--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is necessary to do right; it is not…" description: "\"“It is necessary to do right; it is not necessary to be happy.”\" — Louisa May Alcott" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-ne_2550681.png" --- # It is necessary to do right; it is not necessary to be… ![“It is necessary to do right; it is not necessary to be happy.” quote by Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-ne_2550681.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-ne_2550681.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-ne_2550681.png) > ““It is necessary to do right; it is not necessary to be happy.”” [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Doing what is morally right is essential, even if it doesn't bring personal happiness. **In simple terms:** Right actions matter more than personal joy. Key Takeaway Prioritize ethics over fleeting pleasure. Themes ethics happiness personal responsibility Mood thoughtful serious Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - volunteering - leadership - conflict resolution - caregiving Key Concepts moral philosophy duty Questions to Reflect On - Is it possible to find fulfillment while doing the right thing? - How do you balance moral duty with personal well‑being? A Different Perspective Happiness may be a byproduct, not a goal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy/) [Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessary/) [Necessary Happy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessary-happy-1517403/) [Necessary Right](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessary-right-1517404/) [Right Necessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/right-necessary-606959/) ## Related quotes > [It is not only all right but necessary to stand up to George Bush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russ-feingold/it-is-not-only-all-right-but-necessary-to-stand-up-to-george-bush/) [Russ Feingold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russ-feingold/) > [“Doubts are necessary; they keep us on the right path”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bangambiki-habyarimana/doubts-are-necessary-they-keep-us-on-the-right-path/) [Bangambiki Habyarimana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bangambiki-habyarimana/) > [Using one's imagination to the fullest is necessary for a happy life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/claire-trevor/using-one-s-imagination-to-the-fullest-is-necessary-for-a-happy-life/) [Claire Trevor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/claire-trevor/) > [“here is the good news, the truth that will set you free: You don’t need their approval to be happy! So let it go!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-warren/here-is-the-good-news-the-truth-that-will-set-you-free-you-don-t-need/) [Rick Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-warren/) > [The Spirit bears witness. Ecstasy and enlightenment, inspiration and intuition are not necessary. Happy is the man who is worthy of these; but woe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karl-barth/the-spirit-bears-witness-ecstasy-and-enlightenment-inspiration-and/) [Karl Barth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karl-barth/) > [“You know you're on the right road, when the right and necessary people cross your path”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-hodges/you-know-you-re-on-the-right-road-when-the-right-and-necessary-people/) [Jeff Hodges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-hodges/) > [It is right and necessary that all should have work to do which shall be worth doing and be of itself pleasant to do,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-morris/it-is-right-and-necessary-that-all-should-have-work-to-do-which-shall/) [William Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-morris/) > [Conceiving God to be the fountain of wisdom, I thought it right and necessary to solicit his assistance for obtaining it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/conceiving-god-to-be-the-fountain-of-wisdom-i-thought-it-right-and/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [My outspoken positions haven't always been popular in the halls of Congress, but they have been rooted in what I believed was right and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-quigley/my-outspoken-positions-haven-t-always-been-popular-in-the-halls-of/) [Mike Quigley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-quigley/) > [I think that the black people in this country have the reached the point where they should reserve the right to do whatever is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-x/i-think-that-the-black-people-in-this-country-have-the-reached-the/) [Malcolm X](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-x/) > [I am sure that the party system is right and necessary. There must be some scum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-p-herbert/i-am-sure-that-the-party-system-is-right-and-necessary-there-must-be/) [A. P. Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-p-herbert/) > [When you have a choice, choose happy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pancho-barnes/when-you-have-a-choice-choose-happy/) [Pancho Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) > [Im really happy that I met you I hope you know that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/im-nothing/im-really-happy-that-i-met-you-i-hope-you-know-that/) [Im Nothing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/im-nothing/) > [“So if we’re both so happy, why are we sad?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leah-raeder/so-if-we-re-both-so-happy-why-are-we-sad/) [Leah Raeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leah-raeder/) > [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/) ## More by Louisa May Alcott > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“At three o'clock in the afternoon, all the fashionable world at Nice may be seen on the Promenade des Anglais—a charming place, for the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/at-three-o-clock-in-the-afternoon-all-the-fashionable-world-at-nice/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Please could I say one word?" was the question three times repeated before a rough head boobed out from the grotto of books in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/please-could-i-say-one-word-was-the-question-three-times-repeated/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Elegance has a bad effect on my constitution.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/elegance-has-a-bad-effect-on-my-constitution/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“…the child's heart bled when it was broken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/the-child-s-heart-bled-when-it-was-broken/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“She would make a man of me. She puts strength and courage into me as no one else can. She is unlike any girl…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/she-would-make-a-man-of-me-she-puts-strength-and-courage-into-me-as/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“I read somewhere that every inch of rope used in the British Navy has a strand of red in it, so that wherever a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-read-somewhere-that-every-inch-of-rope-used-in-the-british-navy-has/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Chance words spoken in kindness often help amazingly; and that's what old people are here for -- else their experience is of little use.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/chance-words-spoken-in-kindness-often-help-amazingly-and-that-s-what/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“Tired of my own company, I suppose, now I've seen so much better.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/tired-of-my-own-company-i-suppose-now-i-ve-seen-so-much-better/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Oft in the silence of the night, When the lonely moon rides high, When wintry winds are whistling, And we hear the owl's shrill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/oft-in-the-silence-of-the-night-when-the-lonely-moon-rides-high-when/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [But buds will be roses, and kittens, cats - more's the pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/but-buds-will-be-roses-and-kittens-cats-more-s-the-pity/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“I'll try and be what he loves to call me, 'a little woman' and not be rough and wild, but do my duty here…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-ll-try-and-be-what-he-loves-to-call-me-a-little-woman-and-not-be/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“If you feel your value lies in being merely decorative, I fear that someday you might find yourself believing that’s all that you really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/if-you-feel-your-value-lies-in-being-merely-decorative-i-fear-that/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [“ "I do not ask for any crown But that which all may win; Nor try to conquer any world Except the world within." ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/i-do-not-ask-for-any-crown-but-that-which-all-may-win-nor-try-to/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Some books are so familiar that reading them is like being home again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/some-books-are-so-familiar-that-reading-them-is-like-being-home-again/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) [Explore all 681 Louisa May Alcott quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) ## 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. 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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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“It is necessary to do right; it is not necessary to be happy.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Louisa May Alcott" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-necessary-to-be-happy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-necessary-to-be-happy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-ne_2550681.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-ne_2550681.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2b1/louisa-may-alcott-318_happiness_it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-ne_2550681.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is necessary to do right; it is not necessary to be happy.” — Louisa May Alcott", "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": "Louisa May Alcott", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“It is necessary to do right;...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-necessary-to-be-happy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/it-is-necessary-to-do-right-it-is-not-necessary-to-be-happy/#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 } } ] } ```