--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I'm constantly tortured, and that's why I…" description: "\"I'm constantly tortured, and that's why I say happiness is irrelevant. Happiness is for children and yuppies.\" — John Zorn" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/john-zorn-11273_children_i-m-constantly-tortured-and-that-s-why-i_633428.jpg" --- # I'm constantly tortured, and that's why I say happiness is… ![“I'm constantly tortured, and that's why I say happiness is irrelevant. Happiness is for children and yuppies.” quote by John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/john-zorn-11273_children_i-m-constantly-tortured-and-that-s-why-i_633428.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/john-zorn-11273_children_i-m-constantly-tortured-and-that-s-why-i_633428.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/25d/john-zorn-11273_children_i-m-constantly-tortured-and-that-s-why-i_633428.jpg) > “I'm constantly tortured, and that's why I say happiness is irrelevant. Happiness is for children and yuppies.” [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker dismisses happiness as childish, implying that suffering is a constant, meaningful condition. **In simple terms:** Happiness is seen as irrelevant to adult suffering. Key Takeaway Accept discomfort without seeking fleeting joy. Themes existential nihilism discontent philosophy Mood cynical somber Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - personal crisis - artistic creation - mental health discussions - philosophical debates Key Concepts subjective meaning psychological coping Questions to Reflect On - Is suffering necessary for depth? - Can joy coexist with existential dread? A Different Perspective Overlooks the potential benefits of positive affect on wellbeing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Yuppies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yuppies/) ## Related quotes > [I’m constantly in doubt about what I’m doing, I’m constantly tortured, and that’s why I say happiness is irrelevant. Happiness is for children and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-m-constantly-in-doubt-about-what-i-m-doing-i-m-constantly-tortured/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [Life has to be in the moment, spontaneous and venerable. There isn't any winning or losing. Life itself, as it flowers in depth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-moss/life-has-to-be-in-the-moment-spontaneous-and-venerable-there-isn-t/) [Richard Moss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-moss/) > [When your primary function is to be happy, then whatever comes to you is irrelevant. Happiness is your true manifestation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-bernstein/when-your-primary-function-is-to-be-happy-then-whatever-comes-to-you/) [Gabrielle Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-bernstein/) > [“The happiness of children is based on their ignorance of what their parents are really thinking”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sebag-montefiore/the-happiness-of-children-is-based-on-their-ignorance-of-what-their/) [Simon Sebag Montefiore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sebag-montefiore/) > [World is brighter with the happiness of children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/world-is-brighter-with-the-happiness-of-children/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Doing nothing is happiness for children and misery for old men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victor-hugo/doing-nothing-is-happiness-for-children-and-misery-for-old-men/) [Victor Hugo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victor-hugo/) > [“We find these joys to be self evident: That all children are created whole, endowed with innate intelligence, with dignity and wonder, worthy of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raffi/we-find-these-joys-to-be-self-evident-that-all-children-are-created/) Raffi > [We find delight in the beauty and happiness of children that makes the heart too big for the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/we-find-delight-in-the-beauty-and-happiness-of-children-that-makes/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Indeed, nothing is more critically connected to happiness�both our own and that of our children�than how well we love and support one another within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/indeed-nothing-is-more-critically-connected-to-happiness-both-our-own/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Children are blank sheets of paper. They are the hope of all good things. Write on them with pure ink of love, joy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tumelo-boitumelo/children-are-blank-sheets-of-paper-they-are-the-hope-of-all-good/) Tumelo Boitumelo > [You know some of the people in The Strokes, yeah, their parents had success - but we didn't live like yuppies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-casablancas/you-know-some-of-the-people-in-the-strokes-yeah-their-parents-had/) [Julian Casablancas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-casablancas/) > [If you take the contempt some Americans have for yuppies and multiply it by 10 you might come close to understanding their attitude towards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-cruz-smith/if-you-take-the-contempt-some-americans-have-for-yuppies-and-multiply/) [Martin Cruz Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-cruz-smith/) > [“When I was in London in 2008, I spent a couple hours hanging out at a pub with a couple of blokes who were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-stacy-mccain/when-i-was-in-london-in-2008-i-spent-a-couple-hours-hanging-out-at-a/) [Robert Stacy McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-stacy-mccain/) > [“Killer yuppies in a soccer-mom car. It did have that certain je ne said quois.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-fally/killer-yuppies-in-a-soccer-mom-car-it-did-have-that-certain-je-ne/) [J. Fally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-fally/) > [The things that inform student culture are created and controlled by the unseen culture, the sociological aspects of our climbing culture, our 'me' generation,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gus-van-sant/the-things-that-inform-student-culture-are-created-and-controlled-by/) [Gus Van Sant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gus-van-sant/) ## More by John Zorn > [I have no doubts. I know what gets in the way and I know what encourages me to do more work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-have-no-doubts-i-know-what-gets-in-the-way-and-i-know-what/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I was always an outsider, proud of being an outsider. I always reveled in the outsiders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-was-always-an-outsider-proud-of-being-an-outsider-i-always-reveled/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I have art. I have music. I have the history, this legacy behind me that I can look up to. This is what I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-have-art-i-have-music-i-have-the-history-this-legacy-behind-me-that/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [You can't sit down and write 300 compositions in a three-month period and think that you're doing it all by yourself. Obviously, there's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/you-can-t-sit-down-and-write-300-compositions-in-a-three-month-period/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [One of the reasons I started Tzadik, which is my own label, is to keep things in print. I got tired of labels dropping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/one-of-the-reasons-i-started-tzadik-which-is-my-own-label-is-to-keep/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [That is a lot of the reason I do what I do, to really spread the word and spread information and turn people onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/that-is-a-lot-of-the-reason-i-do-what-i-do-to-really-spread-the-word/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [People sometimes have a very hard time accepting change.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/people-sometimes-have-a-very-hard-time-accepting-change/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I feel like there are messages. I feel like there are angels. I feel that there is a legacy and an energy. And I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-feel-like-there-are-messages-i-feel-like-there-are-angels-i-feel/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [It's a matter of keeping people on a spontaneous edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/it-s-a-matter-of-keeping-people-on-a-spontaneous-edge/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I don't ascribe to the idea of the ivory tower composer who sits alone in a room composing his masterpieces and then comes down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-don-t-ascribe-to-the-idea-of-the-ivory-tower-composer-who-sits/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [Well, in Japan, I have got a group of musicians that I have worked with a lot, that concentrate just on the hardcore stuff,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/well-in-japan-i-have-got-a-group-of-musicians-that-i-have-worked-with/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I have wit in my work and a sense of humor, but I do not use irony in any way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-have-wit-in-my-work-and-a-sense-of-humor-but-i-do-not-use-irony-in/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I don't control it at all. It's all up to the musicians in the group. They control it. They make all the cues, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-don-t-control-it-at-all-it-s-all-up-to-the-musicians-in-the-group/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [I'm not a practicing kabbalist. I'm not a spiritual master. I'm not a rabbi. I don't - but it's part of who I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/i-m-not-a-practicing-kabbalist-i-m-not-a-spiritual-master-i-m-not-a/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) > [You need to believe in something that's bigger than yourself. I think that's what everybody wants to believe in that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-zorn/you-need-to-believe-in-something-that-s-bigger-than-yourself-i-think/) [John Zorn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) [Explore all 60 John Zorn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-zorn/) ## More Children 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/) > [I believe in freedom to do what you want if you aren't hurting others, but pictures of obese protesters giving their children big gulps.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-defranco/i-believe-in-freedom-to-do-what-you-want-if-you-aren-t-hurting-others/) [Philip DeFranco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-defranco/) > [If the audience likes your work, if they like you, they don't think whether you are married or have children or not. I made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dimple-kapadia/if-the-audience-likes-your-work-if-they-like-you-they-don-t-think/) [Dimple Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dimple-kapadia/) > [It doesnt seem to me strange that children should like the macabre, the sensational, and the forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-hecht/it-doesnt-seem-to-me-strange-that-children-should-like-the-macabre/) [Anthony Hecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-hecht/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Gratitude isn't just a feeling, it's an action. Expressing gratitude by writing in a journal, taking a photo, or shooting a video creates a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janice-kaplan/gratitude-isn-t-just-a-feeling-it-s-an-action-expressing-gratitude-by/) [Janice Kaplan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janice-kaplan/) > [My embarrassing confession is that my father is a 'Camelot: The Musical' obsessive. So as a child, when we were going to visit relatives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-chibnall/my-embarrassing-confession-is-that-my-father-is-a-camelot-the-musical/) [Chris Chibnall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-chibnall/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [My school was one of the most beautiful places a child can grow up in. You are surrounded by nature - cats, dogs, birds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amala-akkineni/my-school-was-one-of-the-most-beautiful-places-a-child-can-grow-up-in/) [Amala Akkineni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amala-akkineni/) > [A lesser complaint: hair extensions. There are moments on 'All My Children' when half the women actors, young and old, seem to be afflicted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/a-lesser-complaint-hair-extensions-there-are-moments-on-all-my/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [As a child, I had a lot of older gay men taking care of me. There's a trust there. I feel like little girls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/as-a-child-i-had-a-lot-of-older-gay-men-taking-care-of-me-there-s-a/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [“Children's lives are always beginning and adults' lives are always ending. Or is it the opposite? Your childhood is always ending and your adult…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alison-espach/children-s-lives-are-always-beginning-and-adults-lives-are-always/) [Alison Espach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alison-espach/) > [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/) [Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/) [Browse all 62,396 Children quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I'm constantly tortured, and that's why I say happiness is irrelevant. 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