--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed…" description: "\"Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived light in the sky, to have loved, to have thought, to have done?\" — Matthew Arnold" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/matthew-arnold-1235_done_is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-t_528079.jpg" --- # Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have… ![“Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived light in the sky, to have loved, to have thought, to have done?” quote by Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/matthew-arnold-1235_done_is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-t_528079.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/matthew-arnold-1235_done_is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-t_528079.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/matthew-arnold-1235_done_is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-t_528079.jpg) > “Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived light in the sky, to have loved, to have thought, to have done?” [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker questions whether life's simple pleasures—sunlight, love, thought, action—are insignificant, urging appreciation of everyday joys. **In simple terms:** Simple joys may seem small but are essential. Key Takeaway Cherish everyday moments. Themes joy appreciation existence Mood contemplative inspirational Type poetic philosophical When to use this quote - morning walks - sunny days - personal reflection Key Concepts philosophy poetry mindfulness Questions to Reflect On - What daily pleasure do you often overlook? - How does gratitude change your outlook? A Different Perspective Neglecting small joys can lead to emptiness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Light](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/light/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) [Sky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sky/) [Sun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sun/) ## Related quotes > [Is it so small a thing To have enjoyed the sun...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-the-sun/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [It is so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived light in the spring, to have loved, to have thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/it-is-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-the-sun-to-have-lived-light-in/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [“He slept beneath the moon, he basked beneath the sun; he lived a life of going to do and died with nothing done”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-albery/he-slept-beneath-the-moon-he-basked-beneath-the-sun-he-lived-a-life/) James Albery > [“But the light in front of the mosque-- the light I stood in as I was greeted like a local hero, simply for rising…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zadie-smith/but-the-light-in-front-of-the-mosque-the-light-i-stood-in-as-i-was/) [Zadie Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zadie-smith/) > [“lights and moods and seasons was to see it a thousand different ways and to keep it shut in the dark—a thing made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-tartt/lights-and-moods-and-seasons-was-to-see-it-a-thousand-different-ways/) [Donna Tartt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-tartt/) > [“In the end, people will not be judged by the darkness they lived in, but by the light they rejected.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/in-the-end-people-will-not-be-judged-by-the-darkness-they-lived-in/) [Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/) > [“I thought, lying there, that I might love him for the rest of my life. We did love each other—maybe we never said it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-green/i-thought-lying-there-that-i-might-love-him-for-the-rest-of-my-life/) [John Green](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-green/) > [“You’re a fucking miracle,” he whispered against my skin and I closed my eyes. I loved that he thought that about me. “I’m a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristen-ashley/you-re-a-fucking-miracle-he-whispered-against-my-skin-and-i-closed-my/) [Kristen Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristen-ashley/) > [“I love you more than I’ve ever loved anyone. More than I thought I was capable of. Eden, you’ve taken my heart by surprise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karina-halle/i-love-you-more-than-i-ve-ever-loved-anyone-more-than-i-thought-i-was/) [Karina Halle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karina-halle/) > [When things gets tough, that used to be a part of you that you loved, and thought it was for you forever. Don't let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-things-gets-tough-that-used-to-be-a-part-of-you-that-you-loved/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I loved you because I thought you loved me. I was wrong, you loved someone else. After all things I have done for you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zuhair-tahan/i-loved-you-because-i-thought-you-loved-me-i-was-wrong-you-loved/) Zuhair Tahan > [“I’m your nightmare.” I loved that thought. It tantalized me with its power.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-adair/i-m-your-nightmare-i-loved-that-thought-it-tantalized-me-with-its/) [Bobby Adair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-adair/) > [“He loved Jaime. He loved him so much sometimes he thought he must certainly be losing his mind. It was hard to believe his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-sexton/he-loved-jaime-he-loved-him-so-much-sometimes-he-thought-he-must/) [Marie Sexton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-sexton/) > [You make me Happy. Sad. Excited. Angry. Upset. Ecstatic. Humiliated. You make me everything I can be. Your brought joy into this life of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curly-girl/you-make-me-happy-sad-excited-angry-upset-ecstatic-humiliated-you/) Curly Girl > [“It was the teaching itself that I loved. At least, I loved it back when I thought it would be enough to change things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-sanderson/it-was-the-teaching-itself-that-i-loved-at-least-i-loved-it-back-when/) [Brandon Sanderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-sanderson/) ## More by Matthew Arnold > [Culture looks beyond machinery, culture hates hatred; culture has one great passion, the passion for sweetness and light.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-looks-beyond-machinery-culture-hates-hatred-culture-has-one/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [We must hold fast to the austere but true doctrine as to what really governs politics and saves or destroys states. Having in mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/we-must-hold-fast-to-the-austere-but-true-doctrine-as-to-what-really/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [“Culture is the endeavour to know the best and to make this knowledge prevail for the good of all humankind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-is-the-endeavour-to-know-the-best-and-to-make-this-knowledge/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [The difference between genuine poetry and the poetry of Dryden, Pope, and all their school, is briefly this: their poetry is conceived and composed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/the-difference-between-genuine-poetry-and-the-poetry-of-dryden-pope/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Culture, the acquainting ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus with the history of the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-the-acquainting-ourselves-with-the-best-that-has-been-known/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Strew on her roses, roses, And never a spray of yew! In quiet she reposes; Ah, would that I did too!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/strew-on-her-roses-roses-and-never-a-spray-of-yew-in-quiet-she/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Nature, with equal mind, Sees all her sons at play, Sees man control the wind, The wind sweep man away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/nature-with-equal-mind-sees-all-her-sons-at-play-sees-man-control-the/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Six years-six little years-six drops of time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/six-years-six-little-years-six-drops-of-time/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Let the long contention cease! / Geese are swans, and swans are geese.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/let-the-long-contention-cease-geese-are-swans-and-swans-are-geese/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [It is almost impossible to exaggerate the proneness of the human mind to take miracles as evidence, and to seek for miracles as evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/it-is-almost-impossible-to-exaggerate-the-proneness-of-the-human-mind/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Religion is ethics heightened, enkindled, lit up by feeling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/religion-is-ethics-heightened-enkindled-lit-up-by-feeling/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Genius is mainly an affair of energy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/genius-is-mainly-an-affair-of-energy/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [Culture is both an intellectual phenomenon and a moral one](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/culture-is-both-an-intellectual-phenomenon-and-a-moral-one/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [English civilization the humanizing, the bringing into one harmonious and truly humane life, of the whole body of English society that is what interests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/english-civilization-the-humanizing-the-bringing-into-one-harmonious/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) > [“Wandering between two worlds, one dead The other powerless to be born, With nowhere yet to rest my head Like these, on earth I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/wandering-between-two-worlds-one-dead-the-other-powerless-to-be-born/) [Matthew Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) [Explore all 267 Matthew Arnold quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/) ## More Done quotes > [Entertainment is a sacred pursuit when done well. When done well, it raises the quality of human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-chabon/entertainment-is-a-sacred-pursuit-when-done-well-when-done-well-it/) [Michael Chabon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-chabon/) > [Usually male directors have to use foul language to get the job done. But I never came down to that level as being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-khosla-kumar/usually-male-directors-have-to-use-foul-language-to-get-the-job-done/) [Divya Khosla Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-khosla-kumar/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Forcing modern speakers of English to not - whoops, not to split an infinitive because it isn't done in Latin makes about as much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/forcing-modern-speakers-of-english-to-not-whoops-not-to-split-an/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [Against his own will, almost, Will felt himself understanding; he would have done anything, he thought, told any lie, taken any risk, to make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cassandra-clare/against-his-own-will-almost-will-felt-himself-understanding-he-would/) [Cassandra Clare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cassandra-clare/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [If the members of parliament no longer consider themselves mandatories of the taxpayers but deputies of those receiving salaries, wages, subsidies, doles, and other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/if-the-members-of-parliament-no-longer-consider-themselves/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [I'm a business first and foremost so whatever my business is, it's separate from my personal. It's like whatever I do business wise, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/snoop-dogg/i-m-a-business-first-and-foremost-so-whatever-my-business-is-it-s/) [Snoop Dogg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/snoop-dogg/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [I always watch my matches back 100 times afterwards because that's how I improve. This is something I've always done, even in NXT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-rose/i-always-watch-my-matches-back-100-times-afterwards-because-that-s/) [Mandy Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-rose/) > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [I don't enjoy killing, but when done righteously, it's just a chore, like any other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua/i-don-t-enjoy-killing-but-when-done-righteously-it-s-just-a-chore/) [Joshua](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua/) > [Of everything I have done, 'The Archers' always gets the most excitement; there's a sort of uncontrollable joy from fans of the program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felicity-jones/of-everything-i-have-done-the-archers-always-gets-the-most-excitement/) [Felicity Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felicity-jones/) Browse all 25,653 Done quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived light in the sky, to have loved, to have thought, to have done?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Matthew Arnold" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-the-sun-to-have-lived-light-in/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Done" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-the-sun-to-have-lived-light-in/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/matthew-arnold-1235_done_is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-t_528079.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/matthew-arnold-1235_done_is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-t_528079.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/aa9/matthew-arnold-1235_done_is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-t_528079.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Is it so small a thing to have enjoyed the sun, to have lived light in the sky, to have loved, to have…” — Matthew Arnold", "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": "Matthew Arnold", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthew-arnold/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Is it so small a thing...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-the-sun-to-have-lived-light-in/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthew-arnold/is-it-so-small-a-thing-to-have-enjoyed-the-sun-to-have-lived-light-in/#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 } } ] } ```