--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: How were we to know we were happy?" description: "\"“How were we to know we were happy?”\" — Margaret Atwood" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/margaret-atwood-40_happiness_how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy-587036_587036.jpg" --- # How were we to know we were happy? ![“How were we to know we were happy?” quote by Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/margaret-atwood-40_happiness_how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy-587036_587036.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/margaret-atwood-40_happiness_how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy-587036_587036.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/margaret-atwood-40_happiness_how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy-587036_587036.jpg) > ““How were we to know we were happy?”” [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Happiness is uncertain; we often question its existence retrospectively. **In simple terms:** We doubt past happiness. Key Takeaway Reflect on true contentment. Themes philosophy self‑reflection uncertainty Mood thoughtful melancholic Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - life review - therapy - journaling Key Concepts existentialism psychology Questions to Reflect On - When did you feel truly happy? - What defines happiness for you? A Different Perspective Happiness may be fleeting. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ## Related quotes > [“Better? I say, in a small voice. How can he think this is better? Better never means better for everyone, he says. It always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/better-i-say-in-a-small-voice-how-can-he-think-this-is-better-better/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“On the top of my desk there are initials, carved into the wood, and dates...This carving, done with a pencil dug many times into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/on-the-top-of-my-desk-there-are-initials-carved-into-the-wood-and/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“I was nervous. How was I to know he loved me? It might be just an affair. Why did we ever say just? Though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-was-nervous-how-was-i-to-know-he-loved-me-it-might-be-just-an/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“I have enough daily bread, so I won't waste time on that. It isn't the main problem. The problem is getting it down without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-have-enough-daily-bread-so-i-won-t-waste-time-on-that-it-isn-t-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“I find the entrance to the women's washroom...There's a rest area, gently lit in pinkish tones, with several easy chairs and a sofa, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-find-the-entrance-to-the-women-s-washroom-there-s-a-rest-area/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The tulips along the border are redder than ever, opening, no longer wine cups but chalices; thrusting themselves up, to what end? They are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-tulips-along-the-border-are-redder-than-ever-opening-no-longer/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Possible, impossible. What could be done? We thought we had such problems. How were we to know we were happy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/possible-impossible-what-could-be-done-we-thought-we-had-such/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The summer dresses are unpacked and hanging in the closet, two of them, pure cotton, which is better than synthetics like the cheaper ones,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-summer-dresses-are-unpacked-and-hanging-in-the-closet-two-of-them/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Will I ever be happy again?” “Do we even know we’re happy when we’re happy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rodney-ross/will-i-ever-be-happy-again-do-we-even-know-we-re-happy-when-we-re/) [Rodney Ross](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rodney-ross/) > [We thought we had such problems. 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And I want you to know I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/so-this-is-my-life-and-i-want-you-to-know-i-am-both-happy-and-sad-and/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [You know I'm very happy with WWE, the company in which I still work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-steamboat/you-know-i-m-very-happy-with-wwe-the-company-in-which-i-still-work/) [Ricky Steamboat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-steamboat/) > [“You know you can't be happy unless you're unhappy sometimes, right?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lena-delirium/you-know-you-can-t-be-happy-unless-you-re-unhappy-sometimes-right/) Lena Delirium > [“I didn't know if I believed in 'happily ever after' anymore. I mean, I didn't know what would happen tomorrow, let alone for forever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-kate-strohm/i-didn-t-know-if-i-believed-in-happily-ever-after-anymore-i-mean-i/) [Stephanie Kate Strohm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-kate-strohm/) ## More by Margaret Atwood > [“I'm fine," said Pilar, "for the moment. And the moment is the only time we can be fine in.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-fine-said-pilar-for-the-moment-and-the-moment-is-the-only-time-we/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [And yet it disturbs me to learn I have hurt someone unintentionally. I want all my hurts to be intentional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/and-yet-it-disturbs-me-to-learn-i-have-hurt-someone-unintentionally-i/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Mary: Some call this "Eve's curse," but I think that is stupid because the real curse of Eve was having to put up with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/mary-some-call-this-eve-s-curse-but-i-think-that-is-stupid-because/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The birds were singing around me, but I reflected that the very birds were strangers to me, for I did not even know their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-birds-were-singing-around-me-but-i-reflected-that-the-very-birds/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Strange how we decorate pain. These ribbons, for instance, and the small hard teardrops of blood. Who are they for? Do we think the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/strange-how-we-decorate-pain-these-ribbons-for-instance-and-the-small/) [margaret atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [I wanted to forget the past, but it refused to forget me; it waited for sleep, then cornered me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-wanted-to-forget-the-past-but-it-refused-to-forget-me-it-waited-for/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Back at home they drew the curtains and read, with disapproval, with relish, with avidity and glee - even the ones who'd never thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/back-at-home-they-drew-the-curtains-and-read-with-disapproval-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“It's my fault. I am forgetting too much.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/it-s-my-fault-i-am-forgetting-too-much/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [All fiction is about people, unless it's about rabbits pretending to be people. It's all essentially characters in action, which means characters moving through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/all-fiction-is-about-people-unless-it-s-about-rabbits-pretending-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Simon walks back to the house alone. The night is clear and warm, with a moon, almost full, enclosed in a nimbus of mist;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/simon-walks-back-to-the-house-alone-the-night-is-clear-and-warm-with/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“There is indeed something delightful about being able to combine obedience and disobedience in the same act.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/there-is-indeed-something-delightful-about-being-able-to-combine/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“Every time the women appear, Snowman is astonished all over again. They're every known colour from the deepest black to whitest white, they're various…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/every-time-the-women-appear-snowman-is-astonished-all-over-again-they/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [Once you publish a book, it is out of your control. You cannot dictate how people read it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/once-you-publish-a-book-it-is-out-of-your-control-you-cannot-dictate/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“The more difficult it was to love the particular man beside us, the more we believed in Love, abstract and total. We were waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/the-more-difficult-it-was-to-love-the-particular-man-beside-us-the/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) > [“She knows she's deceiving herself about that, but she prefers to deceive herself. She desperately needs to believe such pure joy is still possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/she-knows-she-s-deceiving-herself-about-that-but-she-prefers-to/) [Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) [Explore all 2,072 Margaret Atwood quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/) ## 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": "“How were we to know we were happy?”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Atwood" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/margaret-atwood-40_happiness_how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy-587036_587036.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/margaret-atwood-40_happiness_how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy-587036_587036.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d4a/margaret-atwood-40_happiness_how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy-587036_587036.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“How were we to know we were happy?” — Margaret Atwood", "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": "Margaret Atwood", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“How were we to know we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/how-were-we-to-know-we-were-happy/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/how-were-we-to-know-we-were-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 } } ] } ```