--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One cannot but mistrust a prospect of…" description: "\"One cannot but mistrust a prospect of felicity: one must enjoy it before one can believe in it.\" — Moliere" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/moliere-965_believe_one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-fe_960848.png" --- # One cannot but mistrust a prospect of felicity: one must… ![“One cannot but mistrust a prospect of felicity: one must enjoy it before one can believe in it.” quote by Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/moliere-965_believe_one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-fe_960848.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/moliere-965_believe_one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-fe_960848.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/moliere-965_believe_one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-fe_960848.png) > “One cannot but mistrust a prospect of felicity: one must enjoy it before one can believe in it.” [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. One must first enjoy happiness before they can truly believe in it, suggesting skepticism toward untested joy. **In simple terms:** Enjoy happiness before believing it. Key Takeaway Experience joy first. Themes philosophy skepticism joy Mood thoughtful reflective Type philosophical literary When to use this quote - personal reflection - therapeutic practice - mindfulness exercises Key Concepts human perception belief formation Questions to Reflect On - Can you trust happiness without experience? - How does doubt shape your outlook? A Different Perspective Joy can be fleeting, making belief uncertain. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) [Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy/) [Enjoy Believe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enjoy-believe-1452937/) [Felicity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felicity/) [Felicity Enjoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/felicity-enjoy-1777945/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Mistrust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistrust/) [Mistrust Prospect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistrust-prospect-1777944/) ## Related quotes > [“God designs that we should enjoy ourselves. I do not believe in a religion that makes people gloomy, melancholy, miserable and ascetic. . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-taylor/god-designs-that-we-should-enjoy-ourselves-i-do-not-believe-in-a/) [John Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-taylor/) > [You're a woman, enjoy yourself, and believe that you can do things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-ratajkowski/you-re-a-woman-enjoy-yourself-and-believe-that-you-can-do-things/) [Emily Ratajkowski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-ratajkowski/) > [Felicity, not fluency of language, is a merit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-percy-whipple/felicity-not-fluency-of-language-is-a-merit/) [Edwin Percy Whipple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-percy-whipple/) > [You wanna know who I want to get pregnant? Felicity Huffman. 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There was a show that failed on the lot, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-grunberg/i-never-root-for-a-failure-i-learned-that-when-we-were-on-felicity/) [Greg Grunberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-grunberg/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## More by Moliere > [I might, by chance, write something just as shoddy; But then I wouldn't show it to everybody.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/i-might-by-chance-write-something-just-as-shoddy-but-then-i-wouldn-t/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Tobacco is the passion of honest men and he who lives without tobacco is not worthy of living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/tobacco-is-the-passion-of-honest-men-and-he-who-lives-without-tobacco/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Cover that bosom that I must not see: souls are wounded by such things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/cover-that-bosom-that-i-must-not-see-souls-are-wounded-by-such-things/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Even Rome cannot grant us a dispensation from death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/even-rome-cannot-grant-us-a-dispensation-from-death/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Anyone may be an honorable man, and yet write verse badly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/anyone-may-be-an-honorable-man-and-yet-write-verse-badly/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [The beautiful eyes of my cash-box.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/the-beautiful-eyes-of-my-cash-box/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [He makes his cook his merit, and the world visits his dinners and not him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/he-makes-his-cook-his-merit-and-the-world-visits-his-dinners-and-not/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Show some mercy to this chair which has stretched out its arms to you for so long; please satisfy its desire to embrace you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/show-some-mercy-to-this-chair-which-has-stretched-out-its-arms-to-you/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [In order to prove a friend to one's guests, frugality must reign in one's meals; and, according to an ancient saying, one must eat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/in-order-to-prove-a-friend-to-one-s-guests-frugality-must-reign-in/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [In society one needs a flexible virtue; too much goodness can be blamable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/in-society-one-needs-a-flexible-virtue-too-much-goodness-can-be/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Some of the most famous books are the least worth reading. Their fame was due to their having done something that needed to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/some-of-the-most-famous-books-are-the-least-worth-reading-their-fame/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Assassination's the fastest way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/assassination-s-the-fastest-way/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Nothing can be fairer, or more noble, than the holy fervor of true zeal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/nothing-can-be-fairer-or-more-noble-than-the-holy-fervor-of-true-zeal/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Words and deeds are far from being one. Much that is talked about is left undone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/words-and-deeds-are-far-from-being-one-much-that-is-talked-about-is/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) [Explore all 291 Moliere quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) ## More Believe quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [Some people still believe you should just fall in line with what's going on - and that's scary. 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I want to take on that responsibility to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-ross-williams/i-can-t-believe-that-i-m-sitting-in-meetings-with-steven-spielberg/) [Roger Ross Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-ross-williams/) > [There is no such word as item girl in the dictionary. People have created this word and I don't believe that I am an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shefali-zariwala/there-is-no-such-word-as-item-girl-in-the-dictionary-people-have/) [Shefali Zariwala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shefali-zariwala/) > [I understand that it's the music that keeps me alive... That's my lifeblood. And to give that up for, like, the TV, the cars,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-springsteen/i-understand-that-it-s-the-music-that-keeps-me-alive-that-s-my/) [Bruce Springsteen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-springsteen/) > [I don't really like too much credit. I know nobody's going to believe this, but I'd rather be able to score goals and nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bradley-wright-phillips/i-don-t-really-like-too-much-credit-i-know-nobody-s-going-to-believe/) [Bradley Wright-Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bradley-wright-phillips/) > [“What I have a problem with is not so much religion or god, but faith. When you say you believe something in your heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/penn-jillette/what-i-have-a-problem-with-is-not-so-much-religion-or-god-but-faith/) [Penn Jillette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/penn-jillette/) > [Bush reiterated his stand to conservatives opposing his decision on stem cell research. He said today he believes life begins at conception and ends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-leno/bush-reiterated-his-stand-to-conservatives-opposing-his-decision-on/) [Jay Leno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-leno/) > [Never underestimate the power of the human mind to believe what it wants to believe, no matter the conflicting evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-herbert/never-underestimate-the-power-of-the-human-mind-to-believe-what-it/) [Brian Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-herbert/) > [To believe in love, to be ready to give up anything for it, to be willing to risk your life for it, is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/to-believe-in-love-to-be-ready-to-give-up-anything-for-it-to-be/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) > [That's why I don't generally talk about endorsements because I don't believe we have to tell people who to vote for.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-iii/that-s-why-i-don-t-generally-talk-about-endorsements-because-i-don-t/) [Martin Luther King III](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-iii/) > [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [We instantly believe everything we think. Isn't that insane? It's good for us to explore the depravity of our minds, so we know we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krishna-das/we-instantly-believe-everything-we-think-isn-t-that-insane-it-s-good/) [Krishna Das](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krishna-das/) [Browse all 47,704 Believe quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/believe/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "One cannot but mistrust a prospect of felicity: one must enjoy it before one can believe in it.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Moliere" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-felicity-one-must-enjoy-it/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Believe" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-felicity-one-must-enjoy-it/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/moliere-965_believe_one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-fe_960848.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/moliere-965_believe_one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-fe_960848.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e0/moliere-965_believe_one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-fe_960848.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“One cannot but mistrust a prospect of felicity: one must enjoy it before one can believe in it.” — Moliere", "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": "Moliere", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "One cannot but mistrust a prospect...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-felicity-one-must-enjoy-it/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/one-cannot-but-mistrust-a-prospect-of-felicity-one-must-enjoy-it/#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 } } ] } ```