--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ...sometimes we ask ourselves why…" description: "\"...sometimes we ask ourselves why happiness took so long to arrive, why it didn't come sooner, but appears suddenly, as now, when we've given up hope o..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/jos-saramago-208_anxiety_sometimes-we-ask-ourselves-why-happiness_989436.jpg" --- # ...sometimes we ask ourselves why happiness took so long… ![“...sometimes we ask ourselves why happiness took so long to arrive, why it didn't come sooner, but appears suddenly, as now, when we've given up hope of it ever arriving, it's likely then that we won't know what to do, and rather than it being a question of choosing between laughter and tears, we…” quote by Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/jos-saramago-208_anxiety_sometimes-we-ask-ourselves-why-happiness_989436.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/jos-saramago-208_anxiety_sometimes-we-ask-ourselves-why-happiness_989436.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4a3/jos-saramago-208_anxiety_sometimes-we-ask-ourselves-why-happiness_989436.jpg) > “...sometimes we ask ourselves why happiness took so long to arrive, why it didn't come sooner, but appears suddenly, as now, when we've given up hope of it ever arriving, it's likely then that we won't know what to do, and rather than it being a question of choosing between laughter and tears, we will be filled by a secret anxiety to which we might not know how to respond at all.” [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness may arrive unexpectedly after we stop yearning for it, but it can also bring anxiety we’re unprepared to handle. **In simple terms:** Happiness can be sudden and unsettling. Key Takeaway Embrace happiness while staying mindful of its challenges. Themes happiness expectation anxiety Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - personal loss - career achievement - relationship milestones - spiritual awakening Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - What hidden anxieties arise when you finally feel happy? - How can you prepare for sudden joy? A Different Perspective Joy can be destabilizing if not integrated with self‑awareness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anxiety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anxiety/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/) [Tears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tears/) ## Related quotes > [“ A Final Word Now that you have become familiar with social anxiety, you know that it is a common problem, especially for teenagers.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-moehn/a-final-word-now-that-you-have-become-familiar-with-social-anxiety/) [Heather Moehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-moehn/) > [My touchstone is just fear and anxiety and I know a lot about those two awful emotions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/my-touchstone-is-just-fear-and-anxiety-and-i-know-a-lot-about-those/) [Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/) > [We ask for happiness but what we get is unhappiness. 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You have the right to be happy. but you do not have the right to ask…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-smart/you-are-responsible-for-the-happiness-you-get-you-have-the-right-to/) Jenny Smart > [When people ask me how to find happiness in life I tell them, First learn how to cook.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-simic/when-people-ask-me-how-to-find-happiness-in-life-i-tell-them-first/) [Charles Simic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-simic/) > [Music, such music, is a sufficient gift. Why ask for happiness; why hope not to grieve? It is enough, it is to be blessed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikram-seth/music-such-music-is-a-sufficient-gift-why-ask-for-happiness-why-hope/) [Vikram Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikram-seth/) > [“In this world when you ask of happiness Pain steps forward”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/in-this-world-when-you-ask-of-happiness-pain-steps-forward/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [“In this world when you ask for happiness Pain steps forward”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/in-this-world-when-you-ask-for-happiness-pain-steps-forward/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [Most people ask for happiness on condition. Happiness can only be felt if you don't set any condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-rubinstein/most-people-ask-for-happiness-on-condition-happiness-can-only-be-felt/) [Arthur Rubinstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-rubinstein/) > [We don’t even ask happiness, just a little less pain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bukowski/we-don-t-even-ask-happiness-just-a-little-less-pain/) [Charles Bukowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bukowski/) > [We see men who have accumulated great fortunes, but we often recognize only their triumph, overlooking the temporary defeats which they had to surmount…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/we-see-men-who-have-accumulated-great-fortunes-but-we-often-recognize/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Please... tell me who you are and what you want. 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The whole democratic system…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/society-has-to-change-but-the-political-powers-we-have-at-the-moment/) [Jose Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) > [“... aborrece os odores nocturnos, aquelas expansões do corpo a que nem poetas escapam".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-saramago/aborrece-os-odores-nocturnos-aquelas-expans-es-do-corpo-a-que-nem/) [José Saramago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) [Explore all 487 Jose Saramago quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-saramago/) ## More Anxiety quotes > [“Anything that you find yourself worrying about regularly may find you suddenly wanting unrealistic changes.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nagisa-tatsumi/anything-that-you-find-yourself-worrying-about-regularly-may-find-you/) Nagisa Tatsumi > [Bein Crazy is the least of my worries.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kerouac/bein-crazy-is-the-least-of-my-worries/) [Jack Kerouac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kerouac/) > [The answer to deep anxiety is the deep adoration of God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-voskamp/the-answer-to-deep-anxiety-is-the-deep-adoration-of-god/) [Ann Voskamp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-voskamp/) > [“Fear of seeing a police car pull into the drive. 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