--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness, though an indefinite concept…" description: "\"Happiness, though an indefinite concept, is the goal of all rational beings\" — Immanuel Kant" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dd/immanuel-kant-532_concepts_happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-i_1032119.jpg" --- # Happiness, though an indefinite concept, is the goal of… ![“Happiness, though an indefinite concept, is the goal of all rational beings” quote by Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dd/immanuel-kant-532_concepts_happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-i_1032119.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dd/immanuel-kant-532_concepts_happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-i_1032119.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dd/immanuel-kant-532_concepts_happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-i_1032119.jpg) > “Happiness, though an indefinite concept, is the goal of all rational beings” [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rational beings aim for happiness, though its definition is vague. **In simple terms:** All rational beings seek happiness, even if unclear. Key Takeaway Pursue happiness while defining it for yourself. Themes philosophy ethics human nature Mood reflective serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - life planning - mental health - ethical debates Key Concepts happiness rationality goal setting Questions to Reflect On - How do you define happiness? - Can rational pursuit of happiness conflict with moral duties? A Different Perspective Happiness may be subjective and elusive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Concepts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concepts/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Goal Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal-rational-797595/) [Goals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goals/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Indefinite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-indefinite-2362880/) [Indefinite Concept](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indefinite-concept-2362881/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Rational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational/) [Rational Beings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rational-beings-324592/) ## Related quotes > [The pursuit of pleasure must be the goal of every rational person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/the-pursuit-of-pleasure-must-be-the-goal-of-every-rational-person/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Pleasure is the object, duty and the goal of all rational creatures.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/pleasure-is-the-object-duty-and-the-goal-of-all-rational-creatures/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Much as I like reasonable persons, I hate completely rational beings. For that reason, I am always scared and ill at ease when I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lin-yutang/much-as-i-like-reasonable-persons-i-hate-completely-rational-beings/) [Lin Yutang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lin-yutang/) > [“Man, and in general every rational being, exists as an end in himself, not merely as a means for arbitrary use by this or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/man-and-in-general-every-rational-being-exists-as-an-end-in-himself/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [ “...\[M\]an and generally any rational being exists as an end in himself, not merely as a means to be arbitrarily used by this or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/m-an-and-generally-any-rational-being-exists-as-an-end-in-himself-not/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [“The will is conceived as a faculty of determining oneself to action in accordance with the conception of certain laws. And such a faculty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/the-will-is-conceived-as-a-faculty-of-determining-oneself-to-action/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [ Beyond \[known peoples of black West Africa\] to the south there is no civilization in the proper sense. There are only humans who are… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-khaldun/beyond-known-peoples-of-black-west-africa-to-the-south-there-is-no/) [Ibn Khaldun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-khaldun/) > [We commit not only theoretical error but also moral wrong in objectifying ourselves or other rational beings, ignoring their capacities for free action and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-w-wood/we-commit-not-only-theoretical-error-but-also-moral-wrong-in/) [Allen W. Wood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allen-w-wood/) > [ “...\[F\]reedom... is a property of all rational beings.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/f-reedom-is-a-property-of-all-rational-beings/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [The being we call god is merely a pawn working for a powerful and rational force in some far-off galaxy. This force is trying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yee/the-being-we-call-god-is-merely-a-pawn-working-for-a-powerful-and/) [Nick Yee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yee/) > [If men will permit themselves to think, as rational beings ought to think, nothing can appear more ridiculous and absurd, exclusive of all moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/if-men-will-permit-themselves-to-think-as-rational-beings-ought-to/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Properly understood, then, the desire to act justly derives in part from the desire to express most fully what we are or can be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/properly-understood-then-the-desire-to-act-justly-derives-in-part/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [ "Akrasia" \[weakness of will\] in rational beings is as common as wine in France. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-searle/akrasia-weakness-of-will-in-rational-beings-is-as-common-as-wine-in/) [John Searle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-searle/) > [“There's no reason why women shouldn't behave like rational beings," Simon asserted stolidly. Poirot said drily: "Quite frequently they do. That is even more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/there-s-no-reason-why-women-shouldn-t-behave-like-rational-beings/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“I guess you can't compare humans to birds. Humans are rational beings. They're not just creatures without any sense of responsibility, ruled by drives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-sinisalo/i-guess-you-can-t-compare-humans-to-birds-humans-are-rational-beings/) [Johanna Sinisalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-sinisalo/) ## More by Immanuel Kant > [Even if a civil society were to be dissolved by the consent of all its members (e.g., if a people inhabiting an island decided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/even-if-a-civil-society-were-to-be-dissolved-by-the-consent-of-all/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [How then is perfection to be sought? Wherein lies our hope? In education, and in nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/how-then-is-perfection-to-be-sought-wherein-lies-our-hope-in/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [Heaven has given human beings three things to balance the odds of life: hope, sleep, and laughter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/heaven-has-given-human-beings-three-things-to-balance-the-odds-of/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [Beauty presents an indeterminate concept of Understanding, the sublime an indeterminate concept of Reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/beauty-presents-an-indeterminate-concept-of-understanding-the-sublime/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [Freedom is that faculty that enlarges the usefulness of all other faculties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/freedom-is-that-faculty-that-enlarges-the-usefulness-of-all-other/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [Philosophical knowledge is the knowledge gained by reason from concepts ; mathematical knowledge is the knowledge gained by reason from the construction of concepts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/philosophical-knowledge-is-the-knowledge-gained-by-reason-from/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [A categorical imperative would be one which represented an action as objectively necessary in itself, without reference to any other purpose.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/a-categorical-imperative-would-be-one-which-represented-an-action-as/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [When I could have used a wife, I could not support one; and when I could support one, I no longer needed any](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/when-i-could-have-used-a-wife-i-could-not-support-one-and-when-i/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [Enlightenment is the liberation of man from his self-caused state of minority... Supere aude! Dare to use your own understanding!is thus the motto of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/enlightenment-is-the-liberation-of-man-from-his-self-caused-state-of/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [The ideal of the supreme being is nothing but a regulative principle of reason which directs us to look upon all connection in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/the-ideal-of-the-supreme-being-is-nothing-but-a-regulative-principle/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [“Jeg skal alltid handle slik at den regelen jeg handler etter kunne gjelde som allmenn lov.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/jeg-skal-alltid-handle-slik-at-den-regelen-jeg-handler-etter-kunne/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [Deaths, births, and marriages, considering how much they are separately dependent on the freedom of the human will, should seem to be subject to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/deaths-births-and-marriages-considering-how-much-they-are-separately/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [It is precisely in knowing its limits that philosophy consists.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/it-is-precisely-in-knowing-its-limits-that-philosophy-consists/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [A society that is not willing to demand a life of somebody who has taken somebody else’s life is simply immoral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/a-society-that-is-not-willing-to-demand-a-life-of-somebody-who-has/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [. . . as to moral feeling, this supposed special sense, the appeal to it is indeed superficial when those who cannot think believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/as-to-moral-feeling-this-supposed-special-sense-the-appeal-to-it-is/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) [Explore all 476 Immanuel Kant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) ## More Concepts quotes > [Capability is just a concept of what is it we're looking at. Now how far we can go along that and what new capabilities…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amartya-sen/capability-is-just-a-concept-of-what-is-it-we-re-looking-at-now-how/) [Amartya Sen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amartya-sen/) > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [What is music? Music is language. A human being wants to express ideas in this language, but not ideas that can be translated into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-webern/what-is-music-music-is-language-a-human-being-wants-to-express-ideas/) [Anton Webern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-webern/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [The whole concept of stage fright is fascinating. Actors get stage fright, but they wouldn't be on the stage in the first place if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-greene/the-whole-concept-of-stage-fright-is-fascinating-actors-get-stage/) [Robert Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-greene/) > [I do like talking with friends about big concepts, you know, the stuff that will ruin a party. To me, the party hasn't begun…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mercer/i-do-like-talking-with-friends-about-big-concepts-you-know-the-stuff/) [James Mercer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mercer/) > [You imagine that I look back on my life's work with calm satisfaction. But from nearby it looks quite different. There is not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/you-imagine-that-i-look-back-on-my-life-s-work-with-calm-satisfaction/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) > [For a physicist mathematics is not just a tool by means of which phenomena can be calculated, it is the main source of concepts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freeman-dyson/for-a-physicist-mathematics-is-not-just-a-tool-by-means-of-which/) [Freeman Dyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freeman-dyson/) > [One of the most powerful concepts, one which is a sure cure for lack of confidence, is the thought that God is with you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/one-of-the-most-powerful-concepts-one-which-is-a-sure-cure-for-lack/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [All significant concepts of the modern theory of the state are secularized theological concepts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/all-significant-concepts-of-the-modern-theory-of-the-state-are/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [If you are trying to live a life in accordance with the Bible, the concept and call to justice are inescapable. We do justice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/if-you-are-trying-to-live-a-life-in-accordance-with-the-bible-the/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [So many times we come to Jesus in worship and ask Him for things that He already IS and has already done... What a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-nockels/so-many-times-we-come-to-jesus-in-worship-and-ask-him-for-things-that/) [Christy Nockels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-nockels/) > [ I don't think in national categories. For me it \[policy\] is about concepts and substance. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-claude-juncker/i-don-t-think-in-national-categories-for-me-it-policy-is-about/) [Jean-Claude Juncker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-claude-juncker/) > [In the very beginning, Yelp started as a service where we really didn't think people would write reviews for fun. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-stoppelman/in-the-very-beginning-yelp-started-as-a-service-where-we-really-didn/) [Jeremy Stoppelman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-stoppelman/) > [To pray without expectation is to misunderstand the whole concept of prayer and relationship with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/to-pray-without-expectation-is-to-misunderstand-the-whole-concept-of/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) [Browse all 2,468 Concepts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concepts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Happiness, though an indefinite concept, is the goal of all rational beings", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Immanuel Kant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-is-the-goal-of-all-rational/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Concepts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-is-the-goal-of-all-rational/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dd/immanuel-kant-532_concepts_happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-i_1032119.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dd/immanuel-kant-532_concepts_happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-i_1032119.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7dd/immanuel-kant-532_concepts_happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-i_1032119.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Happiness, though an indefinite concept, is the goal of all rational beings” — Immanuel Kant", "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": "Immanuel Kant", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Happiness, though an indefinite concept, is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-is-the-goal-of-all-rational/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/happiness-though-an-indefinite-concept-is-the-goal-of-all-rational/#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 } } ] } ```