--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: While all men seek after happiness…" description: "\"While all men seek after happiness, scarcely one in a hundred looks for it from God.\" — John Calvin" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-calvin-490_happiness_while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarc_2310202.jpg" --- # While all men seek after happiness, scarcely one in a… ![“While all men seek after happiness, scarcely one in a hundred looks for it from God.” quote by John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-calvin-490_happiness_while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarc_2310202.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-calvin-490_happiness_while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarc_2310202.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-calvin-490_happiness_while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarc_2310202.jpg) > “While all men seek after happiness, scarcely one in a hundred looks for it from God.” [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human beings often chase worldly happiness, yet few seek divine fulfillment. **In simple terms:** People look for happiness in the world, not God. Key Takeaway Seek God for true happiness. Themes spirituality human nature search for meaning Mood contemplative inspirational Type theological philosophical When to use this quote - personal reflection - religious practice - life decisions Key Concepts theology existentialism Questions to Reflect On - What would change if you pursued happiness through God? - How do you define fulfillment? A Different Perspective Not all find meaning in faith; secular paths also bring purpose. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) ## Related quotes > [Different men seek after happiness in different ways and by different means, and so make for themselves different modes of life and forms of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/different-men-seek-after-happiness-in-different-ways-and-by-different/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/all-men-seek-happiness-this-is-without-exception-whatever-different-2/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [All men seek happiness. There are no exceptions… This is the motive of every act of every man, including those who go and hang…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/all-men-seek-happiness-there-are-no-exceptions-this-is-the-motive-of/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [It was his peculiar happiness that he scarcely ever found a stranger whom he did not leave a friend; but it must likewise be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-was-his-peculiar-happiness-that-he-scarcely-ever-found-a-stranger/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“One of the causes of unhappiness among intellectuals in the present day is that so many of them, especially those whose skill is literary,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/one-of-the-causes-of-unhappiness-among-intellectuals-in-the-present/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [The truth is not for all men, but only for those who seek it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ayn-rand/the-truth-is-not-for-all-men-but-only-for-those-who-seek-it/) [Ayn Rand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ayn-rand/) > [Leave off looking to men to find out what you are not - seek within yourselves to find out what you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mina-loy/leave-off-looking-to-men-to-find-out-what-you-are-not-seek-within/) [Mina Loy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mina-loy/) > [Children never seek happiness: they are happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaggi-vasudev/children-never-seek-happiness-they-are-happy/) [Jaggi Vasudev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaggi-vasudev/) > [“Don't wait for happiness to knock your door. You have to seek for happiness by yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamaran-ihsan-salih/don-t-wait-for-happiness-to-knock-your-door-you-have-to-seek-for/) [Kamaran Ihsan Salih](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamaran-ihsan-salih/) > [“First seek happiness from within, then you will find it without.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ogwo-david-emenike/first-seek-happiness-from-within-then-you-will-find-it-without/) [Ogwo David Emenike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ogwo-david-emenike/) > [No one will calmly and quietly submit to bear the cross except those who have learned to seek their happiness beyond this world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/no-one-will-calmly-and-quietly-submit-to-bear-the-cross-except-those/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Men seek out retreats for themselves in the country, by the seaside, on the moutains . . . But all this is unphilosophical to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/men-seek-out-retreats-for-themselves-in-the-country-by-the-seaside-on/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores, and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-aurelius/men-seek-retreats-for-themselves-houses-in-the-country-sea-shores-and/) [Marcus Aurelius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-aurelius/) > [Why do men seek honour? Surely in order to confirm the favorable opinion they have formed of themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/why-do-men-seek-honour-surely-in-order-to-confirm-the-favorable/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [When men are unhappy, they do not imagine they can ever cease to be so; and when some calamity has fallen on them, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/when-men-are-unhappy-they-do-not-imagine-they-can-ever-cease-to-be-so/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) ## More by John Calvin > [I have never seen either a drop of piety or a grain of truth or ingenuousness - nay, I have never found common sense…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/i-have-never-seen-either-a-drop-of-piety-or-a-grain-of-truth-or/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [But a most pernicious error widely prevails that Scripture has only so much weight as is conceded to it by the consent of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/but-a-most-pernicious-error-widely-prevails-that-scripture-has-only/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [For earthly princes lay aside their power when they rise up against God, and are unworthy to be reckoned among the number of mankind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-earthly-princes-lay-aside-their-power-when-they-rise-up-against/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [It is no small honour that God for our sake has so magnificently adorned the world, in order that we may not only be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/it-is-no-small-honour-that-god-for-our-sake-has-so-magnificently/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [The word "hope" I take for faith; and indeed hope is nothing else but the constancy of faith.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-word-hope-i-take-for-faith-and-indeed-hope-is-nothing-else-but/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [No man can come to God but by an extraordinary revelation of the Spirit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/no-man-can-come-to-god-but-by-an-extraordinary-revelation-of-the/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [There is nothing in afflictions which ought to disturb our joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-is-nothing-in-afflictions-which-ought-to-disturb-our-joy/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [There cannot be a surer rule, nor a stronger exhortation to the observance of it, than when we are taught that all the endowments…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/there-cannot-be-a-surer-rule-nor-a-stronger-exhortation-to-the/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [The surest source of destruction to men is to obey themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-surest-source-of-destruction-to-men-is-to-obey-themselves/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [The whole gospel is contained in Christ.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/the-whole-gospel-is-contained-in-christ/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [For Scripture is the school of the Holy Spirit, in which, as nothing is omitted that is both necessary and useful to know, so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-scripture-is-the-school-of-the-holy-spirit-in-which-as-nothing-is/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [“For earthly princes lay aside their power when they rise up against God, and are unworthy to be reckoned among the number of mankind.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/for-earthly-princes-lay-aside-their-power-when-they-rise-up-against-2/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [If a preacher is not first preaching to himself, better that he falls on the steps of the pulpit and breaks his neck than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/if-a-preacher-is-not-first-preaching-to-himself-better-that-he-falls/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Again I ask whence it happened that the fall of Adam involved, without remedy, in eternal death so many nations, together with their infant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/again-i-ask-whence-it-happened-that-the-fall-of-adam-involved-without/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) > [Unless God's Word illumine the way, the whole life of men is wrapped in darkness and mist, so that they cannot but miserably stray.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/unless-god-s-word-illumine-the-way-the-whole-life-of-men-is-wrapped/) [John Calvin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) [Explore all 520 John Calvin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/) ## 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 [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "While all men seek after happiness, scarcely one in a hundred looks for it from God.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Calvin" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarcely-one-in-a-hundred-looks/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarcely-one-in-a-hundred-looks/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-calvin-490_happiness_while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarc_2310202.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-calvin-490_happiness_while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarc_2310202.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7e7/john-calvin-490_happiness_while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarc_2310202.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“While all men seek after happiness, scarcely one in a hundred looks for it from God.” — John Calvin", "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": "John Calvin", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-calvin/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "While all men seek after happiness,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarcely-one-in-a-hundred-looks/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-calvin/while-all-men-seek-after-happiness-scarcely-one-in-a-hundred-looks/#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 } } ] } ```