--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Pursuing happiness, and I did, and still…" description: "\"“Pursuing happiness, and I did, and still do, is not at all the same thing as being happy - which I think is fleeting, dependent on circumstances, and ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/jeanette-winterson-166_happiness_pursuing-happiness-and-i-did-and-still-d_2479623.jpg" --- # Pursuing happiness, and I did, and still do, is not at all… ![“Pursuing happiness, and I did, and still do, is not at all the same thing as being happy - which I think is fleeting, dependent on circumstances, and a bit bovine...The pursuit of happiness is more elusive; it is life-long, and it is not goal-centered. What you are pursuing is meaning - a…” quote by Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/jeanette-winterson-166_happiness_pursuing-happiness-and-i-did-and-still-d_2479623.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/jeanette-winterson-166_happiness_pursuing-happiness-and-i-did-and-still-d_2479623.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a76/jeanette-winterson-166_happiness_pursuing-happiness-and-i-did-and-still-d_2479623.jpg) > ““Pursuing happiness, and I did, and still do, is not at all the same thing as being happy - which I think is fleeting, dependent on circumstances, and a bit bovine...The pursuit of happiness is more elusive; it is life-long, and it is not goal-centered. What you are pursuing is meaning - a meaningful life...There are times when it will go so wrong that you will barely be alive, and times when you realise that being barely alive, on your own terms, is better than living a bloated half-life on someone else's terms.”” [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True happiness is fleeting and circumstance‑dependent; lasting fulfillment comes from pursuing meaning, not mere joy. **In simple terms:** Happiness is temporary; meaning gives lasting purpose. Key Takeaway Seek meaning over fleeting happiness. Themes philosophy psychology purpose well‑being Mood contemplative inspirational thought‑provoking Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - career choices - personal crises - creative projects - relationship decisions Key Concepts existentialism subjective well‑being life purpose Questions to Reflect On - What gives your life meaning? - How do you differentiate happiness from purpose? A Different Perspective Meaning can be elusive and may involve hardship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness quotes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-quotes/) [Happiness-advice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-advice/) [Meaningful life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meaningful-life/) [Pursuing happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuing-happiness/) ## Related quotes > [“Pursuing happiness, and I did, and still do, is not at all the same as being happy- which I think is fleeting, dependent on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/pursuing-happiness-and-i-did-and-still-do-is-not-at-all-the-same-as/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“Pursuing happiness, and I did, and I still do, is not at all the saem as being happy - which I think is fleeting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/pursuing-happiness-and-i-did-and-i-still-do-is-not-at-all-the-saem-as/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [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/) > [“What you are pursuing is meaning -- a meaningful life. There's the hap -- the fate, the draw that is yours, and it isn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/what-you-are-pursuing-is-meaning-a-meaningful-life-there-s-the-hap/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [“In America, we are entitled to "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." There is no such expression in France. In fact, in France,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-cat-callan/in-america-we-are-entitled-to-life-liberty-and-the-pursuit-of/) [Jamie Cat Callan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-cat-callan/) > [“Hear me: I'm not knocking getting married, having a family, succeeding professionally, or even owning nice things. Rather I'm observing that pouring our lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tiffany-smiling/hear-me-i-m-not-knocking-getting-married-having-a-family-succeeding/) [Tiffany Smiling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tiffany-smiling/) > [Be relentless in pursuing your happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theo-rossi/be-relentless-in-pursuing-your-happiness/) [Theo Rossi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theo-rossi/) > [Americans are good at pursuing happiness. And the Americans who pursue happiness most diligently show that we're also good at running it down and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/p-j-o-rourke/americans-are-good-at-pursuing-happiness-and-the-americans-who-pursue/) [P. J. O'Rourke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/p-j-o-rourke/) > [You don't become happy by pursuing happiness. You become happy by living a life that means something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-s-kushner/you-don-t-become-happy-by-pursuing-happiness-you-become-happy-by/) [Harold S. Kushner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-s-kushner/) > [Pursuing all my happiness I want a fearless love I won't settle for anything less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-etheridge/pursuing-all-my-happiness-i-want-a-fearless-love-i-won-t-settle-for/) [Melissa Etheridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-etheridge/) > [I don't think that sin and pursuing happiness are not necessarily the same thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/i-don-t-think-that-sin-and-pursuing-happiness-are-not-necessarily-the/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [The pursuit of Happiness starts by you pursuing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-amorelli/the-pursuit-of-happiness-starts-by-you-pursuing/) [Jennifer Amorelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-amorelli/) > [I think life is difficult and that's that. I am not at all - absolutely not at all - interested in the pursuit of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamaica-kincaid/i-think-life-is-difficult-and-that-s-that-i-am-not-at-all-absolutely/) [Jamaica Kincaid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamaica-kincaid/) > [“The pursuit of happiness is more elusive, it is life long and not goal-centered. Whant you are pusuing is meaning - a meaningful life.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanette-winterson/the-pursuit-of-happiness-is-more-elusive-it-is-life-long-and-not-goal/) [Jeanette Winterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanette-winterson/) > [If the sun is shining, stand in it- yes, yes, yes. 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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 [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Pursuing happiness, and I did, and still do, is not at all the same thing as being happy - which I think is fleeting, dependent on circumstances, and a bit bovine...The pursuit of happiness is more elusive; it is life-long, and it is not goal-centered. 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