, but I do believe in that chaotic reality, and also this: that none of us knows anything about anything.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/i-don-t-believe-in-god-but-i-do-believe-in-that-chaotic-reality-and/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [Think of how much we stress about living up to our "potential," and how it creates anxiety and terror in people; in short, stops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/think-of-how-much-we-stress-about-living-up-to-our-potential-and-how/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [I love poetry, but I find it so difficult to write well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/i-love-poetry-but-i-find-it-so-difficult-to-write-well/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [I honestly turned to writing because I didn't know what else to do, and because a friend had gently suggested it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/i-honestly-turned-to-writing-because-i-didn-t-know-what-else-to-do/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [I write one poem a year, usually in January or February.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/i-write-one-poem-a-year-usually-in-january-or-february/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [People romanticize, I think, this notion of life. But life at all costs is not life, it's ego-extension.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/people-romanticize-i-think-this-notion-of-life-but-life-at-all-costs/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [I do write fiction, and I find it more difficult, but also more liberating. On the one hand, you can make up the story,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/i-do-write-fiction-and-i-find-it-more-difficult-but-also-more/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) > [It's terrible to know that no matter how you try to help your child, his condition will worsen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-susan-rapp/it-s-terrible-to-know-that-no-matter-how-you-try-to-help-your-child/) [Emily Susan Rapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) [Explore all 14 Emily Susan Rapp quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-susan-rapp/) ## More Despair quotes > [“As ofttimes as it rains on my little spot of earth, you'd think I'd grow accustomed to the gloom.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richelle-e-goodrich/as-ofttimes-as-it-rains-on-my-little-spot-of-earth-you-d-think-i-d/) [Richelle E. Goodrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richelle-e-goodrich/) > [“She searched her mind for a single day when it had felt good to be alive. There must have been one, surely?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-abbott/she-searched-her-mind-for-a-single-day-when-it-had-felt-good-to-be/) [Rachel Abbott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-abbott/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [I think what was special about 'Music by Prudence' was the classic story of the title subject's life path - from being an outcast…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-think-what-was-special-about-music-by-prudence-was-the-classic/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [Your spirit is the part of you that seeks meaning and purpose. It's the part drawn to hope, that will not give in to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caroline-myss/your-spirit-is-the-part-of-you-that-seeks-meaning-and-purpose-it-s/) [Caroline Myss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caroline-myss/) > [My God, whose son, as on this night, took on Him the form of man, and for man vouchsafed to suffer and bleed, controls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/my-god-whose-son-as-on-this-night-took-on-him-the-form-of-man-and-for/) [Charlotte Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [The modernist writers found despair inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-modernist-writers-found-despair-inspirational/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [The skin and shell of things Though fair are not Thy wish nor prayer but got My meer despair of wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-vaughan/the-skin-and-shell-of-things-though-fair-are-not-thy-wish-nor-prayer/) [Henry Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-vaughan/) > [“A fine setting for a fit of despair,” it occurred to him, “if I were only standing here by accident instead of design.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/a-fine-setting-for-a-fit-of-despair-it-occurred-to-him-if-i-were-only/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [Enough for this bow & arrow. It caused me nothing but sorrow. No need for another tomorrow. In your heart, I will never be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louaiq8/enough-for-this-bow-arrow-it-caused-me-nothing-but-sorrow-no-need-for/) Louaiq8 > [True repentance never leads to despair. Its leads home. It leads to grace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ortberg/true-repentance-never-leads-to-despair-its-leads-home-it-leads-to/) [John Ortberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ortberg/) > [Do not consider despair as a thick and high wall standing on your way; it is just a darkness and you can still walk…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/do-not-consider-despair-as-a-thick-and-high-wall-standing-on-your-way/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Despair is the price one pays for setting oneself an impossible aim. It is, one is told, the unforgivable sin, but it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/graham-greene/despair-is-the-price-one-pays-for-setting-oneself-an-impossible-aim/) [Graham Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/graham-greene/) > [A speculative despair is unpardonable where it our duty to act.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-burke/a-speculative-despair-is-unpardonable-where-it-our-duty-to-act/) [Edmund Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-burke/) > [I have noticed that there is no dissatisfaction like that of the rich. Feed a man, clothe him, put him in a good house,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-steinbeck/i-have-noticed-that-there-is-no-dissatisfaction-like-that-of-the-rich/) [John Steinbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-steinbeck/) [Browse all 3,181 Despair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despair/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think it's more important to concentrate on trying to be, simply, happy. Once you've known deep despair, you feel even more motivated to be as happy as possible. 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