--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Among the strange things of this world…" description: "\"“Among the strange things of this world, nothing seems more strange than that men pursuing happiness should knowingly quit the right and take a wrong r..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/john-jay-31836_happiness_among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-n_3062401.jpg" --- # Among the strange things of this world, nothing seems more… ![“Among the strange things of this world, nothing seems more strange than that men pursuing happiness should knowingly quit the right and take a wrong road, and frequently do what their judgments neither approve nor prefer.” quote by John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/john-jay-31836_happiness_among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-n_3062401.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/john-jay-31836_happiness_among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-n_3062401.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/john-jay-31836_happiness_among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-n_3062401.jpg) > ““Among the strange things of this world, nothing seems more strange than that men pursuing happiness should knowingly quit the right and take a wrong road, and frequently do what their judgments neither approve nor prefer.”” [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. People often sacrifice moral correctness for personal happiness, choosing harmful paths despite better judgment. **In simple terms:** Happiness can lead to wrong choices. Key Takeaway Align actions with values, not just desires. Themes ethics happiness choice Mood reflective serious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - career decisions - relationship decisions - political activism Key Concepts moral philosophy psychology Questions to Reflect On - Do you prioritize happiness over integrity? - How can you reconcile personal joy with ethical conduct? A Different Perspective Personal desire may blind rational judgment. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Pursuing happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuing-happiness/) [Pursuit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pursuit/) [Strange things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-things/) ## Related quotes > [“Don’t stand behind a strange horse, don’t look a strange dog in the eyes, don’t rub a strange cat’s belly, and for God’s sake,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/don-t-stand-behind-a-strange-horse-don-t-look-a-strange-dog-in-the/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [Don't accept rides from strange men - and remember that all men are strange as hell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/don-t-accept-rides-from-strange-men-and-remember-that-all-men-are-2/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) > [“Tis strange that it should be among such men that we find proofs of friendship and devotion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandre-dumas/tis-strange-that-it-should-be-among-such-men-that-we-find-proofs-of/) [Alexandre Dumas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandre-dumas/) > [“men are comfortable around strange women, but women are rarely comfortable around strange men.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-escamilla/men-are-comfortable-around-strange-women-but-women-are-rarely/) [Christina Escamilla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-escamilla/) > [You took a quarter century off my age with that kidnapping stunt. No more going off with a strange men, hear me? -"You're a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cherry-adair/you-took-a-quarter-century-off-my-age-with-that-kidnapping-stunt-no/) [Cherry Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cherry-adair/) > [Tis very strange men should be so fond of being wickeder than they are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/tis-very-strange-men-should-be-so-fond-of-being-wickeder-than-they-are/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) > [I'm not particularly fond of kissing strange men-contrary to popular belief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madonna-ciccone/i-m-not-particularly-fond-of-kissing-strange-men-contrary-to-popular/) [Madonna Ciccone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madonna-ciccone/) > [I'm always cast in these strange men... that's not me, really.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hopkins/i-m-always-cast-in-these-strange-men-that-s-not-me-really/) [Anthony Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hopkins/) > [I don't go to mythical places with strange men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-adams/i-don-t-go-to-mythical-places-with-strange-men/) [Douglas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-adams/) > [It is very strange that men should deny a Creator and yet attribute to themselves the power of creating eels.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baron-d-holbach/it-is-very-strange-that-men-should-deny-a-creator-and-yet-attribute/) [Baron d'Holbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baron-d-holbach/) > [Why should I be afraid now? Strange men have come to kill me ever since I was twelve years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-puzo/why-should-i-be-afraid-now-strange-men-have-come-to-kill-me-ever/) [Mario Puzo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-puzo/) > [Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear; Seeing that death, a necessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/of-all-the-wonders-that-i-yet-have-heard-it-seems-to-me-most-strange/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't accept rides from strange men, and remember that all men are strange.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-morgan/don-t-accept-rides-from-strange-men-and-remember-that-all-men-are/) [Robin Morgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-morgan/) > [Weird things happen when strange men run for election. See Donald Trump for details.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hopkins/weird-things-happen-when-strange-men-run-for-election-see-donald/) [Katie Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hopkins/) > [“Tis very strange Men should be so fond of being thought more wicked than they are.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-defoe/tis-very-strange-men-should-be-so-fond-of-being-thought-more-wicked/) [Daniel Defoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-defoe/) ## More by John Jay > [“It is too true, however disgraceful it may be to human nature, that nations in general will make war whenever they have a prospect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/it-is-too-true-however-disgraceful-it-may-be-to-human-nature-that/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [Nothing is more certain than that a general profligacy and corruption of manners make a people ripe for destruction. A good form of government…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/nothing-is-more-certain-than-that-a-general-profligacy-and-corruption/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [“We must go home to be happy, and our home is not in this world. Here we have nothing to do but our duty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/we-must-go-home-to-be-happy-and-our-home-is-not-in-this-world-here-we/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [As the select assemblies for choosing the President, as well as the State legislatures who appoint the senators, will in general be composed of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/as-the-select-assemblies-for-choosing-the-president-as-well-as-the/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [The jury has the right to judge both the law as well as the fact in controversy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/the-jury-has-the-right-to-judge-both-the-law-as-well-as-the-fact-in/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [I saw one excellency was within my reach - it was brevity and I determined to obtain it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/i-saw-one-excellency-was-within-my-reach-it-was-brevity-and-i/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [No power on earth has a right to take our property from us without our consent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/no-power-on-earth-has-a-right-to-take-our-property-from-us-without/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [“Distrust naturally creates distrust, and by nothing is good will and kind conduct more speedily changed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/distrust-naturally-creates-distrust-and-by-nothing-is-good-will-and/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [Those who own the country ought to govern it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/those-who-own-the-country-ought-to-govern-it/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers. And it is the duty as well as the privilege and interest, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/providence-has-given-to-our-people-the-choice-of-their-rulers-and-it/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [ “Too many in your state \[Pennsylvania\], as in this \[New York\], love pure democracy dearly. They seem not to consider that pure democracy, like… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/too-many-in-your-state-pennsylvania-as-in-this-new-york-love-pure/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [“It has often given my pleasure to observe, that independent America was not composed of detached and distant territories, but that one connected fertile,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/it-has-often-given-my-pleasure-to-observe-that-independent-america/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [The only way to be loved is to be and to appear lovely; to possess and display kindness, benevolence, tenderness; to be free from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/the-only-way-to-be-loved-is-to-be-and-to-appear-lovely-to-possess-and/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [“Among the many objects to which a wise and free people find it necessary to direct their attention, that of providing for their safety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/among-the-many-objects-to-which-a-wise-and-free-people-find-it/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) > [“The wise and the good never form the majority of any large society and it seldom happens that their measures are uniformly adopted… \[All…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/the-wise-and-the-good-never-form-the-majority-of-any-large-society/) [John Jay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) [Explore all 16 John Jay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/) ## 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": "“Among the strange things of this world, nothing seems more strange than that men pursuing happiness should knowingly quit the right and take a wrong road, and frequently do what their judgments neither approve nor prefer.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John Jay" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-nothing-seems-more-strange/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-nothing-seems-more-strange/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/john-jay-31836_happiness_among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-n_3062401.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/john-jay-31836_happiness_among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-n_3062401.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/501/john-jay-31836_happiness_among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-n_3062401.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Among the strange things of this world, nothing seems more strange than that men pursuing happiness should…” — John Jay", "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 Jay", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-jay/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Among the strange things of this...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-nothing-seems-more-strange/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-jay/among-the-strange-things-of-this-world-nothing-seems-more-strange/#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 } } ] } ```