---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today only the person who no longer…"
description: "\"Today only the person who no longer believes in a happy ending, only he who has consciously renounced it, is able to live. A happy century does not exi..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/ernst-junger-4532_able_today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-beli_2508830.jpg"
---

#  Today only the person who no longer believes in a happy…

![“Today only the person who no longer believes in a happy ending, only he who has consciously renounced it, is able to live. A happy century does not exist; but there are moments of happiness, and there is freedom in the moment.” quote by Ernst Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/ernst-junger-4532_able_today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-beli_2508830.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/ernst-junger-4532_able_today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-beli_2508830.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/ernst-junger-4532_able_today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-beli_2508830.jpg)

> “Today only the person who no longer believes in a happy ending, only he who has consciously renounced it, is able to live. A happy century does not exist; but there are moments of happiness, and there is freedom in the moment.”

[Ernst Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

## About This Quote

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

Life requires abandoning the illusion of perpetual happiness; true freedom comes from embracing fleeting moments of joy.

**In simple terms:** Let go of endless happy endings to find freedom in moments.

Key Takeaway

Accept impermanence, cherish present joy.

Themes

freedom impermanence mindfulness

Mood

reflective hopeful serene

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- daily life
- creative work
- relationships
- personal crises

Key Concepts

existentialism psychology humanism

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you find meaning beyond constant happiness?
- What moments bring you genuine freedom?

A Different Perspective

Happiness is not a constant state, so relying on it can lead to disappointment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Believes Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believes-happy-1135654/) [Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/century/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Freedom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-freedom/) [Happy Century](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-century-1135653/) [Happy ending](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-ending/) [Happy endings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-endings/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [Moments of happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments-of-happiness/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/)

## Related quotes

> [“We are realizing that, to live a life that is meaningful, to shake our tail feathers, and to be happy in the twenty-first century—you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wallman/we-are-realizing-that-to-live-a-life-that-is-meaningful-to-shake-our/)

[James Wallman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wallman/)

> [... in America ... children are instructed in the virtues of the system they live under, as though history had achieved a happy ending…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/in-america-children-are-instructed-in-the-virtues-of-the-system-they/)

[Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/)

> [Maybe it's not about the happy endings. Maybe it's about the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/maybe-it-s-not-about-the-happy-endings-maybe-it-s-about-the-story/)

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

> [The happy ending is our national belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/the-happy-ending-is-our-national-belief/)

[Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/)

> [When your parents split up, it's impossible to delude yourself about fairytale romance and happy endings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-aniston/when-your-parents-split-up-it-s-impossible-to-delude-yourself-about/)

[Jennifer Aniston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-aniston/)

> [This is a modern fairytale. No happy endings. No wind in our sails. But I can't imagine a life without. Breathless moments.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-gomez/this-is-a-modern-fairytale-no-happy-endings-no-wind-in-our-sails-but/)

[Selena Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-gomez/)

> [“I won, goddammit. I beat Kollberg. I beat you. I got everything I goddamn wanted: fame, wealth, power. Shit, I even got the girl."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-stover/i-won-goddammit-i-beat-kollberg-i-beat-you-i-got-everything-i-goddamn/)

[Matthew Stover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-stover/)

> [ “How are you, Rory?' \[the Doctor\] asked. I \[Rory\]... answered him. 'It's been odd being you.' 'Isn't it?' The Doctor's smile didn't quite reach… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-goss/how-are-you-rory-the-doctor-asked-i-rory-answered-him-it-s-been-odd/)

[James Goss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-goss/)

> [I don't believe in happy endings. Children have got to face death sooner or later. Granny and Grandpa die, dogs die, cats die, gerbils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raymond-briggs/i-don-t-believe-in-happy-endings-children-have-got-to-face-death/)

[Raymond Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raymond-briggs/)

> [Happy endings come in different packages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-f-wright/happy-endings-come-in-different-packages/)

[Jason F. Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-f-wright/)

> [Maybe my movie isn't over, I say, because sometimes moviemakers trick the audience with a false bad ending, and just when you think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-quick/maybe-my-movie-isn-t-over-i-say-because-sometimes-moviemakers-trick/)

[Matthew Quick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-quick/)

> [ Harvey \[Weinstein\] didn't want to release \[MY SON THE FANATIC\]; he held it for two years because he wanted a happy ending, although I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hanif-kureishi/harvey-weinstein-didn-t-want-to-release-my-son-the-fanatic-he-held-it/)

[Hanif Kureishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hanif-kureishi/)

> [There are no such things as happy endings. Never. They're totally manufactured by fiction writers who choose to end the story on a high…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-david/there-are-no-such-things-as-happy-endings-never-they-re-totally/)

[Peter David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-david/)

> [The happy ending is hardly important, though we may be glad its there. The real joy is knowing that if you felt the trouble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-barry/the-happy-ending-is-hardly-important-though-we-may-be-glad-its-there/)

[Lynda Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-barry/)

> [You could be the leaf that never falls from the tree you could be the sun that never leaves the sky this might be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-levithan/you-could-be-the-leaf-that-never-falls-from-the-tree-you-could-be-the/)

[David Levithan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-levithan/)

## More by Ernst Junger

> [Freedom is based on the anarch’s awareness that he can kill himself. He carries this awareness around; it accompanies him like a shadow that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/freedom-is-based-on-the-anarch-s-awareness-that-he-can-kill-himself/)

[Ernst Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“Bruno withdrew from the field of history more resolutely than Vigo; that is why I prefer the former’s retrospect but the latter’s prospect. As…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/bruno-withdrew-from-the-field-of-history-more-resolutely-than-vigo/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“A great physicist is always a metaphysicist as well; he has a higher concept of his knowledge and his task.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/a-great-physicist-is-always-a-metaphysicist-as-well-he-has-a-higher/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“It is not that I as an anarch reject authority à tout prix. On the other contrary, I seek it, and that is precisely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/it-is-not-that-i-as-an-anarch-reject-authority-tout-prix-on-the-other/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“Obitus vitae otium est (Death is life's rest).”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/obitus-vitae-otium-est-death-is-life-s-rest/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [The more the panic grows, the more uplifting the image of a man who refuses to bow to the terror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/the-more-the-panic-grows-the-more-uplifting-the-image-of-a-man-who/)

[Ernst Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“I, as an anarch, renouncing any bond, any limitation of freedom, also reject compulsory education as nonsense. It was one of the greatest well-springs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/i-as-an-anarch-renouncing-any-bond-any-limitation-of-freedom-also/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“The anarch nurtures no expectations. He stakes on no one but himself. Basically, people remain pied pipers, whatever melodies they play to introduce themselves.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/the-anarch-nurtures-no-expectations-he-stakes-on-no-one-but-himself/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“I begin with the respect that the anarch shows towards the rules. Respectare as an intensive of respicere means: ‘to look back, to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/i-begin-with-the-respect-that-the-anarch-shows-towards-the-rules/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“At times I see them as if I were walking through the streets of Pompeii before the eruption of Vesuvius. This is one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/at-times-i-see-them-as-if-i-were-walking-through-the-streets-of/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“How can one explain this trend towards a more colorless and shallow life? Well, the work was easier, if less healthy, and it brought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/how-can-one-explain-this-trend-towards-a-more-colorless-and-shallow/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“The anarch differs from the anarchist in that he has a very pronounced sense of the rules. Insofar as and to the extent that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/the-anarch-differs-from-the-anarchist-in-that-he-has-a-very/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“Man is born violent but is kept in check by the people around him. If he nevertheless manages to throw off his fetters, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/man-is-born-violent-but-is-kept-in-check-by-the-people-around-him-if/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“The anarch, as I have expounded elsewhere, is the pendant to the monarch; he is as sovereign as the monarch, and also freer since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/the-anarch-as-i-have-expounded-elsewhere-is-the-pendant-to-the/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

> [“The ship founders on a sandbank and then gets back afloat. Electric power stops; after a while, the machines start up again. During such…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/the-ship-founders-on-a-sandbank-and-then-gets-back-afloat-electric/)

[Ernst Jünger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

[Explore all 89 Ernst Junger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/)

## More Able quotes

> [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/)

[Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/)

> [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/)

> [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. If you don't accept it and you're having a conversation with someone who does,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-englert/there-is-something-about-the-south-that-accepts-the-supernatural-if/)

[Alice Englert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-englert/)

> [In the '80s, the way radio was programmed, if you didn't have a hit record you weren't going to be able to make any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/huey-lewis/in-the-80s-the-way-radio-was-programmed-if-you-didn-t-have-a-hit/)

[Huey Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/huey-lewis/)

> [I think I've had the longest career of strength, focus, and still being able to sell records. I think I'm that guy. I'm still…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nas/i-think-i-ve-had-the-longest-career-of-strength-focus-and-still-being/)

[Nas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nas/)

> [I have that need in me, I want everyone to love me, but I'm embarrassed by that need, so I wanted to cover it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-jeselnik/i-have-that-need-in-me-i-want-everyone-to-love-me-but-i-m-embarrassed/)

[Anthony Jeselnik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-jeselnik/)

> [Thinking about the things that happened, I don't know any other ball player would could have done what he (Jackie Robinson) did. To be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pee-wee-reese/thinking-about-the-things-that-happened-i-don-t-know-any-other-ball/)

[Pee Wee Reese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pee-wee-reese/)

> [I wanted to remember in order to be able to return.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/i-wanted-to-remember-in-order-to-be-able-to-return/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [Government schools, with your tax money, now discourage the teaching of multiplication tables by rote memorization but teach reading by the 'look-and-say' method which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-perry/government-schools-with-your-tax-money-now-discourage-the-teaching-of/)

[Greg Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-perry/)

> [I don't know if I would qualify as mainstream. I think I have managed to function pretty successfully on the fringes of the music…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-metheny/i-don-t-know-if-i-would-qualify-as-mainstream-i-think-i-have-managed/)

[Pat Metheny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-metheny/)

> [What we're supposed to do as actors is be able to portray real human beings and emotions. And if you grow up in this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-browning/what-we-re-supposed-to-do-as-actors-is-be-able-to-portray-real-human/)

[Emily Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-browning/)

> [The reason that Apple is able to create products like iPad is because we always try to be at the intersection of technology and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/the-reason-that-apple-is-able-to-create-products-like-ipad-is-because/)

[Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/)

> [It was an important period for us, because even though we weren't a "punk band", and what became a model for a punk band,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-mallinder/it-was-an-important-period-for-us-because-even-though-we-weren-t-a/)

[Stephen Mallinder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-mallinder/)

> [- You look fine. - Right. I look fine. Except I don't, said Zora, tugging sadly at her man's nightshirt. This was why Kiki…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/you-look-fine-right-i-look-fine-except-i-don-t-said-zora-tugging/)

[Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/)

> [There is a way to be a woman, ask for what we deserve and be able to negotiate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracee-ellis-ross/there-is-a-way-to-be-a-woman-ask-for-what-we-deserve-and-be-able-to/)

[Tracee Ellis Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracee-ellis-ross/)

[Browse all 17,257 Able quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Today only the person who no longer believes in a happy ending, only he who has consciously renounced it, is able to live. A happy century does not exist; but there are moments of happiness, and there is freedom in the moment.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Ernst Junger"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-believes-in-a-happy-ending-only/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Able"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-believes-in-a-happy-ending-only/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/ernst-junger-4532_able_today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-beli_2508830.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/ernst-junger-4532_able_today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-beli_2508830.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f35/ernst-junger-4532_able_today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-beli_2508830.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Today only the person who no longer believes in a happy ending, only he who has consciously renounced it, is…” — Ernst Junger",
                "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": "Ernst Junger",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Today only the person who no...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-believes-in-a-happy-ending-only/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/today-only-the-person-who-no-longer-believes-in-a-happy-ending-only/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
