---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness is the most elusive thing for…"
description: "\"Happiness is the most elusive thing for human beings to find.\" — Frederick Lenz"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for_972009.jpg"
---

#  Happiness is the most elusive thing for human beings to…

![“Happiness is the most elusive thing for human beings to find.” quote by Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for_972009.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for_972009.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for_972009.jpg)

> “Happiness is the most elusive thing for human beings to find.”

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## About This Quote

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

Happiness often feels out of reach, making people search endlessly for it.

**In simple terms:** Happiness seems hard to find.

Key Takeaway

Accept that happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Themes

search contentment expectations

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- personal goals
- relationships
- career
- mental health

Key Concepts

psychology well‑being subjectivity

Questions to Reflect On

- What truly brings you lasting joy?
- How do you define happiness for yourself?

A Different Perspective

Happiness can be fleeting and dependent on external factors.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Buddhism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/) [Elusive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elusive/) [Elusive Thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elusive-thing-339890/) [Finding happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding-happiness/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Elusive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-elusive-370474/) [Human beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-beings/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Thing Human](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-human-502352/)

## Related quotes

> [“Good God, 'the elusive thing'. She had reached a turning point. She no longer believed that a situation could be made better by writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/good-god-the-elusive-thing-she-had-reached-a-turning-point-she-no/)

[David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/)

> [Love is the most elusive thing I know. Always an arm's length away, teasing me and asking me to stretch a bit more and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-bhatt/love-is-the-most-elusive-thing-i-know-always-an-arm-s-length-away/)

[Vikram Bhatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-bhatt/)

> [I don't write songs about a specific, elusive thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adele/i-don-t-write-songs-about-a-specific-elusive-thing/)

[Adele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adele/)

> [Happiness is an elusive state of mind not to be gained by clumsy pursuit.It is given to those who do not sue for it:to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/happiness-is-an-elusive-state-of-mind-not-to-be-gained-by-clumsy/)

[Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/)

> [If you have enough money to be comfortable it makes life a lot easier and that's undeniable. But I think happiness is more elusive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bailey/if-you-have-enough-money-to-be-comfortable-it-makes-life-a-lot-easier/)

[Bill Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bailey/)

> [Don't seek happiness. If you seek it, you won't find it, because seeking is the antithesis of happiness. Happiness is ever elusive, but freedom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/don-t-seek-happiness-if-you-seek-it-you-won-t-find-it-because-seeking/)

[Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/)

> [I think that happiness has been elusive for me my entire life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cord-jefferson/i-think-that-happiness-has-been-elusive-for-me-my-entire-life/)

[Cord Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cord-jefferson/)

> [Pursuing happiness, and I did, and I still do, is not at all the same as being happy--which I think is fleeting, dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/pursuing-happiness-and-i-did-and-i-still-do-is-not-at-all-the-same-as/)

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

> [“Even our behavior and emotions seem to have been shaped by a prankster. Why do we crave the very foods that are bad for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randolph-m-nesse/even-our-behavior-and-emotions-seem-to-have-been-shaped-by-a/)

[Randolph M. Nesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randolph-m-nesse/)

> [“happiness was not some elusive force that only showered down upon the deserving, but a choice we all make despite the fact that life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janis-thomas/happiness-was-not-some-elusive-force-that-only-showered-down-upon-the/)

[Janis Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janis-thomas/)

> [“Happiness is elusive, for sure.But lime love, and music, I believe in it because I can feel it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/happiness-is-elusive-for-sure-but-lime-love-and-music-i-believe-in-it/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“Happiness is elusive, for sure.But like love, and music, I believe in it because I can feel it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffanie-debartolo/happiness-is-elusive-for-sure-but-like-love-and-music-i-believe-in-it/)

[Tiffanie DeBartolo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffanie-debartolo/)

> [“Happiness can be as elusive as a small fish darting away in a mountain stream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruskin-bond/happiness-can-be-as-elusive-as-a-small-fish-darting-away-in-a/)

[Ruskin Bond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruskin-bond/)

> [I believe in only one thing and that thing is human liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/i-believe-in-only-one-thing-and-that-thing-is-human-liberty/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [The image is one thing and the human being is another...it's very hard to live up to an image.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elvis-presley/the-image-is-one-thing-and-the-human-being-is-another-it-s-very-hard/)

[Elvis Presley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elvis-presley/)

## More by Frederick Lenz

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You can draw power from everything in your life. In order to do that, everything has to be set up in a proper way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-can-draw-power-from-everything-in-your-life-in-order-to-do-that/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [If you choose to draw from the inner well of free will, then you can make choices that are outside your current karmic patterns.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/if-you-choose-to-draw-from-the-inner-well-of-free-will-then-you-can/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightened people live in very charged states of attention, with a tremendous power circuiting through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/enlightened-people-live-in-very-charged-states-of-attention-with-a/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Only alone can you go into eternity. Only alone can you feel the transcendental light. It is not a shared experience because if it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/only-alone-can-you-go-into-eternity-only-alone-can-you-feel-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [The sound man, immune as to a sacrifice of straw dogs, faces the passing human generations.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/the-sound-man-immune-as-to-a-sacrifice-of-straw-dogs-faces-the/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Karma means changing planes of reality or changing fields of attention. There will be perhaps a resulting physical action stemming from the change of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/karma-means-changing-planes-of-reality-or-changing-fields-of/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [You and I are both life. There's just the experience of every moment. We like to call them moments. There isn't really such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/you-and-i-are-both-life-there-s-just-the-experience-of-every-moment/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Why waste your time being around people who drag you down? You don't live forever, at least in this life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/why-waste-your-time-being-around-people-who-drag-you-down-you-don-t/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Everybody here is so caught up in the game of life they don't see death. They don't see beyond their deaths. They are on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everybody-here-is-so-caught-up-in-the-game-of-life-they-don-t-see/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

[Explore all 4,399 Frederick Lenz quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

## More Buddhism quotes

> [There are places that are very draining. There are places where there is another dimensional crossover but to a dimension that is not powerful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-are-places-that-are-very-draining-there-are-places-where-there/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Enlightenment is lightening up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-myers/enlightenment-is-lightening-up/)

[Mike Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-myers/)

> [The very best players, when they are practicing, put everything they've got into it. But then they leave it for a while. And it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tenzin-palmo/the-very-best-players-when-they-are-practicing-put-everything-they-ve/)

[Tenzin Palmo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tenzin-palmo/)

> [Everyone will admire you when you do well. What a horrible thing to do to someone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/everyone-will-admire-you-when-you-do-well-what-a-horrible-thing-to-do/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [Nirvana is a word that means enlightenment, being beyond the illusion of birth and death, the illusion of pain, the illusion of love, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/nirvana-is-a-word-that-means-enlightenment-being-beyond-the-illusion/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [I think the most miraculous thing is learning. I get out of the way and let the students learn. Then you get to watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/i-think-the-most-miraculous-thing-is-learning-i-get-out-of-the-way/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“Exactly. I think the original tantric Buddhists took notice of was some very wise old people who never studied in their youth, but took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-niemczura/exactly-i-think-the-original-tantric-buddhists-took-notice-of-was/)

[Joe Niemczura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-niemczura/)

> [A human being can only absorb a small amount of the mystical kundalini, you can be exposed again and again to it, but it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/a-human-being-can-only-absorb-a-small-amount-of-the-mystical/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [One of the things I regret about not putting in that book or I think it's there but I didn't really elaborate on it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-warner/one-of-the-things-i-regret-about-not-putting-in-that-book-or-i-think/)

[Brad Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-warner/)

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [Balance is the ability to be happy in the midst of the most chaotic or even boring or transient circumstance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/balance-is-the-ability-to-be-happy-in-the-midst-of-the-most-chaotic/)

[Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/)

> [“The extraction of discrete parts of Chöd teachings from their broader philosophical contexts is symptomatic of how Chöd has been incorporated into and transmitted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-sorensen/the-extraction-of-discrete-parts-of-ch-d-teachings-from-their-broader/)

[Michelle Sorensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-sorensen/)

> [Buddhism advises you not to implant feelings that you don’t really have or avoid feelings that you do have. If you are miserable you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/buddhism-advises-you-not-to-implant-feelings-that-you-don-t-really/)

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

> [“That's all there is, enlightenment on the end of a cock. It doesn't get any more Zen than that.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaden-wilkes/that-s-all-there-is-enlightenment-on-the-end-of-a-cock-it-doesn-t-get/)

[Jaden Wilkes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaden-wilkes/)

> [Aging is like enlightenment at gunpoint. Before I had cancer, I lived my life for my art. After I had cancer, I lived my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-halprin/aging-is-like-enlightenment-at-gunpoint-before-i-had-cancer-i-lived/)

[Anna Halprin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-halprin/)

[Browse all 6,100 Buddhism quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/buddhism/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Happiness is the most elusive thing for human beings to find.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frederick Lenz"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for-human-beings-to-find/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Buddhism"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for-human-beings-to-find/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for_972009.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for_972009.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f1/frederick-lenz-8_buddhism_happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for_972009.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Happiness is the most elusive thing for human beings to find.” — Frederick Lenz",
                "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": "Frederick Lenz",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Happiness is the most elusive thing...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for-human-beings-to-find/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/happiness-is-the-most-elusive-thing-for-human-beings-to-find/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
