--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness is perfume, you can't pour it…" description: "\"Happiness is perfume, you can't pour it on somebody else without getting a few drops on yourself.\" — James Van Der Zee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/james-van-der-zee-61166_happiness_happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-o_2586551.jpg" --- # Happiness is perfume, you can't pour it on somebody else… ![“Happiness is perfume, you can't pour it on somebody else without getting a few drops on yourself.” quote by James Van Der Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/james-van-der-zee-61166_happiness_happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-o_2586551.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/james-van-der-zee-61166_happiness_happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-o_2586551.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/james-van-der-zee-61166_happiness_happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-o_2586551.jpg) > “Happiness is perfume, you can't pour it on somebody else without getting a few drops on yourself.” [James Van Der Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-der-zee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness spreads when shared, leaving you with some of it too. **In simple terms:** Sharing joy gives you joy. Key Takeaway Share kindness, receive joy. Themes generosity empathy reciprocity Mood warm uplifting Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - friendships - volunteering - team projects - family gatherings Key Concepts psychology positive affect Questions to Reflect On - How can you give without expecting return? - What small act can brighten someone's day? A Different Perspective It may be hard to give when you feel lacking. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Perfume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-perfume-1146308/) [Perfume](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfume/) [Perfume Pour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/perfume-pour-1175653/) [Pour Somebody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pour-somebody-1824775/) ## Related quotes > [Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/happiness-is-a-perfume-you-cannot-pour-on-others-without-getting-a/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting some on yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/happiness-is-a-perfume-you-cannot-pour-on-others-without-getting-some/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Happiness is a perfume that cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-is-a-perfume-that-cannot-pour-on-others-without-getting-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is a perfume you cannot pour onto others without getting a few drops on yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/love-is-a-perfume-you-cannot-pour-onto-others-without-getting-a-few/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [Happiness is like a perfume, you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-is-like-a-perfume-you-cannot-pour-on-others-without-getting/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happiness is a perfume... you canot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/happiness-is-a-perfume-you-canot-pour-on-others-without-getting-a-few/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [“If you press grapes, wine will pour out; if you crush roses, perfume will pour out; if you afflict the talented, genius will pour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/if-you-press-grapes-wine-will-pour-out-if-you-crush-roses-perfume/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [<3 Happiness is a Perfume which you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself <3 So Always be Happy because you never know that your Smile may makes one's Day :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/3-happiness-is-a-perfume-which-you-cannot-pour-on-others-without/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that there is no happiness in having or in getting, but only in giving. Reach out. Share. Smile. Hug. Happiness is a perfume…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/remember-that-there-is-no-happiness-in-having-or-in-getting-but-only/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happiness is a perfume. You cannot spread on others without getting a few drops on yourself. So always be happy to make others happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/happiness-is-a-perfume-you-cannot-spread-on-others-without-getting-a/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [I say, 'You the bestest.' Lean in for a big kiss. Put his favorite perfume on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-del-rey/i-say-you-the-bestest-lean-in-for-a-big-kiss-put-his-favorite-perfume/) [Lana Del Rey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-del-rey/) > [Don't you hate it when you get on a elevator and someone smells like they took a bath in perfume or cologne.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jreyes/don-t-you-hate-it-when-you-get-on-a-elevator-and-someone-smells-like/) [JREYES](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jreyes/) > [I don't wear perfume, and I rarely wear jewelry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-wear-perfume-and-i-rarely-wear-jewelry/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always gravitate to perfume with rose. My mom's maiden name is Rose, and the scent of my childhood was always rose. Le Sirenuse…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alana-haim/i-always-gravitate-to-perfume-with-rose-my-mom-s-maiden-name-is-rose/) [Alana Haim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alana-haim/) > [Is man no more than this? Consider him well. Thou ow'st the worm no silk, the beast no hide, the sheep no wool, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/is-man-no-more-than-this-consider-him-well-thou-ow-st-the-worm-no/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## More by James Van Der Zee > [It's a hard job to get the camera to see it like you see it. Sometimes you have it just the way you want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-zee/it-s-a-hard-job-to-get-the-camera-to-see-it-like-you-see-it-sometimes/) [James Van Der Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-der-zee/) > [Somebody would come in and say, I never take a good picture. I'd say, Why not? You've got two eyes, a nose, and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-zee/somebody-would-come-in-and-say-i-never-take-a-good-picture-i-d-say/) [James Van Der Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-der-zee/) > [I tried to see that every picture was better-looking than the person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-zee/i-tried-to-see-that-every-picture-was-better-looking-than-the-person/) [James Van Der Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-der-zee/) > [Being an artist, I had an artist's instincts.You can see the picture before it's taken; then it's up to you to get the camera…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-zee/being-an-artist-i-had-an-artist-s-instincts-you-can-see-the-picture/) [James Van Der Zee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-der-zee/) [Explore all 5 James Van Der Zee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-der-zee/) ## More Happiness quotes > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [Balance suggests a perfect equilibrium. There is no such thing. That is a false expectation… There are going to be priorities and dimensions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-morrison/balance-suggests-a-perfect-equilibrium-there-is-no-such-thing-that-is/) [Denise Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-morrison/) > [“WE CAN'T ALWAYS CONTROL OUR CIRCUMSTANCES BUT WE CAN CONTROL OUR ATTITUDE. WE MUST BE MORE CONCERNED WITH WHAT WE DO WITH WHAT HAPPENS…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-j-ashton/we-can-t-always-control-our-circumstances-but-we-can-control-our/) [MARVIN J. ASHTON](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-j-ashton/) > [I can skate beautifully. While performing on ice I always try to please the audience and to win as well. Being artistic is very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evgeni-plushenko/i-can-skate-beautifully-while-performing-on-ice-i-always-try-to/) [Evgeni Plushenko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evgeni-plushenko/) > [Sometimes we wish for the feel but we never understand that we have to give a lot to get the feel !](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-reynolds/sometimes-we-wish-for-the-feel-but-we-never-understand-that-we-have/) [Robert Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-reynolds/) > [Sing like no one's listening, love like you've never been hurt, dance like nobody's watching, and live like its heaven on earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sing-like-no-one-s-listening-love-like-you-ve-never-been-hurt-dance/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“It was beautiful. He thought he had never seen anything so beautiful in all his life; that, having seen it, he could die content,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-grant/it-was-beautiful-he-thought-he-had-never-seen-anything-so-beautiful/) [Mira Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-grant/) > [The happy have whole days,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colley-cibber/the-happy-have-whole-days/) [Colley Cibber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colley-cibber/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [I've got nothing to do today but smile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-today-but-smile/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Her dignity consists in being unknown to the world; her glory is in the esteem of her husband; her pleasures in the happiness of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/her-dignity-consists-in-being-unknown-to-the-world-her-glory-is-in/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Positive thinking evokes more energy, more initiative, more happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/positive-thinking-evokes-more-energy-more-initiative-more-happiness/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Happiness is perfume, you can't pour it on somebody else without getting a few drops on yourself.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "James Van Der Zee" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-zee/happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-on-somebody-else-without/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-zee/happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-on-somebody-else-without/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/james-van-der-zee-61166_happiness_happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-o_2586551.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/james-van-der-zee-61166_happiness_happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-o_2586551.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/479/james-van-der-zee-61166_happiness_happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-o_2586551.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Happiness is perfume, you can't pour it on somebody else without getting a few drops on yourself.” — James Van Der Zee", "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 Van Der Zee", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-van-der-zee/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Happiness is perfume, you can't pour...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-zee/happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-on-somebody-else-without/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-van-der-zee/happiness-is-perfume-you-can-t-pour-it-on-somebody-else-without/#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 } } ] } ```