--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: All pleasure is a vice, for seeking…" description: "\"All pleasure is a vice, for seeking pleasure is what everybody does in life, and the only dark vice is doing what everybody does.\" — Fernando Pessoa" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/fernando-pessoa-177_dark_all-pleasure-is-a-vice-for-seeking-pleas_1300860.jpg" --- # All pleasure is a vice, for seeking pleasure is what… ![“All pleasure is a vice, for seeking pleasure is what everybody does in life, and the only dark vice is doing what everybody does.” quote by Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/fernando-pessoa-177_dark_all-pleasure-is-a-vice-for-seeking-pleas_1300860.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/fernando-pessoa-177_dark_all-pleasure-is-a-vice-for-seeking-pleas_1300860.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5c4/fernando-pessoa-177_dark_all-pleasure-is-a-vice-for-seeking-pleas_1300860.jpg) > “All pleasure is a vice, for seeking pleasure is what everybody does in life, and the only dark vice is doing what everybody does.” [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Pleasure is a universal human drive, but labeling it a vice highlights its moral ambiguity and the paradox of common vice. **In simple terms:** Pleasure is common yet morally ambiguous. Key Takeaway Question the moral framing of universal desires. Themes pleasure morality paradox Mood thoughtful philosophical Type ethical contemplative When to use this quote - consumerism - addiction - ethical debates Key Concepts ethical philosophy human nature Questions to Reflect On - Is all pleasure inherently negative? - How can we balance enjoyment with responsibility? A Different Perspective Pleasure can be both enriching and destructive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark Vice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-vice-4271477/) [Doe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doe/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Pleasure Everybody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure-everybody-4271478/) [Pleasure Vice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure-vice-3236428/) [Seeking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeking/) [Seeking Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeking-pleasure-575116/) [Vices](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vices/) ## Related quotes > [“All pleasure is a vice because seeking pleasure is what everyone does in life, and the worst vice of all is to do what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/all-pleasure-is-a-vice-because-seeking-pleasure-is-what-everyone-does/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [All the suffering in the world comes from seeking pleasure for oneself. All the happiness in the world comes from seeking pleasure for others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shantideva/all-the-suffering-in-the-world-comes-from-seeking-pleasure-for/) [Shantideva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shantideva/) > [Music is the only sensual pleasure without vice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/music-is-the-only-sensual-pleasure-without-vice/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pleasure itself is not a vice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pleasure-itself-is-not-a-vice/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Human beings, he argued, are not hardwired for seeking pleasure and avoiding pain. They want meaning. In spite of what we say, we don’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goins/human-beings-he-argued-are-not-hardwired-for-seeking-pleasure-and/) [Jeff Goins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goins/) > [I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/i-am-now-quite-cured-of-seeking-pleasure-in-society-be-it-country-or-2/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [At the heart of our desires is eternal happiness without the slightest hint of misery. You could say that we are pleasure seekers; however,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-cole-whittaker/at-the-heart-of-our-desires-is-eternal-happiness-without-the/) [Terry Cole-Whittaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-cole-whittaker/) > [Living in the present is the instant perception of beauty and the great delight in it without seeking pleasure from it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/living-in-the-present-is-the-instant-perception-of-beauty-and-the/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [“So if you understand that where there is a search for pleasure there must be pain, live that way if you want to, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jiddu-krishnamurti/so-if-you-understand-that-where-there-is-a-search-for-pleasure-there/) [Jiddu Krishnamurti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jiddu-krishnamurti/) > [Do not direct all your energies towards seeking pleasure but rather towards a sublime ideal. Your energies will then serve you and contribute to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omraam-mikhael-aivanhov/do-not-direct-all-your-energies-towards-seeking-pleasure-but-rather/) [Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omraam-mikhael-aivanhov/) > [“A moment of true happiness is worth far more than years spent seeking pleasure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-howard-creelman/a-moment-of-true-happiness-is-worth-far-more-than-years-spent-seeking/) [C. Howard Creelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-howard-creelman/) > [I am now quite cured of seeking pleasure in society, be it country or town. A sensible man ought to find sufficient company in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-bronte/i-am-now-quite-cured-of-seeking-pleasure-in-society-be-it-country-or/) [Emily Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-bronte/) > [A life devoted to seeking pleasure, is a life committed to being discontent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-guerrero/a-life-devoted-to-seeking-pleasure-is-a-life-committed-to-being/) [David Guerrero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-guerrero/) > [When I do things my way, I exhaust pleasure very quickly. It is not that Christianity has failed to teach me how to delight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ravi-zacharias/when-i-do-things-my-way-i-exhaust-pleasure-very-quickly-it-is-not/) [Ravi Zacharias](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ravi-zacharias/) > [“Seeking pleasure and avoiding pain are two key motivators in all species. When we feel discomfort, we seek to escape the uncomfortable sensation.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nir-eyal/seeking-pleasure-and-avoiding-pain-are-two-key-motivators-in-all/) [Nir Eyal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nir-eyal/) ## More by Fernando Pessoa > [Everything interests me, but nothing holds me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/everything-interests-me-but-nothing-holds-me/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“If only, I feel now, if only I could be someone able to see all this as if he had no other relation with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/if-only-i-feel-now-if-only-i-could-be-someone-able-to-see-all-this-as/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [What's given, in fact, always depends on the person or thing it's given to. A minor incident in the street brings the cook to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/what-s-given-in-fact-always-depends-on-the-person-or-thing-it-s-given/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Smell is a strange sight. It evokes sentimental landscapes through a sudden sketching of the subconscious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/smell-is-a-strange-sight-it-evokes-sentimental-landscapes-through-a/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“Tudo vale a pena quando a alma não é pequena”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/tudo-vale-a-pena-quando-a-alma-n-o-pequena/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“no nostalgia hurts as much as nostalgia for things that never existed!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/no-nostalgia-hurts-as-much-as-nostalgia-for-things-that-never-existed/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [pg.9 "In my heart there's a peaceful anguish, and my calm is made of resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/pg-9-in-my-heart-there-s-a-peaceful-anguish-and-my-calm-is-made-of/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“The feelings that hurt most, the motions that sting most, are those that are absurd; the longing for impossible things, precisely because they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/the-feelings-that-hurt-most-the-motions-that-sting-most-are-those/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“I try to say what I feel Without thinking about what I feel. I try to place words right next to my idea So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/i-try-to-say-what-i-feel-without-thinking-about-what-i-feel-i-try-to/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [Have you ever considered, beloved other, how invisible we are to each other? We look at each other without seeing. We listen to each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/have-you-ever-considered-beloved-other-how-invisible-we-are-to-each/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“To associate is to die. Only my consciousness of myself is real for me; other people are hazy phenomena in this consciousness, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/to-associate-is-to-die-only-my-consciousness-of-myself-is-real-for-me/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“When it comes to dreams, I’m no different from the errand boy and the seamstress. The only thing that distinguishes me from them is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/when-it-comes-to-dreams-i-m-no-different-from-the-errand-boy-and-the/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [“No intelligent idea can gain general acceptance unless some stupidity is mixed in with it. Collective thought is stupid because it’s collective. 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