--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happiness is not a state of being…" description: "\"Happiness is not a state of being. Happiness is a vector, it is movement.\" — Neal Shusterman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72f/neal-shusterman-412_happiness_happiness-is-not-a-state-of-being-happin_2231248.png" --- # Happiness is not a state of being. Happiness is a vector… ![“Happiness is not a state of being. Happiness is a vector, it is movement.” quote by Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72f/neal-shusterman-412_happiness_happiness-is-not-a-state-of-being-happin_2231248.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72f/neal-shusterman-412_happiness_happiness-is-not-a-state-of-being-happin_2231248.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/72f/neal-shusterman-412_happiness_happiness-is-not-a-state-of-being-happin_2231248.png) > “Happiness is not a state of being. Happiness is a vector, it is movement.” [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## 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 described as dynamic movement rather than a static state, emphasizing progress and activity. **In simple terms:** Happiness is movement. Key Takeaway Pursue active growth. Themes happiness movement growth Mood optimistic energetic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career development - fitness - creative projects Key Concepts psychology well‑being Questions to Reflect On - What actions bring you joy? - How to balance rest and motion? A Different Perspective Movement alone doesn’t guarantee joy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Happiness State](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-state/) [Happiness Vector](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness-vector-1789053/) [Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movement/) [State Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/state-happiness-299815/) [States](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/states/) [Vector Movement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vector-movement-5020931/) [Vectors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/vectors/) ## Related quotes > [“In the end, blame didn't shine on an individual. It was a floodlight cast on all of us. And all because we longed for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/in-the-end-blame-didn-t-shine-on-an-individual-it-was-a-floodlight/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“Happiness is a vector. It can only be defined by the speed at which you're moving away from pain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/happiness-is-a-vector-it-can-only-be-defined-by-the-speed-at-which/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Most new movements start this way: hundreds or thousands of individuals and groups, working in different fields and different locations, start thinking about change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-johnson/most-new-movements-start-this-way-hundreds-or-thousands-of/) [Steven Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-johnson/) > [What determines each person's state of happiness or unhappiness is not the event itself, but what the event means to that person.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-prentiss/what-determines-each-person-s-state-of-happiness-or-unhappiness-is/) [Chris Prentiss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-prentiss/) > [When you are in touch with the Inner Being then irrespective of the outer state, you remain in a perpetual state of happiness!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/when-you-are-in-touch-with-the-inner-being-then-irrespective-of-the/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Misery is a state where happiness is a lie!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/misery-is-a-state-where-happiness-is-a-lie/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Philosophy takes as her aim the state of happiness...she shows us what are real and what are only apparent evils. She strips men's minds…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/philosophy-takes-as-her-aim-the-state-of-happiness-she-shows-us-what/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [A genuine smile does not wear off too quickly, so is a state of happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sweeney/a-genuine-smile-does-not-wear-off-too-quickly-so-is-a-state-of/) [Ash Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sweeney/) > [“Happiness is our natural state. Happiness is the natural state of little children, to whom the kingdom belongs until they have been polluted and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-de-mello/happiness-is-our-natural-state-happiness-is-the-natural-state-of/) [Anthony de Mello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-de-mello/) > [By happiness I mean here a deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind. This is not a mere pleasurable feeling,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matthieu-ricard/by-happiness-i-mean-here-a-deep-sense-of-flourishing-that-arises-from/) [Matthieu Ricard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matthieu-ricard/) > [In joy, in peace, in that soothing inner state, you will find happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/in-joy-in-peace-in-that-soothing-inner-state-you-will-find-happiness/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [We often think that money, possessions and external conditions bring happiness. I BELIEVE, it is self conciousness that determines true happiness. When I'm happy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/london-mond/we-often-think-that-money-possessions-and-external-conditions-bring-2/) [London Mond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/london-mond/) > [There is no point when all the material benefits of the world add up to a general state of happiness. It is the Great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tarek-saab/there-is-no-point-when-all-the-material-benefits-of-the-world-add-up/) [Tarek Saab](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tarek-saab/) > [“Contentment is a state of happiness and satisfaction. The choices we make are our own decisions for how we want to live our life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-j-barrier/contentment-is-a-state-of-happiness-and-satisfaction-the-choices-we/) [Ellen J. Barrier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-j-barrier/) > [“Americans are funny," Terence O'Donnell pointed out in a conversation we had about our national need to own as much as possible, including our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-fisher/americans-are-funny-terence-o-donnell-pointed-out-in-a-conversation/) [Lionel Fisher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-fisher/) ## More by Neal Shusterman > [“Picking locks was not a skill he had ever cultivated, but he persisted day after day, turning the tip of his talon into different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/picking-locks-was-not-a-skill-he-had-ever-cultivated-but-he-persisted/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“If you come anywhere near my daughter, I will see to it that you are taken apart piece by bloody piece. Do I make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-come-anywhere-near-my-daughter-i-will-see-to-it-that-you-are/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [Dead kids are put on pedestals, but mentally ill kids get hidden under the rug.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/dead-kids-are-put-on-pedestals-but-mentally-ill-kids-get-hidden-under/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“The fear of not living is a deep, abiding dread of watching your own potential decompose into irredeemable disappointment when “should be” gets crushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-fear-of-not-living-is-a-deep-abiding-dread-of-watching-your-own/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [That's wisdom you can take to the grave, and dig up when you need it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/that-s-wisdom-you-can-take-to-the-grave-and-dig-up-when-you-need-it/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“And you know the darkness beyond despair, just as intimately as you know the soaring heights. Because in this and all universes, there is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/and-you-know-the-darkness-beyond-despair-just-as-intimately-as-you/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [You may feel a tugging sensation near your ankles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/you-may-feel-a-tugging-sensation-near-your-ankles/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“while an adult could rarely be universally loved, everyone could love the right kid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/while-an-adult-could-rarely-be-universally-loved-everyone-could-love/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“It's like art, you know? Picasso had to prove to the world he can paint the right way, before he goes putting both eyes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/it-s-like-art-you-know-picasso-had-to-prove-to-the-world-he-can-paint/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [The way I see it, the impossible happens all the time; but we're so good at taking it for granted, we forget it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-way-i-see-it-the-impossible-happens-all-the-time-but-we-re-so/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“a true leader never puts his ego ahead of his assets.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/a-true-leader-never-puts-his-ego-ahead-of-his-assets/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [If you have to ask then you don't deserve an answer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/if-you-have-to-ask-then-you-don-t-deserve-an-answer/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“There was never anything wrong with my life. Perhaps that was the problem... The crack in my life was the fact that I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/there-was-never-anything-wrong-with-my-life-perhaps-that-was-the/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“But fate is a freak when it comes to messing with your future in ways you don't see coming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/but-fate-is-a-freak-when-it-comes-to-messing-with-your-future-in-ways/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) > [“The sad truth about humanity, Risa was quick to realize, is that people believe what they are told. Maybe not the first time, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neal-shusterman/the-sad-truth-about-humanity-risa-was-quick-to-realize-is-that-people/) [Neal Shusterman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) [Explore all 573 Neal Shusterman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neal-shusterman/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pancho-barnes/) [Browse all 40,288 Happiness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Happiness is not a state of being. 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