--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is it not possible that the ultimate end…" description: "\"Is it not possible that the ultimate end is gaiety and music and a dance of joy?\" — James Stephens" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/james-stephens-11194_dance_is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end_1074725.jpg" --- # Is it not possible that the ultimate end is gaiety and… ![“Is it not possible that the ultimate end is gaiety and music and a dance of joy?” quote by James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/james-stephens-11194_dance_is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end_1074725.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/james-stephens-11194_dance_is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end_1074725.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/james-stephens-11194_dance_is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end_1074725.jpg) > “Is it not possible that the ultimate end is gaiety and music and a dance of joy?” [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Life’s ultimate goal may be joy, music, and dancing, suggesting happiness as the final purpose. **In simple terms:** Joy, music, and dance might be life’s ultimate aim. Key Takeaway Seek joy. Themes happiness art purpose Mood joyful uplifting Type philosophical artistic When to use this quote - celebrations - creative expression - social gatherings Key Concepts hedonism existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What brings you lasting joy? - How can you embed music in daily life? A Different Perspective Joy can be fleeting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Beginning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) [Dance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance/) [Dance Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dance-joy-431999/) [End Gaiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/end-gaiety-2694926/) [Ends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ends/) [Gaiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaiety/) [Gaiety Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaiety-music-2694928/) [Joy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/joy/) [Music](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/music/) [Ultimate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate/) [Ultimate End](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ultimate-end-681906/) ## Related quotes > [The ultimate end of human acts is eudaimonia, happiness in the sense of living well, which all men desire; all acts are but different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-arendt/the-ultimate-end-of-human-acts-is-eudaimonia-happiness-in-the-sense-2/) [Hannah Arendt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-arendt/) > [The ultimate end is a nation that lies under the concept of the Declaration of Indepen dence. The Declaration of Independence is such an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-wallop/the-ultimate-end-is-a-nation-that-lies-under-the-concept-of-the/) [Malcolm Wallop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-wallop/) > [This is the ultimate end of man, to find the One which is in him; which is his truth, which is his soul; the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rabindranath-tagore/this-is-the-ultimate-end-of-man-to-find-the-one-which-is-in-him-which/) [Rabindranath Tagore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rabindranath-tagore/) > [The ultimate end of your education was to make you a good wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-wortley-montagu/the-ultimate-end-of-your-education-was-to-make-you-a-good-wife/) [Mary Wortley Montagu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-wortley-montagu/) > [The ultimate end of any ideology is totalitarianism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/the-ultimate-end-of-any-ideology-is-totalitarianism/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [The ultimate end...is not knowledge, but action. To be half right on time may be more important than to obtain the whole truth too…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/the-ultimate-end-is-not-knowledge-but-action-to-be-half-right-on-time/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Love is the ultimate, the end. You love for love's own sake. It is not a means to anything else, it is its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/love-is-the-ultimate-the-end-you-love-for-love-s-own-sake-it-is-not-a/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Any goal without salvation as its ultimate end is as pointless as trying to live forever on this earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-saab/any-goal-without-salvation-as-its-ultimate-end-is-as-pointless-as/) [Tarek Saab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-saab/) > [The ultimate end of human acts is eudaimonia, happiness in the sense of living well,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-ultimate-end-of-human-acts-is-eudaimonia-happiness-in-the-sense/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The ultimate end of education is happiness or a good human life, a life enriched by the possession of every kind of good, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-adler/the-ultimate-end-of-education-is-happiness-or-a-good-human-life-a/) [Mortimer Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-adler/) > [You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams. And I know if I can make you smile by jumping over a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/you-dance-love-and-you-dance-joy-and-you-dance-dreams-and-i-know-if-i/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [I dance/for the joy of surviving, at the edge of the road.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-kunitz/i-dance-for-the-joy-of-surviving-at-the-edge-of-the-road/) [Stanley Kunitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-kunitz/) > [Oh Woman, come before us, before our eyes longing for beauty, and tired of the ugliness of civilization, come in simple tunics, letting us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isadora-duncan/oh-woman-come-before-us-before-our-eyes-longing-for-beauty-and-tired/) [Isadora Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isadora-duncan/) > [You dance love, and you dance joy, and you dance dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-kelly/you-dance-love-and-you-dance-joy-and-you-dance-dreams/) [Gene Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-kelly/) > [“and I felt happy inside these songs (...) where sorrow is not lightness, laughter is not grimace, love is not laughable, and hatred is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/and-i-felt-happy-inside-these-songs-where-sorrow-is-not-lightness/) [Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/) ## More by James Stephens > [“Even the wind had ceased, and there seemed to be nothing in the world but the darkness and himself. In that gigantic blackness, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/even-the-wind-had-ceased-and-there-seemed-to-be-nothing-in-the-world/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [A Leprecaun without a pot of gold is like a rose without perfume, a bird without a wing, or an inside without an outside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/a-leprecaun-without-a-pot-of-gold-is-like-a-rose-without-perfume-a/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Originality does not consist in saying what no one has ever said before, but in saying exactly what you think yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/originality-does-not-consist-in-saying-what-no-one-has-ever-said/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [The duty of a lyrical poet is not to express or explain, it is to intensify life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/the-duty-of-a-lyrical-poet-is-not-to-express-or-explain-it-is-to/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [A man and a woman may become quite intimate in a quarter of an hour. Almost certainly will they endeavour to explain themselves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/a-man-and-a-woman-may-become-quite-intimate-in-a-quarter-of-an-hour/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [“The toxin generates the anti-toxin. The end lies concealed in the beginning. All bodies grow around a skeleton. Life is a petticoat about death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/the-toxin-generates-the-anti-toxin-the-end-lies-concealed-in-the/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [A sword, a spade, and a thought should never be allowed to rust.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/a-sword-a-spade-and-a-thought-should-never-be-allowed-to-rust/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [“But outside of the North of Ireland there is no religious question, and in the North it is fundamentally more political than religious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/but-outside-of-the-north-of-ireland-there-is-no-religious-question/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [I hear a sudden cry of pain! There is a rabbit in a snare.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/i-hear-a-sudden-cry-of-pain-there-is-a-rabbit-in-a-snare/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Tell me your past, my beloved, for a man is his past, and is to be known by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/tell-me-your-past-my-beloved-for-a-man-is-his-past-and-is-to-be-known/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Finality is death. Perfection is finality. Nothing is perfect. There are lumps in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/finality-is-death-perfection-is-finality-nothing-is-perfect-there-are/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Life runs to death as its goal, and we should go towards that next stage of experience either carelessly as to what must be,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/life-runs-to-death-as-its-goal-and-we-should-go-towards-that-next/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Women and birds are able to see without turning their heads, and that is indeed a necessary provision for they are both surrounded by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/women-and-birds-are-able-to-see-without-turning-their-heads-and-that/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [Men come of age at sixty, women at fifteen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/men-come-of-age-at-sixty-women-at-fifteen/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) > [“Curiosity will conquer fear more than bravery will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/curiosity-will-conquer-fear-more-than-bravery-will/) [James Stephens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) [Explore all 61 James Stephens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/) ## More Beginning quotes > [At the very beginning, I was a page at Letterman, and I freelanced for any place that would let me write any word. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-schwartz/at-the-very-beginning-i-was-a-page-at-letterman-and-i-freelanced-for/) [Ben Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-schwartz/) > [People pay far too much attention to the television and they're quite literal in some ways. At the beginning, when I was playing very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ardal-o-hanlon/people-pay-far-too-much-attention-to-the-television-and-they-re-quite/) [Ardal O'Hanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ardal-o-hanlon/) > [Every Finish Line is the beginning of a new race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-finish-line-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-race/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always keep the smile, because the smile is the beginning of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-imad/always-keep-the-smile-because-the-smile-is-the-beginning-of-love/) [Adam Imad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-imad/) > [We are beginning to see intimations of this in the implantation of computer devices into the human body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kurzweil/we-are-beginning-to-see-intimations-of-this-in-the-implantation-of/) [Ray Kurzweil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kurzweil/) > [The only vocal training I had was playing with a tape recorder as a kid, and you know, doing the beginning of the 'Lone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-buffer/the-only-vocal-training-i-had-was-playing-with-a-tape-recorder-as-a/) [Michael Buffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-buffer/) > [January is the beginning of a new year for us in the Western world. Let us give to God what belongs to him: the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-white/january-is-the-beginning-of-a-new-year-for-us-in-the-western-world/) [Paula White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-white/) > [In the beginning, if you look at those early label albums of the Chicks, we didn't write all that much. We had an A&R…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martie-maguire/in-the-beginning-if-you-look-at-those-early-label-albums-of-the/) [Martie Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martie-maguire/) > [You need more than a beginning if you're going to start a book. If all you have is a beginning, then once you've written…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/you-need-more-than-a-beginning-if-you-re-going-to-start-a-book-if-all/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [When there is a mission before you, you see it from its beginning to its conclusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-white/when-there-is-a-mission-before-you-you-see-it-from-its-beginning-to/) [Jesse White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-white/) > [When God made the world, all things began with him. Life, death, it all began when he said so. That includes you and me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manae-poet-of-carisis/when-god-made-the-world-all-things-began-with-him-life-death-it-all/) [Manae Poet Of Carisis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manae-poet-of-carisis/) > [From the beginning at Intel, we planned on being big.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-noyce/from-the-beginning-at-intel-we-planned-on-being-big/) [Robert Noyce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-noyce/) > [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/) > [Some projects feel like the stars are aligning for them from the very beginning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-smith/some-projects-feel-like-the-stars-are-aligning-for-them-from-the-very/) [Gregory Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-smith/) > [Do not judge me by my beginning, Only by my end, Nor by the path I took, But where it led me](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacklyn-h-lucas/do-not-judge-me-by-my-beginning-only-by-my-end-nor-by-the-path-i-took/) [Jacklyn H Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacklyn-h-lucas/) [Browse all 3,566 Beginning quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/beginning/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Is it not possible that the ultimate end is gaiety and music and a dance of joy?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Stephens" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end-is-gaiety-and-music-and-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Beginning" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end-is-gaiety-and-music-and-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/james-stephens-11194_dance_is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end_1074725.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/james-stephens-11194_dance_is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end_1074725.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d48/james-stephens-11194_dance_is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end_1074725.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Is it not possible that the ultimate end is gaiety and music and a dance of joy?” — James Stephens", "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": "James Stephens", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stephens/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Is it not possible that the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end-is-gaiety-and-music-and-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stephens/is-it-not-possible-that-the-ultimate-end-is-gaiety-and-music-and-a/#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 } } ] } ```