--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because the thought that we weren’t happy…" description: "\"“Because the thought that we weren’t happy at least for some time during our lives is unbearable. Adults”\" — Jo Nesbø" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/jo-nesb-2258_time_because-the-thought-that-we-weren-t-happ_1562931.jpg" --- # Because the thought that we weren’t happy at least for… ![“Because the thought that we weren’t happy at least for some time during our lives is unbearable. Adults” quote by Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/jo-nesb-2258_time_because-the-thought-that-we-weren-t-happ_1562931.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/jo-nesb-2258_time_because-the-thought-that-we-weren-t-happ_1562931.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fdb/jo-nesb-2258_time_because-the-thought-that-we-weren-t-happ_1562931.jpg) > ““Because the thought that we weren’t happy at least for some time during our lives is unbearable. Adults”” [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People find it unbearable to accept periods of unhappiness, especially as adults. **In simple terms:** Unhappiness feels intolerable. Key Takeaway Accept that sadness is part of life. Themes psychology acceptance adult life Mood reflective somber Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - therapy sessions - life coaching - personal reflection Key Concepts existentialism emotional resilience Questions to Reflect On - Why do we resist feeling unhappy? - How can we reframe unhappiness as useful? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of temporary discomfort for growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adults](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adults/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“Children are genius in the matters of making life fun and in the matters of making life unbearable, the adults are genius!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/children-are-genius-in-the-matters-of-making-life-fun-and-in-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [But perhaps that's why we take snaps...to provide false evidence to underpin the false claim that we were happy. Because the thought that we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-perhaps-that-s-why-we-take-snaps-to-provide-false-evidence-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Most people in my life who didn't follow their dreams weren't happy. Their lives seem so strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-potter/most-people-in-my-life-who-didn-t-follow-their-dreams-weren-t-happy/) [Dean Potter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-potter/) > [“He dealt every day with people who believed they weren’t happy and who further believed that by committing some crime—theft, murder, deceit, blackmail, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-leon/he-dealt-every-day-with-people-who-believed-they-weren-t-happy-and/) [Donna Leon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-leon/) > [Most coaches that I saw in my time off weren't very happy in coaching, and I committed to my wife, Sally, if I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mack-brown/most-coaches-that-i-saw-in-my-time-off-weren-t-very-happy-in-coaching/) [Mack Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mack-brown/) > [I hoped my absence made them happy or at least made them forget that they weren't happy and never will be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/i-hoped-my-absence-made-them-happy-or-at-least-made-them-forget-that/) [Carlos Ruiz Zafon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/) > [“Why was it? Who drove you to it?' She replied, 'It had to be, my dear!' 'Weren't you happy? Is it my fault? I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/why-was-it-who-drove-you-to-it-she-replied-it-had-to-be-my-dear-weren/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [They weren't happy, and neither of them had touched the chicken or the ale---and yet they weren't unhappy either. There was an unmistakable air…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-scott-fitzgerald/they-weren-t-happy-and-neither-of-them-had-touched-the-chicken-or-the/) [F. Scott Fitzgerald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-scott-fitzgerald/) > [“The days of my vanity are over and heaven knows they weren't happy enough to regret”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-donoghue/the-days-of-my-vanity-are-over-and-heaven-knows-they-weren-t-happy/) [Emma Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-donoghue/) > [YOU WEREN'T WITH ME WHEN I WAS HAPPY THEN HOW CAN I BE SURE THAT U WILL BE WITH ME WHEN I AM SAD](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anjana/you-weren-t-with-me-when-i-was-happy-then-how-can-i-be-sure-that-u/) ANJANA > [Men weren't always happy for me. It was very challenging to watch a woman be so successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lady-gaga/men-weren-t-always-happy-for-me-it-was-very-challenging-to-watch-a/) [Lady Gaga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lady-gaga/) > [I used to love watching 'Hee Haw' on TV when I was a kid. My brothers and sisters weren't happy about it, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/darius-rucker/i-used-to-love-watching-hee-haw-on-tv-when-i-was-a-kid-my-brothers/) [Darius Rucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/darius-rucker/) > [“I had never before considered that people near me might have problems that were not caused by me. I had been created to please…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-frances-casey/i-had-never-before-considered-that-people-near-me-might-have-problems/) [Joan Frances Casey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-frances-casey/) > [I used to let other people's struggles affect my happiness. If they weren't happy, there was no way I was going to be happy.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-meyer/i-used-to-let-other-people-s-struggles-affect-my-happiness-if-they/) [Joyce Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-meyer/) > [“We weren’t happy together but we lived in a state of easy, mild contentment. We shared everything except the stupid fucking secret hanging round…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-gresham/we-weren-t-happy-together-but-we-lived-in-a-state-of-easy-mild/) Jon Gresham ## More by Jo Nesbø > [“You are as old as you feel. So I reckon I'm about sixty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/you-are-as-old-as-you-feel-so-i-reckon-i-m-about-sixty/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“It’s strange, but when your father has gone you suddenly discover that the choices you have made were as much for him as for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/it-s-strange-but-when-your-father-has-gone-you-suddenly-discover-that/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“The great thing about facts is that you don't have to ponder whether they're desirable or not.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/the-great-thing-about-facts-is-that-you-don-t-have-to-ponder-whether/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“He who is destined for the gallows will not drown, as we say in Norwegian,” Harry said. “What?” “I agree.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/he-who-is-destined-for-the-gallows-will-not-drown-as-we-say-in/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“He sensed her aroma and greedily breathed in the fragrance. He must not let himself be duped. Those cunning bastards at Karl Lagerfeld and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/he-sensed-her-aroma-and-greedily-breathed-in-the-fragrance-he-must/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“That morality—which some people imagine is God-given and eternal—is as malleable and learned as our ideas of beauty, our enemies, our fashion trends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/that-morality-which-some-people-imagine-is-god-given-and-eternal-is/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“He who is destined for the gallows will not drown,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/he-who-is-destined-for-the-gallows-will-not-drown/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“I just know that when I’m walking on the wafer-thin ice of happiness, I’m terrified, so terrified that I wish it was over, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/i-just-know-that-when-i-m-walking-on-the-wafer-thin-ice-of-happiness/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“longevity bestowed respect, even upon a whorehouse madam if she kept going for long enough.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/longevity-bestowed-respect-even-upon-a-whorehouse-madam-if-she-kept/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“Man's ability to think rationally when self-interest was at stake was inversely proportional to intelligence. - Aune”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/man-s-ability-to-think-rationally-when-self-interest-was-at-stake-was/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“A sudden, uncontrollable fury rose in him, and he cast around for something to smash. He snatched the whiskey bottle from the table and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/a-sudden-uncontrollable-fury-rose-in-him-and-he-cast-around-for/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“Norwegians were not exactly what you might call a cultured people - Nikolai Loeb”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/norwegians-were-not-exactly-what-you-might-call-a-cultured-people/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“I shut my eyes and concentrated on the sun, and on feeling it warm my skin. On pleasure. Hedon. The Greek god. Or idol,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/i-shut-my-eyes-and-concentrated-on-the-sun-and-on-feeling-it-warm-my/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“My honesty now is merely a long-term investment in my own plausibility. Because there may come a day when I really need to lie,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/my-honesty-now-is-merely-a-long-term-investment-in-my-own/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) > [“The social space between people who don’t know each other is from one to three and a half metres. That’s the distance you would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-nesb/the-social-space-between-people-who-don-t-know-each-other-is-from-one/) [Jo Nesbø](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) [Explore all 162 Jo Nesbø quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-nesb/) ## More Adults quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [Behind every successful child is an adult who believed in him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/behind-every-successful-child-is-an-adult-who-believed-in-him/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. 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I do believe that young adults go to college to learn things, and that this process will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gene-weingarten/i-do-not-believe-in-public-shaming-i-do-believe-that-young-adults-go/) [Gene Weingarten](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gene-weingarten/) > [The Role of Deliberate Practice in the Acquisition of Expert Performance”: “The differences between expert performers and normal adults are not immutable, that is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-anders-ericsson/the-role-of-deliberate-practice-in-the-acquisition-of-expert/) K. 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