--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The final moment of success is often no…" description: "\"The final moment of success is often no more thrilling than taking off a heavy backpack at the end of a long hike. If you went on the hike only to feel..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/jonathan-haidt-1823_accomplishment_the-final-moment-of-success-is-often-no_1698585.jpg" --- # The final moment of success is often no more thrilling… ![“The final moment of success is often no more thrilling than taking off a heavy backpack at the end of a long hike. If you went on the hike only to feel that pleasure, you are a fool. Yet people sometimes do just this. They work hard at a task and expect some special euphoria at the end. But when…” quote by Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/jonathan-haidt-1823_accomplishment_the-final-moment-of-success-is-often-no_1698585.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/jonathan-haidt-1823_accomplishment_the-final-moment-of-success-is-often-no_1698585.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/043/jonathan-haidt-1823_accomplishment_the-final-moment-of-success-is-often-no_1698585.jpg) > “The final moment of success is often no more thrilling than taking off a heavy backpack at the end of a long hike. If you went on the hike only to feel that pleasure, you are a fool. Yet people sometimes do just this. They work hard at a task and expect some special euphoria at the end. But when they achieve success and find only moderate and short-lived pleasure, they ask is that all there is? They devalue their accomplishments as a striving after wind. We can call this the progress principle: Pleasure comes more from making progress toward goals than from achieving them.” [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Progress feels more rewarding than the final achievement because the journey fuels motivation. **In simple terms:** Making progress feels better than finishing. Key Takeaway Focus on incremental progress. Themes motivation expectation achievement Mood thoughtful encouraging Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - project milestones - learning new skills - fitness training - career advancement Key Concepts psychology behavioral economics goal setting Questions to Reflect On - How can you celebrate small wins? - What keeps you motivated after reaching a goal? A Different Perspective People may become dissatisfied if they expect a climax that never arrives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Accomplishment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) [Adventure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adventure/) [Euphoria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/euphoria/) [Fool](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fool/) [Goal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/goal/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Hard work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hard-work/) [Making Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/making-progress/) [Moments](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/moments/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Principles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/principles/) [Progress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/progress/) [Short lived](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/short-lived/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Wind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wind/) [Work hard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work-hard/) ## Related quotes > [We can call this "the progress principle": Pleasure comes more from making progress toward goals than from achieving them. Shakespeare captured it perfectly: "Things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/we-can-call-this-the-progress-principle-pleasure-comes-more-from/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“Actually, the substitution of the reality-principle for the pleasure-principle denotes no dethronement of the pleasure-principle, but only a safeguarding of it. A momentary pleasure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sigmund-freud/actually-the-substitution-of-the-reality-principle-for-the-pleasure/) [Sigmund Freud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sigmund-freud/) > [“key to leveraging the progress principle: giving people meaningful work.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/teresa-amabile/key-to-leveraging-the-progress-principle-giving-people-meaningful-work/) [Teresa Amabile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/teresa-amabile/) > [To me, technology was a means to an end to achieve the social justice goals, stronger democracy and more effective government that is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-simone-noveck/to-me-technology-was-a-means-to-an-end-to-achieve-the-social-justice/) [Beth Simone Noveck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-simone-noveck/) > [When you work hard, when you believe in something, in the end, you will achieve something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claudio-ranieri/when-you-work-hard-when-you-believe-in-something-in-the-end-you-will/) [Claudio Ranieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claudio-ranieri/) > [To me it's just going for the moment that counts. Sometimes, I'll have all the elements there, and I like to play and push…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-ritts/to-me-it-s-just-going-for-the-moment-that-counts-sometimes-i-ll-have/) [Herb Ritts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-ritts/) > [May all troubles of your life vanish, all sorrows come to a happy end and you achieve everything that you wanted! Wish you a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/may-all-troubles-of-your-life-vanish-all-sorrows-come-to-a-happy-end/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When I was 13, I really used to skip down the street, happy in thinking, "Oh, well, someone's suffering pain in order for me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/when-i-was-13-i-really-used-to-skip-down-the-street-happy-in-thinking/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [I'd rather be mad than feel pleasure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antisthenes/i-d-rather-be-mad-than-feel-pleasure/) [Antisthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antisthenes/) > [I've wanted to feel pleasure to the point of insanity. They call it getting high, because it's wanting to know that higher level, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-kiedis/i-ve-wanted-to-feel-pleasure-to-the-point-of-insanity-they-call-it/) [Anthony Kiedis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-kiedis/) > [I began to feel the pleasure of the weightless state between here and there](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leslie-feinberg/i-began-to-feel-the-pleasure-of-the-weightless-state-between-here-and/) [Leslie Feinberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leslie-feinberg/) > [“Because you know how to enjoy things. Because you don’t deny yourself. Because you let yourself feel pleasure and want. And that’s the kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-blakely/because-you-know-how-to-enjoy-things-because-you-don-t-deny-yourself/) [Lauren Blakely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-blakely/) > [Obviously, we all want to feel pleasure. It can't be one of our highest priorities because, simply put, anything worthwhile in life is going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-manson/obviously-we-all-want-to-feel-pleasure-it-can-t-be-one-of-our-highest/) [Mark Manson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-manson/) > [“Each pleasure we feel is a pleasure less; each day a stroke on a calendar. What we will not accept is that the joy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-fowles/each-pleasure-we-feel-is-a-pleasure-less-each-day-a-stroke-on-a/) [John Fowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-fowles/) > [Farm animals feel pleasure and sadness, excitement and resentment, depression, fear, and pain. They are far more aware and intelligent than we ever imagined...they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goodall/farm-animals-feel-pleasure-and-sadness-excitement-and-resentment/) [Jane Goodall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goodall/) ## More by Jonathan Haidt > [Love and work are to people what water and sunshine are to plants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/love-and-work-are-to-people-what-water-and-sunshine-are-to-plants/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [You can see the rider serving the elephant when people are morally dumbfounded. They have strong gut feelings about what is right and wrong,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/you-can-see-the-rider-serving-the-elephant-when-people-are-morally/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [Congress is full of good, decent, smart people who have devoted their lives to public service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/congress-is-full-of-good-decent-smart-people-who-have-devoted-their/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [Once you understand the power of stimulus control, you can use it to your advantage by changing the stimuli in your environment and avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/once-you-understand-the-power-of-stimulus-control-you-can-use-it-to/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“The ethic of autonomy is based on the idea that people are, first and foremost, autonomous individuals with wants, needs, and preferences. People should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/the-ethic-of-autonomy-is-based-on-the-idea-that-people-are-first-and/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [I got interested in the American culture war back in 2004, and it's one of the only growth stocks I've ever invested in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-got-interested-in-the-american-culture-war-back-in-2004-and-it-s/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [I think of myself as a social scientist. In order to get hired and to get promoted, we're forced to declare a disciplinary and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/i-think-of-myself-as-a-social-scientist-in-order-to-get-hired-and-to/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“We should not expect individuals to produce good, open-minded, truth-seeking reasoning, particularly when self-interest or reputational concerns are in play. But if you put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/we-should-not-expect-individuals-to-produce-good-open-minded-truth/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [The most powerful force ever known on this planet is human cooperation - a force for construction and destruction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/the-most-powerful-force-ever-known-on-this-planet-is-human/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [It only takes twenty generations of selective breeding to create large differences or appearance and behavior in other mammals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/it-only-takes-twenty-generations-of-selective-breeding-to-create/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [If you think half of America votes badly because they are stupid or religious, you are trapped in a matrix ... Take the red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-you-think-half-of-america-votes-badly-because-they-are-stupid-or/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“Our minds have the potential to become righteous about many different concerns, and only a few of these concerns are activated during childhood. Other”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/our-minds-have-the-potential-to-become-righteous-about-many-different/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [People who devote their lives to studying something often come to believe that the object of their fascination is the key to understanding everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/people-who-devote-their-lives-to-studying-something-often-come-to/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [“Nonetheless, if you are trying to change an organization or a society and you do not consider the effects of your changes on moral…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/nonetheless-if-you-are-trying-to-change-an-organization-or-a-society/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) > [If you have a personality predisposed to liberalism, you might gravitate more to the artsy crowd or the anti-establishment crowd. And then those peers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-haidt/if-you-have-a-personality-predisposed-to-liberalism-you-might/) [Jonathan Haidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) [Explore all 204 Jonathan Haidt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-haidt/) ## More Accomplishment quotes > [Writing is something I took up rather than anything I had an inclination toward. I like acting -delivering someone else's message - but writing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-martin/writing-is-something-i-took-up-rather-than-anything-i-had-an/) [Steve Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-martin/) > [“In American terms, the accomplishment of Genghis Khan might be understood if the United States, instead of being created by a group of educated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-weatherford/in-american-terms-the-accomplishment-of-genghis-khan-might-be/) [Jack Weatherford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-weatherford/) > [Can you imagine any better example of divine creative accomplishment that the consummate flying machine that is a bird? The skeleton, very flexible and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guy-murchie/can-you-imagine-any-better-example-of-divine-creative-accomplishment/) [Guy Murchie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guy-murchie/) > [To accomplish much you must first lose everything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/che-guevara/to-accomplish-much-you-must-first-lose-everything/) [Che Guevara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/che-guevara/) > [One of the most important rules for success is this: Every great success is the result of hundreds and thousands of small efforts and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/one-of-the-most-important-rules-for-success-is-this-every-great/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [For many of us, work is the one place where we feel appreciated. The things that we long to experience at home - pride…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlie-russell-hochschild/for-many-of-us-work-is-the-one-place-where-we-feel-appreciated-the/) [Arlie Russell Hochschild](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlie-russell-hochschild/) > [Humility is an elusive virtue. The more we pursue it - and the more we seem to acquire it - the more we take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-aquilina/humility-is-an-elusive-virtue-the-more-we-pursue-it-and-the-more-we/) [Mike Aquilina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-aquilina/) > [I'm not always right, but I learn from my mistakes and make it a productive experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carson-kolhoff/i-m-not-always-right-but-i-learn-from-my-mistakes-and-make-it-a/) [Carson Kolhoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carson-kolhoff/) > [Suffering in life can uncover untold depths of character and unknown strength for service. People who go through life unscathed by sorrow and untouched…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/suffering-in-life-can-uncover-untold-depths-of-character-and-unknown/) [Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/) > [There is no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don't care who gets the credit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/there-is-no-limit-to-the-amount-of-good-you-can-do-if-you-don-t-care/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [Research is the live heart of the scientific life ... Greatness of position, respect for past accomplishments, the Nobel Prize itself -- none of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vivian-gornick/research-is-the-live-heart-of-the-scientific-life-greatness-of/) [Vivian Gornick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vivian-gornick/) > [“One man accomplishment Is another mans failure.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-sargent/one-man-accomplishment-is-another-mans-failure/) Anthony Sargent > [I expected college to feel like a major accomplishment. I walked across the stage, eight months pregnant with my almost seven-year-old daughter watching in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-land/i-expected-college-to-feel-like-a-major-accomplishment-i-walked/) [Stephanie Land](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-land/) > [Our purpose on this earth is not one single event, an accomplishment we can check off a list. There is no test. No passing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cynthia-hand/our-purpose-on-this-earth-is-not-one-single-event-an-accomplishment/) [Cynthia Hand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cynthia-hand/) > [An untrained or uneducated Marine ... deployed to the combat zone is a bigger threat to mission accomplishment ... than the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/an-untrained-or-uneducated-marine-deployed-to-the-combat-zone-is-a/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) [Browse all 1,598 Accomplishment quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/accomplishment/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The final moment of success is often no more thrilling than taking off a heavy backpack at the end of a long hike. If you went on the hike only to feel that pleasure, you are a fool. Yet people sometimes do just this. They work hard at a task and expect some special euphoria at the end. 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