--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: His statement to himself should have been…" description: "\"His statement to himself should have been 'I possess this now,therefore I am happy' , instead of what it so Victorianly was: 'I cannot possess this for..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/john-fowles-816_forever_his-statement-to-himself-should-have-bee_485111.png" --- # His statement to himself should have been 'I possess this… ![“His statement to himself should have been 'I possess this now,therefore I am happy' , instead of what it so Victorianly was: 'I cannot possess this forever, therefore I am sad.” quote by John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/john-fowles-816_forever_his-statement-to-himself-should-have-bee_485111.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/john-fowles-816_forever_his-statement-to-himself-should-have-bee_485111.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/john-fowles-816_forever_his-statement-to-himself-should-have-bee_485111.png) > “His statement to himself should have been 'I possess this now,therefore I am happy' , instead of what it so Victorianly was: 'I cannot possess this forever, therefore I am sad.” [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) ## 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 comes from appreciating what you have now, not from fearing loss of the future. **In simple terms:** Be content with the present. Key Takeaway Focus on present possessions for joy. Themes contentment mindfulness impermanence Mood reflective calm Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - daily gratitude practice - mindful meditation - relationship appreciation - career satisfaction Key Concepts existentialism psychology gratitude Questions to Reflect On - What can you cherish right now? - How does fear of loss affect your mood? A Different Perspective It may ignore legitimate concerns about future security. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [His statement to himself should have been, 'I possess this now, therefore I am happy', instead of what it so Victorianly was: "I cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/his-statement-to-himself-should-have-been-i-possess-this-now-2/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [If you possess happiness you possess everything: to be happy is to be in tune with God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paramahansa-yogananda/if-you-possess-happiness-you-possess-everything-to-be-happy-is-to-be/) [Paramahansa Yogananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paramahansa-yogananda/) > [I'd rather let you go than letting you suffering negativity, But it's my pleasure to let you happy instead of let you sad .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-d-rather-let-you-go-than-letting-you-suffering-negativity-but-it-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I think it's healthier to be happy with yourself instead of trying to beat yourself up all the time, which I had been constantly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-evans/i-think-it-s-healthier-to-be-happy-with-yourself-instead-of-trying-to/) [Lee Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-evans/) > [Today, I have more reasons to be sad but I'll stay happy instead. I know I can. God said I can and I believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/today-i-have-more-reasons-to-be-sad-but-i-ll-stay-happy-instead-i/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [Just because someone you love is being happy with someone else instead of you, doesn't mean you can't be happy for them too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/just-because-someone-you-love-is-being-happy-with-someone-else/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You have the ability to make me so happy, but instead you choose to break my heart...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unkown/you-have-the-ability-to-make-me-so-happy-but-instead-you-choose-to/) Unkown > [The people that you think are supposed to be there for you and be happy for you - instead they want to tear you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-alsina/the-people-that-you-think-are-supposed-to-be-there-for-you-and-be/) [August Alsina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-alsina/) > [In life, we must not look to make ourselves happy, but instead, we must strive to love others and our own happiness will come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-acquasanta/in-life-we-must-not-look-to-make-ourselves-happy-but-instead-we-must/) Paul Acquasanta > [You should do what suits you, and what makes you happy, instead of doing something you don't like.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/you-should-do-what-suits-you-and-what-makes-you-happy-instead-of/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Sometimes it's easier to smile and pretend you're happy instead of trying to explain why you're not...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/sometimes-it-s-easier-to-smile-and-pretend-you-re-happy-instead-of/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Sometimes we have to get up and be happy instead of waiting for someone or a moment to come and do it for us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/sometimes-we-have-to-get-up-and-be-happy-instead-of-waiting-for/) [Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [“I believe in forever, and that’s what you and I are. We define eternity. This may sound cheesy, but you make me go there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-mchugh/i-believe-in-forever-and-that-s-what-you-and-i-are-we-define-eternity/) [Gail McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-mchugh/) > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) ## More by John Fowles > [I am infinitely strange to myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/i-am-infinitely-strange-to-myself/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [I do not plan my fiction any more than I normally plan woodland walks; I follow the path that seems most promising at any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/i-do-not-plan-my-fiction-any-more-than-i-normally-plan-woodland-walks/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“The sky is absolutely empty. Beautifully pure and empty. As if the architects and builders would live in all the houses they built! Or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-sky-is-absolutely-empty-beautifully-pure-and-empty-as-if-the/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“The evolution of human mentality has put us all in vitro now, behind the glass wall of our own ingenuity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-evolution-of-human-mentality-has-put-us-all-in-vitro-now-behind/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [Most marriages recognize this paradox: Passion destroys passion; we want what puts an end to wanting what we want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/most-marriages-recognize-this-paradox-passion-destroys-passion-we/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [That is the great distinction between the sexes. Men see objects, women see the relationships between objects.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/that-is-the-great-distinction-between-the-sexes-men-see-objects-women/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [The craving to risk death is our last great perversion. We come from night, we go into night. Why live in night?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-craving-to-risk-death-is-our-last-great-perversion-we-come-from/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [There is only one good definition of God: the freedom that allows other freedoms to exist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/there-is-only-one-good-definition-of-god-the-freedom-that-allows/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [They looked down on her; and she looked up through them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/they-looked-down-on-her-and-she-looked-up-through-them/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“Long afterwards I realized why some men, racing drivers and their like, become addicted to speed. There are those of us who never see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/long-afterwards-i-realized-why-some-men-racing-drivers-and-their-like/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [The best wines take the longest to mature.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/the-best-wines-take-the-longest-to-mature/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [But however good you get at translating personality into line or paint it's no go if your personality isn't worth translating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/but-however-good-you-get-at-translating-personality-into-line-or/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“Liking other people is an illusion we have to cherish in ourselves if we are to live in society. It”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/liking-other-people-is-an-illusion-we-have-to-cherish-in-ourselves-if/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [Do you know that every great thing in the history of art and every beautiful thing in life is actually what you call nasty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/do-you-know-that-every-great-thing-in-the-history-of-art-and-every/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [“Yet this distance, all those abysses unbridged and then unbridgeable by radio, television, cheap travel and the rest, was not wholly bad. People knew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/yet-this-distance-all-those-abysses-unbridged-and-then-unbridgeable/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) [Explore all 341 John Fowles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) ## More Forever quotes > [Every one knows that the exercise of military power is forever dangerous to civil rights; and we have had recent instances of violences that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-adams/every-one-knows-that-the-exercise-of-military-power-is-forever/) [Samuel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-adams/) > [“I believe in forever, and that’s what you and I are. We define eternity. This may sound cheesy, but you make me go there.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-mchugh/i-believe-in-forever-and-that-s-what-you-and-i-are-we-define-eternity/) [Gail McHugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-mchugh/) > [Contradictory precepts that have guided me for as long as I can remember: 1: I will live forever. 2: I will die tomorrow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-gardner/contradictory-precepts-that-have-guided-me-for-as-long-as-i-can/) [Howard Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-gardner/) > [People don't always realize that a record is forever. It'll always be there under your name. You've got to be certain that it's right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-iero/people-don-t-always-realize-that-a-record-is-forever-it-ll-always-be/) [Frank Iero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-iero/) > [When you find someone you want to spend forever with you, you don't let them go, whether forever turns out to be a day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-williams/when-you-find-someone-you-want-to-spend-forever-with-you-you-don-t/) [Nicole Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-williams/) > [What does forever mean to you? When you couldnt even keep it true You said were youd forever be there But were those just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fad-ibra/what-does-forever-mean-to-you-when-you-couldnt-even-keep-it-true-you/) [Fad Ibra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fad-ibra/) > [Forever is a really long time, you know? What do you do with forever?" "The same thing you do when you don't have forever."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amanda-hocking/forever-is-a-really-long-time-you-know-what-do-you-do-with-forever/) [Amanda Hocking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amanda-hocking/) > [I think when you’re dying you start looking for important things in the corners. You can’t let anything that seems even semi-important pass, because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-crutcher/i-think-when-you-re-dying-you-start-looking-for-important-things-in/) [Chris Crutcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-crutcher/) > [Whole scenes of your life slip away forever if you don't put them down in ink.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silas-house/whole-scenes-of-your-life-slip-away-forever-if-you-don-t-put-them/) [Silas House](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silas-house/) > [Tonight I feel like a prisoner on fire, waiting desperately... denied, sentenced forever more. Only your love can set me free.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bolton/tonight-i-feel-like-a-prisoner-on-fire-waiting-desperately-denied/) [Michael Bolton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bolton/) > [It all depends on you. You can go on sleeping forever, you can wake up right this moment.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/it-all-depends-on-you-you-can-go-on-sleeping-forever-you-can-wake-up/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [I do conscientiously and sincerely believe that the Order of Freemasonry, if not the greatest, is one of the greatest moral and political evils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-quincy-adams/i-do-conscientiously-and-sincerely-believe-that-the-order-of/) [John Quincy Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-quincy-adams/) > [There is nothing more I ask of this life than this moment, exactly so. And suddenly forever seems like too short a time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-andreas/there-is-nothing-more-i-ask-of-this-life-than-this-moment-exactly-so/) [Brian Andreas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-andreas/) > [I want to do - I want to be putting out classic stuff that's gonna stick and last forever, you feel me?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yg/i-want-to-do-i-want-to-be-putting-out-classic-stuff-that-s-gonna/) YG > [“I will run every mile, i will save every line, i will say i reached the top and i will fall back down standing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mennah-al-refaey/i-will-run-every-mile-i-will-save-every-line-i-will-say-i-reached-the/) Mennah al refaey Browse all 10,689 Forever quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "His statement to himself should have been 'I possess this now,therefore I am happy' , instead of what it so Victorianly was: 'I cannot possess this forever, therefore I am sad.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Fowles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/his-statement-to-himself-should-have-been-i-possess-this-now/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Forever" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/his-statement-to-himself-should-have-been-i-possess-this-now/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/john-fowles-816_forever_his-statement-to-himself-should-have-bee_485111.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/john-fowles-816_forever_his-statement-to-himself-should-have-bee_485111.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/44b/john-fowles-816_forever_his-statement-to-himself-should-have-bee_485111.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“His statement to himself should have been 'I possess this now,therefore I am happy' , instead of what it so…” — John Fowles", "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 Fowles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "His statement to himself should have...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/his-statement-to-himself-should-have-been-i-possess-this-now/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/his-statement-to-himself-should-have-been-i-possess-this-now/#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 } } ] } ```