--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness is a by-product rather than an…" description: "\"Happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself. It pops into your life unbidden, and then tends to pop out again. I'm on record as being depres..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/monty-don-5037_again_happiness-is-a-by-product-rather-than-an_1177082.jpg" --- # Happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself. It… ![“Happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself. It pops into your life unbidden, and then tends to pop out again. I'm on record as being depressive. It is related to winter.” quote by Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/monty-don-5037_again_happiness-is-a-by-product-rather-than-an_1177082.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/monty-don-5037_again_happiness-is-a-by-product-rather-than-an_1177082.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c73/monty-don-5037_again_happiness-is-a-by-product-rather-than-an_1177082.jpg) > “Happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself. It pops into your life unbidden, and then tends to pop out again. I'm on record as being depressive. It is related to winter.” [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) ## 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 a fleeting by‑product, not a goal; it appears naturally and may fade **In simple terms:** Happiness comes unexpectedly and can disappear; it's not a direct aim Key Takeaway Seek fulfillment, not happiness as a primary target Themes happiness seasonality mental health Mood reflective hopeful Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - seasonal activities - mindfulness practice - creative pursuits - social connections Key Concepts ephemeral joy winter melancholy Questions to Reflect On - How do you handle seasonal mood changes? - What activities bring you spontaneous joy? A Different Perspective Winter depression can hinder happiness; seek support ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Depressive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/depressive/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/winter/) ## Related quotes > [Remember that happiness is a by-product of you living a life true to yourself, and though you can't always force it, if you look…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/remember-that-happiness-is-a-by-product-of-you-living-a-life-true-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Happiness is a by-product of wanting something more than happiness-to be rightly related to God and our neighbor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/happiness-is-a-by-product-of-wanting-something-more-than-happiness-to/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Those who make happiness the chief objective of life are bound to fail, for happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-b-wirthlin/those-who-make-happiness-the-chief-objective-of-life-are-bound-to/) [Joseph B. Wirthlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-b-wirthlin/) > [Happiness is always a by-product. You don't make yourself happy by chasing happiness. You make yourself happy by being a good person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-is-always-a-by-product-you-don-t-make-yourself-happy-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I see happiness as a by-product. I don't think you can pursue happiness. I think that phrase is one of the very few mistakes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-hillman/i-see-happiness-as-a-by-product-i-don-t-think-you-can-pursue/) [James Hillman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-hillman/) > [Happiness is a by-product. You cannot pursue it by itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-levenson/happiness-is-a-by-product-you-cannot-pursue-it-by-itself/) [Sam Levenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-levenson/) > [The highest happiness is a by-product of worthy work well done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rene-auberjonois/the-highest-happiness-is-a-by-product-of-worthy-work-well-done/) [Rene Auberjonois](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rene-auberjonois/) > [Happiness is mostly a by-product of doing what makes us feel fulfilled.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-spock/happiness-is-mostly-a-by-product-of-doing-what-makes-us-feel-fulfilled/) [Benjamin Spock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-spock/) > [Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/happiness-is-always-a-by-product-it-is-probably-a-matter-of-2/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Happiness is a by product of service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-j-critchlow-jr/happiness-is-a-by-product-of-service/) William J. Critchlow, Jr > [Happiness is a by-product of an effort to make someone else happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gretta-brooker-palmer/happiness-is-a-by-product-of-an-effort-to-make-someone-else-happy/) Gretta Brooker Palmer > [Happiness will never come if it's a goal in itself; happiness is a by-product of a commitment of worthy causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-vincent-peale/happiness-will-never-come-if-it-s-a-goal-in-itself-happiness-is-a-by/) [Norman Vincent Peale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-vincent-peale/) > [Happiness is a by-product. It is not a primary product of life. It is a thing which you suddenly realize you have because you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/happiness-is-a-by-product-it-is-not-a-primary-product-of-life-it-is-a/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Happiness is always a by-product. It is probably a matter of temperament, and for anything I know it may be glandular. But it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robertson-davies/happiness-is-always-a-by-product-it-is-probably-a-matter-of/) [Robertson Davies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robertson-davies/) > [Happiness is not a goal; happiness is a by-product.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-satak/happiness-is-not-a-goal-happiness-is-a-by-product/) Steven Satak ## More by Monty Don > [Gardening is easy. Stick it in the ground the right way up and most plants will grow perfectly well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/gardening-is-easy-stick-it-in-the-ground-the-right-way-up-and-most/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [My favourite thorn belongs to the rose with a name like a mouthful of broken teeth, Rosa sericea pteracantha. It is grown almost entirely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/my-favourite-thorn-belongs-to-the-rose-with-a-name-like-a-mouthful-of/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [I love filming. I love the teamwork. It's a tight-knit group spending months on the road together. All the experience is shared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/i-love-filming-i-love-the-teamwork-it-s-a-tight-knit-group-spending/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [The thing the British hate more than anything else is people who are getting above themselves. There are a hundred different expressions for it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/the-thing-the-british-hate-more-than-anything-else-is-people-who-are/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [People are increasingly realising that what they eat is important. You can't put junk food in your body and be healthy. All sorts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/people-are-increasingly-realising-that-what-they-eat-is-important-you/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [I do wear gloves for things that sting a lot or prick a lot. But I just like to feel with my hands. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/i-do-wear-gloves-for-things-that-sting-a-lot-or-prick-a-lot-but-i/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [I often eat cakes while my fingers are caked in soil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/i-often-eat-cakes-while-my-fingers-are-caked-in-soil/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [We know that gardening is good for you. It is fantastic, all-round exercise.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/we-know-that-gardening-is-good-for-you-it-is-fantastic-all-round/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [The key to our oldest woodland is that it has been cut down and regrown, in some cases as often as 50 or 60…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/the-key-to-our-oldest-woodland-is-that-it-has-been-cut-down-and/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [When you plant something, you invest in a beautiful future amidst a stressful, chaotic and, at times, downright appalling world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/when-you-plant-something-you-invest-in-a-beautiful-future-amidst-a/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [The farm uses up a lot of my creative urges. It's a sort of rough and ready space, I don't film there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/the-farm-uses-up-a-lot-of-my-creative-urges-it-s-a-sort-of-rough-and/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [I was brought up a strict Christian. My father was a lay preacher, my mother a church warden. The rhythm and ritual of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/i-was-brought-up-a-strict-christian-my-father-was-a-lay-preacher-my/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [Organic is loaded with a sense of rightness, with a set of rules. I would much rather someone bought food that was local and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/organic-is-loaded-with-a-sense-of-rightness-with-a-set-of-rules-i/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [Ground elder, introduced by the Romans as a vegetable, is difficult to get rid of because it regrows from the smallest trace of root.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/ground-elder-introduced-by-the-romans-as-a-vegetable-is-difficult-to/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) > [We are extremely uncomfortable with the spiritual aspects of gardening, and yet most people feel it in some form or other, even if it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monty-don/we-are-extremely-uncomfortable-with-the-spiritual-aspects-of/) [Monty Don](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) [Explore all 104 Monty Don quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monty-don/) ## More Again quotes > [The one thing that I keep learning over and over again is that I don't know nothing. I mean, that's my life lesson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwayne-johnson/the-one-thing-that-i-keep-learning-over-and-over-again-is-that-i-don/) [Dwayne Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwayne-johnson/) > [I've always been interested in photographs, collecting them not systematically but randomly. They get lost, then turn up again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/w-g-sebald/i-ve-always-been-interested-in-photographs-collecting-them-not/) [W. G. Sebald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/w-g-sebald/) > [I say this about everything: when I was on 'Neighbours,' I said, 'These are the best years of my life!' When I was filming…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margot-robbie/i-say-this-about-everything-when-i-was-on-neighbours-i-said-these-are/) [Margot Robbie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margot-robbie/) > [I don't think you should ever say, 'This is the last time'. Music isn't like that. You'll be sitting there not wishing to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-daltrey/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-say-this-is-the-last-time-music-isn-t/) [Roger Daltrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-daltrey/) > [I don't know about writing. It's quite lonely. You have to have a lot of patience with yourself. I don't know if I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-wilson/i-don-t-know-about-writing-it-s-quite-lonely-you-have-to-have-a-lot/) [Ruth Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-wilson/) > [Inspiration comes from so many sources. Music, other fiction, the non-fiction I read, TV shows, films, news reports, people I know, stories I hear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trudi-canavan/inspiration-comes-from-so-many-sources-music-other-fiction-the-non/) [Trudi Canavan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trudi-canavan/) > [You couldn't get me to go travel around and sit in a hotel room again. I have no interest in doing that. So everybody's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-everly/you-couldn-t-get-me-to-go-travel-around-and-sit-in-a-hotel-room-again/) [Phil Everly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-everly/) > [In theater, one of the biggest problems when you're rehearsing comedy over and over again is that you stop laughing at each other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-ashley-carter/in-theater-one-of-the-biggest-problems-when-you-re-rehearsing-comedy/) [Lauren Ashley Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-ashley-carter/) > [I'd like to do some female roles again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cameron-mitchell/i-d-like-to-do-some-female-roles-again/) [John Cameron Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cameron-mitchell/) > [Death is a sniper. It strikes people you love, people you like, people you know - it's everywhere. You could be next. But then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/death-is-a-sniper-it-strikes-people-you-love-people-you-like-people/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [Well, a lot of our concerts do okay, and I know we still get royalty checks which still isn't that important, but again, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-johnston/well-a-lot-of-our-concerts-do-okay-and-i-know-we-still-get-royalty/) [Bruce Johnston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-johnston/) > [Oh wow, you know what's wrong with all these families on TV? All these kids say stuff no kid would say. Stuff grown-ups want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/oh-wow-you-know-what-s-wrong-with-all-these-families-on-tv-all-these/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [We must resist the temptation of once again turning America into the traditional bogeyman of the left.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giorgio-napolitano/we-must-resist-the-temptation-of-once-again-turning-america-into-the/) [Giorgio Napolitano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giorgio-napolitano/) > [We won the Europa League in 2013 and it was an amazing night, an amazing feeling. I take those memories and think to myself,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gary-cahill/we-won-the-europa-league-in-2013-and-it-was-an-amazing-night-an/) [Gary Cahill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gary-cahill/) > [The coronavirus has yet again exposed the strong contrast between President Trump - who is working ardently for the American people - and a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kayleigh-mcenany/the-coronavirus-has-yet-again-exposed-the-strong-contrast-between/) [Kayleigh McEnany](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kayleigh-mcenany/) Browse all 2,975 Again quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Happiness is a by-product rather than an end in itself. It pops into your life unbidden, and then tends to pop out again. I'm on record as being depressive. 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