Behinds Quote by Fernando Pessoa
“There is no happiness without knowledge. But knowledge of happiness is unhappy; for knowing ourselves happy is knowing ourselves passing through happiness, and having to, immediatly at once, leave it behind. To know is to kill, in happiness as in everything. Not to know, though, is not to exist.”
About This Quote
Source Poem: “The Book of Disquiet”, 1913
Knowledge of happiness paradoxically brings dissatisfaction
In simple terms: Knowing happiness can cause sorrow
Key Takeaway
Accept uncertainty in self‑knowledge
Themes
existential
philosophy
paradox
Mood
reflective
melancholic
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- personal growth
- mental health
- spiritual practice
Key Concepts
self‑awareness
impermanence
Questions to Reflect On
- What does happiness mean to you?
- Can you find peace without full understanding?
A Different Perspective
Pursuing knowledge may lead to existential angst
