---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: ... when personal happiness conflicts…"
description: "\"... when personal happiness conflicts with any great human ideal, the right to claim such happiness is as nothing compared to the privilege of resignin..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/margaret-deland-7843_claims_when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-a_1533162.png"
---

#  ... when personal happiness conflicts with any great human…

![“... when personal happiness conflicts with any great human ideal, the right to claim such happiness is as nothing compared to the privilege of resigning it.” quote by Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/margaret-deland-7843_claims_when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-a_1533162.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/margaret-deland-7843_claims_when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-a_1533162.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/margaret-deland-7843_claims_when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-a_1533162.png)

> “... when personal happiness conflicts with any great human ideal, the right to claim such happiness is as nothing compared to the privilege of resigning it.”

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Personal happiness conflicts with noble ideals; sacrificing personal joy may be required for greater good.

**In simple terms:** Great ideals outweigh personal joy.

Key Takeaway

Prioritize higher purpose over self‑pleasure.

Themes

ethics self‑sacrifice ideals

Mood

somber reflective

Type

ethical philosophical

When to use this quote

- career choices
- activism
- family decisions
- artistic pursuits

Key Concepts

moral philosophy humanism

Questions to Reflect On

- When is personal sacrifice justified?
- How do we balance self‑care with duty?

A Different Perspective

Self‑denial can cause resentment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Claim Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claim-happiness-4389348/) [Claims](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims/) [Conflict](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/conflict/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness Conflicts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-conflicts-5693933/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [Ideals](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ideals/) [Personal happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/personal-happiness/) [Privilege](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege/) [Privilege Resigning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/privilege-resigning-5693934/) [Resigning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/resigning/)

## Related quotes

> [Optimism is not only a false but also a pernicious doctrine, for it presents life as a desirable state and man's happiness as its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-schopenhauer/optimism-is-not-only-a-false-but-also-a-pernicious-doctrine-for-it/)

[Arthur Schopenhauer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-schopenhauer/)

> [There is nothing you need to do to deserve happiness. There are no 'minimal requirements' for you to fulfill before you can claim happiness.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-is-nothing-you-need-to-do-to-deserve-happiness-there-are-no/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“It is the wretched way people have of setting up a claim to happiness that ruins everything in this world. A man will make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-heinrich-merck/it-is-the-wretched-way-people-have-of-setting-up-a-claim-to-happiness/)

[Johann Heinrich Merck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-heinrich-merck/)

> [No one ever won a game by resigning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/savielly-tartakower/no-one-ever-won-a-game-by-resigning/)

[Savielly Tartakower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/savielly-tartakower/)

> [As a 29 year veteran of the US Army/Army Reserves, retiring as a Colonel and having served as a U.S. diplomat for 16 years…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-wright/as-a-29-year-veteran-of-the-us-army-army-reserves-retiring-as-a/)

[Ann Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-wright/)

> [For several weeks, I have been the subject of leaked stories, conjecture, and false attacks about a land exchange. None of them bear any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-renzi/for-several-weeks-i-have-been-the-subject-of-leaked-stories/)

[Rick Renzi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-renzi/)

> [It is a great truth, wonderful as it is undeniable, that all our happiness - temporal, spiritual, and eternal - consists in one thing;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/it-is-a-great-truth-wonderful-as-it-is-undeniable-that-all-our/)

[Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Motte Guyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeanne-marie-bouvier-de-la-motte-guyon/)

> [I'M RESIGNING, I'M HEREBY OFICIALLY TENDERING MY RESIGNATION AS A TEENAGER! I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of an eight-year-old…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/i-m-resigning-i-m-hereby-oficially-tendering-my-resignation-as-a/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [I don't have any intention of resigning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-holder/i-don-t-have-any-intention-of-resigning/)

[Eric Holder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-holder/)

> [Anybody who really wants to abolish war must resolutely declare himself in favor of his own country's resigning a portion of sovereignty in place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/anybody-who-really-wants-to-abolish-war-must-resolutely-declare/)

[Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/)

> [True freedom from fear consists of totally resigning one's life into the hands of the Lord.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-wilkerson/true-freedom-from-fear-consists-of-totally-resigning-one-s-life-into/)

[David Wilkerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-wilkerson/)

> [Perhaps resigning from her first term in office may hurt Mrs. Palin's attempts to run for higher office. Even I, a Palin supporter, now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-breitbart/perhaps-resigning-from-her-first-term-in-office-may-hurt-mrs-palin-s/)

[Andrew Breitbart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-breitbart/)

> [I am resigning because my secret leaves the governor's office vulnerable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mcgreevey/i-am-resigning-because-my-secret-leaves-the-governor-s-office/)

[James McGreevey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mcgreevey/)

> [For the victor peace means the preservation of the position of power which he has secured. For the vanquished it means resigning himself to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustav-stresemann/for-the-victor-peace-means-the-preservation-of-the-position-of-power/)

[Gustav Stresemann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustav-stresemann/)

> [Washington is a resigning town. Nothing else holds the special excitement of a rumored resignation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-p-bush/washington-is-a-resigning-town-nothing-else-holds-the-special/)

[George P. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-p-bush/)

## More by Margaret Deland

> [What I object to in Mother is that she wants me to think her thoughts. Apart from the question of hypocrisy, I prefer my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/what-i-object-to-in-mother-is-that-she-wants-me-to-think-her-thoughts/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [Age, per se, may claim tenderness and pity, but not respect; that only comes when the years have brought humanity and wisdom and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/age-per-se-may-claim-tenderness-and-pity-but-not-respect-that-only/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [War is wicked, beause it is murder and hate. And it is foolish, because hate and murder can only destroy people's bodies, not change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/war-is-wicked-beause-it-is-murder-and-hate-and-it-is-foolish-because/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [there are few things that are more endearing than the grace of listening with attention; indeed, it is more than endearing, it is impressive…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/there-are-few-things-that-are-more-endearing-than-the-grace-of/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [the attempt to break a habit of years is necessarily experimental.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/the-attempt-to-break-a-habit-of-years-is-necessarily-experimental/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [Self-sacrifice which denies common sense is not a virtue. It's a spiritual dissipation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/self-sacrifice-which-denies-common-sense-is-not-a-virtue-it-s-a/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [Age, with shamefaced relief, has learned the solvent quality of Time. It is this quality which makes possible the contemplation of certain embarrassing heavenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/age-with-shamefaced-relief-has-learned-the-solvent-quality-of-time-it/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [Hearts don't come when Reason whistles to 'em.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/hearts-don-t-come-when-reason-whistles-to-em/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [I have no faith in a human critter who hasn't one or two bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/i-have-no-faith-in-a-human-critter-who-hasn-t-one-or-two-bad-habits/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [Isn't there any statute of limitation in things spiritual? I don't believe any large mind dwells on its sins, any more than on its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/isn-t-there-any-statute-of-limitation-in-things-spiritual-i-don-t/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [To talk over a quarrel, with its inevitable accompaniment of self-justification, is too much like handling cobwebs to be very successful.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/to-talk-over-a-quarrel-with-its-inevitable-accompaniment-of-self/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [... some of the things floating about in the Well of Memory are not worth recording.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/some-of-the-things-floating-about-in-the-well-of-memory-are-not-worth/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [... safety that depends on an apron-string is very unsafe!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/safety-that-depends-on-an-apron-string-is-very-unsafe/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [a great moment raises most of the people who experience it, to its own level; and that is why they do not always recognize…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/a-great-moment-raises-most-of-the-people-who-experience-it-to-its-own/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

> [Of all the bitter and heavy things in this sorry old world, the not being necessary is the bitterest and heaviest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/of-all-the-bitter-and-heavy-things-in-this-sorry-old-world-the-not/)

[Margaret Deland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

[Explore all 87 Margaret Deland quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/)

## More Claims quotes

> [One of the worst things to come out of the Consumer Protection Board's misleading claims is the impression that government resources are to hard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-lesko/one-of-the-worst-things-to-come-out-of-the-consumer-protection-board/)

[Matthew Lesko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-lesko/)

> [Now I am in the place I call this wide wide Heaven because it includes all my simplest desires but also the most humble…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/now-i-am-in-the-place-i-call-this-wide-wide-heaven-because-it/)

[Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/)

> [A common fallacy in much of the adverse criticism to which science is subjected today is that it claims certainty, infallibility and complete emotional…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/a-common-fallacy-in-much-of-the-adverse-criticism-to-which-science-is/)

[Cyril Norman Hinshelwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cyril-norman-hinshelwood/)

> [We do not claim that punning is legitimate wit. Wit consists in combination of ideas, punning in combination of words only. We wonder at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harriet-hosmer/we-do-not-claim-that-punning-is-legitimate-wit-wit-consists-in/)

[Harriet Hosmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harriet-hosmer/)

> [It is popular to call it a crisis of the Western world. It is in fact a crisis of the whole world. Communism, which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whittaker-chambers/it-is-popular-to-call-it-a-crisis-of-the-western-world-it-is-in-fact/)

[Whittaker Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whittaker-chambers/)

> [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/)

[Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/)

> [Atheist’s denial of God’s existence needs just as much substantiation as does the theist’s claim; the atheist must give plausible reasons for rejecting God’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-copan/atheist-s-denial-of-god-s-existence-needs-just-as-much-substantiation/)

[Paul Copan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-copan/)

> [In luggage claim at the Minneapolis airport, the guy came up to me and said, "Maybe you're wrong, maybe stories do matter." I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-dicamillo/in-luggage-claim-at-the-minneapolis-airport-the-guy-came-up-to-me-and/)

[Kate DiCamillo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-dicamillo/)

> [The rights essential to happiness. . . . We claim them from a higher source - from the King of kings and Lord of all the earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dickinson/the-rights-essential-to-happiness-we-claim-them-from-a-higher-source/)

[John Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dickinson/)

> [Those who do not know what love is likens it to beauty Those who claim to know what love is likens it to ugliness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tite-kubo/those-who-do-not-know-what-love-is-likens-it-to-beauty-those-who/)

[Tite Kubo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tite-kubo/)

> [If ever my life can be of any use to you, come and claim it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/if-ever-my-life-can-be-of-any-use-to-you-come-and-claim-it/)

[Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/)

> [Religions do make claims about the universe--the same kinds of claims that scientists make, except they're usually false.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/religions-do-make-claims-about-the-universe-the-same-kinds-of-claims/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [How can I set free anyone who doesn't have the guts to stand up alone and declare his own freedom? I think it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-morrison/how-can-i-set-free-anyone-who-doesn-t-have-the-guts-to-stand-up-alone/)

[Jim Morrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-morrison/)

> [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/)

[Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/)

> [Life is so full of meaning and of purpose, so full of beauty - beneath its covering - that you will find that earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giovanni-giocondo/life-is-so-full-of-meaning-and-of-purpose-so-full-of-beauty-beneath/)

[Giovanni Giocondo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giovanni-giocondo/)

[Browse all 2,762 Claims quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/claims/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "... when personal happiness conflicts with any great human ideal, the right to claim such happiness is as nothing compared to the privilege of resigning it.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Deland"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-any-great-human-ideal-the/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Claims"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-any-great-human-ideal-the/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/margaret-deland-7843_claims_when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-a_1533162.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/margaret-deland-7843_claims_when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-a_1533162.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/598/margaret-deland-7843_claims_when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-a_1533162.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“... when personal happiness conflicts with any great human ideal, the right to claim such happiness is as…” — Margaret Deland",
                "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 Deland",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-deland/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "... when personal happiness conflicts with...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-any-great-human-ideal-the/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-deland/when-personal-happiness-conflicts-with-any-great-human-ideal-the/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
