--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: What happiness is there which is not…" description: "\"What happiness is there which is not purchased with more or less of pain?\" — Margaret Oliphant" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/margaret-oliphant-13259_happiness_what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-pur_65036.jpg" --- # What happiness is there which is not purchased with more… ![“What happiness is there which is not purchased with more or less of pain?” quote by Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/margaret-oliphant-13259_happiness_what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-pur_65036.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/margaret-oliphant-13259_happiness_what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-pur_65036.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/margaret-oliphant-13259_happiness_what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-pur_65036.jpg) > “What happiness is there which is not purchased with more or less of pain?” [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) ## 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 contingent on the balance of joy and suffering; it cannot exist without some degree of pain. **In simple terms:** Joy depends on pain. Key Takeaway Pain is integral to happiness. Themes philosophy psychology human condition balance suffering Mood contemplative melancholic thoughtful Type aphorism philosophical observation When to use this quote - reflecting on personal growth - evaluating life choices - counseling sessions - motivational speaking - self‑help writing Key Concepts subjective well‑being trade‑off emotional complexity Practical Applications - therapy frameworks - personal development workshops Questions to Reflect On - Is it possible to experience pure joy? - How does pain shape our appreciation of happiness? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Pain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pain/) [Purchased](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/purchased/) ## Related quotes > [The art isn't there to be purchased - it's there to be enjoyed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-seymour/the-art-isn-t-there-to-be-purchased-it-s-there-to-be-enjoyed/) [Stephanie Seymour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-seymour/) > [“However, the major issue is not how many of these books are purchased but how many get used. Our Debased Head Honcho would prefer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-hawkins/however-the-major-issue-is-not-how-many-of-these-books-are-purchased/) Don Hawkins > [I think my first big purchase was actually for my mom. She had one of those '90s TVs in her living room that's like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-franco/i-think-my-first-big-purchase-was-actually-for-my-mom-she-had-one-of/) [Dave Franco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-franco/) > [All human relationships must be purchased with money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/all-human-relationships-must-be-purchased-with-money/) [George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/) > [Companies from which I have purchased items are more than welcome to call me with a sale or discount. If I request information on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-ann-dawson/companies-from-which-i-have-purchased-items-are-more-than-welcome-to/) [Julie Ann Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-ann-dawson/) > [Liberty cannot be purchased by a wish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/liberty-cannot-be-purchased-by-a-wish/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [A laugh, if purchased at the expense of propriety, costs too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-laugh-if-purchased-at-the-expense-of-propriety-costs-too-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [In Naples, Fla., I met a self-made man, a multimillionaire, whose round penthouse apartment is home to Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Henry Moore, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-leavy/in-naples-fla-i-met-a-self-made-man-a-multimillionaire-whose-round/) [Jane Leavy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-leavy/) > [It's a vanity to think that a legitimate shamanistic experience can be purchased.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-a-vanity-to-think-that-a-legitimate-shamanistic-experience-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Captain Huston and myself have spent over $200,000 in strengthening the Yankees since we purchased the club. We paid $37,500 for Frank Baker; we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacob-ruppert/captain-huston-and-myself-have-spent-over-200-000-in-strengthening/) [Jacob Ruppert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacob-ruppert/) > [The future is purchased by the present.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-future-is-purchased-by-the-present/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Science is a principle and a process of seeking truth. Truth cannot be purchased, and thus, truth cannot be altered by money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tyrone-hayes/science-is-a-principle-and-a-process-of-seeking-truth-truth-cannot-be/) [Tyrone Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tyrone-hayes/) > [Carefully calculate the potential size of your market to make sure you can grow. Before starting Mint, I knew that there were about 20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-patzer/carefully-calculate-the-potential-size-of-your-market-to-make-sure/) [Aaron Patzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-patzer/) > [Top-up fees mean that universities are increasingly under pressure to confer degrees upon students, who perceive the degree as a commodity they've purchased. Failure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-churchwell/top-up-fees-mean-that-universities-are-increasingly-under-pressure-to/) [Sarah Churchwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-churchwell/) > [We're giving our customer access to things she wouldn't have otherwise purchased, either because it wasn't smart to buy it, or she couldn't afford…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-hyman/we-re-giving-our-customer-access-to-things-she-wouldn-t-have/) [Jennifer Hyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-hyman/) ## More by Margaret Oliphant > [I think reading a novel is almost next best to having something to do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/i-think-reading-a-novel-is-almost-next-best-to-having-something-to-do/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [All perfection is melancholy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/all-perfection-is-melancholy/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [Married people do stand up so for each other when you say a word, however they may fight between themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/married-people-do-stand-up-so-for-each-other-when-you-say-a-word/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [“Don’t you think a certain amount of civilisation is necessary before picture-frames will become remunerative? I don’t think you could live by them in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/don-t-you-think-a-certain-amount-of-civilisation-is-necessary-before/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [there are some people who never learn; indeed, few people learn by experience, so far as I have ever seen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/there-are-some-people-who-never-learn-indeed-few-people-learn-by/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [As for pictures and museums, that don't trouble me. The worst of going abroad is that you've always got to look at things of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/as-for-pictures-and-museums-that-don-t-trouble-me-the-worst-of-going/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [“The village lay in the hollow, and climbed, with very prosaic houses, the other side. Village architecture does not flourish in Scotland. The blue…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/the-village-lay-in-the-hollow-and-climbed-with-very-prosaic-houses/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [Next to happiness, perhaps enmity is the most healthful stimulant of the human mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/next-to-happiness-perhaps-enmity-is-the-most-healthful-stimulant-of/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [“And there has been no attempt to investigate it,' I said, 'to see what it really is?' 'Eh, Cornel,' said the coachman's wife, 'wha…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/and-there-has-been-no-attempt-to-investigate-it-i-said-to-see-what-it/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [To have a man who can flirt is next thing to indispensable to a leader of society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/to-have-a-man-who-can-flirt-is-next-thing-to-indispensable-to-a/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [For everybody knows that it requires very little to satisfy the gentlemen, if a woman will only give her mind to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/for-everybody-knows-that-it-requires-very-little-to-satisfy-the/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [The ideal is the flower-garden of the mind, and very apt to run to weeds unless carefully tended.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/the-ideal-is-the-flower-garden-of-the-mind-and-very-apt-to-run-to/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [Laughing is not the first expression of joy. ... A person laughs in idleness, for fun, not for joy. Joy has nothing, nothing but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/laughing-is-not-the-first-expression-of-joy-a-person-laughs-in/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [“It was getting dark by the time I went out, and nobody who knows the country will need to be told how black is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/it-was-getting-dark-by-the-time-i-went-out-and-nobody-who-knows-the/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) > [It is often easier to justify one's self to others than to respond to the secret doubts that arise in one's own bosom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/it-is-often-easier-to-justify-one-s-self-to-others-than-to-respond-to/) [Margaret Oliphant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) [Explore all 51 Margaret Oliphant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/) ## 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": "What happiness is there which is not purchased with more or less of pain?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Margaret Oliphant" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-purchased-with-more-or-less-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Happiness" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-purchased-with-more-or-less-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/margaret-oliphant-13259_happiness_what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-pur_65036.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/margaret-oliphant-13259_happiness_what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-pur_65036.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/cf4/margaret-oliphant-13259_happiness_what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-pur_65036.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“What happiness is there which is not purchased with more or less of pain?” — Margaret Oliphant", "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 Oliphant", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-oliphant/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "What happiness is there which is...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-purchased-with-more-or-less-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-oliphant/what-happiness-is-there-which-is-not-purchased-with-more-or-less-of/#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 } } ] } ```