--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's a great game - the pursuit of…" description: "\"It's a great game - the pursuit of happiness.\" — Eugene O'Neill" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/eugene-o-neill-4173_football_it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happine_2357963.png" --- # It's a great game - the pursuit of happiness. ![“It's a great game - the pursuit of happiness.” quote by Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/eugene-o-neill-4173_football_it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happine_2357963.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/eugene-o-neill-4173_football_it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happine_2357963.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/eugene-o-neill-4173_football_it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happine_2357963.png) > “It's a great game - the pursuit of happiness.” [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life is portrayed as a game where the ultimate goal is happiness, emphasizing pursuit over competition. **In simple terms:** Life is a game seeking happiness. Key Takeaway Prioritize joy over winning. Themes happiness life purpose Mood optimistic thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - mindfulness - goal setting - coaching - well‑being programs Key Concepts philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - What does happiness mean to you? - How can you make joy a daily practice? A Different Perspective Happiness is subjective and elusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Football](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) [Game](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/game/) [Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/games/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Pursuit of happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit-of-happiness/) ## Related quotes > [To me, that's the key thing, the pursuit of happiness. That's the basic, ultimate freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/to-me-that-s-the-key-thing-the-pursuit-of-happiness-that-s-the-basic/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [The rub is that the pursuit of happiness, as an end in itself, tends automatically, and widely, to be replaced by the pursuit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/the-rub-is-that-the-pursuit-of-happiness-as-an-end-in-itself-tends/) [Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/) > [The pursuit of happiness is an overview kind of thing. It's not in the Bill of Rights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/the-pursuit-of-happiness-is-an-overview-kind-of-thing-it-s-not-in-the/) [Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/) > [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/) > [It is the pursuit of happiness that brings us happiness, and not the happiness achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-white/it-is-the-pursuit-of-happiness-that-brings-us-happiness-and-not-the/) [Jack White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-white/) > [I am Gabrielle Anwar: mother, lover, daughter, sister, friend, and creator in the pursuit of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-anwar/i-am-gabrielle-anwar-mother-lover-daughter-sister-friend-and-creator/) [Gabrielle Anwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-anwar/) > [The pursuit of happiness...is the greatest feat man has to accomplish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-henri/the-pursuit-of-happiness-is-the-greatest-feat-man-has-to-accomplish/) [Robert Henri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-henri/) > [All around the country, individuals are choosing to redefine their lives and the pursuit of happiness in ways much closer to the original notion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arianna-huffington/all-around-the-country-individuals-are-choosing-to-redefine-their/) [Arianna Huffington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arianna-huffington/) > [It takes great wit and interest and energy to be happy. The pursuit of happiness is a great activity. One must be open and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-herrick/it-takes-great-wit-and-interest-and-energy-to-be-happy-the-pursuit-of/) [Robert Herrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-herrick/) > [“The pursuit of prosperity shouldn't stop you from the pursuit of happiness.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richie-norton/the-pursuit-of-prosperity-shouldn-t-stop-you-from-the-pursuit-of/) [Richie Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richie-norton/) > [Reading is by far the most successful pursuit of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-grisham/reading-is-by-far-the-most-successful-pursuit-of-happiness/) [John Grisham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-grisham/) > [Thomas Jefferson was a real poet. He was slick with that 'pursuit' of happiness because the 'pursuit' puts it back on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/thomas-jefferson-was-a-real-poet-he-was-slick-with-that-pursuit-of/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [For many, many people, getting married is one of the most important things they will ever do in the pursuit of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marianne-williamson/for-many-many-people-getting-married-is-one-of-the-most-important/) [Marianne Williamson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marianne-williamson/) > [If there is an abiding theme in 'The Pursuit of Happiness,' it is the idea that you come into the world already shaped by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-kennedy/if-there-is-an-abiding-theme-in-the-pursuit-of-happiness-it-is-the/) [Douglas Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-kennedy/) > [You know that saying 'A little knowledge is a dangerous thing'? That's so true of positive psychology. Our latest research tells us that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-fredrickson/you-know-that-saying-a-little-knowledge-is-a-dangerous-thing-that-s/) [Barbara Fredrickson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-fredrickson/) ## More by Eugene O'Neill > [Life is perhaps best regarded as a bad dream between two awakenings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/life-is-perhaps-best-regarded-as-a-bad-dream-between-two-awakenings/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [We need above all to learn again to believe in the possibility of nobility of spirit in ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/we-need-above-all-to-learn-again-to-believe-in-the-possibility-of/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [The past is the present, isn’t it? It’s the future too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/the-past-is-the-present-isn-t-it-it-s-the-future-too/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“You can't be too careful about work. It's the most dangerous habit known to medical science.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/you-can-t-be-too-careful-about-work-it-s-the-most-dangerous-habit/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [Life is for each man a solitary cell whose walls are mirrors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/life-is-for-each-man-a-solitary-cell-whose-walls-are-mirrors/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“LARRY--(with increasing bitter intensity, more as if he were fighting with himself than with Hickey) I'm afraid to live, am I?--and even more afraid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/larry-with-increasing-bitter-intensity-more-as-if-he-were-fighting/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [The child was diseased at birth, stricken with a hereditary ill that only the most vital men are able to shake off. I mean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/the-child-was-diseased-at-birth-stricken-with-a-hereditary-ill-that/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [Drunken with what? With wine, with poetry, or with virtue, as you will. But be drunken.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/drunken-with-what-with-wine-with-poetry-or-with-virtue-as-you-will/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [“Now I have to lie, especially to myself. But how can you understand, when I don't myself. I've never understood anything about it, except…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/now-i-have-to-lie-especially-to-myself-but-how-can-you-understand/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [We are such things as rubbish is made of, so let's drink up and forget it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/we-are-such-things-as-rubbish-is-made-of-so-let-s-drink-up-and-forget/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/curiosity-killed-the-cat-but-satisfaction-brought-it-back/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [How thick the fog is. I can't see the road. All the people in the world could pass by and I would never know.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/how-thick-the-fog-is-i-can-t-see-the-road-all-the-people-in-the-world/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [I hate doctors! They'll do anything... to keep you coming to them. They'll sell their souls. What's worse, they'll sell yours, and you never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/i-hate-doctors-they-ll-do-anything-to-keep-you-coming-to-them-they-ll/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [Like a saint's vision of beatitude. Like the veil of things as they seem drawn back by an unseen hand. For a second you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/like-a-saint-s-vision-of-beatitude-like-the-veil-of-things-as-they/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) > [There is no present or future-only the past, happening over and over again-now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/there-is-no-present-or-future-only-the-past-happening-over-and-over/) [Eugene O'Neill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) [Explore all 114 Eugene O'Neill quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/) ## More Football quotes > [When I came to Chelsea, it was clear that, like many other players, I would first be loaned out. So I went to Belgium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thorgan-hazard/when-i-came-to-chelsea-it-was-clear-that-like-many-other-players-i/) [Thorgan Hazard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thorgan-hazard/) > [If you take your eye off the ball or lose focus for even a minute you can lose a game against any team.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felipe-anderson/if-you-take-your-eye-off-the-ball-or-lose-focus-for-even-a-minute-you/) [Felipe Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felipe-anderson/) > [There are guys who play lacrosse, and there are lacrosse players.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-mundorf/there-are-guys-who-play-lacrosse-and-there-are-lacrosse-players/) Brendan Mundorf > [Giggs is the realest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-kaluuya/giggs-is-the-realest/) [Daniel Kaluuya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-kaluuya/) > [You get a new coach; you do things a little differently.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archie-manning/you-get-a-new-coach-you-do-things-a-little-differently/) [Archie Manning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archie-manning/) > [You gotta have a little kid in you to play football.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-edwards/you-gotta-have-a-little-kid-in-you-to-play-football/) [Herman Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-edwards/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [My team mates are fundamental for my characteristics, if they send in crosses I can play inside the area.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filippo-inzaghi/my-team-mates-are-fundamental-for-my-characteristics-if-they-send-in/) [Filippo Inzaghi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filippo-inzaghi/) > [The Copa del Rey is a different competition. It is football in its purest form and is different from the continuity of the league.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-laudrup/the-copa-del-rey-is-a-different-competition-it-is-football-in-its/) [Michael Laudrup](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-laudrup/) > [“Wild card, got it," Duncan said. "Just like in Crazy Eights. I can be a diamond; I can be a spade. Whatever you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-healy/wild-card-got-it-duncan-said-just-like-in-crazy-eights-i-can-be-a/) [Christopher Healy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-healy/) > [Leo, Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar, Eden. Every year, you look at their numbers - score goals, assists, minutes - to see they play very well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pedro/leo-cristiano-ronaldo-neymar-eden-every-year-you-look-at-their/) [Pedro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pedro/) > [It's a lot harder to play football when you haven't got the ball.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-gray/it-s-a-lot-harder-to-play-football-when-you-haven-t-got-the-ball/) [Andy Gray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-gray/) > [I just enjoy winning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xander-bogaerts/i-just-enjoy-winning/) [Xander Bogaerts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/xander-bogaerts/) > [I think you can get, as a player, stuck in the mindset of trying too hard to prove yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/i-think-you-can-get-as-a-player-stuck-in-the-mindset-of-trying-too/) [Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/) > [We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/we-cannot-change-the-cards-we-are-dealt-just-how-we-play-the-hand/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) [Browse all 59,646 Football quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/football/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It's a great game - the pursuit of happiness.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Eugene O'Neill" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happiness/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Football" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happiness/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/eugene-o-neill-4173_football_it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happine_2357963.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/eugene-o-neill-4173_football_it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happine_2357963.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c00/eugene-o-neill-4173_football_it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happine_2357963.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It's a great game - the pursuit of happiness.” — Eugene O'Neill", "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": "Eugene O'Neill", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-o-neill/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It's a great game - the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happiness/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-o-neill/it-s-a-great-game-the-pursuit-of-happiness/#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 } } ] } ```